Dani Bostick 
Educator, Writer, Advocate | Self
Winchester, VA, UNITED STATES
Disrupting the culture of shame and silence surrounding sexual assault and child sexual abuse.
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Biography
An educator, speaker, writer and advocate Dani considers herself first and foremost a disruptor of shame and silence. A victim of child sexual abuse, Dani speaks openly about her experience-- from the crime itself to reporting it three decades later-- candidly and openly.
Dani's written work about about trauma, mental health, and women's issues has appeared in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, The Week, and other outlets.
She speaks on a wide range of topics:
Sexual abuse and assault
PTSD
Resiliency
Domestic Violence
Women's issues
Cultural issues in the NFL
Mental health
Dead languages
Classroom management
Other topics related to education
Industry Expertise (3)
Mental Health Care
Women
Education/Learning
Areas of Expertise (6)
Representations and Uses of Greco-Roman Antiquity
Sexual Assault Awareness
Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
Ptsd
Motivational Interviewing
Pedagogy
Education (3)
University of Colorado: M.A., Clinical Mental Health Counseling 2015
University of Scranton: M.S., Curriculum and Instruction 2008
Catholic University of America: B.A., Greek and Latin 1998
Summa cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Academic All American
Links (1)
Languages (3)
- English
- Italian
- Spanish
Media Appearances (4)
On the Line
Vice online
2015-06-29
Vice reporter Liz Field hosted a panel discussion about untested rape kits. My segment begins at 11:30.
Decades later, victims of sexual assault speak out
HuffPost Live online
2015-04-06
Adult victims of child sexual abuse share their stories.
Former coach gets 15 years for child sex abuse
WUSA9 tv
2014-09-11
Raw footage of an interview with WUSA after the perpetrator associated with my case was sentenced.
Al Jazeera Weekend News
Al Jazeera America tv
2015-11-01
Discussion of NFL's policy's regarding uniforms and recent fines against players commemorating parents lost to cancer and domestic violence.
Event Appearances (6)
Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance
COVA 2015 Keystone, Colorado
2015-10-28
TEDx Colorado Springs
TEDx Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, Colorado
2015-10-17
USA Swimming
Safe Sport Conference Colorado Springs, Colorado
2014-02-09
Rock Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Sexual Assault Awareness Week Parker, Colorado
2015-04-08
ACTFL
National Conference Nashville, TN
2017-11-17
TEDxGreenville
TEDxGreenville Greenville, SC
2018-04-06
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
- Corporate Training
Fees
Articles (5)
After 30 years a woman confronts her abuser- and herself
The Washington Post2014-11-14
"Like some victims, I took years-- decades actually-- to come to grips with what happened to me. But unlike most, I ultimately came forward, reported the crime, and allowed my name to be used in public court records and news accounts."
9 things you should never say to a rape victim
Marie Claire2015-08-04
1. Any statement that begins with "at least." There is no mitigating the horror and pain of a sexual assault by comparing it with another worse crime. "At least you've learned how to function." "At least" statements ignore the victim's present pain.
PTSD: It's not just for veterans
Huffington Post2015-10-19
It's easy to explain away symptoms as more socially acceptable and common conditions. "Must be depression!" Or, "Oh, I guess I've always been hypersensitive." Those statements are easier to say than, "I think I have PTSD."
CBS sets women in sports reporting back about fifty years
Huffington Post2015-10-05
Instead, she came across as a blonde ditz of the "math is hard" ilk, a common and unfortunate trope that reinforces stereotypes that women are less intelligent, tech savvy, and competent than men.
Breaking free of silence and shame
Huffington Post, Good Men Project, To Write Love on her Arms2015-06-15
Until recently, I -- like most victims -- participated in a code of silence, burying all memories of my traumatic childhood, feeling a deep sense of shame, and walking through life burdened by a secret I was keeping from everyone -- even myself.
