I’ve done a lot of writing in my life, but for some reason, blogging has always felt awkward to me. I don’t really know why anyone would care what I have to say about things, and I’m such a natural rambler that separating my thoughts seems daunting at best. However, enough people who are close to me have told me how good this could feel, so I’m doing it.

Some of you know me very well, others just know of me, and some of you might not really know how you ended up reading this (hi!). I’ve included more about myself on my about me page, but I think the most helpful place to redirect people to is this article. It covers everything I don’t want to go over multiple times. I’m probably going to reference parts of this fairly often, but I just don’t have the strength or desire to write it all out myself.

Since this article came out, my already-busy life has gotten even more hectic. I’ve been really honored by the support, even though it was overwhelming at first (so overwhelming that I had to take a complete break from working and going to school). I don’t know if there’s a good way to describe what it feels like to have millions of people know all of the worst things that have happened to you. I didn’t really think that part through before deciding to share my story. It’s definitely been hard to watch everyone I went to school with as they graduate, get new jobs, start fresh careers, and be stuck feeling like my worth is tied down to this one horrible part of my life. But now that I’ve had some time to adjust to my new reality, I’ve realized that I need to do everything I can to help change our culture around sexual assault while I have the momentum to do it. It certainly wasn’t my original calling, but things happen in life that change our trajectory all the time.

With all of that said (even though I haven’t really said much yet), thanks for being here. If you ever want me to write about something specific, please just put it in the comments or send me a message. I’m probably going to expand on a lot of different topics, but I always want to be talking about what’s most helpful for other people – especially fellow survivors of sexual assault. It can be a lonely world for us, and I want to help make it feel more welcoming.