What happens when the pain you survived becomes the purpose you were meant to live?
In this episode of Change Your Mind with Kris Ashley, Kris is joined by Alreen Haeggquist, a seasoned lawyer, author, survivor, and advocate dedicated to amplifying voices and breaking the silence around abuse. With more than two decades of legal experience, Alreen represents women facing sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse while drawing from her own traumatic past to empower others.
Alreen opens up about growing up in an abusive home, repressing trauma, leaving at 18, and later discovering how deeply unprocessed emotions can affect the body. She shares how therapy, inner child work, the mind-body connection, spirituality, and mindset reprogramming became part of her healing journey.
Kris and Alreen also discuss why survivors often stay silent, how shame becomes internalized, what it means to stand up legally and emotionally, and why healing is not about pretending the past did not happen. It is about reclaiming your voice, your power, and your future.
This conversation is raw, honest, and deeply hopeful. It is for anyone healing from trauma, breaking generational cycles, learning to trust their voice, or searching for the courage to turn pain into purpose.
About the Guest:
Alreen Haeggquist wakes up each day with a fervent passion to advocate for women who suffer from sexual abuse, harassment or discrimination. As a lawyer with 21 years of experience, she has recovered millions of dollars for clients in cases involving sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination. Alreen has an unwavering commitment to not allow wealth, power, influence, and status to exempt anyone from the rules of society.
Alreen‘s father was a terrifying presence, who subjected her to sexual, physical and verbal abuse. Despite knowing, her mother remained silent. Darkness loomed within Alreen, leading to depression and multiple suicide attempts. From fear and shame, she stayed silent, never telling a soul. Typical victim behavior.
Motivated by the pains of her childhood, Alreen became a lawyer in order to stand up for victims of abuse. She founded her own firm, Haeggquist & Eck, LLP in San Diego in 2008. Her firm has helped hundreds of women stand up for themselves and they are the vast majority of her clients. She was challenged high profile entities including The Salk Institute, Trader Joe’s, Kaiser Permanente, the San Diego Sheriff‘s Department, and a President elect.
Alreen’s core message is as a society we need to break the silence, and help women stand up to their abusers. In 2023. Alreen broke her silence and published her story in the book, Fired Up: Fueling Triumph from Trauma.
https://www.alreen.com/
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of childhood abuse, sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts, and trauma recovery.
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1 hr and 2 mins