At 33, Donna Jenson began uncovering the trauma of childhood incest that she had long buried. A moment in a deli line triggered her awakening, leading to years of healing through therapy, bodywork, and the unwavering support of a women’s community. Her personal journey became a mission: to help other survivors find their voice.
In 1995, Donna turned to the arts for healing and social change. She wrote a one-woman play, What She Knows: One Woman’s Way Through Incest to Joy, which toured for 11 years. In 2008, she founded Time To Tell, fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, with the mission: sparking stories from lives affected by incest and sexual abuse to be told and heard.
Her memoir, Healing My Life from Incest to Joy, was published in 2017, and the audiobook followed in 2023. In 2019, she launched the Time To Tell Writing Circles, combining mindful practices and creative writing to nurture survivor voices. Each circle culminates in a digital collage of shared work.
Donna has also published in Ms. Magazine, placed second in the 2021 Western Mass Story Slam, and curated the exhibit VISIONS FROM OUR VOICES, featuring collages from Writing Circle participants. She co-produced Survivors’ Voices, an anthology and virtual event amplifying lived experiences.
In 2023, Donna began co-leading a CEU workshop for therapists and launched the documentary Telling is Healing. She’s now producing a video podcast to highlight the transformative power of healing.
Donna believes self-care is a superpower and that love, persistence, and humor are the foundation of resilience. Her advice: Be gentle with yourself. Healing is lifelong, and that’s okay. Because with healing comes a life worth living.