Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Willis.
Hi Summer, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Thought for a couple of seconds
**Your Story**
I’m Summer Willis, and I grew up in Beaumont, Texas, dreaming of one day becoming a writer. I went off to UT Austin full of promise—until I was raped. That act shattered me. I became a shell of myself, moving through life on autopilot.
Eventually, I realized the only thing that helped me climb out of that darkness was doing good for others. I joined Teach For America, then the Peace Corps, where I met and married a fellow volunteer. We returned home and welcomed two beautiful boys, but the trauma still hovered over me like a shadow.
Three months before my twenty-ninth birthday, I looked into my sons’ eyes and vowed to become the strong, confident, resilient woman I once believed I could be. At that point, I couldn’t run a mile, so I set a seemingly impossible goal: 29 marathons in one year. Each finish line taught me courage, healing, and the power of community—and it introduced me to countless survivors whose stories echoed my own.
Inspired and horrified by their experiences—and by the legal loopholes that still leave so many assaults unrecognized in Texas—I decided to fight for real change. The Governor’s Task Force made its top priority the “Summer Willis Act,” HB 3073, which for the first time defines consent in Texas law. Because right now, if one person hands you a drink and another takes advantage of it, it doesn’t even legally count—and that’s exactly what happened to me. After passing the House 143–1, it’s now on its way to the Senate.
I share this story not for accolades, but for every survivor who wonders if their experience “counts.” It does—and together, we’re going to make sure the law finally says so.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. I don’t think “smooth” has ever been part of my story—and honestly, I think that’s what’s made it worth telling.
There have been the physical challenges, of course—like running 100 miles and faceplanting into the dirt at 3 a.m., or signing up for three marathons in three days without realizing the elevation gain would total over 7,000 feet (and I hadn’t trained for that at all). Or crawling a half marathon on my hands and knees, which left me with a fracture in my knee. But every one of those moments taught me that I could do hard things.
And that mindset has carried over to the advocacy work. When a lawmaker doesn’t respond to my email, I send ten more. When the media isn’t interested in covering sexual assault, I come up with a stunt—something bold, maybe even absurd—that makes it impossible to look away. When people question why I’m doing this or don’t understand the scope of the issue, I think about the survivors who’ve stood with me, the ones who’ve cried with me, and the ones who’ve healed beside me.
There’s no such thing as failing unless you stop trying. That’s something I say to myself constantly: You’re never alone. You can do hard things. And I believe that with every mile I run, every bill I fight for, and every story I share.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an endurance athlete, activist, and the founder of Strength Through Strides, a nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors of sexual assault reclaim their power—physically, emotionally, and collectively.
What I’m probably best known for is using extreme athletic challenges to draw attention to hard conversations: I’ve run 29 marathons in a year, crawled a half marathon on my hands and knees, and carried a mattress through an entire marathon—all to spotlight the survivor experience and push for legislative change.
But what I’m most proud of isn’t the finish lines—it’s the community. It’s the survivor who messages me after an event and says, “For the first time, I didn’t feel alone.” That sense of connection, of shared strength, is everything.
And we’re just getting started. On April 26, 2026, Austin will host our first annual Denim Day 5K, a celebration of healing, solidarity, and the belief that survivors deserve to be seen, heard, and believed.
What sets me apart isn’t the miles I’ve logged—it’s the mission behind every step. I’m not doing this to break records. I’m doing it to break silence.
What matters most to you? Why?
My family matters most to me.
If my assault had never happened, I don’t know that I would’ve ended up on this path—or met the best man I’ve ever known, who would become my husband. If my boys hadn’t been born, I’m not sure I would’ve found the courage to do hard things, to become better, or to stand up for what is right.
They are my biggest supporters, my greatest joy, and my daily reminder of why this work matters.
And while I would never wish trauma on anyone, I’ve come to a place where I can say—without the bad, there might not have been this overwhelming good. My family is the reason I fight so hard. Because every survivor deserves to feel the kind of love, safety, and belonging that they give me every single day.
Pricing:
- https://www.amazon.com/Around-World-Adventures-Alfred-Mattera/dp/B0DPCC1LSV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TR3CF79NO52A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.G_GCjU_-btaJMsBpNEHctw.Eq6KY6PeIXd2GcN8Y8qQHK49EtvpO17gA2opUs3qOX8&dib_tag=se&keywords=around+the+world+adventures+of+alfred+mattera&qid=1746647916&sprefix=around+the+world+adventures+of+alfred+mattera%2Caps%2C2353&sr=8-1
- 14.99
- Donations
- Strength Through Strides.org
Contact Info:
- Website: https://summerwillis.com
- Instagram: @likesummerwillis
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/summer-willis-480a0828a/
- Youtube: @strengththroughstrides
- Other: strength through strides.org denimday5k.com
