War Veteran Athena Ives on Courage to Tell Her Story

After publishing her book, USMC veteran Athena Ives had many people reach out to her. “I had the courage to tell my story. To talk about what is happening to millions of people and they don’t know what’s going on, because no one talks about it.”

Hear more about her story on The David Johnson Show.

 

 

Video Transcript:

Athena:  Yeah. Just escape the life that you are in, instead of developing coping skills that are negative ones — like the victim mentality or the woe-is me, feel sorry for me — blaming absolutely everything in your life on that trauma.

You know, “Oh, I got a speeding ticket. Well, it’s because I was raped.” “Oh, I got kicked out of school. Well, my parents beat me.” “Oh, I did this…”

After I published this book, I can’t even tell you how many people have reached out. Have had actual people tell me…An army ranger tell me that I saved his life. That my book saved his life.

David:  How so?

Athena:  That I had the courage to tell my story. To talk about what is happening to millions of people and they don’t know what’s going on, because no one talks about it.

I’ve had girls come and take me to coffee, bawl their eyes out in the coffee shop, and tell me that they didn’t know brothers did that.