Justin Woodbury was raised on a small farm out in the country on the west side of Ann Arbor, Michigan. A child survivor of church abuse, Justin began advocating for victims of abuse after he held his son in his arms for the first time and realized the weight of responsibility he would have as a father. Since then, Justin has made it his life's mission to speak out against abuse in all forms and to be a voice for victims, especially those who were abused in a religious setting. He joins me today on Uncorking a Story to talk about his life and new book Sheltered but Not Protected: Learning to Love, Forgive, and Heal After Emotional and Sexual Abuse
Justin bravely exposes the harrowing depths of his abuse and battle for recovery in his memoir, Sheltered but Not Protected: Learning to Love, Forgive, and Heal After Emotional and Sexual Abuse. His journey to pen the memoir teeters on the edge of a double-edged sword; potentially re-traumatizing himself or finding catharsis in the laying bare of his past torment. In a shocking revelation, Justin unveils the scandalous burden of blame thrust upon him as a minor, entangled in a predatory relationship with a woman in her 30s, challenging the skewed perceptions of victimhood. Justin confronts the toxic stereotypes surrounding male sexual abuse victims with unapologetic candor, shattering the damaging myths of masculinity and advocating for a societal wake-up call. Amidst the backdrop of a repressive cult-like upbringing, he reveals the staggering cost of his escape – a staggering loss of 75% of his friends – while hailing his wife's unwavering allegiance as his beacon of hope.
Buy Sheltered but Not Protected: Learning to Love, Forgive, and Heal After Emotional and Sexual Abuse
Amazon: https://amzn.to/40Mc77T
More conversations
Becoming Your Own Best Friend
Janice Erlbaum left home at 15 for New York City's shelter system. Twenty years after Girlbomb, she talks about owning her part of the story, the teachers who saw her, and why she tells everyone to keep writing it down.
Listen →
When Small Towns Censored Hollywood
Novelist Glenn R. Miller on the small-town ministers who once censored Hollywood's silent films, the family note cards that inspired his satire Rough Cuts, and why censorship is never black and white.
Listen →
Living Your Own Truth
Singer Machan Taylor, who toured with Pink Floyd and Sting, on the loneliness behind a glamorous life on the road, writing a memoir she never meant to write, and why holding the finished book finally let her let go.
Listen →