We were lucky to catch up with Lauren Brill recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When I was working as a sportscaster, I decided to write an open letter to sexual assault survivors (before the MeToo Movement). I told them what was once my deepest and darkest secret. At 16, I was drugged and sexually assaulted by two strangers (by the legal definition, I was raped). The idea of the letter was to share the message that what hurts you does not have to hold you back. The letter went viral, and I felt free and empowered. That’s when I decided to start my own company called The Unsealed. TheUnsealed is an online platform that provides people with a safe space to share their truth and inspire others simultaneously. Our stories have reached nearly every country in the world, and we have helped many people turn their secrets into their superpowers.

Lauren, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Throughout my entire childhood, I wanted to be a sportscaster. I used to go to hockey games with my Dad and loved the energy of live games. Ultimately, I spent ten years as a sportscaster and accumulated seven Emmy nominations and an AP award for best sports coverage. Despite living my childhood dream, something felt amiss. I wanted to help people and catalyze more social change. After writing an open letter about my experience with sexual violence, I decided to leave my job as a sportscaster in a top-20 market and start TheUnsealed.com.

TheUnsealed.com is a platform that aims to help people amplify their voices and share their stories through poetry and open letters. The idea is to use writing and storytelling to heal and empower oneself while inspiring someone else. Our stories include a variety of circumstances/topics, and we’ve been able to expand from highlighting our members via online posts to books, billboards, and live events.

I am incredibly proud that I’ve been able to build a community filled with so much love and kindness, even though when I started, I truly had no idea how I would pull this “crazy” idea off.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Historically, I have always been someone who worries about what’s to come. When I first founded The Unsealed, I started with very little money ($3,000 was my initial investment), and I didn’t have any experience running a business. I had big plans for The Unsealed but no clue about how I would execute them. I was working around the clock, and I was incredibly anxious about how I would climb this monstrous mountain. But over time, I have learned to focus more on today than tomorrow. I have ideas for the future and know what direction I want the company to follow, but my main focus is taking care of what I can do today. I learned that when I do, the future takes care of itself: Opportunities fall in your lap, new software comes across your desk that helps you grow, you meet people interested in supporting your business, etc. Looking too far ahead or focusing too much on the future can make your goals feel impossible and overwhelming, handicapping you as you try to grow.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

After my sexual assault as a teenager, there were a lot of very tragic paths my life could have taken. While it did take me a long time to heal, and I struggled with anxiety, ultimately, I found my happiness and healed my soul. Writing and a loving family, I believe, are the two main reasons I was able to thrive after such a traumatic event. I think my motivation is twofold. I think I am motivated by this idea that I can help people heal by sharing and providing the ingredients that aided me: love and self-expression.

Also, when those boys assaulted me, I felt as though they saw me as a fun night. They did not view me as a daughter, a friend, or an aspiring sportscaster. I hope that by helping people share their stories, whether about sexual violence or topics entirely different, I can unite our world and allow people to see that there is humanity in every single person.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theunsealed.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.unsealed/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theunsealedpage/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenabrill
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FTheUnsealed