Speaking Topics
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A Story of Triumph Over Tragedy: Your Role in The Journey
A Story of Triumph over Tragedy is the real-life story of abduction and sexual assault from a victim’s point of view. Michelle shares her experience from that tragic night, through the court process and ultimately to her life as an advocate and spokesperson for sexual assault awareness.
Michelle discusses her interaction with first responders and what affects those persons had, positively and negatively, on her case and recovery. Michelle will communicate just how important it is that first responders understand the profound impact they can have on victims; an impact which begins at the time of crisis and can continue for the rest of the survivor’s life.
Michelle addresses police, medical and ER staff, clergy, advocates, and prosecutors, sharing her message that no human interaction is neutral-it is either healing or wounding. She helps them appreciate the needs of the sexual assault victims and their families and how they can provide opportunities for healing. She has been instrumental in working with the Prosecutor’s office to set up a Sexual Assault Response Team and will talk about the importance and impact that can have in the response to sexual assaults in a community.
After this session, participants will be more familiar with:
- A first-person account of sexual assault
- How to assist first responders in considering the needs of victims and their families
- The importance of a victim-centered Sexual Assault Response Team and community
This session is best for:
- First responders
- Law enforcement officers
- Medical professionals
- Advocacy and judicial system staff
- Faith community leaders
- School administrators and educators
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Resilience: Discovering Your Best Self Through Life’s Worst
Thriving personally and professionally after a life-changing trauma is not easy, but it is possible. Through Michelle’s story of abduction, assault, and the healing journey that followed, she reveals how the worst experience of her life eventually brought a series of gifts that led her to discover her best self.
Her first-hand experience offers audiences insight into the art of resiliency, the role of gratitude, and the connection that is possible when we allow even the most painful stories to evolve into something bigger than ourselves. Michelle offers practical, real-life experience for anyone who seeks to live a meaningful, purposeful life in a world that may at times seem unkind.
After this session, participants will have a greater understanding of:
- How to thrive – personally and professionally -- after difficulty and tragedy
- How to walk with others through their darkest days
- How to enjoy each day to the fullest without denying the reality of pain
- How to connect with ourselves and others in ways that foster trust, gratitude, and empathy
This session is ideal for:
- Business conferences
- Non-profit conventions
- Leadership development events
- Personal and professional enrichment workshops
- College campuses
- Community celebrations
- Employee and team-building events
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The Courage to Live: Wholehearted Living After Heartbreaking Tragedy
Michelle was convinced she was about to die in the trunk of her car before an off-duty police officer found her and gave her a second chance at life. Her abduction and assault forever changed her, yet the experiences that resulted from that tragedy opened her eyes and heart in ways she never imagined. In time, she would discover that no human interaction is neutral—we always impact one another either positively or negatively. Her inspiring story reveals ways she learned to connect with others more deeply, love more fully, and live more joyfully.
Now a beacon of hope for others who are walking through tragedy, Michelle offers helpful guidance for anyone who longs to rediscover joy after tragedy and trauma. She offers refreshing insight into ways to tap into our courage in the face of pain, and she shares coping skills and practices that invite connection, healing, and joy into everyday life.
After this session, participants will have a greater understanding of:
- How to face tragedy without losing hope
- How to invite transformation in the aftermath of trauma
- How to connect with yourself and others more authentically
- How to rediscover joy in difficult circumstances
This session is ideal for:
- Women’s conferences
- Survivors of loss, trauma, and other life-changing circumstances
- Personal development events
- Leadership enrichment
- College students and sororities
- Mental health initiatives
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Hanging on to Faith: Finding Hope in the Healing
Survivors of sexual violence experience disruption to every part of their life. Beyond physical and emotional trauma, there are often deep underlying effects on a survivor’s spirituality and understanding of the role faith plays in their life. Those effects also work both ways, as a survivor’s faith community plays a meaningful role in their recovery in the aftermath of an attack.
In this engaging conversation, Michelle will lead a discussion about how sexual violence is addressed in faith communities, with families and with survivors. The immediate responses and the long-lasting compassion that faith groups can provide to a survivor are often key elements in helping the survivor regain their strength physically, emotionally and in their faith.
Michelle will share her own story of survival, how she found hope through her faith journey and the community who supported her healing after the attack.
After this session, participants will be better prepared to:
- Understand the effects of a sexual assault on the survivor and his/her faith community
- Know the roles that a faith community can play immediately and long-term to support a survivor’s healing
- Communicate effectively with someone who has been sexually assaulted
- Answer the question “What can my Faith Community do to help?”
This session is best for:
- Faith community leaders
- Faith-based school administrators and educators
- Leaders of non-profit organizations with a faith-based mission
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That Was Me: An Intimate Conversation with a Sexual Assault Survivor
Every year college students throughout the country become victims of sexual assault. The impact lasts for a lifetime and becomes an unshakeable permanent part of their identity.
Despite the statistics, most students never think it could happen to them. Many are blind to the effects of sexual assault until it impacts them directly. A personal attack, or an attack on a friend or loved one, can suddenly make anyone wish they listened more attentively to that “sexual assault awareness presentation” they were forced to sit through in school.
In this honest and compelling session, Michelle shares her real-life story of sexual assault from her point of view. She’ll share what is helpful and what is hurtful in the healing process and how you can help support a loved one who experienced similar trauma.
Gone are the days of an impersonal presentation about sexual assault. This conversation is raw, authentic and focused on how college students can best support one another through times of fear and adversity.
Michelle shares her real-life story of sexual assault from her point of view. The impact that begins at the time of the crisis and can continue for the rest of the survivor’s life. She will share what is helpful and what is hurtful in the healing process, signs to look for when you suspect someone has been sexually assaulted and how to support them.
After this session, participants will be better prepared to:
- Understand the effects of a sexual assault on the survivor and his/her social community on campus
- Respond better to the needs of someone who has been through an assault
- Know what to say and not say when you suspect someone has been sexually assaulted
- Act and engage appropriately to prevent future attacks on campus
This session is best for:
- Greek Life student leaders
- Residence Hall/Student Life/Student Affairs student leaders and staff
- Campus safety professionals
