Sexual abuse | LaKesha Womack

Archive for the tag “Sexual abuse”

When I first began reading this book, I honestly didn’t know what to expect.

I had just interviewed Larie on The LaKesha Womack Show to discuss her work as a Book Reviewer with Breathe Again Magazine and we briefly touched on her work as a published author.

The book arrived on the Saturday before Easter. I was in the middle of baking cupcakes for the Easter Egg Hunt and decided to thumb through it while I waited. I started somewhere in the middle just to get an idea of what the book was all about. I found myself in the midst of a story that Larie was recalling about a high school boyfriend, family drama that ensued and her typical teenage girl reaction. After about three pages, I had to start over from the beginning.

Within hours of reading page after page (and almost burning a batch of the cupcakes), I found myself recounting painful childhood memories that I thought I had gotten past. I remembered being the promiscuous girl in high school that boys considered easy and my not understanding why I tolerated this abusive behavior yet not having the courage to say no. I remembered running away from my situation, much like Larie did. Although she only stayed away a few days, I chose to attend a boarding school then college and didn’t return home for a significant amount of time for almost twelve years.

In “My Heart Speaks… Of Boys and A Girl”, Larie displays an emotional honesty about the effects of sexual abuse in a young woman’s life including her struggle to have a normal relationship and to accept love. I often say that what children experience during childhood defines their normal. When their bodies are abused and their sexuality exposed, they don’t understand how not to continue accepting the abuse and remaining uncovered. When it seems that all boys and men want from you is sex and you are desperately seeking some semblance of love from an absent paternal figure, it is only natural that you give in with hopes that the next one will be the one who finally fulfills you.

I recommend this book to any woman or young girl who has ever experienced sexual abuse but could not find the voice to speak about it. There are so many young girls and grown women who continue to spread their legs for men undeserving of that sacred sharing space yet they don’t even understand the cycle of abuse forming their warped reality. This book may be the starting point for that female to acknowledge her brokeness and begin to heal.

Posted in Reviews of Books, Movies & Music and tagged Book Review, Larie, Larie Writes, My Heart Speaks, My Heart Speaks of Boys and a Girl, Sexual abuse

22 Mar 2012

Lyman Montgomery shatters the seven masks that we wear

Life happens yet many of us get up, put a smile on our face and try to move forward.

This can be both beneficial and detrimental to our mental health. It is beneficial because you know that I am not an advocate of wallowing in your problems. I am a firm believer in lifting yourself by your boot straps and moving your feet forward. However, as the guest on our Author Spotlight segment, Lyman Montgomery, points out, wearing that mask of happiness when things are falling apart came be harmful.

Join us on today’s episode of The LaKesha Womack Show as Lyman shares his personal story of hiding behind his mask, what he did to break free and how you can break free also.

Tune in live (or listen to the playback) - The LaKesha Womack Show

Call and listen live from your phone – 646.929.2031

Meet Lyman Montgomery…

As a child, Lyman A. Montgomery had a number of physical and emotional issues to deal with: atria ventricular arrhythmia, corrective shoes, severe speech impediment; sexual abuse by his teacher for three years, and the suicide and murder of his grandparents; all this happened before the age of fourteen. As a student, he was bullied and beaten daily during recess and or after school. Despite his personal setbacks and adversities, he applied some specific techniques to his life and saw a dramatic change. Today, he is a well sought-after conference speaker, workshop facilitator and leadership success coach to individuals around the country struggling with the transitions of life and work.

Lyman A. Montgomery serves as the Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development at Wilberforce University. He holds a MBA from American Intercontinental University and BS degree from Ohio University as well as post-graduate training at Harvard University from the W.E.B. Institute for Afro-American Research in Civic Engagement. He is an ordained minister and President of Lyman Montgomery Success Network, a leadership coaching company. Lyman A. Montgomery’s motto is “Change Takes Courage.”

Buy the book – Shattered Masks: 7 Masks We Wear

Are you ready to stop hiding behind a lifetime of pain, hurt and disappointment but lack courage?

In today’s world, image is everything! Imagine navigating through childhood and your adult life carrying the baggage of being bullied because you wore corrective shoes or called a sissy by your step-father because you were unable to stand up for yourself. Lyman Montgomery lived that life and suffered great and consistent losses. Before the age of 14, he was sexually abused by a trusted teacher and experienced the death of two of his grandparents-one of which took her own life.

Lyman kept silent about his abuse, avoided dealing with the grief of his grand mother’s death by never mentioning her, associated with people who were better off financially, developed unhealthy relationships with women, performed as others expected, used accomplishments to feel better about himself and projected a religious lifestyle that was not rooted in righteousness.

Shattered Masks: 7 Masks We Wear & the Strategies to Shatter Them is an autobiographical account of how masks are made in a young person’s life. It is also a self-study to help you identify the mask makers in your life and to shatter the masks you’ve grown accustomed to wearing.