CJ Scarlet

CJ Scarlet knows first-hand how violence can destroy lives. A survivor of sexual assault as a college freshman and while serving in the Marine Corps, CJ spent years dealing with the emotional aftermath of her experiences. After taking her power back, she became an advocate for others who had been victimized, running a child advocacy center and serving as Director of Victims Issues for the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

While with the Attorney General’s Office, CJ initiated and co-chaired an inter-disciplinary commission which designed the nation’s first statewide automated victim notification system that notifies crime victims before their perpetrators are released from custody. This system was selected as the national model by the U.S. Department of Justice and won several awards.

An expert in victims’ rights and advocacy, CJ has given speeches and workshops at national and international events; and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including MSNBC and NPR. She is the author of The Badass Girl’s Guide: Uncommon Strategies to Outwit Predators and Neptune’s Gift: Discovering Your Inner Ocean.

The former U.S. Marine photojournalist and forest firefighter holds a B.A. in Political Science from Virginia Wesleyan College, and an interdisciplinary master’s degree in Humanities with an emphasis on Human Violence and graduate certificate in Women’s Studies from Old Dominion University.

Named one of the “Happy 100” people on the planet, CJ’s story is featured in two bestselling books, including Happy for No Reason and Be Invincible.

CJ Scarlet is a dynamic speaker on the topics of self-empowerment and self-defense. Her presentations are ideal for women and girls, men and women who work closely with the public, LGBT and minority individuals (who are at greatest risk of being assaulted), spouse programs, and groups that serve these audiences.

CJ also speaks about her experiences as a military veteran entrepreneur, having run three technology companies and her current consulting business. She served on the NC Governor’s Advisory Commission on Military Affairs for six years, and a President of the NC Veterans Business Association for three years. CJ can also share her inspiring story of how she overcame a terminal illness (due to complications from lupus and scleroderma) by following the command of a Tibetan Buddhist lama to “stop feeling sorry for herself and start thinking about the happiness of others.” When CJ took the lama’s words to heart by performing daily acts of kindness, her condition went into remission within 18 months! Today, CJ is happier and healthier than she has been in decades.