Marti MacGibbon delivered a high energy, inspirational and humorous keynote speech to mental health professionals, administrators, VPs and CEOs at the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers’ 2015 Conference. The Indiana Council is a professional trade organization that serves the interests of 25 community-based mental health centers around the state that provide services such as adult, child and adolescent behavioral programs, and addiction treatment services. The Indiana Council engages in public policy advocacy, education and community relations to preserve its members’ best interests.

Mental and behavioral health services are essential to maintaining quality of life, safety, and overall well-being of society as a whole. The importance of the work accomplished by mental and behavioral health providers cannot be overstated. Marti MacGibbon is passionate about mental health, and she is committed to breaking away the stigma surrounding mental illness, addiction, and behavioral disorders. She recognizes that fear and shame can keep individuals and families silent and hold them back from accessing services and getting help. She understands the stressors and high demand that mental health providers face each day as they help individuals and families to cope, heal, and create long term solutions to mental health issues.

In her keynote speech, Marti pulled from her own personal story, sharing insights into her experience of, and recovery from adolescent sexual abuse/assault, human trafficking, domestic violence, severe PTSD, hard-core drug addiction. A professional standup comic and nationally award-winning author, Marti MacGibbon has a knack for bringing a message of hope, healing and resiliency in a style that is funny, entertaining and motivational. After the keynote, Ms. MacGibbon conducted a workshop entitled, Game Changers, a presentation based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that provides simple, fun, and portable tools for preventing burnout, reducing stress, and maximizing happiness and self assurance. She also signed copies of her award-winning memoir, Never Give in to Fear: Laughing All the Way Up from Rock Bottom.

Many thanks to Indiana Council CEO Matt Brooks for his leadership, warmth, and professionalism.

Marti MacGibbon and Indiana Council CEO Matt Brooks.

Marti MacGibbon, CADC-II, ACRPS, CAPMS, is a humorous inspirational speaker, certified mental health professional, and an expert on trauma resolution and addiction. Ms. MacGibbon is an empowered survivor of international human trafficking, domestic violence, and post traumatic stress disorder who advocates for victims and survivors. A member of the National Survivor Network, Marti was selected to join a team of survivor leaders on an advocacy trip to Washington, D.C. The team visited The Office of Victims of Crime, The Department of Health and Human Services, The State Department, and The White House, where they advised agencies and administrators, and also reported on the collective voice of NSN’s 140 members. Marti and all other team members spoke to government leaders, offering survivor perspective and recommendations for victim services, trauma informed approaches, and more.

The trip, organized by the National Survivor Network and CASTLA, (Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking). The trip followed recent legislation that empowers survivors. The bill, The Survivor Empowerment Act, was created and initially promoted by members of the NSN, and is the first of its kind to pass into law. More information to follow in subsequent blog posts.

At The White House.

Marti MacGibbon advocates in Washington, D.C.

Marti MacGibbon, CADC-II, ACRPS, is a humorous inspirational speaker, a nationally award-winning author, and an expert on trauma resolution and addiction. She is also a survivor of international human trafficking who advocates for victims and survivors. Ms. MacGibbon delivered two breakout sessions at the Health and Human Trafficking Conference at Indiana Wesleyan University. Other presenters included Bradley Myles of Polaris Project, and Katherine Chon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Marti’s talks focused on trauma resolution and survivor resilience. Since she is a survivor/advocate, Marti MacGibbon provides experiential expertise and valuable insights into recovery from the severe trauma of being trafficked.

After her second session, Marti signed copies of her nationally award-winning, critically acclaimed memoir, Never Give in to Fear: Laughing All the Way Up from Rock Bottom.

Marti MacGibbon is a resilience expert and humorist.

Marti MacGibbon delivered the keynote speech at the Charles County Freedom Landing’s Wellness and Recovery Center’s Annual Conference in La Waldorf, Maryland, a thriving community just outside Washington, D.C. This year’s conference was entitled, “Many Paths to Wellness.”  Conference participants included individuals who are working on their recovery, family members and service providers involved with mental health, social services and other human services agencies.

In her letter of referral, Executive Director Joyce Abramson commented:

“Marti shared some of her lived experiences with addiction, domestic violence, homelessness and mental illness. More importantly, she shared strategies that can create positive change in anyone’s lives…She is a warm, dynamic speaker who can speak on numerous topics…”

After her keynote, Ms. MacGibbon signed copies of her nationally award-winning memoir, Never Give in to Fear: Laughing All the Way Up from Rock Bottom.

Marti MacGibbon, left, with event planners: Stephanie Burch, center, and Charles County Freedom Landing’s Director Joyce Abramson.

Humorous inspirational speaker Marti MacGibbon was featured speaker at an event on Amherst College campus last month. The event was organized by the Amherst Chapter of To Write Love On Her Arms. TWLOHA is a national non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.

The event featured a stirring words from Marti, whose powerful personal comeback story is one of triumph over human trafficking, domestic violence, post traumatic stress disorder, homelessness, and hard-core drug addiction. After turning her life around, Ms. MacGibbon traveled the U.S. as a professional standup comic, and she is known for her ability to bring humor and hope to her presentations. Other talented performers featured at the event were two rock bands: A Moment’s Worth, and The Rare Occasions. Spoken word artist and award-winning poet Sierra DeMulder also performed.

Keynote Speaker Marti MacGibbon with TWLOHA Amherst Chapter leaders.

Spring 2015 is a high energy season for humorous inspirational speaker Marti MacGibbon. Marti delivered a keynote speech to behavioral services professionals, addiction treatment professionals, medical professionals, and a wide range of service providers in Evansville, IN. The Luncheon event was named “Marti Friday” by the event’s creators, United Caring Services and United Caring Shelters. This event supported service providers with inspiration and motivation, and breaking away the stigma, myths and misconceptions about homeless people.

Marti MacGibbon, a survivor of homelessness, PTSD, human trafficking and addiction, received a standing ovation at the United Caring Services Ballroom Dance Event at the Bauerhaus in Evansville after delivering a high-energy speech to inspire and celebrate resiliency in the community.

United Caring Services Mission, as stated on their website, is:

“Grounded in unconditional love reflected by our diverse faith communities, we commit ourselves to service with the poor, homeless, and vulnerable. Believing every person deserves to realize their God-given potential, we dedicate ourselves to passionately advocate for a compassionate and just society. Recognizing the dignity and worth of each person, we provide safety, shelter, food, life coaching, and hope.”

Marti MacGibbon spoke to service providers and advocates at 1 Vectren Square in Evansville.

Marti MacGibbon is a high-energy and often humorous speaker whose personal comeback story is riveting. She is a survivor of human trafficking, PTSD, domestic violence, homelessness and hard-core drug addiction who turned her life around using simple, effective strategies to build her resilience and create positive outcomes. She shares these tips with audiences in an entertaining style.

Today, Marti is an advocate for homeless populations, victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, and those who face mental health and addiction issues. She is a member of the task force IPATH, Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans, teaches life skills classes at the Marion County Jail in Indianapolis, and is founder, producer and host of Laff-Aholics, an annual Standup Comedy Fundraiser at the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Toby Theater that features nationally headlining comedians. 100% of the profits from the show go to transitional housing facilities that provide access to addiction and mental health services for the community’s most vulnerable.

Emotionally resilient people can manage stress, stay flexible, and enjoy life better.

Start the Day with an Emotional Self-Check – Upon awakening in the morning, take a few minutes to adjust your mood. You can use a quick mental gratitude list, or a self-enhancing statement, such as, “I am energized, grounded, and grateful for this day. Good things are headed my way.” Focus on the present moment, and access the power, in the now, to create positive thoughts and feelings about yourself. As you move through your daily schedule, practice respecting, loving and appreciating yourself.

Practice Mindfulness Meditation to Improve Your Consciousness in the Present Moment.
Take mini-sabbaticals and gratitude breaks throughout your day, using meditation. As you begin to appreciate the power of the present moment, use meditation to develop your “now awareness.” This is a powerful tool that can help you reduce and manage stress, elevate your mood, relieve anxiety, and increase your confidence and self-esteem. Relax, breathe slowly, and give thanks. Tell yourself, “I am relaxed. I am grateful. I am energized.” Visualize your muscles relaxing.

There’s a terrific guided meditation video by The Honest Guys, on Youtube, and you can subscribe: Guided Meditation – A ‘Time-out’ Visualization Meditation to Heal and Refresh ©

On their website, the Honest Guys state that they are dedicated to “bringing the benefits of guided meditation to anyone who needs it.”

Always Use Positive Self-Talk – Become conscious of the words you speak, and of the dialogue within your mind. Tell yourself you’re strong and getting stronger, happy and becoming happier. We create our inner lives with our own words. Give yourself inner pep talks, celebrating all your strengths and encouraging yourself to excel. Resist the urge to complain or react in a negative way when annoyances present themselves. Focus on positivity, beauty, strength and peace.

Use Positive Visualization to Stay Emotionally Connected and Feel Happier. Positive visualization is an effective tool you can employ to increase the levels of “feel good” neurotransmitters in your brain. As you meditate, “see” yourself surrounded by all the things you need, and allow yourself to luxuriate in a positive emotion such as gratitude, love, enthusiasm, or peace. As you employ visualization, you will discover fun ways to use it in your daily life to stay inspired.

Do an Emotional Self-Check, or “Inventory,” at the Day’s End. At night, right before you go to sleep, do a quick emotional check-in, or inventory. Relax, and observe, without judging, the day’s events, and give yourself a pat on the back for acts of kindness and celebrate any progress or breakthroughs. Forgive any missteps or errors, and remind yourself that tomorrow holds promise and opportunity to do better. Know that mistakes, when viewed with a positive attitude, can often be opportunities to grow and become stronger, more creative, and more confident. Visualize beauty, opportunity, and prosperity, and give thanks for everything.

You can build your emotional resilience, and stay emotionally connected, even during challenging times.

Many thanks to Melody Ruth Bromma for this wonderfully written article, published in her column in Marinscope. Ms. Bromma’s articles focus on upbeat and encouraging stories. I’m honored to be featured in one of her February pieces. The article, and the link to her column, are below. I highly recommend her column.

By Melody Ruth Bromma on http://marinscope.com

“I’m living my dream and I’m happy.” Now.

Intrigued, appalled and inspired, I relished a candid and colorful conversation with Marti MacGibbon, who shared touching truths about addiction, recovery and how she hit rock bottom in every possible way.

MacGibbon grew up in a small college town in the Midwest with lovely parents and a scholarly father. A rosy childhood that belied the thorns ahead. Starting at age 14, she was sexually abused by an educator and her descent began. Drugs, anorexia and a psyche ward stay laid down the road to eventual recovery and freedom.

Seeking a fresh path, the now 23-year-old summoned her grit and headed south to Texas. It was the height of the oil boom in the early 1980s. She picked up a job via the telephone, due to her husky voice. The booming Texan on the other end said, “Come on down to the job on Monday, Marti.”

Marti recalled her arrival on the oil field, and the shocked foreman.

“I was the first woman laborer to work on a Texas oil field,” MacGibbon said. “This was in Giddings at the Austin Chalk, doing seismic exploration. I worked on a shooter crew. We would drill holes in the earth then drop in explosives to create a mini earthquake.”

An unthinkable activity in California, but there were more shocks and unthinkables to come.

The bottom then dropped out of the oil business, and the road became rougher. Marti began working as a waitress and people told her she ought to be on stage.
“There was a newly opened comedy club in Austin, so I tried out and started working as a comic,” she said. “I was building my act and started getting gigs around the country. Pretty quickly, I had a fan base.”

From addict to seismic explorer to comedienne. I did mention I was intrigued?
Marti arrived in California and within a short time, received a coveted audition for the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

“They loved me and scheduled me for a show to be a novelty guest on Johnny’s couch,” MacGibbon recalled. “I said I wanted to hold out for being able to perform my own material. Back then, they would schedule you a year out, you’d move to LA [Los Angeles] and they would groom you for your appearance.”

That’s what she was supposed to do.

On her path, she ran across an ad in the paper for a furnished “mother-in-law” cottage at Stinson Beach, and at $500 a month, it fit right in to her tight budget.

“I had driven all the way from Texas, and it was foggy as I went over Mt. Tam,” she said. “I remember thinking, ‘When I get to this place, I’m going to rent it because I have no idea if I’m going to make it back over this mountain.’ And when I got there, I loved it.”

A fire was raging the day she moved in. At the bar, one of the men said, “I’ve been out fighting a Bolinas Ridge fire. We have to keep our fire department, ambulance, completely prepared.”

Because, of course, they were on the other side of the mountain. Marti decided to become a volunteer firefighter and was the first woman to apply.

On her first call, she heard the siren in her swimsuit just after laying down her towel and applying Bain de Soleil.

“I ran into my house and got dressed, then ran to the fire,” MacGibbon remembered. “We drove up to where a brush fire was going on and since I hadn’t removed the suntan oil, the hair on my arms started to singe in the heat.”

Two months later, Marti’s landlord died suddenly. The heir put her dreamy cottage up for rent.

Forced to vacate, she went up to Monte Rio to house sit and that’s where she met a bad boy (why are sociopaths so alluringly charming?) who was the antithesis of her Midwest roots and upbringing.

But, she thought she could help him.

“It’s symptomatic of the things survivors do,” she said. “Like when you’d be better off buying a rundown house and treating it as a fixer-upper.”

Abused and isolated, Marti was eventually introduced to harder drugs and, in a desperate attempt at freedom, she began living out of her car, barely surviving.
At her breaking point, a woman contacted her with an opportunity. The woman said she was sending a girl to Japan every month and made it sound like Marti would be in control.

“She said, ‘You’ll go, stay in a Westin. It’s a five-star hotel, and if you decide you don’t want to do this you can go back home,’” Marti said. “I had tunnel vision, and, what is called in recovery, Option Reduction. Choices are bad to the observer, but they are choices of no choice because the addict can’t see any of the options.”

“This was 1985, and I bought a one way ticket to Tokyo, where I was met by my contact who was a member of Japanese organized crime,” she continued. “I was taken to an apartment. I thought of running away, but I was in a foreign country, and what are my chances going to be on my own?”

Marti became a prisoner of the Yakuza. “I was threatened with death and physically assaulted, raped and totally isolated,” she said. “It’s called human trafficking.”
After a couple of months imprisoned in Tokyo, one of the men in her company helped her escape through Hong Kong connections.

“I was so overcome when I landed in San Francisco,” she said. “Elated at first, then terror overwhelmed me. I was afraid they would come after me here. I was in survival mode while in captivity, and then afterward I had to survive the surviving. The impact of everything I was exposed to, flooded in.”

Without rape or human trafficking resources at that time, Marti returned to the familiar, as most trauma victims do. The bad boy appeared again and within a few weeks of escaping from Japan, she was almost beaten to death.

The Tonight Show invite was now a Hollywood dream. To escape the boyfriend, she went to Russian River and lived in what was left of her totaled car for six months.

“One day, I was hitchhiking to get to a job in another town, and a car came by with a sweet guy in it,” she said. Thankfully, this is where her road took a decisive turn. Not long after meeting the “sweet guy” he offered her a place in his basement to live. They have been together ever since. That was 1987, and they married in 2002.

The happy duo still lives in the same home in Occidental. She’s now a Certified Mental Health professional, public speaker and author of the bestseller, “Never Give in to Fear: Laughing All the Way Up from Rock Bottom.” It is her darkly funny, dramatic memoir and describes her emergence from a descent into the underworld, escape from human traffickers, homelessness and ultimate redemption.

“I am stronger, better, smarter and funnier now,” Marti said. “Not in spite of what I overcame, but because of it. I am the sum of all my experiences, good and bad. I’ve dedicated my life to supporting others.”

This funny lady has traveled all over the country as a professional standup comic and is the founder, producer and host of the Laff-aholics Comedy Benefit.

When I spoke with Chris, Marti’s husband, he described her as “magnificent” and began quoting Lord Byron:

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes…

Might I add: A woman of shadow and light. Strength, courage and an inner might.

Write to Melody about your perspective on life at melody@marinscope.com. All names, genders, locales and identifying details will be changed. You can also join Melody on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. To learn more about Marti MacGibbon, visit martimacgibbon.com.

http://marinscope.com

Marti MacGibbon is a humorous inspirational speaker, a survivor leader and a nationally award-winning author.

Survivors are champions of social justice, and united can be invincible.
Our stories are powerful, our skills are formidable, and we fight for positive change and human rights. We’re valiant and relentless in our efforts to create a trauma informed culture. I’m deeply grateful to all my survivor brothers and sisters who have created non-profits, foundations, and educational programs. Your accomplishments are jaw-dropping, and I applaud you.

I’m not connected to a foundation, but I am an advocate and activist, and whenever possible, I use my talent and skill as a professional speaker (and veteran standup comic) to carry the message. I’m a survivor of adolescent sexual abuse/exploitation, and global sex trafficking.

On January 25th, I told my story at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, my third time as a guest speaker there. The MOT is a holocaust museum, founded by Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, and human trafficking is one of the social justice issues they educate the public about. And I am grateful to my colleague, Ima Matul, of National Survivor Network, who attended my talk, and connected with me afterward. Ima is an inspiration, and I salute her.

The MOT focuses on stories of survival and overcoming, and the forgiveness you feel when you walk in the place is palpable, very inspiring. Holocaust survivors speak there on a regular basis.

In my presentation, I only touched upon my personal experience of being trafficked to Tokyo and held prisoner by Japanese organized crime figures, who isolated me in a room, threatened me with death, and abused and exploited me continuously. I was an adult, not a child, and my period of captivity was mercifully brief, a little less than two months. But the trauma I experienced nearly killed me, and cost me nearly a decade of my life.

But I’m a resilience expert, and I like to take my audiences on a healing journey. I share what every survivor knows: how we find courage in the midst of adversity. I invite each of my listeners to look within themselves and find the safe place, the place where we discover the power that heals, instructs, encourages, and sustains our spirits. It is from that place of strength that we are victorious over every challenge, every setback.

Whenever I tell my story, I face the stigma. But like all of you, I am a warrior, I push on through. I talk to the audience about the vulnerabilities traffickers exploit, who they target, and how the crime of human trafficking strips victims of their basic human rights. I urge people to support social services in their communities, especially survivor created and survivor led non-profits. And I mention specific ones.

I’ve got a background in standup, so I throw in punch lines and get laughs. It gives me strength when I get to hear laughter. Without the laughs here and there, I wouldn’t be able to do it. The crowd at the MOT was very attentive, and I got a few applause breaks. The event planner thanked me over and over, saying, “Your personal testimony of Human Trafficking reveals the empowerment possible when someone courageously confronts evil.”

Her words made me think of you, of all of us. We are empowered survivors. We live, we fight, and we are stronger, better, smarter, happier today, not in spite of the things we have overcome, but because of them. We are victorious!

On December 31, President Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation, naming January National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2015. As a survivor leader and advocate, I am both grateful for and proud of the work the United States of America is doing to eradicate human trafficking and to help victims recover from the trauma suffered in captivity and rebuild their lives.

Freedom is precious and worth fighting for. No one has the right to violate another’s basic human rights, but traffickers do that as part of their business plan. Human trafficking takes many forms: children are forced to be soldiers, people are forced to work eighteen to twenty hour shifts in horrific conditions, others are forced into prostitution and porn. The extent of this crime and the suffering it causes seems to be boundless, it is rampant, global in scale, and it is happening locally, in urban centers and suburbs alike, major cities and small towns.

But we’re making progress, and the situation is rapidly changing for the better, thanks to empowered survivors who have stepped up to share their stories and inform citizens and social services providers about how to identify possible victims, and the needs of victims and survivors. Now, thanks to an ever-increasingly trauma-informed law enforcement, healthcare professionals and behavioral health professionals, the tide is turning.

I am grateful to be a part of the anti-trafficking movement. Since 2009, I’ve been involved in raising awareness about human trafficking, by speaking and telling my story to help others. Since 2013, I’ve been a member of the anti-trafficking task force IPATH, Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans. In April 2014, I participated with California Against Slavery and eight other survivor leaders, speaking to California State Legislators in support of SB-1165, a bill aimed at combatting child sex trafficking through recommended trauma-informed education in California middle schools and high schools. Governor Jerry Brown has signed the bill into law.

I am looking forward to the honor of being guest speaker at the internationally renowned Museum of Tolerance on Sunday, January 25th at noon PST. This is my third time speaking as a survivor at the MOT.

Speaking is one of my areas of expertise, and I know that by connecting with audiences and letting them know that I survived, healed, and triumphed over the trauma, and through that process, discovered the power and light within myself. I am strong, happy, and courageous, not in spite of the things I have overcome, but because of them.

When I was trafficked to Tokyo and held under the control of organized crime figures, I feared for my life every day. I was lucky enough to escape, but the trauma held me in its thrall for many years. In those days, the term “human trafficking was not yet a part of the popular lexicon, and I struggled to comprehend what had happened to me. Shame and fear stalked my consciousness, I suffered from PTSD, and in an attempt to manage the trauma, began using hard drugs on a regular basis, and slipped into addiction and homelessness. I lost more than nine years of my life to the trauma, but eventually turned my life around.

Today I know that shame and fear are the traffickers’ weapons. They are banking on shame and fear to hold victims prisoner, to enforce the stigma, and to silence victims so they will not report the crimes or identify the perpetrators. For years I was silent, but I came to the realization that my voice matters. And your voice matters. I encourage you to join me in celebrating, protecting, and promoting freedom and basic human rights for all people, everywhere.

Marti MacGibbon is a professional speaker and nationally award-winning author.