Dealing with struggle usually propels the great ones to do great things. Most people sit and watch while others are being abused but Andrew Willis has taken a stance against it by launching the “Stop Abuse” campaign in which he’s the CEO of.

Many people wish they had the chance to vent out about abuse. Abuse is a very serious thing that we all at one point have dealt with but after this read you will gain ways in which we all as one can work together to prevent abuse…

Built To Last: Andrew Willis

Derrick Smith: What’s your ultimate goal you would like to accomplish with “The Stop Abuse” campaign?

Andrew Willis: The Stop Abuse Campaign mission is to stop abuse and alleviate the suffering of those affected.  We’ll do this through encouraging individuals to take individual responsibility for stopping abuse and taking our online eduction modules…

DS: Unfortunately most people won’t speak about being abused. Can you share some steps on opening up for help?

AW: Sure, start by telling someone you trust, a family member or therapist or perhaps a partner or close friend. Be careful to start with, adverse judgement can be punishing when you first start to talk about your abuse. The Rape Crisis Centers and Domestic Violence shelters often have support groups you can join. Healing starts with talking and so does stopping abuse. The more of us who can talk about it the better because we need society to understand the long term impact on survivors.

DS: How important is leading by example to you?

AW: Critical

DS: Being the CEO what was the motivation to be behind the launch of this movement?

AW: I’m a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and intimate partner violence. In four short years I had traveled down a road from Madison Avenue through drugs and prostitution to a serious attempt to take my own life. I learned that this is so common for survivors and started to research how to stop abuse. Once you cut away the clutter its not that complicated.

DS: With many success stories under your belt how has changing the lives of others changed your life?

AW: My life used to be driven by personal success, now it is driven by the impact of the campaign on improving the lives of others. It is far more rewarding to get an email thanking us for our work than be able to buy a new iPad (although I do have serious case of iPad envy).