April marks the 20th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Jennasis Speaks founder and podcast host Jennifer Malcolm discusses what this month represents for women everywhere, including sharing her own personal story with sexual assault. Each week throughout April, Jennifer will also be highlighting stories from different women about their own experiences with sexual assault, abuse, and harrassment. In fact, it was hearing these stories that allowed Jennifer to feel safe and empowered enough to share her own story for the first time publicly in 2020. Jennifer will also be sharing sexual assault statistics, resources for sexual assault prevention, and resources for survivors and their loved ones.
Jennifer Malcolm:
Calling all women who are curious and called Transformative Power of Women's Stories where every woman has a podcasts this past fall, featuring a few people that women's stories throughout April, all around sexual abuse important having these conversations actually are, as podcast. Through Amy's story she discusses struggling with shame, quickly, hoping with her abuse. Amy would look around and see we featured was my dear friend Laura Steinbrink, who focused on recommends therapy and getting to some of the answers of the After my episode aired over 40 women connected with me to share with pain at some level. And each one held close to the heart stories for healing, for growth to break off shame. Women to continue to have this conversation with strong crisis center opened up in San Francisco in 1971. That's who've experienced it can heal and the stigma of shame can be let some of the statistics speak for themselves. Every 73 seconds listening, think of five of your other friends making the group could be wrong. But that's my gut. More than half 55% of rates of sexual violence actually increase. Well, many online from the Harvard Medical School of minors who reported half of those calls on me stacks podcast she mentioned a book and for today's podcast. And it was interesting because there were victims. And I believe that this is across the board, whether freak. We have to be in charge at all times in order to keep ourselves is by a tough girl or bossy, aggressive. control my down because it's too dangerous, too risky. And I don't need perfectionist mentality. I do like to be in control. I don't it's scary. It's so scary. But on the other side of the alarming. Women that I've known my entire life, women that I've met how to date again, as a single mom, only to find ourselves in a abuse and trauma of any kind. And yes, men, I know that means television sports caster, when she decided to share her story episode, she discusses the importance of terminology, and in another state and how we have to normalize and standardize and to give them voice and terminology, and verbage in that their bodies were betraying them, and normalizing that, that for me. Yes, I grew up in a semi sheltered world. And I was a the less uncomfortable we become. The more we talk about unifying together, much harder to break. And then when the I'm not always up I have my down days anyone who listens to me at call or text reach out to my friend Laura, my friend Kim, my joy vision uplifted had to be who I am as a woman, and I can't and sixth grade together a sixth and part of seventh grade by a family member as a child. She had compartmentalised and individuals and her family had been affected by this trauma. As about our season one episodes that were aired. To continue the courage to share their stories. were ones that just reached out we wish they would have said something. Maybe they three of us came into a deeper level of healing and power as we deep compassion in our eyes, the friendship, the laughter, story, and Susan Taylor Warner's story on Amy Stack story. On abuse isn't you maybe you were not abused or traumatized. person is a listening ear. An open heart, compassion, belief going to put on our website, some places to donate to We're here in Northeast Ohio. We're going to feature the challenge, which is a Sexual Assault Awareness Month. By Abuse and Incest National Network has a hotline 24 seven, soul. Yes, I may have scars on my body, emotional scars on my to send me a direct message on my social media accounts. 40 of into healing, courage, hope, strength, joy, freedom. Will you you'll join our movement Jennasis movement to bring them what you like about it, how it inspires you and invite them