Alesha Brown, a child abuse survivor and motivational speaker doesn’t have a memory from childhood when she wasn’t being hurt or when she wasn’t walking around in fear. For years after her abuser died, she was drawn to a pressure cooker-life similar to the combat zone she had known at home and for years she would ask herself why she was unlovable. That all changed on a crucial day in young adulthood when she understood in her bones that what had happened to her was not who she was; that what she had experienced was profoundly damaging but she didn’t have to keep reliving her past. It was the day she decided to stop letting the words of her abuser control her life or dictate her actions; the day she understood the power to survive was in her hands. Alesha shares her story and suggestions for reaching out to those who might be struggling, the signs of elevated sadness in others, and how to approach loved ones who might be in trouble.

Note that during this interview, we encountered some sound inconsistencies.

For more on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs):

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/index.html

Resources for the prevention of child abuse:

https://preventchildabuse.org

http://www.preventtogether.org

For more about this episode visit:

https://andtheneverythingchangedpodcast.com

For more on the work Alesha does:

http://www.thejoyguru.net/about.html

Child Abuse/Resilience/Survivor