In this episode of What It’s Really Like, host Molly Burke welcomes her best friend of ten years, Bradon Schwartz, for a deeply personal and vulnerable conversation. Braden shares his complex journey growing up in a hyper-insular Seventh-day Adventist community, where homeschooling and strict religious rules defined his early world. The discussion takes a raw turn as Bradon reflects on the sexual abuse he suffered as a child. He candidly describes how his family initially framed this trauma as the "reason" for his sexuality, leading him to spend years suppressing his true self. Bradon details the highs and lows of his slow coming-out process, including a phase of dating women—and even Miss Idaho—to prove he was straight before finally owning his identity at 19. Molly and Bradon revisit the "lore" of their friendship, from their initial bonding hike to Bradon’s eventual marriage. A major highlight of the episode is the reconciliation with Bradon’s family.