IN AWE OF LISA
Lisa is an anti-bullying champion. She's a natural songwriter with a huge heart and is about to produce her third one-woman show in one year, following in the footsteps of her hugely successful anti-bullying themed show "Bullied to Beautiful." We are in AWE of her advocacy and artistry and can't wait to see her show in May!
IN HER WORDS
"Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation."
ABOUT LISA
Creator of Bullied to Beautiful || Mass. State Ambassador for March of Dimes || Mother of 2
MY STORY
I came into this world fighting. I was born severely premature, in shock and not breathing. But my fight didn’t end there. I endured constant and relentless bullying from age 9 until I graduated high school. I was beaten up, tormented on a daily basis, spit at and verbally assaulted. I spent a great deal of time at home, as I didn’t want to have to go to school and face my bullies. I would dream of running away and even considered ending my life to stop the constant emotional and physical pain I felt. There were not anti-bullying programs when was growing up and I had little support and no friends. Until I found the arts. I found solace in dance and music. This was what helped me cope and begin to find my voice.
My experience through the arts was healing and empowering. I moved to New York City at a young age to pursue my career in dance and soon found that I loved to sing, and began pursuing my singing career.
In addition to writing, performing and producing my own shows in New York City, I have dedicated my life to using my voice to speak for others who cannot. I consider myself an anti-bullying activist and feel strongly that we need to walk through our lives with empathy and compassion for others. I have advocated at schools and have spent a tremendous amount of time working with children, through the arts, to help them learn to communicate, appreciate each other as individuals, to celebrate their individuality and be proud of who they are. Everyone has a story and we need to remember that before we judge. I feel strongly that we need to be an example for our children.
I am the proud mother of two, now grown daughters. My youngest daughter was cyberbullied when she was fourteen. We took the person to court after they threatened to kill my daughter in a blog… and won. My children had the benefit of anti-bullying laws and programs that are now in schools, and a Mom that was active and aware.
I wrote a show called “Bullied to Beautiful”, which chronicles’ my story of the years I was bullied as a child, set to the music that helped me cope. The first line I speak in my show is, “Hello my name is Lisa Jason, and I’m a survivor”.
I hope to keep the conversation going, create community and awareness around a subject that is still at epidemic proportions in our world today. I also volunteer and teach dance with a ballet company here in New York City, for dancers of all abilities and also create and teach expressive arts programs for children and adults who are developmentally disabled.
The arts helped me heal my heart. Now I use the arts to heal others. I am a survivor!!!!!
LISA'S SONG
I wrote a song called, "Beautiful Child", for a young girl I met through my children, who was being bullied at school and abused at home. Our connection was music, and when she was being taken by social services she was to be placed in an undisclosed location, for her own safety, I wrote this song to take with her. The song has grown over the years and was adopted by The March of Dimes, whose research saved my life as an infant, for its national campaign and also is used by therapists for inner child work. I offer it as a love letter to all of those, like myself, who now live or have lived in fear, feeling alone and unworthy.
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