206. Cat Wilson: Unapologetic, Unafraid, and Finally Heard

After a week off, I'm joined by Cat Wilson, a survivor, advocate, and outspoken voice in the movement to end violence against women. Cat is a HASSL Pro Ambassador and serves as the organization's country representative for Scotland. Cat speaks with an honesty that is direct, unapologetic, and deeply personal. She shares her lived experience, the difficult realities of survival and healing, and what it means to reclaim your voice after someone has tried to take it from you. Her story also challenges the expectation that survivors should remain quiet, agreeable, or responsible for making other people comfortable with the truth. Through her work with HASSL, Cat is helping challenge the attitudes and cultural norms that allow harassment and violence against women to continue. HASSL's approach is simple and critically important: stop asking women to carry the burden of preventing violence and start addressing the people, behaviors, and beliefs responsible for it. Cat's voice is part of that change, and I'm honored to help her share it. Follow Cat on Instagram: @cat_hasslx Follow HASSL: @hasslofficial Learn more about HASSL and its global ambassador community: HASSL An important side note: if you're finding value in this show and these amazing episodes, please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating on your podcast platform. AND, follow SexualAssaultSurvivorStories on Instagram, then, please send me a note of support. I can't tell you how much your emails mean to me—they fuel my passion to keep this podcast going. And if you're a victim or survivor of rape or sexual assault and are ready to tell your story to help yourself or someone else heal, let me know, and we can start a conversation about the possibility of you being on the show. Here's my email address: dave@sasstories.com Thank you to all of you who have reached out to me already. Please be sure to provide me with a phone number where I can reach back out to you, and let me know what time zone you are in…because I like to talk to people who are interested in guesting. And please keep those emails and texts coming…I truly look forward to hearing from you! Here are some critically important links that I hope you'll take the time to explore, and where a contribution is requested, please consider doing so! — Thank you!! https://1in6.org/ https://soulwisesolutions.com https://safeinharmsway.org https://sironahealing.com/ https://www.whattheydontsay.com www.arcigrey.com https://startbybelieving.org https://evawintl.org/ As mentioned, and emphasized, it's time to Normalize the Conversation.™ And please remember to Start by Believing…because we all know someone whose life has been impacted by rape or sexual assault. Thank you for tuning in. —Dave