#296 Meg Appelgate - Why Parents Are Being Lied To About Teen “Treatment”
Quotes & Clips
5 clipsPredators target institutions where children gather
“They appear to be normal, hardworking, caring people and they insert themselves wherever there's gonna be kids, whether it's a PE coach, a cheerleading coach, a swim coach, a church camp, outdoors camp, boy scouts, girls. It doesn't matter. And I'm not saying boy scouts and girl scouts camps or whatever. I'm just saying wherever there's kids, there is a very, very high possibility there's gonna be pedophiles.”
Religious programs often lack institutional oversight
“If someone tells me I'm a survivor of a religious program, almost always the abuse tends to be more severe. And it's also harder to hold them accountable, because a lot of times, there are 501C3s and nonprofits, and they have exemptions from licensing, and they have more leniency from the behaviors and the practices that they're allowed to utilize in their programs.”
Legal threats are used to silence survivors
“I see it happen to survivors, too, where they'll talk about their story and all of a sudden, they'll have a cease and desist. And it's just like, it's their experiences. Like, it looks so horrible. Just say nothing. I mean, you look really bad by trying to do this to a survivor.”
Protecting abusers is a PR disaster
“You're coming after people who are trying to protect kids. And you're protecting pedophiles. How do you think this is going to... If you take everything I have and you sue the shit out of me and I'm all done, you're still protecting pedophiles. It's a bad look.”
TTI roots trace to Native boarding schools
“One of the things about the TTI, or the troubled teen industry, that most people don't know is they started back in the 1800s as Native American boarding schools where they would steal kids from their families, try to assimilate them into American culture and strip them of their culture completely. And that's really where the behavior modification, taking kids from their families, putting them in a different place in an institution, started from.”
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Episode Description
Meg Appelgate is the Founder and CEO of Unsilenced, a nonprofit organization launched in January 2022 to support past, present, and future victims of institutional child abuse. A survivor of the Troubled Teen Industry (TTI), Meg was abducted from her bed at age 15 and confined in abusive facilities for three and a half years—an experience that drives her mission to expose systemic abuse and fight for reform. Her 2024 memoir, Becoming UNSILENCED: Surviving the Troubled Teen Industry, chronicles her harrowing journey and transformation into one of the leading national voices demanding change. In 2023, she testified as an expert before the Montana State Senate, helping secure passage of HB 218, landmark legislation increasing oversight and regulation of TTI programs. Her work continues to empower survivors while pushing for transparency, accountability, and legal reform across the industry. Alongside her advocacy, Meg serves as Vice President and Managing Director of the Gochnauer Foundation, supporting philanthropic initiatives aligned with justice and healing. She lives with her husband, Ben, and their four children, dedicating her life to ensuring that no child endures what she once did. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: Go to https://calderalab.com/SRS and use code SRS for 20% off your first order. If you’re serious about selling to the Department of War, go to https://SBIRAdvisors.com and mention Shawn Ryan for your first month free. Live better longer with BUBS Naturals. Get 20% OFF on collagen, MCT creamers, and more with code SHAWN at https://bubsnaturals.com/srs Don’t let your money sit around—put it to work with Stash. Go to https://get.stash.com/SRS to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures Meg Appelgate Links: Personal Website - www.megappelgate.com Memoir - https://a.co/d/3P5hM37 IG - https://www.instagram.com/megappelgate TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@megappelgate Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Megappelgate1 X - https://x.com/megappelgate Unsilenced Website - www.unsilenced.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices