Meet Real-Life Rad Girl: Amy Oestreicher
Founder, Love My Detour
Started #LoveMyDetour: When I started sharing my own story, I realized that I wasn’t alone. Other people were struggling with what I had faced in isolation for years – shame, fear, PTSD, anxiety, depression, loneliness- I wanted to encourage people to start speaking up, and bring marginalized voices into the spotlight. Only when I was finally able to share my story could I truly heal, and now I want to encourage everyone to start sharing their stories.
Now I want to inspire people to flourish because of, rather than in spite of challenges. #LoveMyDetour aims to encourage growth and healing by sharing our stories; to transform communities by inspiring people to open their minds and reframe their view of “detours” into a new direction for life.
Speaking out for survivors of assault – Knowing how difficult it was for me to speak of my own abuse (especially after waking up from a coma months later), I devised a program that combines Broadway theatre with resiliency building, sexual assault awareness and mental health advocacy, in order to empower women with the leadership tools needed to transform adversity into creative growth. I’ve delivered this keynote to organizations, conferences, shelters, and universities across the country since 2012.
I also share songs I wrote about the abuse to empower others – Here’s my song “HOW DARE YOU”
How dare you act professional and grown up and impress them with your put together mask and your soul bound up in glass
How dare you now present yourself with pride as I resent myself inside and burn with shame, while I smile and praise your name!
You dare with your façade to be this upright noble God when only I can see the shape of a slimy lying snake
You dare to put me on parade, I’ve whored myself to make you stay, I can’t live with myself – now I have nobody else.
And my song “Running Away” to show how I felt about the abuse:
And I speak about resilience all over the country to empower women with creative resources:
About Amy:
PTSD specialist, artist, author, writer for Huffington Post, RAINN/TEDx speaker, award-winning health advocate, actress & playwright, including Gutless & Grateful, her one-woman musical autobiography. Her story has appeared on TODAY, Cosmopolitan and CBS. She’s currently touring a mental health advocacy/sexual assault awareness program to colleges nationwide.As the recipient of Convatec’s Great Comebacks Award, Health Presentations include American Surgeons Clinical Congress, Mental Health America, and keynotes for Pacific Rim Conference on Diversity & Disability, Intl School of Social Work, & WOCN Nurses’ Society National Conference. Her trauma program is part of the Nat’l Initiative for Arts/Health in the Military.
We’ve shared Amy’s story on MissHeard Magazine too!