Sophia Bush Gets Real About Trauma, Activism, and Advocacy

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(Image credit: Christian Alminana)

published 24 July 2019

Sophia Bush isn't afraid to speak her mind about political issues, advocacy, and her own history of surviving alleged assault and abuse. In a revealing podcast interview with Amanda de Cadenet, she dived into her own path towards self-acceptance and what she's hoping to see out of all the work she and other activists are doing.

"Practicing being touched, without freaking out, is a really big deal...because I spent four years in a place where my body was weaponized against me. And, it takes repetitive, safe experience to take that out," she explained, about dating while overcoming trauma. She also spoke candidly about assault in a more general way from an understanding of the male perspective:

Regarding advocacy, she says she's starting to look at it in a new way. "The pendulum has been so far in the other direction that I’m ok with an overcorrection, but what I’d like to see be the symptom of that overcorrection is the way that we talk to our boys about their feelings and about what it’s been like for women and girls."

Sophia says it feels freeing to finally be taking care of herself. "The tendency for me is to just keep going. My entire adult like has been just keep going, regardless of what’s happening, just keep going," she explained. "It isn’t backing down to take care of yourself."

"Finally I’m in a place where I feel like I am back to being a newer version of the best version of myself. And that’s a nice place to be," she added.

Sophia later shared parts of the interview on her Instagram Stories:

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And the full podcast is available on Spotify.

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.