Christine Blasey Ford on Detaching Yourself from the Outcome

9 to 5ish with theSkimm

Before September 2018, the public didn’t know Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. She was a busy mom and professor at Palo Alto University and Stanford. Then, she leveled a sexual assault accusation against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a SCOTUS nominee. She testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and 5 million people tuned in. From then on, any concept of a private life went out the window. Christine needed security to go…well, anywhere. Strangers sent her and her family death threats. Five years later, Christine shares how she navigates her new normal, plus the story behind the headlines and soundbites.

In this episode, Christine shares:

• The behind-the-scenes leading up to her testimony against Judge Kavanaugh
• What she makes of her unique connection to Anita Hill
• Suggestions on what to say to sexual assault survivors instead of “I believe you”
• What parts of working on her memoir, “One Way Back”, were therapeutic – and which were re-traumatizing

Content warning: this topic deals with sexual assault. Please take care when listening.