Women Road Warriors

Sexual abuse, sexual assault, and harassment can leave survivors feeling powerless, silenced, and afraid they won’t be believed. Attorney and survivor advocate Alreen Haeggquist knows that firsthand. She survived years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse as a child and remained silent out of fear and shame. Today, she has turned that painful experience into a mission to help other survivors find their voices, stand up to their abusers, and pursue justice.For more than 20 years, Alreen has represented survivors of sexual assault, sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. As founder and managing partner of Haeggquist & Eck, LLP, she has recovered millions of dollars for clients while taking on powerful corporations, institutions, and individuals. Her belief is unwavering: wealth, influence, and status should never put anyone above accountability.In this powerful conversation with Women Road Warriors hosts Shelley Johnson and Kathy Tuccaro, Alreen talks about why survivors often remain silent, why so many fear they won’t be believed, and how abuse can profoundly affect self-worth and a person’s ability to recognize abusive behavior later in life.She also explains the importance of documenting misconduct, understanding your legal options, and having someone in your corner when confronting an abuser, employer, or powerful institution. Alreen shares why healing from trauma is a journey and how finding your voice can be an important part of reclaiming your power.Beyond the courtroom, Alreen founded the HAE Fired Up Foundation to help survivors access resources for healing and empowerment. She is also the bestselling author of Fired Up: Fueling Triumph from Trauma, which chronicles her own journey and encourages other survivors to break the silence, find their voices, and move forward.In this episode:Why sexual abuse and harassment survivors often remain silentHow Alreen turned her own childhood trauma into a mission to advocate for othersWhy being heard and believed can be so important for survivorsHow Alreen helps survivors stand up to powerful people and institutionsSexual harassment, workplace discrimination, and survivor legal rightsSteps survivors can take to document misconduct and explore legal optionsHow trauma can affect self-worth and the ability to recognize abusive behaviorWhy finding your voice can be an important part of healingAlreen’s message is powerful: survivors deserve to be heard, believed, supported, and empowered to reclaim their voices.Learn more about Alreen Haeggquist: Alreen.comHAE Fired Up Foundation: FiredUpFoundation.orgGet Fired Up: Fueling Triumph from Trauma: Fired Up book informationHaeggquist & Eck, LLP: HAE LawLearn more about Women Road Warriors www.womenroadwarriors.com#SexualAbuseSurvivor #SexualAssaultSurvivor #SurvivorAdvocate #SexualHarassment #WorkplaceHarassment #WorkplaceDiscrimination #SurvivorSupport #TraumaHealing #HealingFromTrauma #BreakingTheSilence #FindingYourVoice #WomensEmpowerment #SurvivorRights #AlreenHaeggquist #WomenRoadWarriors

What if happiness and inner peace aren't things you have to chase—but something you uncover when you stop holding so tightly to who you think you're supposed to be?We live in a world that constantly tells us to achieve more, prove ourselves, defend our positions and define who we are. Yet all that striving can leave us anxious, disconnected and exhausted. There is another way.Award-winning author and alpinist Michael Schauch joins Women Road Warriors hosts Shelley Johnson and Kathy Tuccaro to explore Anattā, the ancient Buddhist concept of “non-self” at the heart of his book Anattā: Heart of Wisdom. It sounds mysterious, but its message is surprisingly practical: loosening our grip on the fears, wounds, identities and stories we carry can open the door to greater happiness, harmony, connection and inner peace. It happens when we loosen our attachment to the independent self and recognize how deeply interconnected we are with the world around us.Anattā isn't about losing yourself, surrendering your power or allowing other people to walk over you. It's about discovering the deeper person underneath the roles, expectations and emotional reactions that can quietly control your life.Michael explains why our attachment to an independent sense of self can intensify fear, dissatisfaction and an “us versus them” mentality. He also explores the Buddhist Four Immeasurables—loving kindness, compassion, joyful empathy and equanimity—and how they can help us build stronger connections and greater harmony.You'll also discover why inner peace does not mean keeping the peace at your own expense.Michael shares practical ways to begin: slow down, reconnect with nature, notice the stories running beneath your thoughts and emotions, and create enough stillness to hear what is happening inside you.One of his most powerful insights turns our usual pursuit of happiness upside down: happiness and inner peace aren't destinations. They emerge as we become more aligned with our true nature.Michael's path to this wisdom has taken him far beyond the meditation cushion. His extraordinary experiences include remote Himalayan expeditions, Alaskan ice walls, sacred places in Japan and the discovery of a Himalayan cave containing the ancient remains of 23 people. His connection with nature and a remarkable story passed down from his mother after her childhood in postwar Hong Kong helped shape his understanding of our connection to one another and the world around us.Discover Anattā and a different path toward happiness, inner peace, self-discovery, mindfulness, emotional balance and human connection with Michael Schauch on Women Road Warriors.In This Episode, Discover:What Anattā really means and why “non-self” is not about losing your identity, voice, power or boundariesWhy happiness and inner peace aren't destinations but can emerge when we become more aligned with our true natureHow the fears, wounds, identities and stories we hold onto can create suffering, dissatisfaction and disconnectionWhy recognizing our interconnection with other people and the world around us can create greater harmony and compassionHow to step out of an “us versus them” mindset and respond to conflict with greater clarity instead of reacting from fearThe Four Immeasurables—loving kindness, compassion, joyful empathy and equanimity—and how they strengthen human connectionWhy inner peace does not require women to surrender their voices or sacrifice healthy boundariesHow nature can help quiet the mind, reveal hidden thought patterns and reconnect us with ourselvesMichael's extraordinary discovery of 23 ancient human remains in a Himalayan cave and what it taught him about impermanence and the human experienceHow to recognize thoughts and emotions without allowing them to control you—like stepping out of a raging river and observing it from the bankPractical ways to create more stillness, mindfulness, emotional balance and peace in everyday lifeWhat might change if you stopped searching outside yourself for the happiness, wisdom and peace you already have the capacity to experience?About Michael SchauchMichael Schauch is an alpinist and award-winning author who lives to explore the depths of nature and the human spirit and share the beauty of connection he discovers along the way.His books have received accolades from authors including Ken Wilber, Bernadette McDonald, Sharon Salzberg, Stephen Cope and Wade Davis, as well as reviewers including Kirkus, BlueInk and Foreword. His work has appeared in Elephant Journal, Unity Magazine and Thrive Global, with notable mentions in Lion's Roar, the Vancouver Sun and the South China Morning Post.His new book is Anattā: Heart of Wisdom.Learn more about Michael Schauch and his work:www.michaelschauch.comDiscover more inspiring expert and celebrity conversations from Women Road Warriors:www.womenroadwarriors.comListen to Women Road Warriors wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible and YouTube.#WomenRoadWarriors #Anatta #InnerPeace #Happiness #Mindfulness #PersonalGrowth #BuddhistWisdom #SpiritualGrowth #MentalWellbeing #MichaelSchauch #WomenRoadWarriors #ShelleyJohnson #KathyTuccaro