Meet Ashley Brown of Hurt Help Heal Initiative

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Brown.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2012 I relocated to California from Minneapolis, Minnesota for graduate school. I attended the University of Southern California where I earned my Masters in Social Work. Growing up, I was raised in a low-income household by a single mother who experienced a lot of trauma throughout her life. Trauma that she has only begun to share and address as of recently. While I knew about some of these experiences, I didn’t know of their magnitude.

Despite she and I having different experiences, it was apparent that there were similarities in our stories. I thought about how many other women could relate to similar experiences, and what it would look like if we were to share them with each other, but it was just a thought.

In hindsight, it was healing for her to share and it was healing for me to read. The Hurt Help Heal Initiative ultimately came about talking to a group of women about where we are now, where we are trying to go, and most importantly where we have been in relation to our goals.

The same thoughts emerged as when I read my mother’s story, how previous relationships have impacted our lives, how we all have a story to tell, and how there are similarities within our stories.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Growing up raised an only child writing privately was an outlet for me to express myself, and cope with my own traumatic experiences. Throughout the years the desire to write has come and gone. I have lost a lot of my work over the years in transition. In my youth, I would write and destroy my work out of concern for them being discovered before I was ready to share them.

Overall there has not been too many challenges getting started. However, with this being a  new initiative, I anticipate challenges along the way. Honestly, this interview has been a bit of a challenge. I have written for almost twenty years, and have only started sharing publicly as of the past few years.

Please tell us about Hurt Help Heal Initiative.
The Hurt Help Heal Initiative founded in 2018 is an anonymous online platform empowering women to share traumatic relational testimonies as a form of self-healing, and to motivate other women who are overcoming similar experiences. We provide resources in the areas of writing, healthy relationships, personal development, mental health, and self-care to support women on their healing journey.

What sets the Hurt Help Heal Initiative apart from other online platforms is that submissions are anonymous. Some of these stories have never been told or told to this extent, and for the writers themselves, sharing is therapeutic. Some people never heal because of the hurt that they carry inside. There is oftentimes a great deal of shame and guilt associated with traumatic experiences. Anonymity enables women to be transparent, sharing freely.

A lot of people do not know how similar their experiences are, in relation to the experiences of others. They feel misunderstood, and unsupported, as though others are not able to relate to their experiences. Reading transparent testimonies from others helps alleviate guilt and shame as people learn they are not alone. Our experiences are powerful.

What also sets this initiative apart from other online platforms is that Hurt Help Heal promotes a healthy and healing environment by thoroughly monitoring comments. Any judgmental or disrespectful comments are removed immediately, ensuring that comments are supportive and respectful. This is contrary to popular social media platforms that monitor for more blatant violations such as: inappropriate language, violence, criminal activity, safety concerns, and etcetera. On these sites a lot of toxic and very critical, even shaming dialogue takes place. For those who write for healing, that type of atmosphere is a barrier to sharing experiences with complete transparency. I am most proud of how courageous all of the women who have shared are.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start over, I would write more, share more and I would have started this initiative sooner.

Pricing:

• Help promote the healing power of writing with the Hurt Help Heal Official Cap for $20.99. Whether you’re an author, poet, artist, musician, journaler, teacher, therapist, or simply someone who just understands the healing powers of writing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hurthelphealinitiative.com/
• Phone: 619-800-8394
• Email: hurthelphealinitiative@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hurthelphealinitiative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HurtHelpHealInitiative/

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