Jessica Searle spent all of her early years dealing with dysfunctional parents. Drugs, alcohol and even abuse were part of her young life. She left home at 13 living in the Mission district of San Francisco where she was jumped into a gang. Finally finding herself in Utah, any hope of change vanished as she continued down the path of drugs, and bad relationships. She lived that way for 25 years until she was finally done. Enrolling in The Other Side Academy changed her life. Now she is articulate, authentic, and purposeful. She is not the person she spent 38 years becoming. She has a light in her eyes and hope in her heart. Her story is one of triumph over insurmountable odds.


Sponsors & Partners
The Other Side Academy (TOSA) - theothersideacademy.com
My Story Matters / Captain Your Story - mystorymatters.org

00:00:00 - Jessica Searle
00:01:36 - The Other Side Academy
00:01:50 - My Story Matters / Captain Your Story
00:02:40 - A ‘Hectic’ Childhood
00:04:45 - Early Abuse
00:06:28 - Learning to Hide from Good Influences
00:08:35 - Finally Opening Up About the Abuse
00:10:20 - Running Away
00:13:55 - Moving Back in with Her Parents & Culture Shock
00:17:17 - Pregnant at 15
00:20:30 - Surgery & Opiates
00:23:59 - Going on a Crime Spree & Landing in Prison
00:27:02 - A Moment of Stability
00:28:00 - Starting to Slip
00:29:14 - “Lighting Myself On Fire to Keep Everybody Warm”
00:33:58 - Losing Her Partner & The Kids
00:38:35 - Her Mom Passes Away
00:41:28 - Writing to The Other Side Academy
00:49:40 - 4 Years at TOSA
00:54:00 - A Piece of Advice For Herself