Trigger warning: Child sexual abuse

We’ve said before that survivors of child sexual abuse often end up more resilient than others, purely because of what they have had to live through.

Well Malika Reese is possibly the purest example of that, because not only did she survive abuse as a child, she also went on to face her perpetrator and see him charged, survive a robbery and survive having a car run her and her baby down.

Malika Reese was born in California in the 70’s, to a White writer and a Black writer.

As an emcee, speaker, writer, musician and storyteller, Malika has been performing for over 30 years. She is Artist in Residence and celebrant at Tender Funerals. She has taught music, produced dozens of community events, co-written multiple shows and performed at many places, including Sydney Opera House, TEDx, Woodford Folk Festival and Sydney, Adelaide, Darwin and Melbourne Fringe Festivals. She is a founding member of The Church of the Clitori.

Malika has also written an educational play called ”A Gentle Talk About Death for Little Ones”. She will follow this up with "A Gentle Talk About Bodies for Little Ones”. She is an outspoken advocate to bring awareness about CSA and works closely with Women’s groups to speak out against DV

In this episode she shares:

• What life looked like growing up and how she moved around
• Her experience being groomed by her step father
• How her grandmother gave up everything to try and protect her
• What happened at 14 that caused her abuse to stop
• Her realisation about her shame and its effect on her
• What her journey to recovery looked like
• How her abuser children and getting recognition lead her to having him charged
• What the process of having her abuser charged was like
• The moment she and her son were run down by a car and reversed over
• How insurance for the car accident was as traumatising as court for her assault case
• Her perspective on the healing journey

Key Quotes

“I was alone in Australia, at 13, without any family, and living with a paedophile.”

“The car came through in an arc and it hit me, with my son in my arms and we flew through the air.”

More about Malika

Follow her on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

For her other business you can find it through the websites: www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to part 2 of our chat with the incredible Nathan Stapleton.

In our last episode Nathan shared the highs and lows of life in elite sport, and immediately afterwards, as well as the mindset he needed in order to thrive in that sporting space.

For this episode we are discussing the serious topic of his sudden accident that left him a quadriplegic and what life has been like since.

In this episode he shares:

- The moments that led him to participate I nthe game that caused his accident

- How his accident occurred and what happened

- What it was like in the early stages when he discovered he couldn’t move

- The bad times he had ithe early days

- How he communicated via lip reading in the early stages of recovery

- How he got to the stage he has now with his mindset

- How his perspective on mental health has changed

- How his family gave him the strength to manage through hardship

- What he had to do to navigate fatherhood after his accident

- How he has found peace after his trauma

- How he started the Standing Strong Initiative

Key Quotes

"Time felt like it stood still...an hour felt like a day, a day felt like a month, a month felt like a year."

More about Nathan

Follow him on Instagram.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

For her other business you can find it through the websites:

www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au

@trialtitudeperformance

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few people know what is required mentally to achieve at the highest level of elite sport, and fewer still know what it’s like to have to apply that mindset to a life changing injury.

Nathan Stapleton is an Australian professional rugby league player who most recently played for the London Broncos in the Kingstone Press Championship. He previously represented the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League, primarily playing as a wing, fullback, and center.

In this episode he shares:

- His early life in rural Australia

How he ended up in elite level rugby

- The pressure and expectations he was under as an athlete

- The emotional lows he experienced in football

- The mindsets he leaned on when things got tough

- What the cost of his drive and discipline was

- The experience of losing his mum at 23

- The moves he made after the sharks

- His experience with his wife having a miscarriage

- Why he wasn’t prepared to deal with the miscarriage.

Key Quotes

“Because I always buried myself in physical work I didn’t know how to handle it mentally

"It was a lot harder than I was anticipating."

More about Nathan

Follow him on Instagram.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

For her other business you can find it through the websites:

www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au

@trialtitudeperformance

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.