Surviving Harvey Weinstein | Rowena Chiu | San Francisco Bay Area, CA

In today’s episode, I engage in a dialogue with Rowena Chiu who was one of the critical figures who came forward, and vocalized her experience with Harvey Weinstein’s sex scandal. In this intimate and sensitive conversation, Rowena talks about her private experience of the abuse, the stages of emotions that followed, and how she rechanneled aspects of her experience to become an advocate for those who have endured sexual abuse. As a result of her experience she has become the voice of many, and proceeded to advocate for those who go unheard. We talk about the outcomes that arise from being a voice in this community, and how it can impact experience, as well as aid recovery.

One of the main objectives of mental health is to find harmony within various roles and identities that we each hold. With this in mind, we discuss how this experience can alter how one proceeds in reshaping and redefining these aspects of themselves. Rowena discusses the intimate details of how her life has been affected by the experience, and how she is managing the upkeep of her multiple roles to keep balance in her everyday life. We talk about hopes and dreams, and share practical tools to help survivors come forward, seek support, and heal.

Rowena Chiu worked as Assistant To Harvey Weinstein in 1998. After leaving the film industry, she has worked in the fields of management consulting (for Accenture in London, McKinsey & Company in Silicon Valley, and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong) and international development (for the World Bank in Ethiopia, South Sudan & Washington DC). Rowena holds an MA in English Language & Literature from the University of Oxford, an MSc in International Management For China from the University of London, and an MBA from London Business School. She lives in Silicon Valley with her husband and four young children.