One of the reasons I created the Crossing the Line podcast was simple: some of the most important voices in the movement to protect students are voices that the public rarely hears in depth.

Episode one begins with one of those voices.

My guest is Faith Colson, a survivor of educator sexual misconduct who has transformed her experience into powerful advocacy for policy reform and student protection. Today she serves as a board member of the National Center to Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct & Exploitation and has helped push legislative change designed to protect students across the country.

Faith’s story is not only about what happened to her. It’s about what happens after survivors step forward.

In our conversation, Faith talks candidly about the long path from surviving abuse to becoming an advocate for change. She explains why so many survivors struggle to report what happened, how institutions sometimes fail to recognize the harm that occurred, and why policy reform is essential if we want to prevent the same patterns from repeating.

One of the most striking parts of our discussion is Faith’s focus on systems.

For years, conversations about educator sexual misconduct often centered on individual cases. Faith pushes the conversation further. She talks about how policies, reporting requirements, and accountability mechanisms can determine whether abuse is exposed—or quietly allowed to continue.

Survivor voices are often the catalyst for these reforms. When people speak publicly about what happened to them, they illuminate gaps in the system that policymakers and school leaders may never have seen before.

That kind of courage changes laws.

And more importantly, it changes outcomes for the next generation of students.

This first episode of Crossing the Line sets the tone for the entire podcast series: thoughtful conversations with people who are working—sometimes quietly, sometimes publicly—to make schools safer.

Faith’s story is not just one survivor’s story. It is a reminder that progress often begins when someone decides that silence is no longer acceptable.

You can watch the full episode below.