This Good Word With Steve Wiens

Episode 134 | How a Secret-Keeper Became a Storyteller with Laura Parrott Perry

Oh, my sweet Lord. This is one of my favorite episodes. 

Laura Parrott Perry is the author of a brand new book called She Wrote it Down: How at Secret-Keeper Became a Storyteller. It's penetrating, gorgeous, raw, hopeful, and at times hilarious. I loved it. 

Laura says that we all live inside our stories and we make homes of them. But when our stories become secrets, those homes become prisons. If you have a story you are not telling anyone, anywhere, in any way - that is not privacy, it's secrecy. The difference between privacy and secrecy is simple: Shame. A lifelong secret-keeper, Laura Parrott Perry began the process of transforming into a storyteller when the dark secrets she'd been carrying around became too heavy and her life began to collapse under the weight of them. Sexual abuse, eating disorders, alcohol, perfectionism... Those secrets were all Laura's story that was making itself known when she was unwilling to tell it. Bit by bit, story by story, Laura began to shine a light into all those dark corners and tell the truth. She surrendered to the facts of her life and her past, and in doing so began to write a beautiful new future.

Fair Warning: This episode contains stories of childhood sexual abuse. 

You guys, this conversation was so beautiful, so hopeful, and so honest. If your story is making itself known in any unsettling way because you are keeping it a secret, I hope Laura's words help. 

Laura is also the co-founder of a nonprofit called Say it Survivor, which is committed to raise awareness and remove the stigma surrounding sexual abuse by telling our story shamelessly and encouraging other survivors to do the same.

You can get in touch with Laura through her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 

Enjoy the podcast!