Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to ED & Flo Dudley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

ED & Flo, appreciate you joining us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?

Due to privacy concerns, we cannot share real names so let us call this client Jane.

We met Jane at a festival where we were providing community education. Jane came by our booth and identified herself as a survivor still trying to heal. She explained that the medications she was prescribed by her doctor, like most things, had become unaffordable. The price of the meds without insurance was over $500, and with insurance, it was around $300.

Even though this was out of the scope of our regular services and a rare incident, our executive director immediately tapped into her network of professionals to see if it was possible to assist her. Long story short, we were able to come together with a local Harris Tetter pharmacy and assist Jane in getting her prescription for $10 per month.

As an organization, we believe in assisting the victims and survivors in any way that we can.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Shining Light in Darkness (SLID) was established as a nonprofit entity to support healing for often overlooked victims/survivors of sexual assault (SA) and domestic violence (DV), like women of color, those living with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, veterans, and men. Our victim-service model is designed to meet the needs of the whole person while also ensuring that communities and related professionals are equipped with tools and information to respond to their needs appropriately.

Our Mission is to be a trusted provider of support, skills, and resources for underserved victims/survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence to help end violence for all.

Our birth was due to some of the things that our Founder, Flo, has endured over the course of her life.
Flo is a victim of child sexual abuse and domestic violence (intimate partner violence). She personally now knows the harsh reality of what it means to be a victim. She felt vulnerable that this thing had happened to her and didn’t want it to show through to anyone. She tried once to ask for help and her voice was silenced at the age of seven, and from that moment, she displayed a strong exterior.

She started to experience PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, and insomnia and relied on unhealthy coping mechanisms. These experiences of the assaults impacted my ability to trust others, especially in the context of romantic and intimate relationships. She used to be a very trusting person, but that was taken away from her.

Flo has survived both sexual assaults and domestic violence; through her resilience, she harnessed my inner strength to help her bounce back from the trauma she endured. She is no longer a victim surviving, but she is thriving.

Upon meeting ED and subsequently relocating to another city with him, Flo told ED that she wanted to start a business. Neither of them knew that this business would ultimately be a nonprofit focused on serving those that have endured what Flo has endured.

Like many individuals, sexual assault and domestic violence were somewhat thoughts for ED as they were not initially a part of his upbringing or early adulthood. He would hear about it, but it was never a part of his consciousness. Then things changed in his life that brought these epidemics to the forefront of my mind.

Sexual assault and domestic violence not only affect the victim, but it also has the tendency to affect those that genuinely love the victim too. ED has learned this first-hand. While ED was not a part of his wife’s life when she suffered these tragedies many years ago, he felt her pain and agony as he walked alongside her on her ultimate healing journey.

Learning that someone you immensely care about has been victimized can take an emotional toll. As the spouse of a sexual assault and domestic violence survivor, he personally has witnessed the effect of the trauma of this epidemic. As men and husbands, most of us pride ourselves as fixers, providers, and protectors, but then his wife shared her story; ED felt helpless, frustrated, angry, and depressed due to his inability to protect her even though it was before our marriage.

The Dudley’s personal desire is to help victims and survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence heal their minds, bodies, and spirits and reclaim their lives. In creating programs for victims and survivors, because of Flo’s personal experience, she knows that everyone heals differently.

It is ED & Flo’s heartfelt desire to assist others to use their voice by refusing to be silent about the hidden trauma, suppressed memories, and traumatic experiences they have endured. It all starts with a voice. Some have been silent for so long; they do not believe or even know that they do indeed have a voice. The voice that was once silenced now speaks freely and openly from the deepest pain and hurt to healing, finding freedom and hope and peace.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

ED & Florida met in Mississippi. ED happened to be traveling for business in the area, and it so happened that Flo was hosting a conference in the hotel where ED was staying. The two of them started a conversation and decided to stay in contact. Neither of them knew that this initial conversation would end up in marriage some years later.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2019 ED & Flo were in a near-fatal car crash. It was initially thought that ED suffered the bulk of the injuries; however, upon further examination, it was determined that Flo had significant injuries. Flo suffered a lacerated liver and partial paralysis on one side and was forced to get injections into her neck. However, this wasn’t the primary problem. What happened as a result of this accident we call the “opening of pandora’s box”. The accident triggered suppressed memories from the trauma that Flo experienced in her past. She began trying to cope with those PTSD in virtually every unhealthy way possible. Even ED wasn’t exempt from her PTSD. He actually suffered second hand trauma as a result.

Through self-education, time, and support from ED, she was able to begin to manage her PTSD. Once Flo got to pass these events, she was even more committed to helping victims, and survivors get the support they need to overcome their trauma and has been fighting for others even harder.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.slidfnd.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiningndarkness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shininglightindarkness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shining-light-in-darkness-inc/