Melissa Groom
Interview with Sarah Watkins
Melissa works with conscious solopreneurs ready to showcase their expertise & gain vast popularity in their industry, teaching them how to increase their profile & income using video. Melissa has such an inspiring story of overcoming childhood sexual abuse. She didn’t just survive the abuse she thrived on the other side of it. Q Over five years ago, you plucked up the courage to share your story on a blog post. What did you share? A I shared my story about my childhood sexual abuse I had endured by two of my mum’s boyfriends between 9-14 years of age. I wanted to share with people who had experienced the same as I (as statistics state 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 8 boys experience sexual abuse) that there are good people in the world, that you do matters, it was not your fault and that you are worthy of having a good life.
Q Afterwards, you spiralled down to a very low point in your life- receiving backlash from the post. What happened and how did you get through it? My adopted parents were so cross with me for sharing our dirty laundry on Facebook. They
asked me if I was doing it for attention and I said yes but only to inspire others that they can get through this. I was told that it happened over 30 years ago so there is no need to keep bringing it up and no one wants to hear that stuff. I became so depressed and was so hurt. I wondered if I would ever get through the pain of the strained relationship I had with my adoptive mother. I get that it hurt her too, so bringing it up is probably like rubbing salt into a wound. I just felt that it might help others from ending their life. I questioned why I was born for 19 years of my life.
Q You had a moment where you went outside and threw your hands up in the air and asked...” God, how can I serve you?” What happened next? I was questioning life again. I was asking- What is all of this for? Surely there has to be a purpose for all of this? I believe in every adversity there is a gift. It is our lesson—an opportunity to grow and become stronger, to be a better person. I heard the whisper back - “You need to teach people what you know about video so they can share their story/message/knowledge/expertise. You know so many amazing people, but no one knows who they are. So you must teach them how to grow their profile online just as you did when you created your web tv show - Toddlers To Teens TV and grew yours and the other 7 women on the panels online profile.”
Q What advice would you give to your 16-year-old self? Wow, that was a big year for me. I was going
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Rebirth Edition 4 | October 2020
All contributor contact details are on pages 38-41
