Brittany Piper
Brittany Piper overcame one of the most horrific events any of us could imagine: sexual assault. Now as a leading national expert on sexual violence and prevention, and a trauma trained practioner—Brittany uses her story of adversity, resilience and triumph to empower and inspire audiences to take brave action in their own lives and communities.
TOPICS
- Addiction
- Body Image
- Bystander Intervention
- First Year Experience
- Health & Wellness
- Personal Growth
- Resilience
- Sexual Violence Prevention
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Stress Management
- Title IX
- Women’s Empowerment
KEYNOTES
Getting to know
Brittany Piper
Brittany Piper is an speaker, trauma trained practitioner — cultivating 400+ programs spanning 10 years and 3 continents. Her work has been recognized by The United States Army, the Laura Bush Institute of Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Elite Daily + more. She is a rape survivor and leading national expert and advocate on sexual violence prevention and recovery—speaking to tens of thousands of audience members each year. She is also a forensic neurobiology expert— conducting dozens of trauma-informed trainings and programs with the United States Army and Sex Crimes Detectives annually. Lastly, she is trauma trained practitioner—empowering survivors to heal their past, so they can thrive in the present.
“If we can harness our hardships with the intent to grow through what we go through…we can do amazing things.”
– Brittany Piper
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
To help you promote your event with Brittany, CAMPUSPEAK has created promotional templates you can use. In this folder, you will find resources for social media, a promotional poster for printing, and press photos you can use for your event.
Link to Promotional Materials
LOGISTICAL MATERIALS
Below you will find logistical resources for the day of your event with Brittany.
In-Person Event AV needs (PDF)
Speaking introduction (PDF)
Discussion questions (PDF)
In a world of quick fixes, instant gratification, and bandaid approaches — it makes sense that we resist the slower and steadier routes. Yet, when it comes to healing, it’s a necessary path to take.
Why?
Because rushing our healing can be counterintuitive and even cause more damage. Trauma becomes unresolved when the nervous system gets chronically stuck in states of survival (fight, flight, shutdown, freeze or fawn). To get unstuck, we have to slowly show our nervous system that the trauma has passed and that we are now safe. This method requires a pace that is titrated, meaning one small and tolerable step at a time. Titration is a somatic term borrowed from chemistry, where one small drop of a compound is added to another, slowly, over time, so as to not create a chemical reaction.
Think of your nervous system in the same way. The ultimate rule for your nervous system is that “same = safe,” even if it’s not good for you. That unhealthy relationship, those destructive coping patterns — all “safe” if it’s familiar and all you’ve ever known.
Ultimately, we can’t rush, force, or override our nervous systems capacity to heal. Instead, we aim for a slow, gradual, gentle and attuned pace to bring safety back into our lives.
At the @healinghubclub , we focus on a body-first approach to healing trauma. Updated research and frameworks within the recovery space provide that healing happens when we get out of our heads and first into our bodies. What’s been the biggest takeaway on your somatic healing journey? Drop it below 🤎🫶🏻
How has anger or the FIGHT response benefitted you in your life? Drop moments or examples below 🤎
We are nuanced humans with complex conditioning. Many of our behaviors and personality traits date back to trauma (especially in childhood), but not ALL of them. An all-or-nothing approach when it comes to trauma can sometimes be counterproductive. What’re your thoughts? Drop them below 🤎
Let’s normalize some of these points when it comes to healing. Any of these thoughts stick out to you, or any other things YOU wish you knew when healing? Drop below 🤎
What’s your relationship with anger like? We often find that those who FAWN, appease, avoid conflict or confrontation, or shutdown often have difficulty expressing healthy aggression. Here are some tools and practices to start introducing small amounts of anger into your everyday life. Let me know how they resonate! 🤎
** this first quote is taken from @gabormatemd book, When The Body Says No.
My healing truly transformed when I realized my pain would never “leave me.” That I would never wake up one day and be cured, heal-ED, magically better. When I realized that my body would forever hold onto the imprints of my suffering, and in an attempt to protect me, my body would continually remind me of those experiences….in the hopes that I wouldn’t experience them again.
This awakening shifted my mission from getting OVER my trauma and “moving on,” to simply living WITH the trauma, and creating more space for what felt good.
Instead of hyper-focusing on fixing myself, my gaze widened to the vast beauty and goodness of the areas of my life that I had become blind to. I had my health, I had my people, I had my present and my future. AND I had my pain.
I know I will forever be tethered to my past, but that doesn’t mean I have to be a prisoner to it. And neither should you 🤎
Motherhood was always an afterthought, an “if I ever make it there” kind of story. When you spend the majority of your life in survival mode, simply putting one foot in front of the other is often more than enough.
Looking back now, I’m glad I waited to enter into the role.
Now, I didn’t wait until I was “healed and perfect,” because…well that’s not realistically attainable. But until I was at a place where I could hold space for both my healing and my children. Because the truth and reality is, one day they’ll need to heal from their own pain and suffering. And I’m honored to model to them how hard and yet how rewarding that journey can be.
If you’re in one of those seasons of life, please know there’s no rush, no pressure, no timeline to get it “right.” One day, I promise, that dark cloud of self-doubt will start to lift. The more healed version of you that you’re desperately longing to know is just on the other side of that. So just keep going, one step at a time <3
The first step in creating a better capacity to working through emotions is FIRST to cultivate the ability to welcome and BE WITH them.
Step 2: once we’ve taken a pause to be with the felt experience of our emotions, the next step is to express or “discharge” the emotion. As we like to say, we express, not suppress. Here are some suggestions for common emotions:
Anger (fight response): heels drops for 60 seconds, clenching your fists tightly, growling/grunting, air yells, imagining you’re a primal animal with aggression (lion, bear, wolf), pushing against a wall for 60 seconds, listening to upbeat or “yelly” music, wringing a dry towel tightly, crying
Fear (flight response): run in place for 60 seconds, heel drops for 60 seconds, shaking out your limbs (hands, then arms, feet, then legs), crying, labored breathing, bringing visual awareness to a door or exit (sensing into flight/flee), pushing forward on your toes
Sadness or hopelessness (shutdown response): crying, rebound posture: from collapsed spine to lifted/lengthened spine, humming, rocking or swaying, light walk, stretching, cuddling with a human or pet
How do you express what you feel? Drop some helpful tips below 🤎
A healthy Vestibular System equals a healthier Nervous System. Give these gentle somatic practices a try and let me know below how it resonates! 🤎
I spent nearly 15 years merely “talking about the past,” in my therapy appointments—only to be met with more extreme symptoms of PTSD. It wasn’t until I started also focusing on what FELT GOOD that things changed. Here’s why…
Trauma can be defined as any event or experience that was too overwhelming for the nervous system to cope with. When this happens, we get STUCK in survival states of fight, flight, shutdown/freeze.
To get unstuck, we have to SHOW our nervous system that we are safe in the present and that the pain and threat of the past is over. We SHOW because the language of the nervous system is SOMATIC…meaning through the body (sensation, feeling, emotion).
In healing, if we continue to revisit, rehash and recall our past trauma…it actually further activates our survival response and gets us FURTHER STUCK in fight, flight, freeze/shutdown.
The goal of healing is to first create safety in our lives, and SHOW our system that life can feel GOOD. This allows your nervous system to slowly come back into regulation, aka rest & digest or “ventral.” As we have more regulation, we then have more RESILIENCE and capacity to then process and face our past….without getting stuck and activated again.
So no, healing doesn’t have to look like you curled up in a therapists office, curled up in a ball of agonizing tears as you’re encouraged to bulldoze through your trauma story *once again*. Healing should be gentle, and never overwhelming…because that’s what your nervous system requires.
Let me know your thoughts below 🤎
I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. We can hold space and compassion for those who’ve been through pain and then turned it on us. We can understand, and have clarity for the version of them that’s still fighting battles they never truly healed from. However, holding them accountable for their actions of harm is perhaps the most compassionate thing we can do. As this is the path from to healing, for us…and for them. 🤎
SEE WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY About Brittany Piper!
KEYNOTES
Rape Culture: A Survivor’s Perspective
Brittany Piper was 20 years old when she was brutally raped by a man pretending to be a good samaritan. Now, nearly ten years later, she refuses to keep silent as she gently unravels this sensitive topic with audiences, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of this prevalent issue. As a survivor and women’s studies scholar (focusing on Gender-Based Violence, Prevention and Rape Culture), with extensive work in local and international organizations (including Rape Crisis Centers in conflict countries): Brittany is able to use her perspective as a survivor, as well as a trauma and prevention expert, to educate communities and organizations on the many perspectives of sexual violence prevention AND recovery.
Her personal and moving story, blended with a non-judgmental and healthy dialogue about rape, compelling research, and interactive activities, offers a meaningful picture of the realities of the toxic culture in which we live. Brittany reveals how we all participate in rape culture, even from a young age, and helps individuals to understand the role they play in either perpetuating or ending the cycle. Participants leave feeling empowered to not only combat sexual violence in their communities, but to be a pillar of strength for the survivors around them.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- What consent looks like, especially when alcohol and other substances are involved.
- How to address the community’s involvement in rape culture through such concepts as: victim-blaming, rape myths, and more.
- Ability to identify potentially dangerous situations.
- Safe and effective ways to directly or indirectly intervene as an active bystander.
- The physical, mental and emotional impact that sexual violence can have on an individual.
- How to support peers who have experienced sexual assault.
The Heart of Resilience & Recovery
Brittany Piper intimately understands the road to recovery from the perspective of a trauma survivor, as well as a Somatic Healing Practitioner who’s worked in rape crisis and trauma centers around the world. In both her personal life and in the communities she serves, she bares witness every day to the devastation that trauma can leave in its wake: shame, depression, addiction, anxiety, PTSD, suicidality, eating disorders, Secondary Trauma, and more. But even greater, she’s also walked the profound path to resilience and recovery and guided thousands on the same journey.
Today, with over 70% of us experiencing trauma at some point in our lives, most of us could be up against these battles. This makes the mission of trauma informed education and healing crucial for everyone, survivors and allies alike.
In this interactive program, Brittany will inform, inspire, and walk students through the scientifically proven methods and practices designed to heal the effects that trauma leaves on the brain and body. From military bases to conflict countries, to workplaces and college campuses—Brittany’s educational and hands-on program has transformed and empowered the lives of countless audiences. And now, she’s ready to share her heart and knowledge with yours.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- How to develop a personalized routine that will be beneficial in the recovery process following trauma,
- Somatic practices that get the body and nervous system UNSTUCK from states of survival (fight, flight, freeze) and into regulation (rest & digest),
- The science of trauma: how it impacts the brain, emotions, nervous system and body,
- Exercises that confront feelings of depression, shame, fear, anxiety, and more,
- Everyday healing practices that allow space for mindfulness, gratitude, self-affirmation, and body awareness,
- How to handle triggering events or situations in a healthy way,
- how to navigate relationships following an assault or secondary exposure to trauma,
- How to build confidence and self-worth,
- How to support survivors in their recoveries,
From Hardship to Leadership: Transforming Pain into Progress
Brittany’s world was turned upside down with the sudden death of her brother. Heartbroken, she surrendered to alcohol dependency. Five years later, she was brutally raped and beaten by a stranger. Again, her pain consumed her, until she hit rock bottom. She had to make a choice: continue on the path of self-destruction or salvage the beauty from her brokenness. She chose the latter, picking herself up with resilience and a newfound appreciation for the purpose in her pain. It was then that she found that life’s overarching mission, to forge connectedness and be of service to others, was far greater than any adversity standing in her way. That’s what fuels her today as a renown social entrepreneur, international photojournalist for women’s crisis centers, rape prevention speaker and wellness coach.
In this session, Brittany will illustrate that when we choose to salvage our suffering through strength and empathy, we can also become a beacon of hope and support for those still lost in the dark. Combining raw and relatable stories, actionable advice, and compelling research, this experience will empower audiences to take brave action in their own lives.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- How to recognize and challenge the cultural stigmas and misconceptions surrounding mental health, addiction, eating disorders, and the countless other ways that trauma “lives out loud.”
- When acknowledging adversity: shame promotes opposition in our lives, whereas empathy promotes opportunity.
- Our deepest pain can be the seed to our greatest purpose.
- Pain is universal, we have a choice to seek joy and compassion over bitterness and self-pity.
- The 3-step process to “purposing your pain.”
After the Assault: Healing Through Self-Care for Survivors and Their Peers
Ending sexual assault on college campuses has never been more important. Messaging highlighting primary prevention makes up the majority of programming, and rightfully so. But outside of on-campus resources, how are survivors and their peers who support them being equipped to care for themselves from the inside out? Brittany Piper understands the severity of maintaining a self-care routine from the perspective of a survivor, as well as a supporter who has worked in rape crisis centers around the world. From battling with shame, depression, addiction, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, and/or Secondary Traumatic Stress, these are the challenges students face after being exposed to trauma. In this interactive program, Brittany will walk students through emotional, mental and body exercises designed to root out the toxins that sexual assault leaves in its wake. In addition, they will receive a self-care workbook, empowering them to support themselves and others in their healing.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- How to develop a personalized self-care routine that will be beneficial in the recovery process following an assault or secondary exposure to trauma,
- How to identify and root out blocks that are holding them back from healing,
- Self-care exercises that confront feelings of depression, shame, fear, anxiety, and more,
- Everyday healing routines that allow space for mindfulness, gratitude, self-affirmation, and body awareness,
- How to handle triggering events or situations in a healthy way,
- How to navigate relationships following an assault or secondary exposure to trauma,
- How to build confidence and self-worth,
- Breathing and yoga exercises that grant space for introspective communication, connection and self-love
BRITTANY’S BLOGS
The following are past entries Brittany has written for the CAMPUSPEAK Speaker’s Voice Blog
