We recently connected with Crysta Marshall and have shared our conversation below.

Crysta, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

Beauty for Ashes….

My 3 year old was sexually abused and it totally devastated my life. The process of her disclosing, court, therapy, and emotional turmoil was too much to handle.

I had no guidance of how to work through this process, how to keep her safe, or how to mentally process the stories.

I felt hopeless, burdened, angry, confused, and couldn’t stop crying. Every time I looked at her little face, a wave of unexplained emotions overtook me.

My daughter and I had no one to help us through this process, so I created it!

Since then, DWP has helped hundreds of family walk through trauma and tragedy, by providing mentorship, the family therapy, legal fees covered for those who need our services.

Turn your ashes to beauty.

DWP challenges you to turn your ashes into beauty.

Crysta, 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?

Defined With Purpose is a non-profit organization that works with those who have experienced child sexual abuse and other significant trauma. We do this by mentoring our clients and their families through the process from disclosure all the way to the place of healing by building our clients up in every session with that in which is taken in sexual trauma, which is your Value, purpose, worth, and voice. From there we integrate sessions that help our clients in growing past the trauma. While in mentorship, we also aid in covering the cost of therapy and legal fees for our clients,

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I love this question, because I feel as though this profession chose me. I would have never chosen to do this work, but I believe that God chose me especially due to the personal experience that my daughter and I went through. If it were up to me, I would have done anything else. This work is hard, but definitely one of the most rewarding things that I have ever done. I am so grateful that I have been chosen to do this work, because everyday, I get tot walk in the trenches with total strangers, and just watch they flourish into a place of wholeness and healing. I cant say that this has been true with any other job that I have ever had. So, I guess to answer the question, would I choose the same profession….. Yes, I would over and over again.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I can think of one of the times in which I had to pivot was honestly, recently, As I currently am doing this interview, I am on maternity leave as I we just had our 4th baby. This was a huge pivot for Defined With Purpose, and myself personally, because I am taking some time to get new and fresh vision for Defined With Purpose. We have done so many things that have been successful, but even more than have been unsuccessful, so I know that our organization need a fresh perspective on where we are going. I had to turn and pivot because things were getting stale at DWP, because I know that we have so much more to accomplish as an organization, and I need the roadmap of how to get there. That is what this time is for, to pivot and get fresh vision.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.definedwithpurpose.com
• Instagram: @definedwithpurpose
• Yelp: Defined With Purpose

Image Credits
Dorothy Maisonneuve