“Anthony & Beau: Here We Are”

Why does a man wait 30 or 40 years to talk about being sexually abused as a child? And what happens when he finally does?

In the debut episode of You’re Not Alone, the 1in6 podcast, cohosts Anthony Edwards and Beau Friedlander sit down for the conversation that started it all: two friends who connected years ago, then discovered they shared something neither had spoken aloud. Both were sexually abused as boys.

Anthony walks through being groomed by a trusted mentor inside the world he loved, and how that betrayal turned love into something conditional, fueling decades of perfectionism, codependency, and a life lived on “hyper speed” until it broke. Beau describes how he spent years minimizing what happened to him at seven, bargaining with the reality, until the word power made it click into place.

Together they unpack the things that keep male survivors silent—shame, anger, the fear that the pain will “kill you,” and the lie that it wasn’t a big deal—and the one thing that consistently breaks the silence: honest conversation in a safe place. As Anthony puts it, “The most important first step is not feeling alone.”

This is the heart of why You’re Not Alone exists. If you’re a man carrying something you’ve never said out loud, start here.

In this episode:

• Why men minimize abuse, and how to recognize when you’re doing it
• Grooming, betrayal, and how predators exploit trust
• Why it’s about power, not sex, and why that distinction matters
• How untreated trauma shows up later: anger, addiction, codependency, hypervigilance
• The healing power of peer connection, and how to start your own support group
• Reframing justice: “Justice for me looks like me having a good life.”

You are not alone. 1 in 6 men have had an unwanted or abusive sexual experience. Free, confidential support is available 24/7 through the 1in6 Helpline and online support groups at 1in6.org.