Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Vargas.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When the Me too movement started trending, I felt a strong desire to be a hopeful and helpful voice in it. unsure on how to get my voice out, I decided to start a blog in January 2019 called victornotvictim.net. I share my story and my journey of healing from sexual assault. I also share helpful resources and awareness from a survivor’s perspective. But my main goal is to give hope to the hopeless and let them know that healing is possible and they are not alone.
This quickly turned into people reaching out to me wanting to know more, wanting me to teach sexual abuse awareness classes and wanting my insight on how to better protect children from this. I saw a shift in people wanting to learn more about sexual assault, where often this topic is left in the dark or considered too taboo to talk about. I realized people really valued my voice because I was a survivor, and was in a way an expert because of it. I learned the power of story.
I decided to start a podcast with my sister where we let people’s stories of their hardships, be the hope for others, and a voice for voiceless. Our podcast is called, Talking about the no no’s. It launches September 16th, with the first series on sexual assault, including my story and many others. If it wasn’t for courageous survivors sharing their stories, I would have never been freed to share mine, and that is the heart of this podcast.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been both. The way it’s been smooth is that I was able to use my voice in many helpful ways right from the start. I got a lot of support and opportunity quickly. The struggles have been learning how to get my voice out with blogging and podcasting. I’ve been a hairstylist for 15 years, so I’m completely out of my element with blogging, podcasting and teaching. It’s been a struggle and learning curve to try and put out good material while keeping my authentic voice.
Please tell us more about your work. What should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m an advocate for sexual assault, I specialize in awareness and giving insight on the many layers of sexual assault, through a survivors perspective.
I’m most proud of my podcast Talking About The No No’s because it gives a voice on other silenced topics where tons of hurting people don’t often get acknowledged or understood. One of the most healing things you can do is use your hurt to help someone else heal, and I’m incredibly proud of the people who share their stories on our podcast.
What sets me apart is, that my personal story has many unique layers, that can be useful to help on many different perspectives, to help understand, prevent and give hope.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My personal definition of success with this type of work is if it helps even one person have hope then I made it.
Contact Info:
- Website: victornotvictim.net
- Email: talkingaboutthenonos@gmail.com
- Instagram: @talkingaboutthenonos. @ _victornotvictim_
Image Credit:
Talking about the no no’s image credit is Lauren Burke @heyheydesigns
Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
