As a young woman, I never should have been convinced that a body was something that could be tarnished and was only acknowledged as a sexual object or a cage.

But after being beat by a person who wanted to own me and people who thought who I was would send me to hell, I was left little reason to believe anything else.

Then to have someone who should have been a mentor touch you and realize he had the notion since you were six left me thinking I would always be the object and never just a human being.

That mindset and a lack of closure left me abusing myself with sharp objects, substances and a risk-it-all attitude.

Coming clean for myself and not the sake of others was a bigger challenge than anything anyone has ever done to me.

Life’s about unleashing what you’ve been taught.