Erin Merryn

Author, Activist & Force Behind Erin's Law

Erin Merryn

Author, Activist & Force Behind Erin's Law

Add to List Availability & Fees

Biography

When you meet Erin Merryn, you realize she is a woman on a mission . Her view of the world forever changed at the tender age of six, when she went to a sleepover at a best friend’s house. There, she would be sexually abused for the first time. For the next two and a half years, she was abused and raped by an adult neighbor. He told her he would hurt her if she told anyone, so she stayed silent. Her saving grace came when she moved at 8 ½ years old. Little did she know moving was getting her that much closer to the next abuser in her life.

Merryn spent 5 years of her childhood keeping her abuse a secret. After breaking her silence, she went down a destructive path of depression, self-injury, anorexia and a suicide attempt. She was ashamed to talk about what happened to her until she confronted one of her abusers in high school, which lead her on an unstoppable crusade to end the stigma and silence around sexual abuse. She published her childhood diary her senior year of high school to give children the voice she never had.

Merryn knew by the age of 12 she wanted to be a social worker, but struggled throughout elementary and high school to do well. However, she was determined to go to college even when she was tested by a school psychologist and it was determined she had a learning disability. Although teachers and counselors told her she would amount to nothing, one thing they didn’t know about Merryn was she accomplishes what she sets out to do. Not only did she get accepted into college, she graduated with honors and 5 years out of high school, she graduated with her masters in social work.

The obstacles didn’t end there. In January 2008, Merryn suffered a grand mal seizure while driving. Neurologists were stunned when they got her MRI back to discover her left temporal lobe was gone due to a virus she got as a newborn. Even more incredible was the fact that the missing area is where speech, writing and short term memory are developed. This explained why she struggled in school with her short term memory. Doctors were speechless that she is gifted as a speaker and writer, two things that she should have noticeable challenges with.

In 2010, Merryn began a crusade to get Erin’s Law passed across America. This law requires personal body safety taught to children Pre-K to 12th grade through an age appropriate curriculum. Merryn successfully passed it in her state of Illinois in 2013 and has been traveling from one state capital to another testifying to state lawmakers to pass it. To date, it is passed in nearly half the country and pending in many more.

Merryn is author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act, both memoirs. In November 2012, Glamour Magazine named her Woman of the Year and she was honored in Carnegie Hall before 3,000 people. People Magazine named her a HEROES Among Us in April 2013 and one of fifteen women changing the world in their June 2014 issue, alongside Oprah and Hilary Clinton. She has made numerous media appearances, including on Oprah, Katie Couric, CNN, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Fox, Windy City Live, Jane Velez Mitchell, 700 Club, Montel, Al Jazeera and many more. She has appeared in Time Magazine, USA Today, London Times, Huffington Post, Cosmo Girl Magazine, among others.

Speaker Videos

Erin's Law

Breaking the Silence

CARE House CHildren's Advocacy Center

Stevenson School

See Fewer Videos

Speech Topics

A Voice for the Voiceless

Sexually abused and raped for many years as a child, Erin shares her journey through years of abuse, finding her voice, healing, forgiveness and turning tragedy into triumph. By making the decision to go after giving children the voice she never had as a child, she will share what kept her silent and so many children silent when abused, the warning signs that were missed, how we can protect kids from abuse, and finally, the decision she made to quit her job and go after passing Erin’s Law across America. She travels from one capital to the next testifying to lawmakers on the law that requires personal body safety taught in public schools pre-k through 12th grade. It has now been passed in nearly half the country.

A Resilient Life

Labeled with a learning disability as a high school student, sexually abused and raped as a child and being diagnosed with epilepsy as a young adult, Erin has shown she has bounced back time and again from the obstacles she has faced. She explains how she has not allowed adversity to play a negative role in her life and instead, it has given her the strength to show others no matter what challenges we may face, we can rise above and overcome anything. Audiences walk away inspired and empowered to achieve their goals.

Testimonials

"Erin Merryn is a woman of the year because she has taken her personal crusade and turned it into a public one. So many children will be protected because of her."

- Katie Couric

"Erin's Law and the message it carries is extremely important for all students. She has identified a gap in our education that has resulted in this horrific epidemic to continue! Her message will without a doubt have a significant impact on the children of this nation and lower the sexual abuse statistics that we now carry. Thank you to Erin for being a fearless survivor!"

- Willow School Social Worker

"Ms. Merryn is an excellent public speaker and passionate advocate for children who have been sexually abused. She presented at our Leadership Conference and was very warmly received by our more than 300 attendees. Ms. Merryn has a message of hope for us all: that we can make a difference in the life of an abused child and that it is possible to heal after abuse. There is no more inspiring message than that."

- Executive Director, National Children Alliance

"Erin spoke at a fundraising luncheon for our Child Advocacy Center in Walworth County, WI. She was phenomenal! Erin's candid story of childhood sexual abuse and her determination to tell her story, educating and advocating in the process is remarkable. We are in awe of Erin's strength and how she moved our audience to tears by telling her story so eloquently."

- Fundraising Chair, Walworth County Alliance for Children

"Erin Merryn provided a dynamic and compassionate keynote speech at an event titled “Safe to Compete” held by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The audience turnout was impressive and included more than 50 of the nation’s leading youth sports organizations, who came together to discuss child sexual abuse in youth sports and sound practices. Erin had the audience on the edge of their seat and set the tone for what many felt was the best conference on the topic in years. We highly recommend her!"

- Executive Director, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

"Erin Merryn is a powerful speaker and advocate for countless, faceless children and adults in our country who have similarly suffered sexual abuse. Her raw honesty and captivating portrayal of her experiences and struggles to disclose these experiences will inspire anyone to become more aware of child sexual abuse and involved in making our communities safer for children. Through her speeches and books, Erin is an inspiration to professionals working daily to fight child abuse in the United States."

- National Children’s Advocacy Center

"Everything went well. Erin was terrific! She was amazing with the guests, spent time answering questions and I believe the book signing went well too."

- Crime Victim Center of Erie County

"Event planners are always on the lookout for speakers who bring it all—a deep level of focus on the audience, frameworks that connect with people, and a ‘fired up!’ attitude. Alden Mills has the whole package. Whether he’s applying lessons learned from his Navy SEAL days to the business world, or sharing stories of personal transformation, Alden has an undeniable knack for moving attendees into a place where their full leadership potential is possible. During the pre-call, I learned why: Alden applies his own work to his life, every day, looking for continuous improvement as a speaker and workshop facilitator. His energy is infectious, his teachings spot-on, and his empathy for the audience endless as far as I can tell. Alden models “unstoppable” leadership. I will book him again soon."

- Marriott International

"Outstanding! Alden spoke to our leadership team at a time when inspiration and drive were imperative. His ability to transfer the discipline of being a Seal and that of the entrepreneur was AMAZING! He did an unbelievable job in preparing everyone to roll up their sleeves and charge through the remainder of the year with absolute commitment. I would highly recommend Alden to anyone who is looking to take their business to the next level!”

- State Farm

"Absolutely incredible! Alden’s ability to connect with our leaders and our business was truly inspiring and exactly what we needed.”

- Transamerica

"Authentic and engaging—one of the best speakers we’ve ever had at USAA.”

- USAA

"Words can’t fully describe the impact Alden had on our audience. He delivered exactly what we needed—a fresh, inspired call to action for high-impact personal leadership in work and in life. His stories were remarkable. His approach to leadership was practical. And his style was down-to-earth. It was inspiring to look around the room and see the focused faces in the audience. Alden was the best commencement speaker we’ve had."

- Case Western Reserve Univ. School of Medicine

"I've been in this business for 27 years and I have to say that Alden’s message was a powerful one. His keynote was customized from beginning to end by incorporating our brand messaging and tailored with a framework to help my associates and our customers face the challenges of their current business environment. Alden’s message was so powerful and resonated so well with my associates and our customers that I recommend to other companies that they need to hear it too! Alden lives his messaging: He is All In, All the Time!"

- Collain Healthcare

"Alden Mills was an incredibly inspirational and dynamic speaker sharing his unbelievable journey in becoming a Navy SEAL. He incorporated our meeting themes into his material. And he transferred his experiences into great relevant business and life lessons. Alden really connected with our team of over 1,000 sales people."

- ThermoFisher

"When I researched Alden’s bio and videos in selecting speakers, I was extremely impressed with his story and success. Having listened to him in person, he was amazing. He had our audience supercharged and fascinated with his story, the rigors of the Navy SEAL training, and his determination to succeed."

- Precision Metalforming Association

"In our five years of putting on conferences, Alden was head and shoulders above our past speakers. He’s a fantastic storyteller who tied his messaging directly back to our company and our dealers. He cares, and it shows. I’d hire again!"

- FW Webb

"Thank you, Alden, for being such a pleasure to work with. I appreciated your interest in truly learning about our organization, our members, and their work. It impressed me that you took the time to customize your speech for our group, and to connect with them in a way that communicated that you understood their businesses and their challenges. You are a warm and engaging speaker. As our members were leaving your session, the buzz was about the principles you taught, your passion in presenting them, and their applicability to our profession. Many of the members came up to tell me, ‘Excellent choice!’ It is my pleasure to recommend you as a keynote speaker."

- American Health Care Association (AHCA)