Want to learn the key to supporting survivors of sexual assault and making a real difference in their lives? Rowena Chiu shares her powerful insights and experiences, shedding light on the path to understanding and supporting survivors. Stay tuned to discover how you can be a part of the change and make a positive impact in the lives of survivors.
My special guest is Rowena Chiu
It’s an absolute pleasure to introduce Rowena Chiu, an extraordinary survivor and advocate joining us today. Rowena’s journey, from being an assistant to Miramax CEO Harvey Weinstein to bravely sharing her experience of sexual assault, is nothing short of inspiring. Her powerful voice has not only contributed to the #MeToo movement but has also sparked crucial conversations about power dynamics and influence in sexual assault cases. With a rich cultural heritage and a global perspective, Rowena brings a unique blend of insight and empathy to the table. Her unwavering commitment to advocating for survivors and fostering change makes her an invaluable voice in our ongoing dialogue about abuse. We’re truly privileged to have her with us today.
Rowena Chiu worked as Assistant To Harvey Weinstein in 1998. After leaving the film industry, she has worked in the fields of management consulting (for Accenture in London, McKinsey & Company in Silicon Valley, and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong) and international development (for the World Bank in Ethiopia, South Sudan & Washington DC). Rowena holds an MA in English Language & Literature from the University of Oxford, an MSc in International Management For China from the University of London, and an MBA from London Business School. She lives in Silicon Valley with her husband and four young children and is currently working on a memoir and a screenplay about her experiences in the film industry.
“Sit with a survivor. Hear their story, acknowledge their grief. Let them own that space. Give them the space to talk about it. Say all the things that Lori was gracious enough and kind enough to say just now. ‘I believe you. I’m here for you. I will listen for as long as it takes for you to come out with your story. I will be that safe space for you.'” – Rowena Chiu
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Explore effective strategies for advocating for sexual assault survivors.
- Discover the importance of cultural sensitivity in addressing sexual assault.
- Understand power dynamics and influence in sexual assault cases.
- Uncover the impact of media portrayal on sexual assault survivors.
- Learn how to create a trauma-informed and survivor-centric society.
Address with cultural sensitivity
Understanding cultural nuances can deeply impact how we approach conversations about sexual assault. For instance, in cultures that value collectivism like Rowena Chiu’s Chinese background, the individualistic approach often adopted in the West of isolated support may not be as effective. Instead, broader family and social context need to be taken into account, which demands a healthy dose of cultural sensitivity when providing support or addressing potential impediments to speaking out.
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
- Join the Patreon community called Difference Makers at www.patreon.com/aWorldofDifference to watch the exclusive video episode where Lori Adams-Brown and Rowena Chiu discuss organizations that Rowena supports and get a call to action to make a difference together.
- Follow Rowena Chiu on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on her speaking engagements, advocacy work, and upcoming memoir.
- Reach out to Lori Adams-Brown on Twitter at @LoriAdBr or on Instagram at @LoriAdamsBrown for support, prayers, or to share your thoughts on the episode.
- Show support for Rowena Chiu by attending her speaking engagements, especially if she is in your area, and by engaging with her content on social media.
- Consider sitting with a survivor, hearing their story, acknowledging their grief, and offering support by saying, “I believe you, I support you, and I’ll sit with you as long as it takes for you to tell your story.”
The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:02 – Introduction and Therapy Benefits
00:01:00 – Sponsor Promotion and Trigger Warning
00:03:00 – Guest Introduction and Cultural Background
00:07:49 – Impact of Sexual Assault on Community and Family
00:11:18 – Rowena’s Story: Assault, NDA, and 20 Years of Silence
00:14:15 – The Trauma of Speaking Out Publicly
00:15:10 – The Importance of Speaking Out
00:16:32 – Impact of Sharing Personal Story
00:19:34 – MeToo Movement’s Impact on Workplace Conversation
00:24:43 – Centering Survivor Stories
00:28:24 – Women’s identification with survivors
00:29:42 – Survivor representation in media
00:30:36 – Bringing generational change
00:33:01 – Speaking out against powerful figures
00:38:20 – Myths about survivor success
00:43:20 – The Neat Bow in Allyship
00:45:02 – Finding Rowena
00:46:43 – Sharing Your Story
00:48:16 – Finding Healing
00:49:40 – Supporting Rowena
Timestamped summary of this episode:
00:00:02 – Introduction and Therapy Benefits
Lori introduces the podcast and its sponsor, Betterhelp, emphasizing the benefits of therapy for personal growth and self-understanding, not just crisis intervention.
00:01:00 – Sponsor Promotion and Trigger Warning
Lori promotes the sponsor, Betterhelp, offering a discount for first-time users. She also provides a trigger warning for sensitive topics related to abuse and sexual assault.
00:03:00 – Guest Introduction and Cultural Background
Lori introduces the guest, Rowena Chiu, an abuse survivor and advocate. Rowena shares her cultural background as a British-born Chinese and discusses the significance of Lunar New Year and the challenges faced by abuse survivors in communal cultures.
00:07:49 – Impact of Sexual Assault on Community and Family
Rowena discusses the collective impact of sexual assault on survivors and their communities, emphasizing the communal nature of Chinese culture and the importance of addressing the broader impact on families and communities.
00:11:18 – Rowena’s Story: Assault, NDA, and 20 Years of Silence
Rowena shares her personal experience of being sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein, reporting the assault, signing a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), and being silenced for 20 years. She highlights the complex reasons for her delayed decision to speak out publicly.
00:14:15 – The Trauma of Speaking Out Publicly
Rowena discusses the distinction between private and public trauma when speaking about a difficult experience on a wide platform, such as a TV show, compared to sharing with close friends and family.
00:15:10 – The Importance of Speaking Out
Rowena emphasizes the difficulty of speaking out, but also stresses the importance of doing so, particularly for those who have not yet shared their experiences with trusted individuals.
00:16:32 – Impact of Sharing Personal Story
Rowena reflects on the personal and professional impact of sharing her story, drawing inspiration from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and highlighting the strength derived from fellow survivors.
00:19:34 – MeToo Movement’s Impact on Workplace Conversation
Rowena discusses the MeToo movement’s role in exposing power dynamics and inequalities in the workplace, emphasizing the need for societal change and true equity.
00:24:43 – Centering Survivor Stories
Rowena addresses the media’s tendency to center the perpetrator in narratives, expressing the challenges in getting survivor stories featured and the need for a more survivor-centric approach in media and society.
00:28:24 – Women’s identification with survivors
Rowena discusses the difficulty for women to identify with sexual assault survivors like Laura Madden, Rowena Chu, and Zelda Perkins, compared to high-profile figures like Jodie Cantor and Megan Tui. She highlights societal treatment and media depiction of survivors.
00:29:42 – Survivor representation in media
Rowena critiques the two-dimensional portrayal of survivors in media, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive depiction. She points out the survivor-centric nature of “she said” but notes the focus on journalists rather than survivors.
00:30:36 – Bringing generational change
Rowena expresses the need for generational change in societal attitudes towards survivors. She acknowledges the difficulty of having conversations about sexual assault and the discomfort survivors bring, emphasizing the importance of creating a better world for future generations.
00:33:01 – Speaking out against powerful figures
Rowena addresses the challenges of speaking out against powerful individuals, such as pastors or influential figures in the entertainment industry. She encourages finding allies and emphasizes the impact of one’s voice in inspiring others.
00:38:20 – Myths about survivor success
Rowena discusses common myths about survivor success, highlighting the importance of acknowledging and sitting with survivors’ grief. She challenges the notion that personal success in career or family can compensate for the trauma experienced.
00:43:20 – The Neat Bow in Allyship
Rowena emphasizes that anyone can be an ally of the MeToo movement, and shares that sitting with a survivor, hearing their story, and acknowledging their grief is the most impactful way to support them.
00:45:02 – Finding Rowena
Rowena shares where people can find her on social media platforms, talks about her upcoming book, and discusses her speaking engagements in various settings to open up a dialogue about sexual assault and survivorship.
00:46:43 – Sharing Your Story
Lori acknowledges the difficulty of sharing abuse stories and offers love and support to listeners who may have been inspired by Rowena’s journey of speaking out after years of silence.
00:48:16 – Finding Healing
Lori reassures listeners that they are not alone, encourages them to seek healing, and highlights the importance of sitting with survivors and supporting them through their journey of healing.
00:49:40 – Supporting Rowena
Lori urges listeners to support Rowena in her advocacy work, shares information about exclusive content on Patreon, and emphasizes the impact of being a part of the support network for survivors like Rowena.
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/aworldofdifference/
- https://www.facebook.com/A-World-of-Difference-613933132591673/
- https://www.instagram.com/aworldof.difference/
- https://www.twitter.com/@awodpod
- https://www.youtube.com/@aworldofdifference
- https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com
Missio Alliance Comment Policy
The Missio Alliance Writing Collectives exist as a ministry of writing to resource theological practitioners for mission. From our Leading Voices to our regular Writing Team and those invited to publish with us as Community Voices, we are creating a space for thoughtful engagement of critical issues and questions facing the North American Church in God’s mission. This sort of thoughtful engagement is something that we seek to engender not only in our publishing, but in conversations that unfold as a result in the comment section of our articles.
Unfortunately, because of the relational distance introduced by online communication, “thoughtful engagement” and “comment sections” seldom go hand in hand. At the same time, censorship of comments by those who disagree with points made by authors, whose anger or limited perspective taints their words, or who simply feel the need to express their own opinion on a topic without any meaningful engagement with the article or comment in question can mask an important window into the true state of Christian discourse. As such, Missio Alliance sets forth the following suggestions for those who wish to engage in conversation around our writing:
1. Seek to understand the author’s intent.
If you disagree with something the an author said, consider framing your response as, “I hear you as saying _________. Am I understanding you correctly? If so, here’s why I disagree. _____________.
2. Seek to make your own voice heard.
We deeply desire and value the voice and perspective of our readers. However you may react to an article we publish or a fellow commenter, we encourage you to set forth that reaction is the most constructive way possible. Use your voice and perspective to move conversation forward rather than shut it down.
3. Share your story.
One of our favorite tenants is that “an enemy is someone whose story we haven’t heard.” Very often disagreements and rants are the result of people talking past rather than to one another. Everyone’s perspective is intimately bound up with their own stories – their contexts and experiences. We encourage you to couch your comments in whatever aspect of your own story might help others understand where you are coming from.
In view of those suggestions for shaping conversation on our site and in an effort to curate a hospitable space of open conversation, Missio Alliance may delete comments and/or ban users who show no regard for constructive engagement, especially those whose comments are easily construed as trolling, threatening, or abusive.