Episode 198: Turning abuse into advocacy and a life of inspiration. Jean-Paul (JP) Bedard

Jean-Paul Bédard is an author, advocate, elite endurance athlete, and was named one of the "50 Most Influential Canadians" by Huffington Post. In 2013, Jean-Paul disclosed to family and friends that he is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and rape. As a result, he turned to long-distance running to help him battle his addiction and mental health issues. Since that time, he has become an international advocate for other survivors of sexual violence. In 2014, Jean-Paul ran the iconic Boston Marathon ( http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/04/22/toronto_runner_conquers_double_boston_marathon_and_much_more.html) twice in the same day in a highly publicized campaign. In 2015 he was awarded the "Golden Shoe Award" for being named "Canadian Runner of the Year ( http://runningmagazine.ca/our-golden-shoe-awards-runner-of-the-year-j-p-bedard/) ". As a Brooks sponsored athlete and veteran of over 130 marathons and ultra marathons, Jean-Paul represented Canada in the prestigious Comrades Marathon ( http://www.breathethroughthis.com/running/the-ultimate-human-race) in South Africa, a grueling 90km race through mountainous terrain. In the fall of 2015, Jean-Paul ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon ( http://canadarunningseries.com/blog/2015/06/runner-aiming-for-triple-toronto-waterfront-marathon-by-paul-gains/) three times in the same day to demonstrate the resiliency of survivors of trauma. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-trauma-therapist-podcast-with-guy-macpherson-phd-inspiring-interviews-with-thought-leaders-in-the-field-of-trauma/exclusive-content Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support . You can learn more about what I do here: The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa ——— If you’d like to support The Trauma Therapist Podcast and the work I do you can do that here with a monthly donation of $5, $7, or $10: Donate to The Trauma Therapist Podcast . Click here to join my email list and receive podcast updates and other news. Thank you to our Sponsors: Incogni - Use code [traumatherapist] and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/traumatherapist Jane App - use code GUY1MO at https://jane.app/book_a_demo Journey Clinical - visit https://join.journeyclinical/trauma for 1 month off your membership Therapy Wisdom - https://therapywisdom.com/jan/