Podbit · We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson
After being sexually assaulted multiple times and exclusively dating online to feel safe, Briel met Adam on Tinder. His first date was coffee in public — 'I want people to see I'm on a date with you.' After two weeks she asked for space because his kindness overwhelmed her. Her family intervened and invited him to dinner.
Where this was said
At 1:10:25 · chapter starts 1:06:01
This is the episode's most quietly devastating chapter. Briel's first boyfriend was in 7th grade; the relationship ended in sexual assault by a friend at their house. Determined to avoid physical proximity, she moved her dating life entirely online — but the online world provided only the illusion of safety. When she moved to St. George for junior year, an older man she had been talking to online suggested they meet, she went despite her hesitation, and the assault happened again. It happened again after that, and again. By the time she downloaded Tinder and matched with Adam, she was still cycling through online relationships with the same goal: to be close to someone without being physically vulnerable. The transition from that pattern to a real relationship with a kind man proved harder than she expected — his good behaviour was, in itself, destabilising. [1] — Briel Adams-Wheatley "After being sexually assaulted multiple times and exclusively dating online to feel safe, Briel met Adam on Tinder. His first date was coff…" 1:10:25
Briel has been on hormone therapy for almost three years, which she says has profoundly improved her mental clarity, confidence, and emotional wellbeing.
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