Today we’d like to introduce you to Ciji Wagner.
Hi, Ciji, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I never set out to start a nonprofit. I said for years that I would never want to run a nonprofit. It’s funny how life works out sometimes. After beginning an independent restaurant consulting business and moving to Austin, Texas, I finally had the space and time to focus on the healing work I had been putting off. So, I started doing EMDR–a trauma-specific therapy that addresses symptoms of PTSD. It completely changed my life. One day, on my way home from one of these EMDR therapy appointments, I thought about how much my life had improved since starting it. It was amazing how much better my life had gotten in just a few short months. But then it hit me–why was I paying for it? Hadn’t I already spent enough? I thought about the other survivors I knew who wanted to try the therapy but couldn’t afford it. Hadn’t they also already paid enough? If we were willing to put our energy, time, and life into healing, why did we have to pay financially, too? These were the thoughts that led me to determine that I was going to figure out a way to get survivors of sexual violence access to EMDR therapy at no cost. I founded Louder Than Silence in 2018. Both the organization and I have been growing ever since.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been far from smooth. Experiencing the trauma of sexual violence both in childhood and adulthood means that I was in survival mode for decades. Most of the time, I was trying to get through one more day. There was no space for joy, peace, or health–it was an existence. On top of this, I dealt with several chronic physical health conditions due to the trauma my body was attempting to manage. One of the things I often talk about in my work is how surviving sexual violence impacts every area of life, and it indeed does. I’ve spent an astonishing amount of time and money undoing the damage that other people caused. I often wonder what I could have accomplished if I could have spent that energy on something else instead. At this point, I can look back at this healing work with appreciation as I see how much my health has improved. I’ve built a beautiful and vibrant life that I can deeply appreciate because of the journey it’s taken to get here.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Louder Than Silence (LTS) provides long-term care, community, and resources for survivors of sexual violence, all at no cost to participants. We firmly stand on the ground that survivors have already paid enough. While crisis intervention is crucial and needed, we focus further down the continuum of care. As we like to say–if your house is on fire, call the firefighters and get out. But we’ll help you rebuild your house, brick by brick until you have a home again. We are known for offering free EMDR therapy and a community of survivors healing together. Everything we do at LTS is survivor-led and peer-supported, meaning that all of our work comes from the expertise of the survivors in the community, identifying the most helpful and supportive for healing.
I am most proud of the work our survivor community is doing to heal. Each EMDR session, workshop cohort, retreat, community connection point, or whatever they are doing outside of our specific programs is an act of bravery and commitment to a better life for themselves. I never cease to be amazed by these incredible people refusing to give up in the face of overwhelmingly painful circumstances and continuing to move forward toward the life they want for themselves. I am honored to work with some genuinely marvelous people committed to making a difference for themselves and other survivors.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Do I have to pick just one? The combination of tenacity and presence has been the most essential part of my healing and growing LTS. Tenacity inspires me to keep taking the next step and encourages me to know that my work is making a difference. It is trusting that working on what’s in front of me will lead to bigger wins down the road while focusing on the work for today. It is chipping away at significant, nebulous issues one piece at a time and believing this is how progress happens. Presence keeps me grounded on what’s within me and who’s before me. It shows me that staying open to learning more about myself will ultimately lead to more healing. It gives me space to hear the stories of the survivors I contact with and let them know that they matter, their stories matter, and their pain matters. But together? Tenacity and self-awareness have built the foundation for me to continue through the challenges and the remarkable. It’s being able to hold the difficulty and the beauty at the same time. It doesn’t get too caught up in one or the other but is rooted in the knowing that their synergy lights up the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.louderthansilence.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louderthansilenceorg/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/louderthansilence
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyf3MMou4ntqJ3ZgHeTilxg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/0SmB4fj9h1WgmPnks7RibW
