When the people who hurt you rewrite the story, telling the truth can feel like stepping onto glass barefoot. We sit down with Amazon best-selling author and motivational speaker Darlene Lakowski, who shares how childhood sibling sexual Trauma followed her for decades, how PTSD showed up in unexpected ways, and why the “box” we hide pain in always leaks eventually.
Darlene opens up about the moment she finally spoke up inside her Family, hoping for a simple apology and validation, and how that choice escalated into a defamation lawsuit that lasted more than two years. We talk about the pressure of being dared to take the stand, the insult of a one-dollar settlement offer, and the emotional reality of reliving trauma in a legal fight. Then we unpack what it meant to hear a unanimous jury confirm she was telling the truth, and why even a courtroom win doesn’t automatically create peace.
From there, we move into practical healing from trauma: why healing isn’t linear, how control can become a survival strategy that spills into Marriage, Parenting, and friendships, and what helped her begin letting go. Darlene also explains SSTA (sibling sexual trauma and abuse), why it’s more common than most people realize, and what survivors need most from the people they trust: “We hear you and we believe you.” She shares resources, her approach to Therapy and long-term recovery, and the mission behind her book, Shattering Silence: A Story of Survival, Justice, and the Power of Telling the Truth.
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To reach Darlene: Website: darlene-lekowski.com
Instagram: Instagram (@darlenelekowski)
Facebook: (1) Facebook (Darlene Lekowski)
LinkedIn: Darlene Lekowski – Speaker-Author: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darlene-
lekowski-0ba1962/
“Shattering Silence” Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acMzTHqwUyc
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