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What happens when a woman transforms her deepest trauma into a global movement for healing? Summer Willis answers this question with breathtaking courage and clarity in our conversation, sharing her extraordinary journey from silent survivor to powerful advocate.

Ten years after becoming a rape survivor during her sophomore year at university, Willis found herself at breaking point – grieving multiple family losses while caring for a newborn. Looking into her son's eyes, she made a decision that would change everything: she would run 29 marathons beginning when she turned 29, despite being unable to run even a mile at the time.

This bold challenge wasn't merely about physical endurance but about reclaiming her narrative. ”I was giving myself new titles,” Willis explains. ”I became a survivor, an endurance athlete, an advocate.” Her journey included carrying a mattress through an entire marathon in Central Park (setting a world record) and crawling through half a marathon to symbolise the struggle survivors face. Yet the most profound healing came not from these physical feats but from finally breaking her silence and sharing her story.

Willis founded Strength Through Strides, a non-profit with three pillars: advocacy, policy change, and community building. Now she's testifying before the Texas legislature, fighting for consent laws while organizing a worldwide Denim Day 5K to unite survivors and allies. The statistics she shares are sobering – of 100 reported sexual assaults in America, only one results in conviction – but her message remains hopeful: ordinary people can create extraordinary change.

What resonates most powerfully throughout our conversation is Willis's transformation from victim to warrior. By confronting her trauma head-on and inviting others into her healing journey, she's created a blueprint for turning personal pain into collective purpose. Her testimony reminds us that our deepest wounds, when acknowledged and addressed, can become our greatest sources of strength.

Visit summerswillis.com or strengththroughstrides.org to learn how you can support this vital movement and stand with survivors in your community.

Music, lyrics, guitar and singing by Dr Ariel Rosita King

Teach me to live one day at a time
with courage love and a sense of pride.
Giving me the ability to love and accept myself
so I can go and give it to someone else.
Teach me to live one day at a time…..

The Business of Life
Dr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita King
Original Song, ”Teach Me to Live one Day At A Time”
written, guitar and vocals by Dr. Ariel Rosita King

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