Ep. 94 – Ending Sexual Violence Shame with Madeleine Black
Madeleine was violently raped at 13.
She numbed out, shut down, minimised what happened and was in denial, which led to many physical and mental challenges.
Despite that, she was able to move through it all and her best revenge has been to live her life as best she possibly could by refusing to be identified by what happened.
Now, she shares her story to enable others to heal, advocating ending sexual violence shame.
Be inspired.
Madeleine Black has an unusual personal story which she uses to inspire and motivate others. She chose to forgive the two men who gang raped her at thirteen years old and she shares her story for many reasons.
She wants to end the shame, stigma and silence surrounding sexual violence enabling others to find their voice, whatever their story is.
She wants people to know that it’s not what happens to us that is important but what we do with it.
She will show how changing her mindset tapped into her resilience and transformed her life, making people question their own thinking and encouraging them to see that there are always choices to make, and if we choose to, we can get past anything that happens to us in life both professionally and in our personal life.
She wants to encourage others to live their life courageously too; but ultimately she wants to inspire hope and show people that we are all so much stronger than we think we are.
The sharing of her story publicly on The Forgiveness Project’s website in September 2014, opened many doors for Madeleine in ways she never imagined, and the invitations started to pour in. Many women and men got in contact and explained how reading her story gave them strength, hope, and a different perspective of what’s possible in their lives.
She has taken part in both TV and radio interviews and has been invited to share her story of being gang raped as a teenager at conferences, book events, schools etc. She recognises that she was a victim of a crime that left her silent for many years but has now found her voice and intends to use it. Not just for her, but for so many who can’t find theirs yet.
In March 2018, she won the Amazing Strength award at the No. 1 Magazine Amazing Women Awards and in October of the same year was asked to be the Patron for Say Women, a Scottish organisation which offers safe accommodation and support to young women who are survivors of sexual abuse/rape and who are homeless.
She is one of 50 Thrivers taking part in research by The Global Resilience Project to develop a resilience blueprint for others.
She is a 2 x TEDx speaker, a story teller for The Forgiveness Project and has recently become involved with their programme RESTORE, sharing her story in prisons.
In June 2020, she was asked to be Patron for Justice Is Now, an organistaion that campaigns to end the use of rape myths and victim blaming in the criminal justice system.
In November 2020 she started her own podcast show called “Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling” And in December 2020 she was asked to be an Ambassor for Freedom From Abuse.
She is a psychotherapist and her memoir, Unbroken, was published on April 4th 2017
To find out more about Madeleine, come over here:
- Podcast: Unbroken – Healing through storytelling
- Website: Madeleine Black
- Book: Unbroken
- Facebook: Madeleine Black Unbroken
- Twitter: Madeleine Black
- Instagram: Madeleine Black
- Instagram: Unbroken the podcast with Madeleine Black
- LinkedIn: Madeleine Black
- YouTube: Madeleine Black Unbroken
- TedxGlasgow: Unbroken – Speaking the Unspeakable
- The Metro Article: Ridiculing rape survivors like Duffy only silences others
Madeleine and I would love to know what resonated with you in this episode in the comments below.
Also, if you loved this episode, please share it with someone you love xo
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and requires help, please reach out to the relevant sexual support services in your city. They’re ready to support you, to hear you and to meet you where you’re at.
Listen here:
