(somber music)
- I remember when I first came here.
It was the most devastating time of my life.
Just the constant beating, the hitting.
I remember my own crying, my own screams.
In a car with this man.
I remember him saying,
"This is the day you're going to die."
And I saw the gun, but when he went to click the gun,
it jammed, and he hit me with the gun,
right up over my head, and I remember just blood,
just gushing from my face.
I was that near to death.
But I was determined to live to tell my story.
After that day, I was able to regain
my voice in saying, "No more."
Even though it was tragic, it helped me to find my purpose,
here with Leap to Success.
(women chattering)
(women applauding)
(ethereal music)
- For women who've experienced traumatic situations,
the conventional approaches are to see a therapist,
to ask for help to deal with emotional
and psychological issues.
And therapy is really important,
but what next? (women chattering)
I had my own business called Speak for Success,
and I provided training around public speaking
and presentation skills.
I really got thinking about, who are the women
in our community that need to be heard?
So you've shown up today, for yourself, for each other,
and for hundreds of thousands of people.
There was one night that I had an idea
and I had to get out of bed,
because it wouldn't let me sleep.
I walked to my office, I sat at my computer,
and I wrote an outline of a program for women
to build self-confidence using public speaking
as one of the skills they would learn.
- There was verbal abuse, there was sexual abuse,
and I thought that that's what I deserved.
This person in telling you, "You are not able to function
"on your own two feet without me.
"No one else will value you but me.
"You need to do as I say," and I just fell
right into line! (somber music)
I was so beyond depressed.
I did, three times,
try to remove myself (chuckles) from this planet.
You hear all these cliches, "Wah, wah,
"this happened to you, get over it,"
and no one teaches you how!
(women chattering) - Beautiful, beautiful!
- So many of the women who walk in the door,
I can see at the very core, for most of them,
that the issue is lack of self-worth.
What is one thing
that lack of confidence has held you back from?
- I didn't share my authentic self with anyone.
- Regaining my confidence means regaining
my financial independence. (gentle music)
- We're really helping women discover
their own personal power,
and giving them tools to use it in their lives.
- We work on everything from how do you
give a proper handshake so you're taken seriously,
and boundaries.
I had to reintroduce myself.
I'm like, "I no longer do things like that."
- I leap-- - Public speaking
is a huge confidence-builder.
If I can stand in front of a room
(women chattering) and communicate a message,
I'm in a powerful position,
I'm someone who is important.
- Yeah! (women applauding)
- What we see week by week for most of the women
is they do start to feel safe, they start to open up,
they start to engage in eye contact, in conversation,
and it's a transformation!
We've seen it with over 2,000 women who've gone
through our programs at Leap to Success.
- Good morning, cowgirls! - I'm gonna go put this
in the office. - After the women graduate
our programs, 66% of the women were hired within 60 days,
and the number went up to 77%
six months later. (upbeat music)
- That class was really the platform
that allowed me to see myself in such a beautiful way,
that I had never saw myself.
Who I was is not who I am today.
I first started in 2008,
and now I am a classroom instructor with Leap to Success.
I now have the power to overcome obstacles
and turn 'em into opportunities.
Every day I come into the classroom,
someone's life is changed.
The more they hear my story, it's like,
"I can let my guard down, I'm safe.
"If she can do it, I can do it."
- The more I share, the more I shed off of me,
and I was able to transform myself
into a confident, strong person.
I felt safe for the first time.
Safe for the first time.
It took three solid years (chuckles)
to piece myself back, but I'm better than ever.
I got my voice back!
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