**THE CONTENT IN THIS PIECE IS GRAPHIC AND WE DISCUSS SEXUAL ABUSE**
Kirsten Palladino, this guest on this episode of The Brave Files, shares the story of how she turned her life around after years of sexual abuse and trauma.
For a long time, Kirsten was living in two different worlds: by day, playing the part of a happy teenager, and by night, being subjected to horrible abuse. As a young girl, Kirsten was molested by a family friend. In high school, she was victimized by several classmates. Somehow, Kirsten found the courage to tell her story, allowing her to begin the difficult process of healing and putting herself back together.
Today, Kirsten has risen above the traumatic events of her young life to build a successful life and business. Together with her wife, Maria, she founded Equally Wed, an online magazine and digital resource for same-sex weddings. She also authored a book of the same title (Equally Wed).
Kirsten’s #MeToo story is also a story of #WhyIStayed. The interview sheds light on how victims of sexual abuse can wrongly blame themselves.
Kirsten’s three words say everything about this brave woman. Despite the horrors she has experienced, she chooses to live a life that is brave, joyful and full of love. There are so many gifts in this episode.
Today, Kirsten is a successful business owner, author, wife and, mother.
Kirsten sent me her personal thoughts on her story and I simply had to share them with you.
My story may be unusual and I love telling how I am working through sexual trauma. But I also believe that we are all brave. When people hear my story or even segments of it, I'm often told “You're so brave” or “You're so strong.” And yes, I am. I will own that. I can be humble and still proud of how far I've come. I've been close to death. I've been locked up in a mental institution on suicide watch. I've held my dead baby in my teenage arms. I've wondered if I'd ever make it out of houses alive. I have wondered if I'd ever be able to make love without feeling fear. I've wondered if I would ever be able to forgive myself for being so vulnerable, for being such easy prey, for simply being a child.
But I also love Emily Dickinson's words of wisdom that essentially say that we are all brave:
We never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise;
And then, if we are true to plan,
Our statures touch the skies—
The Heroism we recite
Would be a daily thing,
Did not ourselves the Cubits warp
For fear to be a King—
As a teenager, Kirsten hid the trauma and abuse from her friends and loved ones.
