Lisa Phillips, Transforming Trauma into Triumph in the Fashion World (Jeffery Epstein)

Lisa Phillips, a former international fashion model with an inspiring story, joins us to share her journey through the glamorous yet challenging world of modeling. From her first commercial in Miami to her experiences on international runways, Lisa pulls back the curtain on an industry that is as demanding as it is exhilarating. Growing up in a multicultural household with a background spanning Indian, Jamaican, Scottish, and Norwegian heritage, she developed a rich appreciation for diversity. Her insights into the modeling world highlight not just the glitz but also the resilience and self-discovery needed to succeed.

Have you ever wondered how to build confidence in a world that often seems determined to tear it down? Lisa takes us through the highs and lows of maintaining self-esteem in the face of criticism and social media negativity. Through personal stories and experiences, she reveals the power of self-talk and the importance of finding a supportive network to uplift you in difficult times. As we navigate the complexities of self-worth and relationships, Lisa shares valuable lessons on prioritizing integrity, managing fears, and treasuring meaningful connections that enrich our lives.

In the final chapters, we venture into the darker side of the modeling industry, where Lisa courageously shares her story of overcoming trauma and finding healing. We explore the transformative power of empathy and therapy in overcoming adversity, and the importance of advocacy in raising awareness about industry dangers. Through storytelling and community support, Lisa not only reclaims her narrative but also empowers others to do the same, highlighting the strength found in shared experiences and the pursuit of personal growth. Join us for an inspiring conversation that celebrates resilience, empowerment, and the freedom that comes with self-assurance.

At IWB, we connect diverse backgrounds, foster leadership, and drive economic growth. Our members break barriers, build bridges, and create success stories.

coffe, review and share social media

Transcript

Former Model Shares Industry Truths

Voice over 0:00

On today's episode , we're joined by Lisa Phillips , a woman with a story that's been hidden for too long . A former international fashion model represented by Ford Models , lisa has graced the pages of top magazines and been featured in USA Today . But beyond the glamour lies a chilling truth Lisa was trafficked into the elite circles of Hollywood by none other than Jeffrey Epstein . Today , lisa opens up about the abuse that permeates the modeling world , the manipulation that traps so many and the steps toward breaking free from this cycle . Tune in as she sheds light on the dark side of an industry and offers powerful insights on survival and resilience .

Intro 0:45

You know you should be doing something different , right ? Hey , I'm talking to you . Do you believe that you have the gift for greatness , or have a special talent , but don't have the courage to take that next step , always wondering how others made it look so easy ? Well , welcome to Jump the show that will bring you special guests , just like you and me . How did they get the courage to jump into greatness , doing what they love and living the good life ?

Charles 1:15

so get ready to jump with your host , charles matthews jr yes , it says hey everybody , welcome to another great show on the jump . All right , I'm going to tell you right now , off the bat , if you're listening to me on Apple podcast wherever you listen to a podcast you have to go to my YouTube channel to see how beautiful this person is right now . She's got a great heart , great spirit . We've been having a lot of fun behind the scenes . Without further ado , I'm not going to hold you up , lisa .

Lisa 1:47

Hello .

Charles 1:50

How are you , hey , lisa , how you doing ?

Lisa 1:51

I'm doing wonderful . Thank you so much for having me on super excited it's great to have you on .

Charles 1:56

We were talking behind the scenes about your setup and what's new , what's happening with you , but , like I said , you got to go check her out . I'm saying this because international modeling you know you've been doing it around the world . Tell us about the modeling right off the bat .

Lisa 2:11

I gotta ask , I just have to ask well , the modeling business is super glamorous and fun . You gotta travel the world and all that stuff . But it's a lot of hard work and people don't realize that . You have to get up super early in the morning . You got to take care of yourself . You have to get up super early in the morning . You got to take care of yourself . You have to really take care of your skin , your body , your health , everything . It's kind of lonely when you're traveling , so there's lots of really downsides to it , but there's quite a few perks . So I feel like it's really an awesome career just because you're in charge of your success , and I think that's really important , you know you're not .

Charles 2:45

Memory , best memory of the runway the runway .

Lisa 2:50

So I was such a runway girl Like I did . I did quite a few shows in New York and in Europe , but I was more of a TV commercial girl . So I was literally doing like five to 10 national TV commercials every year and I loved it because I just always had this little sparkling personality , since I was really little and it really worked for me in the business . So I was more on the TV side and really enjoyed that .

Charles 3:17

You remember your first commercial .

Lisa 3:20

Yeah , so when I was in Florida I used to be the Uptons girl . You know there's a it's like kind of like a Macy's in Florida called Uptons .

Charles 3:26

Okay , and .

Lisa 3:27

I'm still around . It was like 20 years ago when I first started . But I used to do all their commercials in this big you know studio with a sick wall and I just thought I was like on top of the world , you know .

Lisa 3:49

So yeah , that was kind of like my first commercials that I did back in Miami . So I'm going to throw it back though . Born and raised , where are you from ? So , born in Sacramento , california , but I only lived there for a couple of months before I moved to England and from there my family , my father's , in the Air Force . So every two or three , four years we would move somewhere different . So we lived in Europe and we also lived in the States , so we kind of bounced back and forth and I graduated high school in Belgium .

Charles 4:11

Okay , the little girl in you . What did you want to become ? You didn't know you're going to be this famous model in fashion , but where did you ?

Lisa 4:19

Yeah , I think I kind of always knew that I was going to be on camera . You know , maybe in the fashion or acting world I just always wanted to just be in front of the camera and and have something that showed my personality . I was always that one like jumping in front of the camera , hey , doing all these fun things and doing cheerleading or dancing and stuff like that , and my family was like , okay , calm down so you told us , you know traveling army , but what's your , what's your background ? Air force .

Lisa 4:52

Air force , not army okay , yeah yeah , so my background , ethnicity or yes , oh , uh , let's see here . So my , my mother , is Indian descent . Her family was originally from Pakistan . Actually India then moved to Jamaica and she has a little bit of English in her . I don't know my test that I have Italian on that side , so I don't know . That's what she told me Indian and a little English . And then my dad's side his father is Jamaican and Scottish and his mother was Norwegian mix or something . So I don't know , I'm all mixed up here .

Charles 5:32

So you're getting the best culture of all foods and things . So I have to ask favorite place to go eat . What's your favorite food ?

Lisa 5:39

That's a hard one . I don't have favorites because there's just so many good things to eat . I definitely love West Indian food , Indian food I'm very big on Korean .

Charles 5:53

I love Korean food and Japanese . Nice , the reason I asked you about your culture is growing up . You know , getting into this industry and this thing . Tell us the pitfalls . The great things , Like you said in the beginning , it's not what we see on TV all the time about the glam and everything . Do you remember trying out for different roles and not getting the part ?

Lisa 6:11

Oh sure , of course I always had a really positive outlook of just oh , if I don't get this one , I'll get the next one , or my time is coming . I always had that kind of little mantra , so reading these like spiritual books when I was really young . But there's a lot of times when you go out for things and you don't get it and it it kind of stings a little bit , but you have to get used to that in this type of business . If you want to be in anything entertainment dancing , singing , acting , modeling you're going to get a lot of rejection and it's just part of the job . You go out for things that you're just not right for . It doesn't mean that you're , you know , not as good as the person who got it . A lot of times it just comes down to what you look like , you know , how you talk or your body type or whatever it is . It has to fit into some type of mold , and sometimes it's just not you , so you kind of just need to understand that .

Building Confidence in the Entertainment Industry

Charles 7:03

And how do you keep your confidence up ?

Lisa 7:10

I think confidence is built over time , so it doesn't always come naturally for people . I think I hit a lot of success kind of young . My mother entered me into pageants and things like that and I started modeling in my teens and when you get big successes it builds on that and then from there you get more confident . But I think you have to kind of have a little mantra and talk to yourself and say you've got this , you could do this . You know you're going to get there . You know maybe you didn't get that job but you're going to get the next one , and kind of have this self-talk where it motivates you and empowers you .

Lisa 7:40

And I really feel like it has to come from you , because a lot of times you're lucky if it comes from your parent or you know , or siblings or friends , but most of the times it doesn't . So it has to come from you in that that self-belief where you know you don't have to tell everybody else what you're thinking or what you're planning , but it's gotta be in there . We're like I'm going to , I'm going'm gonna get there , it's gonna be my time and it's coming , and just know that it's going to happen , not like you know , it's gonna happen tomorrow . Especially the youth today thinks everything's gonna happen tomorrow or in three months . This is what I'm dealing with in the modeling business . No , you have to know it's going to happen in the right time . They may not come for two months or two years or sometimes five years , and it's kind of just sticking with it .

Lisa 8:30

And I just believe you can stick with it 100% .

Charles 8:32

But what about those ? Because , like you said , the new generation there's always naysayers . You put a post out and they're like oh , why are you wearing that ? Or oh , why is this like that ? What are you going to say to the naysayers ?

Lisa 8:43

It's just so terrible out there with social media . People are so mean behind their little computer like typing away , just want to get at you and you know that you're never going to know who they are , where they're from or even their story and their pain or what they're going through . I just think about it . Ooh , they've just got to be going through some pain or a hard time . So I tried not to have it affect me so much with the naysayers but , gosh , they can be cruel . But then that's also just having that kind of like a little bit of a shield and having things like bounce off of you , and that's not easy . That's totally not easy .

Charles 9:21

It's not . It's not especially in the industry that that you're . You're in because I totally get it . I used to do fashion shows and modeling and same thing and going for that , going for that , uh audition . You walk in all confident , you open the door and there's 50 people that looks just like you sitting in the room . You go oh , what do I got different than everybody sitting in this room ?

Charles 9:45

right , no , it's totally like that and then you go for you to understand right you're right , and then you get that call , but it's only a go see . Number two doesn't mean you got the part it's down the callback there's a callback and you're down to you and somebody else and then you don't get the part yeah , and I always tell people it's about the callback .

Lisa 10:07

So if you're getting callbacks , that means you're doing good , that means you're going to get a job soon , one day , right you just have to get the callbacks , because a lot of times with the callback I mean you may not be right for the part , when you actually , you know , go up for the part after the callback . So let's just explain you have the audition or the castings and then you have the callback . And with the callback you know that's when they're trying to determine who's really right for the role . So you may , it's not up to anything . If you don't get that callback right , you don't get that job , but it's so you can lead up to it . So just make sure you're honing your craft and getting your skills ready so that you can lead up to that .

Charles 10:44

I'm going to ask you , Lisa , did you ever quit ?

Lisa 10:47

For with the modeling , I never quit Acting . I kind of took a step back from acting after I had a few things happen and I just didn't feel like the business was right for me and I wanted to take another path , which is really difficult for me because all I wanted to do was acting . And I still look at it today and I'm like , oh , should I get back into it ? People are like , oh , you should audition for this or that and I'm just like there's something about the entertainment and acting world I just don't . I've never really felt super comfortable with .

Charles 11:19

I understand it's always there , but do you have talk about having great people around you , having that system ? How do you find the great people in the system around you ?

Lisa 12:03

That's not an easy one for me Because unfortunately I haven't had the best system and support in my life and I feel like it's taken me a lot harder to get to where I need to be emotionally and spiritually , just because sometimes I just haven't had that . I don't know , it's hard for me . I just haven't had that parental or family support , maybe just kind of the family that I was born into . That wasn't the ,

Navigating Relationships and Self-Worth

Lisa 12:31

it wasn't , it wasn't what I had , and so it made my journey , I felt , like , a lot harder and it made you question yourself a lot more too . When you don't have that Cause , then you kind of think of well , where's , where's my worth come ?

Lisa 12:44

from you know . So I think that's the most important thing in life is that you have your family supporting you and everything that you do , or , if it doesn't come from your family , right Having friends . You know that too .

Charles 13:00

And you'll find out like listening to you talk . You'll find out after a while . You'll weed out the bad ones and the good ones will be there at the end of the day Like you've been through what you have and you're like you know something . I've been through this and you're not what I thought you were . I've been through this and you're not what I thought you were . Okay , you know nice to have you in my life . You learn something from you and then move on from that person .

Lisa 13:19

Oh , it's so true and it's so hard to do that because , you like , I'm just the person . I just kind of love my friends so much and I just hold onto them so dearly and I want them around . But there comes a time and family too . There comes a time I've with family and with friends , good friends that have said you know what , you know , I'm going to take a step back and I'm not going to have you in my life anymore and it's just like it's like a divorce to me , it's like devastating . You know , I have to understand it from their point of view . I just maybe they're going through something , or maybe this is something they have to deal with , Maybe it has nothing to do with me .

Charles 13:53

All right , we're going to get to know you a little bit more . Let's have some fun . Here we go . It's time for rapid fire . I'm going to put two minutes on the clock . I love the face expression Two minutes on the clock . Here's the thing , though you get to ask your own questions . Here it is , you get to pick . Is it A , b , c or D ? Those are the ones I'm going to ask your own questions . Oh , here it is , you get to pick . Is it a , b , c or d ? And those are the ones . I'm going to ask you which ones you want a , b , c or d ? Well , what's the question ? I'm not telling you . Okay , c , c ? All right , here we go . Two minutes starts on the clock when I ask you the first question . You're ready . All right , here we go . What's the best compliment you've ever ?

Lisa 14:33

gotten Okay . So I like compliments that are about character . Those are what always makes me feel good . So if someone tells me I'm powerful , I've had someone tell me that I'm a very powerful person . It just looked at me one day how I affected people this was like literally 20 years ago and they said you know , you're a really powerful person .

Charles 14:56

And it always stuck with me . This is like literally 20 years ago .

Lisa 14:57

And they said you know , you're a really powerful person and it always stuck with me . I was like , oh , that felt so good .

Charles 15:00

What's the best part of your mornings ?

Lisa 15:03

Meditation .

Charles 15:05

What's the best advice you've ever received ?

Lisa 15:09

Never compromise on your integrity .

Charles 15:13

Worst fear .

Lisa 15:15

Spiders , I hate them .

Charles 15:20

Dancing with Lady Gaga or dinner with Obama .

Lisa 15:25

Dinner with Obama . I want to learn things .

Charles 15:29

What's your favorite ice cream ?

Lisa 15:31

I don't like ice cream . I'm not an ice cream person , but every now and then , if I ever am near a Haagen-Dazs , I always check to see if they have chocolate , chocolate , peanut butter , and nine times out of ten they don't . Every now and then they do , and I always get a cone . It doesn't matter where I am , I always get one .

Charles 15:48

There you go . Favorite childhood memory . Well , we used to go boating a lot . My dad had a boat , a sailboat , and we used to go boating like in the panhandle in florida and I just I used to really enjoy that .

Lisa 16:06

Okay , what's your favorite drink ?

Charles 16:07

kombucha , ginger , ginger kombucha , your fondest memory as a kid , something that you always remember with smell , touch , touch , feel . When you see it , it reminds you of a little kid .

Lisa 16:17

When we lived in Belgium , we used to go to Tenerife it's a little Spanish island off the coast of Europe and Spain and stuff , and this was awesome . It had black sand beaches and I always remember that .

Charles 16:29

All right . Last question I got to hear this one Are you good with budgeting ?

Lisa 16:35

Yes , ah , I have question . I gotta hear this one are you good with budgeting ? Yes , ah , I have to be . I'm a single parent with three kids that like to spend and shop and eat and all that stuff .

Charles 16:44

So there you go . You made it through rapid fire . All right , I gotta ask this one . Actually , you're good with budgeting , but you're a fashion model . You should have all these clothes and fashion bags and all that stuff . So how do you do it then ?

Lisa 16:58

oh , trust me , I do . Yes , but many years when I was , you know , raising my kids on my own , I just spent on my kids . You know , I did I barely , I barely spent that much on me you know , but that's over . Lately , lately , I've just been pouring into me , you know , and yeah , I've been getting those shoes or that bag , those bags , I or you know setting up the podcast studio and a little bit more on me and it actually feels really good .

Charles 17:24

That's good to know . That's good to know Now here in your bio , that you guys sent over it's . Fashion is not all fun and glam and entertainment world . You want to talk about a little bit about that and let us know . You know , tell us your story .

Lisa 17:37

Yeah . So I mean I do think that the modeling

Survivor’s Journey to Healing and Advocacy

Lisa 17:41

entertainment business is very glamorous and rewarding and it feels good when you book that job and you're building your career . I mean , I just feel like there's nothing like it for those of us who are ambitious in that way and , you know , kind of want to be in the spotlight . But I feel with that it come there comes a lot of responsibility to . You know feel things out , be aware of the room and you know advocate for yourself and have a little bit of a sixth sense about things . And it takes a long time to learn that . We don't always learn that in our youth . But you know experiences will build on that and through that you'll kind of figure your way and maneuver your way through this business a little bit easier .

Charles 18:31

So I'm looking at your bio and then you know you talked about things that happen in the industry , like sex trafficking and all this stuff , and then we learn about OK , what can you learn from it and how do you move on from that ? Sort of things Like what did you do and how do you learn in teaching others ?

Lisa 18:47

right now , Well , unfortunately , I had to learn the hard way about things . So I had something happen to me , you know , when I started out as a model and then I kind of suppressed it for a long time , and then , when I started speaking out about it , I realized that there were predators out there who were who were wanting to prey on people who were vulnerable , and so I had this like light bulb moment of just like I need to speak about this , not just because of what happened to me years ago , but because it's still happening as you hit your 30s and 40s and women when they go through vulnerable times . There are people out there who want to emulate or copy these predators . They want to be like them . So I created this podcast that is not about the predators but about teaching people about them and the education behind it , and through telling my story .

Charles 19:43

One thing I and and that's one thing I wanted you why I wanted you on my show , it's because you didn't let it stop you . You said , okay , learn from it , help others and move to the next level . Because a lot of people are like , okay , that's it , I'm done , I'm never going to move forward , I'm not going to do nothing new , I'm going to be stuck where I am . But you're taking and say , okay , no things happen , how do you move on ? And then it's not going to happen right away , but it does happen .

Lisa 20:18

If you don't mind me asking how long did it take you ? What was your process ? So how long did it ?

Charles 20:20

take me to speak out .

Lisa 20:21

So maybe I should tell a little bit of my story first . Go ahead , okay , because then that'll answer that question . So when I was a model , I left Europe and I started working in Miami and then I made it to New York city and from there I had booked a really awesome job . I was shooting a cover of a magazine . It was in the British West Indies , so I flew there with another model and we had a break in our shooting schedule . We were there for a few days and the other model was like I know this incredible guy who owns an island . We've got a free day , let's go .

Lisa 20:52

And so , long story short , I agreed I went over to this Island it ended up being little St James Jeffrey Epstein's Island and I met him there . Everything was great , had a lot of fun , and then I ended up at the end of the evening having to do a massage that turned into an abusive massage , and so we left the island the next morning and went back to the shoot , went back to New York and just kind of started like wanting to just suppress that memory it was a terrible memory for me and went through a few things in those years and then still kind of suppressed it and didn't want to talk about it . Nobody really talked about those things back then , even friends that I had also had abuse from the same person . But it wasn't until 2019 , until he died , and I had this reaction to it , you know , and I had heard , obviously , about the underage girls in Florida and stuff like that . So I'd already put in my mind like this is a very bad person , so I didn't want to think about it so much .

Lisa 22:08

And then in 2019 , when he passed away , that's when this flood of emotions came over me and I just wanted to figure it out , like what happened to me back then ?

Lisa 22:18

What did I go through ?

Lisa 22:20

Because for many years I would just have this thing about Jeffrey Epstein of just oh , he was a good guy , you know , and I just kind of didn't want to talk about what really happened .

Lisa 22:30

And so I started seeing all these women speaking out about him and so I just reached out to them and I was just wanting to talk to them and they were very open and we kind of had this we , this um WhatsApp group , a lot of women in it , and I just wanted to , because during that time I had no support the person I was with at that time didn't offer me any support when I started speaking out , and so I just felt really lonely and I didn't feel like I had anyone . And so I just connected with these survivor sisters because we had the same type of stories sense of self again and building who I was with that story and just taking that shame and and I'm trying to understand it and trying to figure out what was my part in it and realizing that I was innocent and going through therapy and just doing the work on myself , by myself really , but with the help of the the other survivors . So that was just what did it for me over those years was just reconnecting with myself and then connecting with them , just trying to understand what I went through .

Charles 23:47

And then the courage that you have now to speak about it . You know , you got this beautiful smile on and we talk and we . You know you're doing your podcast and you're doing your show . What was the light bulb for you to say you know something , I'm doing a show . This is something we got to get out there . I love being on camera like you do your thing , you know how to be behind camera and this and it all fits . When did that light bulb come on to say enough's enough , I'm going to jump into action well , that took some time .

Lisa 24:14

That definitely took took some time . It was a couple of years , kind of doing documentaries , talking about other people's stories and not really mine . And then I started talking a little bit more about mine . But then I would just start crying , you know , and I was like I didn't know how to handle it . And I'm not a crier Like for years . I don't cry about anything . I'm a strong woman , you know . But every time I would talk about my story I would just like couldn't keep it together . So I need to work on that . And I realized there's a lot of pain in there and I just needed to get to that place . So I started doing EMDR therapy and that was what really worked for me . And month after month well , week after week after week I've been in for seven months straight I got to a place where I could understand , really understand what I went through .

Lisa 25:04

And it wasn't just from being abused by Jeffrey Epstein in the early 2000s , it was choosing relationships that didn't end well , you know . And just , I had twoto-back relationships that just were terrible and I was like why am I choosing these men that are just narcissistic or , you know , or just don't treat me well and it was just humiliating and hurtful and I just I just couldn't understand why I was going through these relationships . So I went through one that was bad and then went through another one where I chose a guy who literally saw me on a documentary and then picked me out and and was like wanting to be in a relationship with me , and all my friends were saying , isn't this weird ? Like he saw you going through abuse and he wants to be in a relationship with you . But I'm like , but he cares about me and he loves me and I don't have anyone else but him . And he was my best friend and he was like this religious guy and so I just thought , oh , I met the man who was like my best friend , who was caring about me , and it was a terrible relationship . He ended up being like this sociopath who was like tricking me into submission and wanting to be in a relationship with me , but really wanting to abuse me the same way Jeffrey did . And I went through this horrible relationship where I just couldn't get out of . It just was so bad .

Lisa 26:28

That was the reason why I wanted to speak out . It was because I was choosing bad relationships , because of my shame and what I went through with Jeffrey

Empowering Voices of Survivors

Lisa 26:43

and I'm not a victim and I'm not blaming myself . I'm not a victim because I was choosing . I just wanted to understand why was I choosing this narcissistic man who I love so much , gave me no respect and then I chose him so , basically , who just wanted to abuse me and then literally just tore my whole family apart . You know we were scared of this man , so I was like enough is enough . It happened to me when I was young , but why is it still happening to me ? And I'm 40s now ? I'm in my 40s now . So I feel like abuse .

Lisa 27:12

It's a lot of layers to abuse and I don't want to be a victim about it . I want to be a survivor and I want to say hey , you know what I make mistakes , people make mistakes . But there are predators out there , you know , and they have a different take on things . They're not a normal guy . They really want to abuse and hurt you . They really want to see you go through something terrible because they have a lot of shame and they're going through terrible things too . Not really want to abuse and hurt you . They really want to see you go through something terrible because they have a lot of shame and they're going through terrible things too , not to excuse their behavior , but they've got a lot of pain inside of them , so let's understand them , but through the , through the survivor's eyes . And so , speaking out to other survivors , especially right now , Bill Cosby , harvey Weinstein , jeffrey Epstein , sean Diddy , combs , and tons of music industry people and entertainment people who are predators , they're out there and I have , I mean , thousands of survivors under those men that I've just said thousands , because each one has hundreds .

Lisa 28:15

I was like we got to do this . Somebody's got to create a podcast , you know , where the survivors speak out . Somebody's got to do it and everyone's like no , no , no , lisa , that's you . And I'm like oh , no , no , no , no , no , I can't handle that . No , no , lisa , that's you . Nobody wanted to do it . So I just said I've got to do this , I've got to do this , I've got to do this . So I got to figure out how am I going to do this ? Because I'm still going through my story , you know , and I'm still building up my courage .

Lisa 28:44

I still don't have that much support , family support I don't have . I never had a boyfriend supporting me in this kind of thing . They all just turned . They all just turned their like hand to me , like my boyfriend , that I had just put his hand up to me and said I don't want to hear about it . You know , I don't want anything to do with it and I understand like some men don't want to deal with women's pain , but I needed to be around someone who needed who I needed . I needed that , okay . So the sociopath guy didn't work out . He was a , he was a fake supporter , and so I literally haven't really dated since then . It's been two years and I haven't really dated since then because the right person will come into my life who's going to be the right support for me . So I leaned on the Survivor Sisters and that kind of support and that's how the podcast came about .

Charles 29:35

Do you believe that the podcast actually is helping you ?

Lisa 29:40

Oh gosh , I've had two breakdowns during that podcast telling my story . It's not easy to speak out , it just isn't . Even things that are 20 years ago , even things that are still on my mind from two years ago . It's not easy to speak out about your shame because people judge and people blame you , which is okay . You know , I'm not perfect , I make mistakes , but I just believe in the empowerment of other people . I say people because it's mostly women , but there's men who are abused too yes , 100 .

Charles 30:14

So we have to find what we can do . Take a balance , learn from it . Because , listening to your story , like you say , okay , you know you found other people doing the same thing . Then this is your calling because they're saying , yo , no , you're the person that needs to do the podcast . You're like I don't know about that , I'm doing it , but you're like , okay . Then you're finding out so many other people that things happen to you're , you're building a relationship , but then to me and I could be wrong and tell me if I'm wrong the show is actually helping you , you know . I mean you're getting to that next level . It's helping you . You took the chance , you jumped into action and now great things are happening you know , it's so crazy how it works like that , right .

Lisa 30:54

It's just so crazy how it works like that , right , it's just so crazy how it works like that . Yes , it was a big deal and a big thing to take on a podcast like this , but through it is the healing process for me Speaking to other survivors and listening to their stories and realizing , wow , that's what I went through or I can relate to that . That's what I went through or that's I can relate to , that it's . It's just , it's so empowering empowering and it's so uplifting and healing .

Charles 31:25

So what's what's next ? What's what's the ? What's the future ? Where do you see this going now , cause , how many episodes have you done ? 13 . All right , so you know they always say a podcast . If you can get over 50 podcasts and then your hundred podcasts , you're on a roll . You know what I mean . The first couple are always hard and you know they want to stop .

Lisa 31:43

Yeah .

Charles 31:44

You're , you're getting there , so where do you want to see it going ? After the 50th podcast .

Lisa 31:48

I just still want it to be about empowering and healing . I mean , there's a lot of stories out there , so it's going to continue for a while , but it's not just about woes me . Here's my story . You know , I want to be a Debbie Downer and it's not about that See my smile . It's about we went through something . We have to own the good , bad , the ugly . We have to own it Right and it's it's . It's just about embracing it . This is what happened and this is what I learned from it and this is how I'm going to help you , this is how I'm going to empower you and this is how I'm going to heal you . So , yeah , it might mold and shift and change as time goes on , but it's not going to change until people get it , until I start seeing that people get it and they understand the victim turned survivor and they understand the grooming that goes on , how powerful grooming is and how it just completely takes over your mind and the manipulation .

Lisa 32:51

People can be easily manipulated . You know when you're vulnerable , when you're going through things , when you need to hear . You need to hear things from people , and then you have the ambition , you have goals . A lot of times , this career and these goals are bigger than the grooming , because you want that . You know it's not for the people who are just sitting at home , you know , making horrible comments . It's for the , it's for the believer in yourself , it's for the dreamer , it's for the people who have ambition , like you doing a podcast . You're ambitious , you're the ones who want to be out there , you want to create change , and those people who are doing that , those are the ones who actually can get prayed on easier .

Charles 33:30

Because you have that big goal Right and they see something in you . You're different . I just was doing a podcast just before yours and we talked about having that gift . I believe that you know God gives you that gift . Everybody has a certain gift , something special about you , unique . Whatever , you know what your gift is .

Lisa 33:49

Yes , everyone has that gift . Everyone has it . My gift , I think , is that I am very connected to people . I have just always felt that since I was little . I just feel like maybe that's why I'm good at listening and I'm the one to do the podcast , but I don't . It doesn't matter where I am . I'm going through line at Trey or Joe's and people talk to me . I sit and listen to them . You know , even when I got somewhere to be , you know , a lot of times I just have empathy and I listen to people and I want to hear those stories . You know , sometimes , you know walking and I see homeless and I just feel like , oh , where did their life go wrong ? What happened to them ?

Charles 34:34

Sometimes I want to give them a water bottle or some money . You know , and I , just , I , just , I think I feel for people and that's my gift , all right . So I'm taking you back , putting you in a big mirror and what do you say yourself in that mirror ? When you talk to Lisa and Lisa's talking back to you , what does Lisa say ?

Lisa 34:46

Oh , I always say I'm proud of you , Always , Because nobody really said that to me growing up . You know , and when people say it to me , I even get teary eyed . Right now People say it to me . It just oh , it touches me so deeply . My kids say it to me . I even get teary eyed . Right now People say it to me . It just oh , it touches me so deeply . My kids say it to me . It's like everything , Like it's just everything to me .

Charles 35:06

You know , I just need to say that and I say it to other people too , because they don't hear it often either . Right , all right , and let's plug . Tell everybody where they can catch your podcast , Tell them , tell them from now on .

Lisa 35:14

So Spotify , apple , wherever you listen to your podcast and on YouTube it's a video podcast , so it's on YouTube from now . On . Pod , check it out . It's a meaningful , empowering , beautiful podcast .

Charles 35:46

Before we let you go , let's have some more fun . Here we go now time for pick three . You get to ask three more questions . Pick the numbers between one and ten , and those are going to be the last three questions I asked before I let you go . Give me three numbers between one and ten well , eight , my favorite number

Finding Freedom Through Empowerment

Charles 35:58

seven and three eight , seven , three , all right . What superpower do you wish you had , and why ?

Lisa 36:07

superpower patience . That's one thing in virtue . I'm not that great at it . I'm getting better at it , but I'm not that patient with things .

Charles 36:20

It's on things quickly Get it done . Let's go . Why is it happening ? Why is it taking so long ? All right , number seven , give us a book or course that really helped you right now in life .

Lisa 36:31

Think and Grow Rich . I always go back to it . I always go back to it . It's just one of my favorite books . I've read it a gazillion times . You have to really read it a lot of times to really understand it , but I have . I feel like I've created my life through reading that book . It's been very powerful for me .

Charles 36:49

Interesting , good choice . All right , here's the last question Past or present ? If you can follow somebody for 48 hours , who would it be and why ?

Lisa 37:00

past or present ? Oh , I would . I would love to follow oprah . I know , I know it's a weird choice , I know , but I love her . I just love her resilience and she also went through hard times , you know , and that's the woman that she's created today . I just feel like she's just an incredible person . I would just literally love to follow her around for 48 hours .

Charles 37:23

Okay , so let's go back in time and follow yourself for 48 hours , the little girl in you . You know , if you can go back in time to little girl in you , what would you walk around and tell that little girl ?

Lisa 37:36

Oh boy , I would tell that little girl walking around let's just take Jeffrey's Island . If I was on that island for those 48 hours that I went from my photo shoot to that island , I will tell that girl that it's okay to say no and it's okay to say that this is not a good situation for me and , no matter the circumstances , that I don't have to do what anyone tells me that I have to do or need to do , and it doesn't matter if I'm trapped on the Island , I would take a few steps back and I would just do everything I could to get the heck out of there . So whenever anyone's in a situation where you feel like you are trapped , I would suggest just having that power inside of you to take another , take a stand , stay firm and say no and walk away .

Charles 38:31

Do you think peer pressure is a thing that we've grown up ? Like you know , we talked about social media , the kids and everything , and I remember me growing up . I don't smoke or drink , but I remember growing up . Everybody's like yo , you don't smoke , you don't drink here , take a shot , try it , take a shot . I'm like no , I'm good . I'm good and you know . You find out who your real friends are , because after a while people like , oh no , he doesn't drink . No , leave chuck alone . Oh , truck here , here's some ginger ale like you find it . But talk to everybody about the prayer pressures oh , peer pressures is huge .

Lisa 39:03

I mean , everybody goes through it . But , like again I just said , just just stand your ground , know what you want , what your principles are , what your morals are , and just always have you know something to say about it . Like I always tell my son he's a basketball player , you know something to say about it . Like I always tell my son he's a basketball player . You know , when someone's handing a beer or something , just to say , like I'm an athlete , you know I can't do that . Say something about yourself . That's what people say oh , okay , you know . Just don't say no , say say you know I'm on a , I'm on a different path right now . That's not what I'm doing right now , something that defines who you are , and usually people will say okay , okay , gotcha .

Charles 39:40

Yeah , yeah . When you add the affirmation , you tell them what's what and say , no , no , I'm on a journey , this is why I'm doing this . They're like , oh , okay , yeah . So let me ask you this before we let you go what does success mean to you ? What does success mean to you ?

Lisa 39:54

Freedom . Success means freedom . To me , that's the only word . It means to me , it's just being able to do whatever you love to do when you want to do it . You're not working for somebody else and someone else not telling you what to do . When you are successful , then you have the right to choose what you want to do with your life and you're on your own path . And that's freedom all right .

Charles 40:17

So I like boss lisa . That's right there . Yeah , the boss all right . So before we let you go , do you want to give a shout out to anybody ? This is your time . Give a shout out or any message you want to tell everybody .

Lisa 40:29

This is your moment , go ahead oh , the only person I can think about to give a shout out to , besides my lovely children , is sim Lilchuck . She was the I went through the Jeff , the JP Morgan fund for for the victims and she took the time to speak to all of us and it was just an empowering moment for me that she actually took the time to sit and listen to my story at not just for me but all the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein , and I will always remember that lady . I just she , just she was life-changing for me and through that she also gave us therapy like free therapy for a couple of years , and without that I would have never have been able to have these life-changing moments that would have encouraged me and empowered me to do the podcast . So I just would love to give a shout out to Simone Lilchak .

Charles 41:20

There you go . Well , listen , thank you so much for being on the show . It was a pleasure , and I'm going to tell you this keep smiling , because I can see every time you smile . Everything comes around you . So just keep smiling .

Lisa 41:31

Oh , thank you All . Right , everybody .

Charles 41:34

No worries , everybody told you you didn't have to listen , you didn't have to watch . I'm so glad you did . But here's the thing , though you never know what someone's going through , you know they're walking by , they're in the street , they're anything . I always tell everybody just say hi , give somebody a smile , give them a wave . You never know what .

Speaker 5 41:53

Thank you for listening . If you liked the show or have a comment , we would love to hear from you . Join our mailing list and , as always , check out our special deals links below . I hope this has inspired you to look at your life and jump . See you next week . Thank you .