Camelia Straughn

Dr. Camelia Straughn was born in Brewton Alabama. She is the oldest child born to her mother and her father. At the age of five, she was raped by her youngest sister’s uncle. At the age of 12, her mother’s boyfriend sexually assaulted her. Then from the age of 13 until 17, she was forced into sexual relationships with two of her uncles. When she reached the age of 18 she got married. After the “I do’s” she quickly learned that her husband would make it a weekly tradition to beat her. She stayed for 3 years. She is also a survivor of Military sexual trauma. For years she struggled with the thought that she was not enough. This way of thinking affected how she showed up in the world. She knew she did not want to continue to live her life in such depression or succumb to a life cycle of feast to famine. Through her passion for sexual assault/domestic violence victims/survivors and self-esteem building, she was able to move from the idea of not being enough to knowing that SHE IS Enough! Dr. Straughn has dedicated her life to teaching others the same.

Dr. Straughn is a 23-year Retired Army veteran, where she spent more than half of time working as a Sexual Assault Advocate. She worked with and counseled soldiers who had been sexually assaulted. Training & counseling soldiers in the areas of suicide and sexual assault prevention. She earned a doctorate in Organizational Leadership & Behavior. A BS & MBA specializing in Human Resources and Project management.

Dr. Straughn founded RisingSTAR Coaching to disrupt the way women view themselves, heal their hearts and create a life of BLISS (Belief, Love, Intimacy, Self, Success). She has been helping women and men transform their lives since 2009. She is the author of five books with the most recent one being "The Life of the African-American Career Military Woman: An Autoethnographic Study and Finding Your BLISS in the Midst of Pain; 9 Keys to Trusting Yourself and Living an Extraordinary Life".

She is a motivational speaker, Life-Career Transformational Coach, Mentor and Author.

Her websites are www.risingstarlifecoach.com / www.facebook.com/DrCameliaStraughn

A life story of trial & absolute triumph!