EP50: An Incest Survivor’s Journey To Heal And Help with Nancy Allen
In this week's episode, Nancy Allen talks about her experience as an incest survivor. She shares her heart-wrenching story of navigating sexual abuse by her own father.
She was physically and emotionally abused until a teacher noticed her odd behavior which led to a mandated, but brief, kinship foster care placement by social services. She talks about the judicial system that failed her and allowed her to be placed back into her family home with her abusive father who was not charged.
She was able to escape her abuse by leaving for college and doing well in school. She also was fortunate to find a caring and compassionate boyfriend who she married at the age of 20. She went on to have a successful engineering career and lived a pretty normal life, becoming a mom to 2 biological sons and later adopting twin boys with special needs.
Unfortunately her life was upended when her husband of 28 years committed suicide which left her broken and alone. Losing her lifetime confidant and the security she felt with him by her side, sent her into a downward spiral and brought back the trauma of her past that she hadn't completely dealt with.
These life experiences have led Nancy to reclaim and reinvent herself. Her focus now is on building a community and providing support where incest survivors have a voice.
Nancy’s focus after decades of repurposing all of her experiences, both good and bad, is to help create a world where incest survivors have a different life experience than she did.
Feeling outside of the norm and disconnected from the larger community, resources didn’t exist to prevent her from feeling different, misunderstood and alone. She wants to champion others to say “I am an incest survivor” without shame, guilt, or fear of repercussions, and to open a dialogue which removes the societal taboo of acknowledging and discussing incest.
A strong voice for those shamed to silence and the long-term impacts of child sexual abuse, Nancy hosts Tail of the Bell podcast. Each episode focuses on a specific topic interpreted through a featured incest survivor’s personal story and, where needed, further explored by experts.
Nancy also helps incest survivors , as a Life Coach, to help themselves through Tail of the Bell, Inc's individual and group programs. She is also available for speaking engagements, adapting content to audience needs and size.
If you want to know more about Nancy’s work, you can reach her through:
Website: https://www.tailofthebell.com/
Podcast: https://www.tailofthebell.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TailOfTheBell
I'm always looking for interesting guests so if you have a great midlife story of transformation to share or know of someone who does, let's connect!
If you'd like to connect or reach out to ME, you can find me at:
Website: https://www.notyouraveragegrandma.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurieColvinWright/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/not_your_average_grandma/
Would you like to be featured on the Living Your Sparked Second Half podcast?
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