Edie’s Story

Edie Allen is a public speaker, a professional actress, and an advocate for ending sexual violence.

Once Edie embarked on her own intuitive healing path, she soon discovered that her biggest asset was her voice. She shared a moment of community, solidarity, and discovering the power of her voice.

“When I first started doing group therapy - I was listening to other survivor stories and recognizing that because I had been doing quite a bit of healing work for a while, the other survivors seemed to be positively impacted by what I was sharing. Maybe I had something to offer - to help others to, at the very least, not feel alone. So when I started to share my story and the details of what happened, I also shared some tools, information and processes that have helped me along the way. Afterwards, I was approached by these beautiful people and [was] told that I had inspired them. My story was inspiring to them and gave them hope - and that was just so powerful to hear.”

Edie, amongst her many talents, is also a pioneer in public speaking. When asked about what it felt like to speak at an event for “Janie’s Fund”, Edie shared a very honest and meaningful anecdote.

“...What it was like was a bit surreal. I felt raw and vulnerable. But it also felt important, it felt right. It felt as if it gave my story a landing page. It made what happened to me useful and it made my life make sense…as I began to share my story with other survivors, that to me was the real turning point where I could see that my story had a purpose and I could see my life as a purpose…I was to help inspire and uplift and even entertain…It made me proud to have overcome my fears of sharing my story. It made me hopeful for them (other survivors) and for their lives.”

Meet Edie Allen

5 words to describe her:

Resilient
Courageous
Kind
Loyal
Funny

To survivors considering disclosing:

“To come forward in your own time and in a way that feels safe for you and to come forward only to those that make you feel safe.”

Edie also shared with us the biggest takeaways and what she discovered through helping others heal.

“I’ve discovered that people are hungry for tools. They are hungry for connection and resources and I think for me, I was so fortunate to have had a strong instinct about going in a direction.”

When asked if she had any advice for those considering disclosing for the first time, Edie shared the following.

“I would say…to come forward in your own time and in a way that feels safe for you and to come forward only to those that make you feel safe.”

Edie also offered other exercises and tools for anyone considering disclosing.

“...if that is to write it out, if that is to express it in a creative form, if that’s to just sit right down and share your story with someone - so be it. And then also, what I think is powerful is to come forward with a purpose. To (ask yourself) ‘what’s my why?’ If we can add…what do I want to get and what am I wanting to get out of coming forward with my story.”

Edie continued to mention later on, “if you decide - ‘I want to come forward with my story and I want to come forward with a purpose, that purpose can then kind of drive you and guide you and open doors for you that will help ignite, as well as provide a foundation for, a grounding for your story … it can take roots and it can flower and bloom into helping others. And then, in turn, it helps you to know your worth and your value…you survived your story for a very powerful reason and you get to celebrate that reason. And if we keep our stories secret and hidden, we are carrying shame that’s not meant for us. We’re carrying shame and heavy emotions that we don’t have to carry. Shame is crippling. And I refuse to live crippled by what happened to me. It doesn’t define who I am. It’s just something that happened in my life.”

Edie described several things that have helped her the most in her healing journey.

“For sure my faith…my faith in something greater than myself … I love my faith in God, what I call God, Spirituality. My concept of God is male and female and all the things…my faith in love has been most helpful in my healing journey, along with my friends, my chosen family, and many unconventional therapies. Staying open has definitely helped me heal … and being able to be of service to others, one-hundred percent, has helped me heal, continues in helping me heal, and I think it always will.”

When asked to describe herself, Edie had an abundance of words. She was resilient, courageous, kind, loyal, and funny and that is how she believed her friends would describe her. Previously she had described herself as happy, healthy, willing, eager, and hopeful. During her interview Edie stated she felt vibrant, connected, aligned, purposeful, and inspired. Most of all however, Edie stated that she felt grateful. To know more about Janie's fund, visit www.janiesfund.org. To contact Edie: edieallen.com / edie@edieallen.com

Edie’s Story

Meet Edie Allen

5 words to describe her:

To survivors considering disclosing:

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88¢ of every $1 goes to helping survivors and preventing sexual violence.