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

Robert , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

The defining moment in my professional career was sharing my story of sexual trauma publicly. After years of hiding the pain and shame I felt, I realized that I wasn’t alone. There are a sea of brothers who have experienced some of what I went through. By sharing my story, I gave them the courage to speak up and seek help. I quickly saw the need for male sexual trauma survivors to have a safe space to heal. As a result, I became an advocate for male sexual trauma survivors and started my own Male Empowerment Coaching business. My purpose is to help boys and men overcome their adverse childhood and traumatic life experiences so that they can live joyful, fulfilled lives. Through my work, I am changing the narrative around what it means to be a man. No longer will we suffer in silence. We are rising up and reclaiming our power!

Robert , 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?

Robert Marshall is and has been a highly influential and sought-after speaker and author. He’s captivated, challenged, and inspired audiences from around the world to journey to wholeness. Robert is as transparent as they come; as a survivor of fatherlessness, bullying, and sexual abuse, he is able to connect and speak to an array of challenges that many face in their daily life. His new best-selling book Echoes: The Stories of Male Survivors Overcoming Sexual Trauma is making waves by empowering male survivors and the people who love them with the language and support they need to heal. Robert Marshall is on a mission to help people understand that sexual trauma doesn’t have to be a life sentence.

I became a Male Empowerment Coach because of the vast amount of men who lacked the language, support, resources, or guidance to heal from the pain of their past. The reason I became involved in sexual trauma prevention is that it has no respect of a person’s gender, race, creed or religion. Sexual abuse knows no bounds, and I want to be one of the people on the front line helping others to understand that it doesn’t have to control their lives. Male survivors are often left feeling ashamed, embarrassed, and alone, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

My work is different because I offer coaching, lectures, group workshops, keynote speeches, therapy, workbooks, and even sermons about how to journey to wholeness after experiencing sexual traumatic experiences. It’s not popular, but it’s necessary. What others say that sets me apart is my willingness to be vulnerable and share my own story of overcoming sexual trauma in order to help others.

After I shared my story of rape, molestation, and sexual grooming, I received a major amount of stories and inquiries about how other hurting men could begin their healing process. After releasing Echoes, we launched the Survivors Circle, an organization that focuses on supporting male survivors at whatever stage they are in while journeying to wholeness. I am proud because, as of now, I have lectured at colleges and universities, social service organizations, and religious communities about this taboo subject and have watched men be freed from years of shame, guilt, and rejection that they vowed to carry to their graves.

If you are a man reading this, my message to you is that your story is not your shame. Your pain does not have to control your life. You are not alone. Male survivors often suffer in silence because of the fear of being rejected or ridiculed, but I want you to know that there is help and hope available. If you are a supporter of a loved one of a male survivor, my message to you is to believe them, listen to them, and support them in whatever way possible. Male survivors need your help to break the silence and take back their lives.

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

Life is full of lessons, some of which we learn the easy way and some of which we have to learn the hard way. One of the most important lessons I’ve had to learn is that authentic manhood and masculinity is not determined by what I can do or what I have. It’s determined by my commitment to becoming who I was created to be. The problem is when a man defines himself on external realities like his bank account or his body, his worth and understanding of himself will always be defined by and predicated by who he’s standing in front of or on. But when a man understands that he is invaluable and was called “wonderfully and fearfully made” by a creator who knows him intimately, he will understand the true value of himself and all of those he’s responsible for. The truth is as men age, everything changes – our bodies, our bank accounts, our responsibilities – but if we remain committed to becoming the best versions of ourselves, we will always walk in confidence, not in our strength but in the strength of the divine that flows through us. This allows us to walk in an assurance and authority that only comes from understanding our true identity and worth. So whatever lesson you may be learning right now, remember that you are valuable, you are loved, and you are never alone.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I’ve realized in my work the importance of crafting and communicating your story with clarity and conviction. I don’t see people as clients we’ve created a culture where we value every male we come in contact with. What has worked for us is being truthful, transparent, and authentic. Of course, there are a number of “clientele growth strategies,” but at the end of the day for us, it’s boiled down to integrity, authenticity and transparency.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.roberthmarshall.com/wesurvived
• Instagram: @roberthmarshalljr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roberthmarshalljr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhmarshalljr/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RobertMarshalljr
• Other: Survivors Circle Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/survivorscircle