Melissa Petro joins Stephanie to talk about her journey around Shame on You, her book and how, as a former sex worker she turned into an expert on shame and became an author, coach and speaker. As a former sex worker and survivor of sexual exploitation and mass media humiliation, Melissa knows personally the devastation that weaponised sexist shame can have on a woman’s life. She has also experienced and seen firsthand that when girls and women develop a greater awareness of how shame functions in our society and manifests in their lives, we free up the mental space, emotional energy, and time needed to fulfil our purpose. Melissa has been a freelance cultural journalist following the pulse of sexuality, trauma, motherhood, and feminism for over two decades. She is also a leading expert on the topic of shame and vulnerability. Her debut book, SHAME ON YOU: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, was an Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Nonfiction Book of the Month. Since 2010, she has helped hundreds of girls and women push through fear, write, share and even publish their most vulnerable stories in national publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, The Nation, Salon, Washington Post and elsewhere, and have helped still more individuals re-envision their lives by making meaning of their past and transcending traumatic experiences. Melissa Petro: https://www.melissa-petro.com/

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