We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chiquita Tillman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chiquita below.

Hi Chiquita, thanks for joining us today. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

One day I was sharing my story on how I survived sex trafficking at the age of 15 to an organization that helps victims. I was then asked to speak to a class of elementary students during Human Trafficking Awareness Month. I was very nervous because these were children and I had to be careful on how I presented the topic. I wanted to raise awareness to both the students and the parents and educate them on how Traffickers choose their victims and how they can avoid potentially becoming a victim.. The response to my speech was so well received and overwhelming, that I knew this was my purpose! I have had the pleasure of traveling to different states speaking at conferences, rallies, Gala’s, etc. I’ve been on several podcasts in the UK, Hawaii, Canada, Switzerland, and the U.S. .

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a survivor of Human/Sex Trafficking which is a horrible criminal enterprise that generates over $150 billion dollars a year. After being sold into Sex Trafficking at 15, enduring unimaginable torment and trauma, I became an Advocate so that I can help bring awareness and save as many as I can from becoming a victim. The types of abuse that victims endure can lead to mental and emotional instability such as severe depression, post traumatic stress, suicidal ideations, anger, moodiness, aggression, etc. What sets me apart from most that’s involved in this type of advocacy is the fact that I have lived experience. I try and let people know, especially families of victims, how important it is for them to get trauma counseling, and how important it is for them to show love, support, and not judgement. I am proud of the fact that I went through extensive trauma counseling and was able to heal and move forward to live a healthy and productive life. The work is hard, but necessary to your healing. I recently became a Certified Mental Health Coach so I can help coach survivors to reach their goals in life, I am living proof that you can heal and thrive after Human/Sex Trafficking.!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My compassion and rawness. I don’t sugar coat anything; I try to be as real and honest as I can be. I’m very raw in describing my experiences. I’m known to be very compassionate towards victims and survivors. I believe when people see how passionate I am about helping others without having a motive they tend to reach out to me more.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn that using my body and looks was not the way to go. Working for what you want is more satisfying. All my life I had been sexualized, starting in my childhood. Once I became a victim of sex trafficking, I was trained on how to seduce, how to use my body and looks to get what I wanted. After I went through my healing process, I became disgusted with the thought of using my body for anything and had to change my way of thinking. I was worth more than what I was led to believe.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamaruby2u.com
• Instagram: @iamaruby2uu
• Facebook: Author Chiquita Tillman