What does it take to lead when your story becomes the story, and the stakes are survival and justice?

When you’ve experienced relational trauma or institutional betrayal, as Judith Herman wrote in Trauma and Recovery, “The ordinary response to atrocities is to banish them from consciousness.” 

But silence protects systems, not survivors.

When we do speak up, at best we’re often told to move on, and at worst we might face violent pushback. The stress and fear from the blowback can all too easily silence us and chip away at our integrity and adaptability if we don’t do the important work to address the toll it takes.

But when we give ourselves permission to feel the overwhelm, and still take one step forward, we shift from silence into action. Sometimes that step is public and loud. Sometimes it’s private and steady. All of it counts. There is no one right way to advocate for change.

My guest today did more than just share her story; she used it to create meaningful change in her home state of Texas. In this conversation, we discuss what it means to bear the weight of your trauma while advocating for others, the emotional toll of being a public face for change, and what it looks like to keep showing up, even when the system makes it difficult.

Summer Willis is an endurance athlete, advocate, and mother of two who ran 29 marathons in a year to raise awareness for sexual assault survivors. She is the namesake of the Summer Willis Act, landmark consent legislation passed in Texas. Through storytelling, extreme challenges, and her nonprofit Strength Through Strides, she empowers others to turn pain into purpose.

Content note: discussion of sexual assault

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• The legal loophole in Texas law that ignited Summer’s drive to turn her worst experience into tangible change for millions of survivors
• How sharing her story and raising awareness and support for the law connected Summer to a wide community of survivors and allies when she was feeling isolated
• Why she decided to run 29 marathons before her 30th birthday while sharing her story, and how that challenge evolved into legislative advocacy
• How being an endurance athlete helped Summer through legislative challenges and setbacks to get the Summer Willis Act passed
• How Summer is bringing in lightness to her life after sharing her story over and over while trying to pass the bill
• Why taking the first step and learning along the way are crucial to shaping change

Learn more about Summer Willis:

• Website
• Strength Through Strides
• Instagram: @likesummerwillis

Learn more about Rebecca:

• rebeccaching.com
• Work With Rebecca
• The Unburdened Leader on Substack
• Sign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader Email

Resources:

• Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence–From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, Judith Lewis Herman MD
• Dr. Dan Siegel
• Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice, Judith Lewis Herman MD
• Carol Gilligan
• EP 90: Engaged and Consistent Leadership: with Moms Demand Action Founder, Shannon Watts
• Moms Demand Action
• RAINN
• NoMore.org
• Joyful Heart Foundation
• Hisko Hulsing
• Chanel Miller
• The Wedding People, Alison Espach
• Taylor Swift – right where you left me
• Prime Minister
• Cobain: Montage of Heck