Witnessing the trial of Ghislane Maxwell with Lucia Osborne-Crowley, author of The Lasting Harm, spotlighting the survivors who brought her to justice
- S3E38
- 1:02:08
- October 10th 2024
On today’s episode Emma-Louise is joined by a truly incredible woman: Lucia Osborne Crowley.
She’s a Journalist, reporter and the author of three books including ‘The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the trial of Ghislane Maxwell’, which they discuss in length during this episode. It was one of the best books we read this year, FYI.
Her prior two books, I Choose Elena (2019) and My Body Keeps Your Secrets (2021) both explored the myriad ways in which trauma affects the body.
Prior to becoming a journalist, Lucia trained as a lawyer and worked as a paralegal before jumping over to the reporting side of things as a court reporter. She now balances her brilliant investigative work with a full time job at Law360, a US newswire covering courts and crime across the world.
This was one of the most powerful, poignant and heart-wrenching interviews we’ve hosted at Sex Talks. Not least because of how personal Lucia’s reporting is to her own experience of sexual abuse.
While Lucia and Emma-Louise delve deep into the Maxwell trial and what it took to cover such a monumental court case, it was Lucia’s very personal description of trauma, of the way it changes a survivor’s relationship to their body, to their sense of self, that proved the most important and affecting part of this conversation.
Someone commented at the end of the event: “the tension of overwhelming compassion and female rage bubbling in the air was palpable.” We think that's a perfect description of this event.
Trigger warning: this episode contains mention of sexual abuse; eating disorders and trauma, so please take care when listening. If you’re affected by anything you hear in this episode please seek help via the below:
Rape Crisis are open 24/7 for anyone who has experienced something sexual without their consent. Call free on 0808 500 2222 or visit their website here.
Samaritans are open 24/7 for anyone who needs to talk. You can visit some Samaritans branches in person. Samaritans also have a Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).
116 123 (freephone)
Freepost SAMARITANS LETTERS
Sex Talks With Emma-Louise Boynton
Sex is about so much more than just fucking. It's about our relationship to ourselves and to our bodies. It’s about how we experience gender and the power dynamics that come with it. It’s about our capacity for vulnerability and how willing we are to let others in.
Our relationship to sex tells us so much about who we are and how we show up in the world. So why don't we talk about it more openly?
In this podcast, host and founder of Sex Talks, Emma-Louise Boynton, sits down with a new guest each week to do just that. Opening up discussion on typically taboo topics, Emma-Louise explores issues around sex and relationships, gender and the role technology is playing in changing the way we date, love and fuck.
From writers, authors and therapists, to actors, musicians and founders, the podcast brings in voices from across the board to talk about sex.
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