Photo credit Caron Modern Media
I am celebrating the second anniversary since my TEDxBocaRaton 2022 Talk on Sibling Sexual Abuse was posted!
Today, two years ago, my TEDx talk was published. Who knew that a scared young woman at age 20 who stepped onto the stage as a stripper would one day step onto the TEDx stage? Although sibling sexual abuse is considered to be the most common form of sexual abuse, just five years ago, very few people knew what sibling sexual abuse was. About three years ago, more research was beginning, and just before my talk, I was fortunate enough to become a co-founder of 5WAVES, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit promoting Worldwide Awareness, Voice, Education, and Support around Sibling Sexual Trauma.
Today, it's almost cool to talk about sibling sexual abuse. My TEDx speech is still one of the few discussing sibling sexual abuse. I hope one day, there will be multiple TED talks on the subject of sibling sexual abuse and trauma. But until then, my talk has reached over 600,000 views, I have been featured in People Magazine, interviewed for the cover story in The Sunday Times Magazine by Decca Aitkenhead, and my talk is being used to educate social workers in ongoing training with Dr. Jeyda Ibrahim, and 5WAVES will have the privilege of speaking at the NOTA conference in the UK in early May to bring the voice of lived experience of SST/SSA to social workers and psychologists who work with individuals who have harmed/abused as well as with victims and survivors, and in some cases, the whole family.
You can read about my CSA survivor experience in People Magazine, watch my TEDxTalk, or join my mailing list to be notified when my memoir is available.
This all points to the fact that it's time to talk about this silent epidemic, raise awareness, and conduct more research. When I submitted my idea worth spreading to the event organizers at TEDxBocaRaton, I had no idea that this would lead to so many opportunities. I had hoped it would go somewhere but didn't know what doors would open for me and other survivors.
When my TEDx talk went live, it culminated years of personal struggle and advocacy. The journey to that point was full of uncertainty and challenges. Sibling sexual abuse, a topic often shrouded in secrecy and shame, was not acknowledged or discussed in mainstream conversations. But through my talk, I hoped to break that silence and shed light on the experiences of survivors.
I am immensely grateful for the platform TEDx Florida provided me and the opportunity to amplify the voices of countless survivors. The response to my talk has been overwhelming, with hundreds of thousands of views and widespread media coverage. It's heartening to see the shift in attitudes towards discussing sibling sexual abuse, with more awareness and understanding slowly reaching society.
Thank you to TEDxBocaRaton for providing me with the platform to share my story, and thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey. Let's keep the conversation going and work together for a future where sibling sexual abuse is no longer swept under the rug but openly acknowledged and addressed. If you're curious about how a young stripper ended up stepping onto the TEDx stage, stay tuned for the release of my memoir. Let's continue breaking the silence and paving the way for healing and change.
Oh, and if you haven't watched the ten-minute talk, it's not too late.
