In this episode, I’m joined by Mary Ellen Sinclair, author of A Girl’s Courage. Mary Ellen joins me to share her story of how she’s been able to use the gifts within her to move into a life of thriving after growing up sexually abused.
Click the play button below to check it out!
The Details
Traumatic experience:
Mary Ellen was sexually abused by her father from as early as she can remember until she was 13 years old.
Effects of the traumatic experience:
Mary Ellen has struggled with trust and self-esteem as a result of the abuse and growing up feeling different from others.
Overcoming the traumatic experience:
Going to therapy and attending Survivors of Incest Anonymous support groups helped Mary Ellen in her healing. Reading the stories of other women who overcame hardships was also helpful as it gave her hope for her situation. Two other things helpful to Mary Ellen's healing were doing research to understand why her father abused her and becoming an artist.
What Mary Ellen does today: Mary Ellen is an artist who uses fabric realism.
Final Question:
Given what you know now, if you could go back to when you were going through the tough times and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
Mary Ellen's Answer: Have faith that you'll get out of the situation.
Links Mentioned
A Girl's Courage - Mary Ellen's book
AGirlsCourage.com - where you can also find Mary Ellen's book as well as her blog
Facebook - A Girl's Courage Facebook page
Survivors of Incest Anonymous - a support group for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse
Affiliate Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. There is no additional cost to you, and I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase.
How You Can Help
Want to support this show? You're awesome! I would really appreciate it. There are three things you can do that won't take up much of your time but will go a long way.
- Subscribe
- Leave a 5-star rating if you think this show deserves it
- Write an honest review for others to see why they should tune in
That's all! You can do each of these things here on iTunes or here on Stitcher.
Please leave a comment and let me know if you have any stories or questions.
A note about comments:
Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated to ensure mutual respect. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.
Great interview! Mary Ellen, thank you for sharing your story. It takes a lot of courage — I so admire your strength.
Not sure if my first response went through:
I can never say “thank you” enough so sending another reply.
ME
(Mary Ellen)