Initiated Survivor

Hiking My Feelings with Sydney WIlliams

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Assault and shame. Childhood emotional abuse and newfound boundaries. Recovery and hiking. The Bachelor.

Sydney comes onto the podcast to share her unique journey to radical self-acceptance and radical compassion after being assaulted by a coworker one night while she was sleeping. Having just moved to Florida with her family with plans to change the world of medicine, the assault completely changed the trajectory of her life. She would face unhealthy habits, not being believed by family, and a diagnosis of a chronic illness. She would keep it hidden for over 11 years until, one day, she and her husband turned on The Bachelor and he offered support after a contestant was speaking out about her own story. And from the most tragic thing that ever happened to her, Sydney would create the most beautiful life she ever hoped to live. Listen in to learn about her unique recovery journey, and how hiking became the battlecry she needed in order to handle all of her trauma.

Use code "SURVIVOR" at checkout for $44 off the Blaze Your Own Trail to Self-Love program run by Sydney's non-profit organization, Hiking My Feelings. Be sure to check out Sydney's book of the same name!


Topics/Triggers:

  • Consent & learning that "no" is enough
  • How a moment of solidarity with her husband while watching The Bachelor gave her the strength to share her story with someone for the first time
  • Netflix + RAINN's Unbelievable, inspired by the true events of a serial rape case in Colorado and Washington State
  • The necessity of feeling safe and being with the right person when sharing your story
  • Retraumatization & whether or not to report your assault
  • Emotional abuse from family systems changing our understanding of relationships
  • Being conditioned to not say "no"
  • Being afraid of disappointing men
  • "Freeze" responses during sexual assault (Listen to Trauma: Defined (Part One) for a detailed breakdown of the Fight-Flight-Freeze response)
  • Rape Culture putting too much responsibility on the survivor rather than the perpetrator
  • Hiking the Catalina Island Trail being the 1st step in her recovery by learning to love, accept, and be curious about her body again



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    Initiated SurvivorBy Kelsey Harper
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