My Boyfriend Trafficked Me to His Friends

August 16, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Deanna Powell grew up in a small gold-mining town in Northern California, the oldest of three children in an independent fundamentalist Baptist family. Her father was a teacher and principal at her Christian school. Discipline meant spankings with a belt or paddle, sometimes on her bare bottom. The theology she absorbed was built on a hierarchy called the umbrella of authority: God at the top, then the man, then the wife, then the children. She was told she was born a sinner, that nothing she could do would make her worthy of love, and that self-worth was a sin because it signaled pride. She was not allowed to play with non-Christian children, listen to music with drums, or own Barbie dolls. When her father finally gave her the sex talk at 16, he told her to kiss with her mouth closed so boys would not get excited and try to do other things. She had already French-kissed a boy, but she did not tell him because she knew there would be punishment.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:57) **Diana Powell Introduces Herself and Her Mission** - Diana shares her background as a single mom by choice, a real estate professional, and the host of the *Intrepid Storytelling* podcast.
2 (04:51) **Why She's Finally Telling This Part of Her Story** - Diana reveals she has buried a deep sexual trauma, triggered by the P. Diddy and Epstein cases, and is now ready to speak.
3 (06:53) **A Sheltered and Controlled Childhood** - Diana describes her upbringing in a small, isolated town within an independent fundamentalist Baptist family.
4 (13:13) **The "Sex Talk" and Physical Punishment** - Diana recounts her father's inadequate sex talk and the brutal physical discipline she endured.
5 (25:47) **First Relationship and a Pattern of Naivety** - At 18, Diana escapes her home and begins a relationship with a 30-year-old man named Kevin.
6 (29:56) **First Husband and Devastating Divorce** - Diana meets and marries Casey, a man her own age, at 23, but the marriage quickly falls apart.
7 (33:17) **Meeting Steve: The Love Bomber** - Diana meets Steve, who she calls the "hottest guy" she'd ever seen, and he immediately love-bombs her.

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Show Notes

Deanna is sharing a part of her story she never thought she would tell publicly. After growing up in a deeply controlling religious environment, she entered adulthood without a clear understanding of boundaries, consent, or her own self-worth, leaving her vulnerable to relationships filled with manipulation, coercive control, abuse, and addiction.

She opens up about being groomed and sexually coerced by a partner, losing herself in unhealthy relationships, and turning to alcohol until a DUI and three months in jail became the wake-up call that ultimately saved her life. Through sobriety, recovery, and learning to trust herself, Deanna began rebuilding her identity and discovering that the family she'd always dreamed of didn't have to look the way she'd been taught.

Check Out Deanna :

Subscribe To Intrepid Storytelling:

→ YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@IntrepidStorytelling

→ Apple Podcast | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/intrepid-storytelling/id1855383579

→ Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/4C37HrHnzXKGDTQjCeWxOZ?si=1213f92e209a4cbe

Follow Intrepid Storytelling On Social Media:

→ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578154971079

→ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/intrepidstorytelling

→ TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@intrepidstorytelling

Follow Deanna On Social Media:

→ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/deanna.powell.5817/

→ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/deannapowell

Deanna's Websites:

→ Podcast: https://www.intrepidstorytelling.com

→ Real Estate: https://www.intrepidhometeam.com