Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Purdie.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Natalie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was a victim of a violent attack. The person got away with it, there was no justice in my case. It made me feel like nobody cared and this lead to my silence. I suffered with PTSD and post-traumatic seizures so, my family did not talk about it. I always had the desire to warn others by telling my story. Later in life my desire became reality. I was approached by an Investigator who was investigating a case against the same person that attacked me. I agreed to be a surprise witness. My testimony helped me feel vindicated. That day changed my life and I learned my true purpose in life. I agreed to testify to help the victim and hope that it would be a prevention against him harming any other women. There was a news reporter for the local newspaper who interviewed me and this would be my first official time telling my story. That evening there was an interview by a local news channel. I considered not allowing them to show my face but, I knew that I couldn’t successfully reach people to tell them the importance of being a witness by hiding so I did it.
As a result of my interviews people started to know my story and asked me to share it. A popular cable television station asked me to allow them to do a docuseries about my story. I agreed and my story was seen in several states and countries! Then a year later the same thing happened again with another channel and the second docuseries was seen on the other half of the U.S. and other countries. This also lead to interviews on the radio, events, churches, the military, and even businesses. This also lead to victims, friends and families of victims, and some survivors seeking advice, help, resources, and just motivation. At first, I volunteered with non-profit organizations and local advocates that I could refer people to. When traveling to other states to speak, I made sure I connected with shelters and advocates in the area to make sure I could refer them and have their information available. I also knew how important it was for me to be able to help victims with information so I began to train and study. I attended seminars and learned from talking to survivors & victims who told me how they seek help and felt blamed and helpless. All of these tools equipped me to be able to provide more information to people in different circumstances.
This then lead to people referring me and contacting me even if they never saw me at an event. It is one of the most effective and rewarding parts of advocacy. It does not give rewards or accolades that people would see however, it saves lives, offers encouragement, gives people help, hope, and information. I show my scars so that others can see that healing is possible. I also teach Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Healthy Relationships Middle & High School students. I host bi-weekly round table talks with Clark-Atlanta college students and we are hoping to provide the same thing on the campus. I am in the middle of completing another television show. I dedicate several hours each day to use social media to bring awareness with news from all over the world. I feel like I am not busy enough because my goal is to travel all over the world. My next desire is also to obtain a job at the courthouse as a Victim Witness Advocate or to work full-time at a shelter. There are so many people that are parents, employers, co-workers, and friends that need the tools and resources and more awareness. There need to be more things in place so that we can focus on prevention and maximum sentences. I know that we need these things because of the increase in the statistics that has now made intimate partner violence an epidemic.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road is not easy at all. I often refer to it as “the audacity”! From the very beginning, I have been called stupid or told that I was being used by telling my story for “free” when an organization doesn’t have the funds. I have been victim blamed all over again and again. Sometimes people don’t realize that they can cause a trigger by exhibiting a similar type of behavior as the perpetrator. To tell my story may seem like I’m telling it effortlessly but, each time I am reliving it and sometimes I go home to a safe place alone to cry as if it was yesterday. As a speaker, I had to learn to tell my story without losing the audience, boring them, repeating my words, taking too long, or pausing as I think of the next word. I had to learn what was important to tell and minor details that could be eliminated. The struggle is that some people don’t want to talk about awareness especially about violence. Some company’s don’t want to sponsor a person, organization, or an event and be affiliated with domestic violence. Large company’s may pay someone famous, or with a large following lots of money but not a local person that works behind the scenes.
In addition, often it is an obstacle to communicate with a victim the danger they are in when you know the signs. They are in love with the person and want to believe or think that they will change. The most challenging is trying to explain that this is my purpose in life, not an option or a dream job. Sometimes I think about giving up or feel discouraged because of the challenges and obstacles. When I feel this way my faith keeps me going. Numerous times I have received confirmation to keep going and don’t give up. My confirmation may come by encouraging words, someone telling me how I helped them, a request to speak at an event, or I receive a call from a family member or victim in distress.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Promise Place story. Tell us more about the business.
I volunteer for Promise Place. It is an amazing place, I promise!! I am Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program Presenter at Middle & High Schools. I assist in recruiting and training other volunteers. I teach the warning signs, identifying the types of violence, prevention and healthy relationships. I obtain surveys from the students, give handouts, supply them with current events, and provide them with resources to obtain help. I also share my story and we have open dialogue of questions and concerns. All of our volunteers have a very detailed curriculum and are skilled in teaching it to the students and staff. The training is provided throughout the year to all of the students based on their ages in four counties. Promise Place reaches over 5,600 students each year through our Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program. Promise Place offers emergency shelter, 24 hour crisis hotline, crisis intervention, safety planning, legal advocacy, weekly support groups, children’s programs, emergency needs assistance, and community education. Promise Place now serves over 3,000 victims of domestic violence and their children each year.
What sets me apart is I volunteer with two organizations in two different states and I also work with other organizations all with the same common goal to End Domestic Violence. I am a volunteer and board member for My Help My Hope in Virginia. We specialize in a back to school drive, an annual toy drive, a series of “Be Silent No More”, and other events to raise awareness and help victims. We speak at churches, events, and especially with the youth. We also go to the jail to speak with the women to talk about all types of violence, awareness, and prevention. Both organizations are smaller than most but provide just as much as the larger organizations with less funding and volunteers. I am currently working on two different movements and possibly branching off to have my own organization…Stay tuned!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Many people call it luck but I refer to my faith. If it is bad or challenging I know it is a lesson. If it is good I know that is a blessing. Both have played a meaningful role in my life and business. Both have molded me and continues to teach me so much, good and bad. Some experiences may seem bad or rough at the time however, I try to find what the meaning is so that I can learn and grow from it. As a survivor, it is easy to become depressed if you focus to hard on bad things that happen. One example of bad luck is encountering people who doesn’t want me to succeed, whether it is due to ignorance, envy, or evil. But, I have lived long enough to know that you will always encounter that no matter who you are. You just have to stay focused on what you are trying to accomplish and don’t give up. I sometimes use my attack or other horrible things that have happened in my life and it sometimes eases the pain of any obstacles I may encounter. To survive a life-threatening attack and see someone jealous of you sharing how it happened makes me feel pity for them. It is also easy to find a person to your left or right that has it harder!
During this whole process of learning my mission, there have been so many great things that have happened. I have met amazing people, had magnificent opportunities, and traveled. I have had so many strong connections that have connected me to the next best thing and I can smile knowing that more good luck is coming! I am not finished traveling, meeting more great connections, receiving mind-blowing opportunities, and gaining more knowledge!!
Contact Info:
- Address: P.O. Box. 854 Fayetteville, GA 30214
- Website: http://www.promiseplace.org
- Phone: 770-460-1604 (crisis line number)
770-461-3839 (admin number) - Email: nataliepurdie@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/survivors_voice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NataliePurdieSV
- Twitter: @PromisePlace
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/promise-place-fayetteville
- Other: Promise Place
Image Credit:
DW Snapshot
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