Speaking Topics

Ms. Storm has a unique story that can be presented in a variety of ways to a variety of audiences. She has given hundreds of lectures, keynote presentations, workshops, book readings, etc. Below are just a few targeted communities Ms. Storm can speak to and why she is a perfect fit.

Teens

Jennifer Storm knows what it is like to feel ashamed and keep secrets from herself, her parents and her friends. It was those very secrets that almost killed her and kept her sick in her depression, drug abuse and binge drinking. After over ten years of sobriety and healing from her past traumas, Ms. Storm can share openly and honestly with teenagers about the importance of talking about their feelings and finding productive ways to process traumatic events. Jennifer has experience dealing with eating disorders, depression, addiction, suicide (her own attempts and her best friends’ completion) and dealing with her sexuality.

Parents

Jennifer Storm has dealt with a multitude of experiences; many common among adolescents and teens, and most that of a parent’s worst nightmare. Suicide, drugs, sexual assault, alcohol and self-mutilation were Jennifer’s reality growing up.  Ms. Storm can give a keen insight into the thoughts, feelings and actions of a traumatized teenager and help encourage parents on how to approach their children and create a much needed– and possibly life saving– dialogue.   Ms. Storm offers a vivid and brutally honest account of her own actions.  Hers is a cautionary tale that every parent must hear.

Recovery

Jennifer began drinking at the ripe age of twelve and drank alcoholically from the first drink she ever took. Drinking quickly lent itself to recreational drug use which turned to a dark addiction with crack cocaine in her teenage years.   Like many addicts, Jennifer used substances to avoid dealing with past trauma and victimization.  Her addiction reached a pivotal turning point when she tried to take her own life in sheer desperation and hopelessness.   Jennifer came through untold darkness to create for herself a life of accomplishment and joy, through working a twelve-step program of recovery.

LGBT Community

Jennifer knew at a tender age that her primary attraction was towards other girls, and never thought any different of this until her fourth grade teacher told her she was abnormal for sending valentines to a female classmate.   At age 10, Jennifer was chased out of her best friend’s house while being told she was going to hell after her father walked in on them dancing together.   After those negative experiences and other societal messages, Jennifer quickly learned to hide her sexuality and turned to drugs and alcohol to help quell the confusion.  It took Jennifer over a decade to finally come out of the closet and accept her sexuality.   Since that time she has become an advocate for the gay rights movement and was pivotal in the passage of one of Pennsylvania’s most comprehensive hate crimes laws in the country.

Victim Services Community

Jennifer Storm is the ultimate survivor turned thriver; having recently chronicled her own story of victimization and recovery in her new memoir Blackout Girl: Growing up and Drying out in America.  Ms. Storm can speak specifically about why as survivors it is so important to take the next step into advocacy for victims’ rights.   As a child and teen survivor of sexual assault Ms. Storm talks about her personal struggles and how she made the decision one day to end her silence and use her voice to help others. She has served as an executive director of a victim’s rights organization for over four years and is actively involved in the victim’s rights movement in Pennsylvania.   She was appointed as a commissioner to The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in 2002 by Governor Edward G. Rendell and she serves on various committees moving forward positive change for victims. Ms. Storm has presented at NOVA for the past two years on the importance of marketing victims services and utilizing media to generate positive awareness.

Athletic Departments

Every issue Jennifer Storm touches upon in her book has directly and numerously impacted student athletes; and they deserve to hear her story of survival. Coaches often prepare young women to be invincible and resilient, forgetting the unfortunate reality that they are vulnerable to abuse.  Jennifer’s story hits home with one in four athletes as survivors of assault, one in ten athletes who are struggling with their sexuality, countless others who have survived an alcoholic and/or chemically dependent family, and many who are struggling with or in recovery themselves from addiction, be it alcohol/drug related or disordered eating. Ms. Storm is an approved NCAA speaker, and universities and colleges are able to apply for a $500 scholarship through the NCAA towards her fees when bringing her to campus.

Sexual Assault Specific

Jennifer Storm is the ultimate survivor turned thriver having recently chronicled her own story of victimization and recovery in her new memoir Blackout Girl: Growing up and Drying out in America.  As a child and teen survivor of sexual assault, Ms. Storm talks about her personal struggles and how she made the decision one day to end her silence and use her voice to help others. She has served as an executive director of a victim’s rights organization for over four years and is actively involved in the victim’s rights movement in Pennsylvania.   She was appointed as a commissioner to The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in 2002 by Governor Edward G. Rendell and she serves on various committees moving forward positive change for victims. Ms. Storm is a member of the RAINN Speakers Bureau. RAINN is; The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, it is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

For more information, see the Tour Schedule and Media.