Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2113

Tonight's special guest is MaryJo Briggs-Austin from Chapin, South Carolina, a child abuse survivor who's turned professional activist and now professional therapist, but in a very healing and creative way. MaryJo says, "I was abused by my uncle (a priest) beginning at maybe age 3 until puberty," which resulted in anorexia and her 25-year battle with bulimia. MaryJo decided to make a difference in the lives of helpless children, by taking a job as a Senior Sexual Abuse Investigator with Child Protective Services. After a tumultuous divorce and mental health struggles, MaryJo was unable to continue as a sexual abuse investigator, enrolled in nutrition school, and opened a holistic healing center in Fredonia, New York, working with emotional eaters and people with health challenges. In 2009, MaryJo sustained a traumatic brain injury and began having a series of flashbacks and the inability to function. She credits yoga and the help of her holistic healers with guiding her to a place of wholeness and happiness. She holds an associate degree in Paralegal studies, a bachelor's degree in Public Law and Policy, and a master's degree in Counseling. Today she's a registered Medium, Creative Writer, Spiritual Healer, and author of Windows of Awareness; A Spiritual Guide to End Emotional Eating and Live the Life of Your Dreams. "I have two books published with one an international best seller!" MaryJo is also a blogger, speaker and trauma-informed yoga therapy expert. She writes a column, Live a Life You Love, for her local paper. Welcome, MaryJo, to the NAASCA family!