039. We've All Been Groomed: A Conversation with Author, Advocate, & CEO Elizabeth Melendez Fisher Good

“Release means reclaiming our minds, our lives, and our futures from the negative messages that held us back. Release allows us to name what was stolen and who we were before it was stolen and to start doing the work that has to be done to get it back.” – Elizabeth Melendez Fisher Good, page 144 of Groomed Overcoming messages that shaped our past and limit our future—that’s what Elizabeth Melendez Fisher Good’s new book Groomed is all about. And she’s not just talking about survivors of sex trafficking that she works with on a daily basis, but all of us. Even our children. She’s here to talk with us today about her book, her own life lessons, and how we can move closer to who we truly are by moving beyond messages that limit us. Elizabeth is a powerhouse of a woman and I’m so honored to share her with you. In 2011, Elizabeth cofounded what is today the leading provider to domestic survivors of sex trafficking, Selah Freedom. This organization provides Prevention curriculum for over 10,000 K-12th grade children, life-saving safe housing and resources to survivors, and education on this issue to millions annually. It also trains and partners with law enforcement, the FBI and United States Attorney’s Office to bring freedom to survivors and has been deemed a model organization serving this population. With her direction, she has led the organization in a financial growth of over 200% annually. She has also launched The Selah Way Foundation, a global network of leading service providers with three initiatives: Prevention, Protection and Provision. The goal of these initiatives is to get ahead of this issue in hopes of eradicating it and become a model and training arm for the international community. Elizabeth is a passionate pioneer and inspirational thought leader in the movement to eradicate sex trafficking and expose the root of the issue, childhood sexual abuse. She has spearheaded an awakening and brought partners and resources together with proven solutions to save lives. She is also the author of Groomed (Harper Collins, 2020). Using her own story of abuse, family tragedy, and rebellion, Elizabeth Melendez Fisher guides readers toward an understanding that grooming is oftentimes subtle, but it's always life-altering. She offers readers a way to overcome their past, starting with all-important but rarely explored idea of a selah, or a time of rest and reflection, and exploring active ways to forgive and move forward to a new level of freedom. Elizabeth has been highlighted and described as, “Part healer, part businesswoman, all resolve—if Selah Freedom is bringing light into the darkness, as the slogan says, then she is the one behind the megawatt.” She is the recipient of the prestigious New York City Global Business Leader Award and Tampa Bay Business Woman of the Year Award. Elizabeth has her Bachelor’s degree in Communications and her Master's in Clinical Psychology. In this episode we talk about how we are groomed: · For Appearance: “You exist only to make me look good.” · To Be Invisible: “Your existence doesn’t matter to me.” · To Endure: “You’re stronger than everyone else. You can handle it all.” · For Judgement: “You are unforgivable.” · For Financial Fear: “There’s not enough for you.” · To rely on our phones for everything. We also dive into the power of discernment and how the beliefs we were groomed to take on can suffocate our true identity.  This is a VERY powerful episode. I hope you’ll tune in, listen, and grow along side us. For more information about Elizabeth and her organizations, offerings, resources, and how you can help, please visit www.freewithe.com More over at: www.elevatingmotherhood.com  Today's Sponsors: Primally Pure and Beautiful & Simple