Robyn King Shows Us The Strength of a Woman by Reclaiming Her Life from Long-Term Sexual Assault
Name: Robyn Elaine King
Age: 51
Hometown: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Current Location: Grand Rapids, MI
What drew you to The Strength of a Woman book project? I had recently left a position that I had been in for almost 20 years. It has always been my dream to be an author, but life threw me some punches I never saw coming my way. I took a leap of faith and decided to take some classes and get my writing together once and for all. I went to a social media boot camp and learned about all the groups and contacts that can be found on Facebook. I came across the Stronger Than My Struggles page and as I read about the movement I was hooked! It was like I was reading about myself with some of the things I saw. Then when the post went out about being a part of the Strength of a Woman project I jumped at the opportunity! I have not regretted one moment of it.
Have you ever shared your story publicly before? If not, what inspired you to share it now? I have never shared the trauma of my childhood with anyone other than my close family and some close friends. I never wanted anyone to look at me as weak or pity me. I survived despite all the obstacles that were thrown in my path. I decided to speak out about the abuse I suffered as a child because more and more these days I see people whose lives have been torn apart by it. I see morbidly obese individuals who use the weight as a shield to keep people so that they aren’t hurt. I see depression which I suffer from as well. I try very hard to keep it under control but there have been very dark times in my life that I just wanted it all to end. I have been dangerously close to suicide but the thought of my children finding me that way kept me going. I could never put that burden on them and who would raise them and love them as much as their mother?
What type work do you do? Does your work relate to your past struggle? I have worked in the medical field for over 20 years and most recently worked as a Transplant Financial Coordinator for one of the top hospitals in Michigan. I've met many people who suffered from trauma in life and abused their bodies to the point of needing a new heart, lung or kidney. Even when the actual abuse is over the memories of it never leaves you and we put ourselves thru so much punishment just trying to forget.
What lesson do you hope readers will take away from your story? I’m hoping that survivors will see that nothing was their fault and that there are others out here suffering just like they are. I want people not to be afraid to speak up and speak out and help others to overcome their struggles. So many of us are ashamed of the things that we have suffered, and we don’t wasn’t anyone else to know because of how we feel they may look at us. I was in that categories
At one point in life, you must have felt like a statistic, what is it like now, knowing you’ve lived through what you thought was the worst experience of your life? I have to say I felt like a statistic. The sheer number of abuse survivors that we are seeing today is mind blowing. I was one of the lucky ones who refused to let my past rule my future. It wasn’t easy for me, but I was raising four beautiful children who deserved a normal life. There were times that the darkness inside me took over and depression took over I needed to give them the best life I could.
Do you volunteer or work with any mission based organizations? I recently accepted a position where I will be working with youths that have different psychiatric issues and I would bet the farm that a lot of the issues stem from trauma they have suffered. I hope that I can be a help to them and that they will see a kindred spirit in me. I would like to start doing some lectures about my experience and how I got through it all.
Do you have any other books or projects in the works right now? Tell us about them. I am working on a book that goes into detail of how I grew up and the journey that led me here. The essay that is in The Strength of a Woman is just a small overview of what my life was.
What was it like working with Stronger Than My Struggles to publish your story?
Working with this movement was the best experience of my life. I have never been more terrified or excited about anything in my life except the birth of my children. I can’t wait to do more projects and publications with the amazing woman behind this movement. Melony Hill is an inspiration to so many. This project has changed my life and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity.
What’s next for you? You’ve shared your story, now what will you do? Now I will go on to tell my story in it’s entirety and write more books and co-author as many other projects as I possibly can. A fire has been lit under me and I plan to keep it kindled until I can’t go on another step.
Also, I have a website, 50goingnorth.com that I am presently working on. The meaning behind the name is that many of us believe that life is over after a certain age and you are just stuck in wherever you happen to be in life at that time. Age should not define the things that you want to do in life. As long as you have breath in you, do what you want to do. I’m sure there were many who thought I was insane to quit a job that paid so well and afforded me so much flexibility and the option to work from home if I chose. I happen to believe that a persons age does not define what they can wear, where they can go, or what profession you should be happy with. I was not happy with the job I was doing in any way shape or form. I would cry on my way to work and then one day I decided I just don’t want to do this anymore. I talked to my husband and he supported me 100% along with the rest of my family and I can honestly say I made the right choice.
The Strength of a Woman is now available for pre-order in print and digital formats. Grab your copy here.
