Welcome to Beyond Betrayal

A new online community for listeners, friends, and advocates

If you’re reading this, you’d probably recognize me better by my voice. I’m Andrea Gunning, the host of Betrayal. We’re hard at work on our fourth season of the podcast now, and we’re excited to announce that you can listen to the first episodes this week! Episodes 1 (and Episode 2, exclusively on iHeartTrueCrime+) drop tomorrow, May 22. You can tune in on Apple, Spotify, the iHeartApp, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Our podcast tells stories of, yes, betrayal — but also stories of resilience, love, healing, and growth. And now, we want to expand the world of Betrayal beyond the podcast. There are so many of you who relate and respond to this material, and we’re grateful to have heard from countless listeners through emails, reviews, and posts online. Because of this, we wanted to create a community for everyone whose voice you don’t hear on tape.

When we first decided to produce Betrayal six years ago, I didn’t know how far this project would go or the people it would touch. I first spoke to Jenifer Faison, the subject of Season One, in the summer of 2019. As soon as she started sharing details of her story, a burning sense of familiarity ignited inside me. I hadn’t experienced anything close to what Jen went through, but I felt an instant connection. I had just gotten over a relationship of my own — one that I was finally on the other side of. It was an ending that took years to unravel, during which I’d discovered that he’d pursued other women during our time together. There were big and small deceptions: finding out he took our leftovers to a woman at his gym. Seeing a care package made with love not for me, but in pursuit of another. Discovering too close of a friendship with a colleague at work. It was an ending that made the rest of our relationship feel tainted, because infidelity compromised our connection. And when it finally ended, I felt small and insignificant — like I’d never mattered at all.

Just as I felt free of that relationship, I realized I wasn’t. I felt embarrassed and ashamed. I felt like I wasn’t good enough. I cursed myself for the time that I lost. And I hated that I let myself make all the effort, in what had become clear was an unbalanced dynamic. I lost myself trying to make room for someone else.

In the years that followed that relationship, I had no choice but to repair the relationship I had with myself. I had to find myself again and learn who I’d become. I had to rebuild the foundation of self-love — that was one stone. I had to give myself grace — another stone. Working on my inner child was the stone that took the longest to find. I placed all of these stones delicately, one by one over time, like a cairn. A marker for when I would lose my way in the future. Eventually I found my way and my voice, and I wanted to create a safe place for others to do the same.

When I first started working on Betrayal, I wanted to tell stories that made people feel seen. Betrayal has always been a place where listeners can feel less alone, and we provide an opportunity for those interested to use their voice. Over the course of four seasons, I’ve listened to Jen, Ashley, Stacey, Tyler, and Karoline — along with all the weekly participants — share their experiences. And it has fundamentally changed me for the better. I’ve learned stories of heartbreaking deception and the trauma that followed. I’ve witnessed the depths and dark truths of humanity. There were times when I thought the truth was too ugly to share — but it only made my voice louder. Why? Because the truth is meant to be told. Because if we don’t shine a light on grooming, the CSAM epidemic, sexual predators, and the complications of the criminal and family law system, we keep these perpetrators in the shadows. We keep the potential for change in the shadows.

But perpetrators of these betrayals are a small part of the story. For me, the heart of these stories are the survivors of these experiences, and their resilience. I have learned from each one of them. Season One taught me the power of grace and tough conversations. Season Two taught me about worthiness, security, and how its absence can send you down a dark path. Season Three taught me about the power of laughter, the importance of breaking stigmas, and the beauty of unconditional love. Season Four taught me that my perception is my reality.

Working on Betrayal has softened me as a human. It has made me a better person, a better colleague, and a better friend. And now, we want to share that same growth and these meaningful lessons with you: the audience.

Because our community keeps growing, we saw a need for another space. That’s why we’re starting Beyond Betrayal. With this Substack, we hope to give you a peek behind the curtain. You’ll also get even more content from our corner of the world: interviews and input from experts, book and podcast recommendations from the team, and moments that were left on the cutting room floor. But most importantly, we want to bring you all together. We have exciting things planned. I hope you join us!