Madeleine Black - a survivor's story of a hopeful future
05/26/19 • 35 min
My guest today is Madeleine Black, a true survivor, whose story offers hope to those who have also suffered at the hands of others. We are not, she says, defined by what knocks us down - we are instead defined by how we get back up.
After being gang-raped at the age of 13, and raped on three further occasions before her 18th birthday, she has gone on to become a successful psychotherapist, writer, speaker, wife and mother. Her powerful memoir, Unbroken, tells of her recovery from adversity, her desire to choose forgiveness and actively seek redemption. Her desire to understand why the young men who raped her had chosen that path, what affected their lives and their decisions has led her to be part of the Forgiveness Project, a unique worldwide project that collates the powerful stories of those whose lives have been affected by violence, terrorism and trauma, but who have learned how to forgive in order to move on in their own lives.
Since giving her first public talk in 2015, Madeleine has appeared on Radio 4 with Trevor MacDonald, BBC Radio 5 and BBC Radio Scotland. She appeared in Dispatches on Channel 4 and most recently, has been selected to do a TEDx talk in Glasgow later this year. You can buy Madeleine's book here!
Where to find Madeleine:
Website - https://madeleineblack.co.uk
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MadeleineBlackUnbroken/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/madblack65
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-black-33799910a/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/madblack65/
Follow us for more:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskylarkcollective
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naomiemellor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-mellor-171550150/
My guest today is Madeleine Black, a true survivor, whose story offers hope to those who have also suffered at the hands of others. We are not, she says, defined by what knocks us down - we are instead defined by how we get back up.
After being gang-raped at the age of 13, and raped on three further occasions before her 18th birthday, she has gone on to become a successful psychotherapist, writer, speaker, wife and mother. Her powerful memoir, Unbroken, tells of her recovery from adversity, her desire to choose forgiveness and actively seek redemption. Her desire to understand why the young men who raped her had chosen that path, what affected their lives and their decisions has led her to be part of the Forgiveness Project, a unique worldwide project that collates the powerful stories of those whose lives have been affected by violence, terrorism and trauma, but who have learned how to forgive in order to move on in their own lives.
Since giving her first public talk in 2015, Madeleine has appeared on Radio 4 with Trevor MacDonald, BBC Radio 5 and BBC Radio Scotland. She appeared in Dispatches on Channel 4 and most recently, has been selected to do a TEDx talk in Glasgow later this year. You can buy Madeleine's book here!
Where to find Madeleine:
Website - https://madeleineblack.co.uk
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MadeleineBlackUnbroken/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/madblack65
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-black-33799910a/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/madblack65/
Follow us for more:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskylarkcollective
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naomiemellor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-mellor-171550150/
Previous Episode
Ash Fox - on being a part of 1,500 marriage proposals
Ash Fox is someone with a rare joie de vivre and enthusiasm for life, whose joy is infectious and whose presence makes you feel good. She is also a grafter, and today tells me the story of how she became New York's first and most successful proposal planner and photographer. Ash herself admits she is not a 'wedding gal', but the thrill of fulfilling people's dreams for their proposal has meant she has now witnessed over 1500 couples saying 'Yes'...and there hasn't been a 'no' yet!
But Ash has built her business through sheer hard work, and we discussed in detail what it was like graduating college as an art major immediately after the crash, how taking every opportunity that came her way led her to become first a nightclub dancer, then a photographer, and how her lowest ebb inspired her to start her current business.
Where to find Ash:
Website: https://www.ashfoxphotography.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kh66VKRdGgXrATLtj8jFA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashfoxstyle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashfoxproposals/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshFoxPhotography/
Follow us for more:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskylarkcollective
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naomiemellor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-mellor-171550150/
Next Episode
Jen Kneale - on saving lives at sea and kayaking with sharks
Jen Kneale has an affinity with the sea that stems from a lifetime spent on the ocean. It’s no exaggeration to say that a love of the sea runs in her veins: like her father and grandfather before her she is now a coxswain - or captain - of the lifeboat on the Isle of Man. Jen was the first female coxswain in the island - the original home of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution - and only the 4th nationwide.
Jen is also a successful businesswoman, having set up her own sailing school at the age of 25, a coach and an international sailor, representing Great Britain in the Laser class. She runs an annual This Girl Can sailing weekend aimed at getting women and girls to try sailing, and is passionate about continuing to increase opportunities across the lifeboats and beyond.
In 2017, on her second crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, Jen taught herself celestial navigation, the art and science of navigating via the sun, the moon and the stars, as they did in the days of Captain Cook and Christopher Columbus. She is certainly a woman of many talents...
Where to find Jen and the RNLI:
Jen's website - http://www.7thwave-iom.com/activities-courses/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/7thwaveiom/
RNLI website - https://rnli.org
RNLI Twitter - https://twitter.com/RNLI
RNLI YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/officialrnli
RNLI Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnli/
Follow us for more:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskylarkcollective
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naomiemellor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-mellor-171550150/
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