Marti MacGibbon is a human trafficking survivor speaker and expert on human trafficking, addiction recovery, and overcoming adversity. Marti delivered the closing keynote at Mentari Home Grand Opening in New York, New York in January. Mentari Human Trafficking Survivor Empowerment Program is a non-profit founded by human trafficking survivors Shandra Woworuntu and Ima Matul. The organization benefits survivors in the USA and in Indonesia. Mentari USA, based in NYC, provides support to survivors exiting trafficking, empowering them at every step of their recovery, including job training through their culinary academy. The Mentari Home Grand Opening celebrated the non-profit’s launch of its new transitional housing program for survivors.

Marti MacGibbon Book Signing at New Jersey Human Trafficking Conference

Marti MacGibbon is a humorous inspirational speaker, a nationally award-winning author, and an expert on trauma resolution and addiction. She’s a survivor of human trafficking, intimate partner violence, sexual assault and abuse, homelessness, complex PTSD, and addiction. On January 25th, at the War Memorial in Trenton, NJ, Marti delivered a stirring keynote address at a statewide conference sponsored by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Division of Criminal Justice and the New Jersey Human Trafficking Task Force. In her speech, Marti provided both clinical and experiential insights into the intersection of human trafficking and addiction, with a focus on the current opioids crisis. Ms. MacGibbon was able to bring light humor to her talk, along with inspiring and moving anecdotes from her own experience. The attendees included government officials, criminal justice professionals, law enforcement professionals, university students, academics, medical and behavioral health professionals, and concerned citizens. The audience showed appreciation for Marti by giving her a standing ovation. Other speakers at the conference included NJ Congressman Chris Smith, author of the original Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. After her talk, Marti signed complimentary copies of her books, Never Give in to Fear and Fierce, Funny, and Female.

www.NJHumanTrafficking.gov

Marti MacGibbon with Attorney Advocate Rose Mukhar.

Marti MacGibbon is a professional humorous motivational speaker, an award-winning author, and an expert on trauma resolution and addiction. She is an empowered survivor of human trafficking, PTSD, and addiction. January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and Marti’s busy advocating and educating multidisciplinary teams of professionals about the issue, and about how to recognize and assist victims and survivors of human trafficking. On January 11, which is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Marti presented a Human Trafficking 101 training to healthcare professionals at St. Mary’s Hospital in San Francisco. On January 15, Marti delivered the opening speech, “The Intersection of Human Trafficking and Addiction, with Focus on the Opioids Crisis”, at Sacramento’s 11th Annual Human Trafficking Conference at Sacramento State University.

Marti also did a book signing featuring her two critically acclaimed and award-winning memoirs, Never Give in to Fear and Fierce, Funny, and Female. Ms. MacGibbon donated proceeds from book sales to Justice At Last, a non-profit headed by Rose Mukhar, a well-known California attorney advocate (and recipient of the Modern-day Abolitionist Award) who provides pro bono legal services to victims of human trafficking. Marti is a Survivor Advisor at Justice At Last. The Sacramento conference was organized by My Sister’s House, a non-profit serving victims and survivors of human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence. On January 16th and 17th, Marti presented a series of trainings to healthcare professionals on trauma-informed care best practices for engagement with victims and survivors of violence. The talks were delivered at medical centers in Central Coastal California.

January is the month when we promise ourselves we’re going to make positive changes in our lives. Advertisers hit us with “New Year, New You” messages. Friends tell us about their resolution plans. In response, we might either catch the wave of excitement and make resolutions, or feel overwhelmed enough to blow it all off, scoop up a big bowl of ice cream, hit the couch and binge Netflix. New Year or not, it’s possible to build healthy habits and achieve goals and dreams. Transforming new behaviors into strong habits only takes about ten weeks if you repeat the action each day, according to National Institutes of Health. I’ve seen it in my own life. Using this top ten list, I quit smoking, kicked a ten-year hard-core drug habit, wrote two books, earned five professional certifications, and built a business as a speaker. Check it out:

1. Decide on a goal. Make it measurable and realistic. If your goal is solving world hunger, you can translate your intentions into action by keeping it small. Begin locally, in the community where you live, by volunteering at or donating to a local food bank. You’ll be thinking about other people, and that creates motivation to keep going. Your involvement locally will lead to opportunities at state level and beyond. A simple way to make your big goal measurable and realistic is to work the process one day at a time. Whether your goal is eating less sugar, writing a book, getting in shape, or earning a degree or credential, you can map out the process in one-day increments.

2. Choose a time and place to put your new practice or behavior into action. This process helps your brain to store information that will reinforce your efforts as you move forward to your ultimate goal. For example, if you want to write a book, set a time a place to write each day, or one day a week, depending on your schedule and lifestyle. Then stick to it — take an hour or two to write. Don’t worry about how much you write, that’s beside the point. What you’re doing is teaching your brain to engage in the new activity each day at that same time.

3. Set mini goals, steps you can take each day on the way to the ultimate goal. Every big win in life is actually a series of thousands of daily baby steps. This is a strategy used by Navy Seals and Special Forces. If your goal is to do a hundred push-ups, your mini-goal is one push-up at a time, one hundred times. Celebrate each push-up in your mind, then do the next rep. If you can only do one push-ups the first day, celebrate that, and keep increasing the number as you get stronger. Celebration keeps you motivated, and raises the levels of positive neurotransmitters in your brain, so you feel good working toward your ultimate goal.

4. Forget about expectations, and remember, your progress is your progress. You never have to compare yourself to anyone else, or live up to some impossible standard. You’re making plans to achieve a goal or realize a dream, and that’s nobody’s business but yours. Avoid unreasonable expectations that give you a feeling of failure. Instead, feel successful for charting a new course in life. You walk with your success, not toward it.

5. Use “If-then” plans to create new, beneficial habits. The idea is to get past the good intention stage and into action. Set up a strategy for taking a positive, healthy action at the moment a specific opportunity or obstacle to your goal presents itself. When I quit smoking, back in 1994, my plan was,* if *I think about smoking, *then* I will chew sugarless gum till the craving goes away. My plan included carrying several packs of gum with me all day, every day, for months. It worked! You can use if-then, focusing on opportunity, to reinforce a good habit, like mediating, e.g., *if* it’s 8:00 p.m., *then* I will meditate.

6. For best results, repeat, replay, reward! Repetition in a daily, fun and rewarding context will help to anchor a new habit in your brain. This year, I’m focusing on eating less sugar. My sugar cravings are strongest after dinner. After dinner every night, instead of browsing social media on my phone and eating cookies, I take a walk around the block and look at the stars. Or I listen to my favorite music and dance around the house. I started this new plan in early December, and my cravings are decreasing.

7. Revel in your resolution, even if/when you goof up. Each day, mentally congratulate yourself on making the decision. Applaud yourself for taking action. Pick a time each day or night to celebrate. One or two goof-up days will not interrupt the ten-week process of getting that good habit deeply rooted. Celebrate a goof-up as an opportunity to embrace the process and get back on track.

8. Review and mentally rehearse your plan of action to face challenges or obstacles. Positive visualization is a powerful tool you can harness to maintain your new program and progress. Take time each day to “see” yourself accomplishing goals and overcoming upcoming obstacles or challenges. If you can see it, you can believe it, and if you can believe it, you will achieve it. This isn’t hack or cliche. It’s evidence-based, and it works.

9. Get connected, and stay connected. Isolation can inhibit your progress. Get connected with like-minded people who share your goals. Align yourself with a bigger-than-self purpose or meaning. When you’re connected to social support and a higher purpose, you can rock your goals.

10. Stay the course. Persistence = Luck, and Vice Versa. Continue to take action. Focus on the long game. Celebrate your mistakes as opportunities to learn more about yourself, others, and life. When you’re persistent, day after day, you anchor positive behaviors, expand your network, and make your own good luck.

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

— Francis of Assisi

The U.S. commercial holiday season kicks off immediately after Halloween and continues on through the Super Bowl, and brings with it a horde of potential stressors. Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s, Kwanzaa.

Holiday travel, compounded by crazy weather, budget-straining gift shopping, obligatory office parties, or the potential drama attached to family visits can be more overwhelming than festive. And if you deal with anxiety, depression, trauma, or substance use issues, you might be counting the days until the holidays are over. Research by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) found 64% of people with mental health issues report the holidays season makes their condition worse. 

I’m a person in long-term recovery from addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but I’ve learned some simple ways to survive the holidays and have some fun in the process. Check out my top 10 holiday survival strategies:

Top 10 Holiday Survival Strategies

1. Ask yourself what you want to do. Then do it. Take ten or fifteen minutes to contemplate the pros and cons of the holidays for you. Examine each holiday-related task on your list, doing an emotional check-in to see how you really feel about it. If it fills you with joy, go with it. If you feel dread mixed with a grudging sense of duty, forget it.
2. Remember to have fun. Fun is an attitude, a state of mind. When you’re having fun, you’re more relaxed. Cultivate a sense of humor as you anticipate holiday challenges — like air travel, for instance. Pace yourself, arrange moments in your day where you can stop, breathe, meditate, and stretch your muscles. If you’re dreading doing something, and there’s no way you can get out of it, plan to reward yourself afterward, and visualize yourself enjoying the planned reward as you power on through the dreaded task. Make sure to follow through with rewarding yourself!
3. Give yourself permission to stay home from holiday travel. One way to reduce stress is to exit the stressful situation. It’s okay to unplug and step back from the whole thing. Even if you’ve purchased your airfare, check out the cancellation and refund policy. You may find you can get all or most of your money back. Then stay home, binge Netflix, order carryout or delivery, follow your bliss. You can FaceTime or Skype with relatives and friends.
4. If you decide to travel, allow plenty of time. Target an early arrival time at airports. That way, you’ll have a cushion of time against any possible delay or mishap. Expect, but don’t fear, long lines at TSA checkpoints. Plan ahead for how you’ll handle situations. If you feel stress and anxiety building, do this breathing exercise: slowly breathe in through your nose, saying, “Let,” then hold for a beat, and release that breath slowly out through your lips, saying, “go.” Repeat. It’ll help you calm the pounding heart, shaky muscles, or butterflies feeling in your stomach. If you’re driving, stop every two or three hours and stretch, walk around, give yourself some relaxation before jumping back in behind the wheel.
5. Do something kind for somebody you’ve never met. Volunteer a few hours of your time at a food bank, homeless shelter, animal shelter, or other charity. Volunteering protects you from social isolation while you contribute to the greater good. It’s also a gratitude exercise; it gets you out of your head and into action. If you don’t have hours to volunteer, take a few minutes to open a door for someone, let somebody in your lane in heavy traffic, or pay the bridge toll for the car behind you.
6. Focus on self-care and self-kindness. Treat yourself to pleasant experiences. Visualize good things coming your way, and take time to acknowledge your strengths. Make a list of self-enhancing statements and read them to yourself aloud before you go to sleep at night. Make time for physical exercise each day. Cardio and/or strength training lower stress levels, release endorphins and raise the levels of “feel good” neurotransmitters in your brain. Go out for a hike, a movie, dinner, or coffee. Book an appointment for acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, or beauty care.
7. Revel in the opportunity to do all things in moderation. Take everything slowly. Remind yourself that each day in the holiday cavalcade is just another day — decked out in tinsel and glitter. Practice mindfulness meditation, slow breathing, and positive self-talk to center yourself and stay grounded. It’ll keep you from getting swept away by drinking, spending too much, or eating too much junk food. Make yourself a gratitude list and review it each morning. At night, before you go to sleep, list three things you’re grateful for and expect more good things to come your way.
8. Do emotional “check-ins” throughout the day to assess how things affect you. This is important, whether you’re alone or visiting relatives and in-laws. The holiday season brings lots of memories with it, some good, some bad. When you monitor your inner state, you’ll be empowered to manage negative emotions. You can dispel or transform a negative mindset or emotional state. Soothe yourself by meditating, or try making a quick mental gratitude list. Take a walk, listen to music, or watch a funny YouTube video.
9. Know that it’s okay to step back from or ignore the holiday hustle and bustle. But be tolerant of the people in your life who love it. You don’t have to fake enthusiasm for things that don’t raise your spirits. If you let them know your feelings without raining on their holiday parade, they’ll be less likely to pressure you to “get you into the spirit of things.”
10. Know that it’s okay to celebrate the season in a big way. But tolerate the people in your life who don’t share your enthusiasm. Understand that every one of us has a unique perspective on the holiday season. Your friend or loved one may struggle emotionally at this time of the year, or may feel guilty for not being as excited about it as you are. Being mindful will enhance your enjoyment of the holidays.

Marti MacGibbon’s memoir Fierce, Funny, and Female was announced winner of the 2018 New York City Big Book Award in the Women’s Studies category by award sponsor Gabrielle Olczak. A young woman’s triumph over adversity and trauma, told with grace, wit, and laugh-out-loud humor, the book has received multiple accolades in 2017 and 2018.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 12, 2018, New York, NY
Contact: Gabrielle Olczak, gabby@nycbigbookaward.com
“In 2018, we had true worldwide participation in our annual NEW YORK CITY BIG BOOK AWARD website nycbigbookaward.com  In our second year, book submissions were impressive as we collected from six continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America; cities such as Buenos Aires, Cairo, London, Moscow, New York; and across the United States.  Our NEW YORK CITY BIG BOOK AWARD program just proves great book content can be found anywhere on the globe, whether created from an individual author or a major publishing house irregardless what continent we find it.  With over 600 entries, and we feel this is just the beginning and happy to highlight these authors and books and share their achievements.” said awards sponsor Gabrielle Olczak.

Submissions came from the imprints of large traditional publishers such as HarperCollins and Random House; large independent press publishers such as Galaxy Press, Roman & Littlefield and Wiley; small press and independent authors such as Marti MacGibbon to Sahar Aref.  We welcome all publishers and authors to submit books for competition at nycbigbookaward.com/submit-online

2018 Recognized Titles and Authors include:

For more information, please visit: www.nycbigbookaward.com and to see the list of winners: https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/2018winners and the Distinguished Favorites listed here: https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/2018distinguishedfavorites​.

Fierce, Funny, and Female has received multiple awards and accolades:

WINNER, 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in Humor
WINNER, 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in Women’s Studies
WINNER, 2017 National Indie Excellence Awards in Women’s Health
WINNER, 2017 Beverly Hills Book Awards in Women’s Issues
WINNER, 2018 Independent Press Award in Humor
WINNER, 2018 Independent Press Award in Women’s Studies
WINNER, 2018 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award in Humor
WINNER, 2018 New York City Big Book Awards in Women’s Studies
DISTINGUISHED FAVORITE, New York City Big Book Awards in Humor
FINALIST, 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in Memoir Overcoming Adversity)
FINALIST, 2017 National Indie Excellence Awards in Humor

Last year, in 2017, Marti keynoted the Annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner in Chillicothe, Ohio. She also visited the jail and spoke to the inmates at the request of a staff mental health professional. Marti’s comeback story is one of overcoming drug addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, domestic violence, sexual assault/abuse, and human trafficking. She now holds five professional certifications in addiction treatment and is an expert in stress reduction, mindfulness meditation, and other life skills. Marti’s 2017 talk to the inmates was brief, because she was on her way to the airport, but she brought plenty of her signature humor and authenticity. Jail administrators invited her to return, so in May of this year (2018), Marti returned to Chillicothe, where she delivered three in-depth talks on life skills to inmates. She also spoke to individuals in recovery at a treatment center that focuses on medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorder. Marti donated signed copies of her nationally award-winning and bestselling books, Never Give in to Fear and Fierce, Funny, and Female, to some of the audience members.

In addition to being Mental Health Awareness Month, May is Get Caught Reading Month. One reason you might enjoy reading is because it reduces stress. Every night before going to bed, try spending some time with a book-perhaps something inspirational, which includes spiritual or self-help/life improvement books, some classical work of fiction, or just something that has characters or circumstances that engage you.

Perhaps you will enjoy savoring writing that is well crafted. You can use leisurely reading as an effective way to prepare yourself to sleep by separating yourself from the stress-building issues you faced during the day. When you’re tired and trying to relax, try choosing titles that are escapist and gripping, but remember you’re reading to slow down and prepare for rejuvenating sleep, not to binge read chapter after chapter.

Read books that hold your attention but also have places to quit for the night and pick up the thread any time. Reading printed material rather than on a digital screen yields a number of health benefits, and you don’t need to read for long periods of time to reduce your stress levels and chill out. A 2009 study at Mindlab International at the University of Sussex demonstrated that reading (68%) was more effective at reducing stress than listening to music (61%), drinking tea and coffee (54%), or going for a walk (42%). Relaxation researchers were able to observe that just six minutes of reading produced a measurable reduction of heart rate and muscle tension. According to noted neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis, as reported in The Telegraph:

Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation. This is particularly poignant in uncertain economic times when we are all craving a certain amount of escapism. It really doesn’t matter what book you read, by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author’s imagination. This is more than merely a distraction but an active engaging of the imagination as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness.

So participate in Get Caught Reading Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. Join the campaigns to reduce stress and combat depression and other mental health issues. Enjoy life and have more fun through reading!

Fierce, Funny, and Female received recognition in May. The book is Winner of the Independent Press Awards, in two categories: Women’s Issues and Humor. And it placed Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Awards, in the Memoirs of Overcoming Adversity category. You can pick up a copy on Amazon.

Humorous inspirational speaker Marti MacGibbon delivered a stirring and informative keynote presentation at a conference organized by the CSE Institute of the Villanova School of Law in Philadelphia. Her session, entitled, The Intersection of Commercial Sexual Exploitation/Human Trafficking, Addiction, and Trauma, included the following learning objectives:

1. Learn to assess the connection between CSE/human trafficking, trauma, addiction, and stress
2. Understand the connection between CSE and the current opioid epidemic, and recognize how exploiters use addiction as a tool of coercion
3. Know how to differentiate between clinical facts about addiction and myths and misconceptions about addiction
4. Be able to list resiliency factors and risk factors of PTSD
5. Recognize and understand trauma behaviors and addictive behaviors and how they can be mistaken for behaviors related to non-compliance, combativeness

In the current opioid crisis (As in the past), survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking are being incarcerated and doubly stigmatized, and many never receive access to trauma-informed and victim-centered treatment for either trauma or addiction. This makes successful recovery and trauma resolution more difficult for this vulnerable population. But recovery is possible, and survivors prove very resilient when provided with trauma-informed tools for healing and self-care. Marti also touched upon self-care recommendations for advocates and other service providers to manage stress, and avoid burnout and secondary trauma when working with traumatized populations. She also educated listeners about the connection between stress and addiction, trauma and addiction, and how fear and shame fuel addiction.

Marti MacGibbon is a national survivor leader and nationally award-winning author who uses humor, inspiration, and presents with an easy-going, down-to-earth style. She has survived and recovered from adolescent sexual assault/abuse/exploitation, adult CSE/human trafficking, sexual assault, domestic violence, addiction, homelessness, and complex PTSD. She holds five professional certifications in addiction treatment and is an expert on trauma resolution. Marti shares aspects of her powerful personal story of recovery, hope, and second chances in a simple, effective way that also imparts clinical insights into addiction and trauma, as well as stress management and relapse prevention.