We are led to believe that what happened to us was our fault and that no one would believe us.

When small businesses are started with a passion to transform personal experiences, they are a breath of light and fuel, built on resilience and vulnerability, that is simply contagious. This month we discovered Eliana, founder and CEO of The Survivor Project LLC, who is building a community for sexual assualt and abuse survivors with her business. We share her beautiful story and the story behind The Survivor Project in this interview.

‍IBU: Hi Eliana, thank you for sharing your wonderful story with us for our March issue of IBU Links! We love the theme of resilience for this month’s blog, Turning Pain into Power. May you tell us about your business, The Survivor Project?

Eliana: The Survivor Project brings handmade jewelry and accessories to your door, while raising awareness along the way. 15% of the profits are donated to RAINN, which is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. In addition to the shop, the website also hosts my blog where I write about important societal issues related to sexual assault and women’s safety.

Eliana also does continuous outreach and activism through The Survivor Project’s instagram account to build a community and support system for survivor’s like herself. She’s passionate about empowering others with their own resilience and strength, and is a strong advocate for inspiring people to explore their dreams and sharing their passions. “I want people to know that they are deserving of safety and love, and no one has the right to make them doubt their worth.”- Eliana

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‍IBU: What’s the story behind your business?

Eliana: The inspiration for The Survivor Project comes from my experience as a survivor of sexual assault and abuse. Like many survivors, I carried a lot of shame and embarrassment. We are led to believe that what happened to us was our fault and that no one would believe us.

When Covid began and the world started closing down, I had some time to fill before starting graduate school. I read lots of books and listened to the words of other survivors. A turning point for me came after reading Know My Name, by Chanel Miller. Many quotes from her book resonated with me, one of which was, “Never fight to injure, fight to uplift. Fight because you know that in this life, you deserve safety, joy, and freedom. Fight because it is your life. Not anyone else’s.”

These words empowered and motivated me. I wanted to create something completely my own and change the narrative of my story.

I have always loved jewelry and how jewelry makes me feel. I've had people tell me that when they wear their jewelry from The Survivor Project, it reminds them of how strong they are or that they are never alone. These types of sentiments mean the absolute world to me and continuously inspire me to move forward.

Eliana’s love for jewlery and their sentimental memories inspired her to create products to share that sense of power and security that it brought to her, with others. She’s named each jewlery piece in her collection after those who’ve helped her in her journey as sexual assualt survivor or who’ve impacted her life to add her personal touch to her products. Her story encourages us to pursue what makes us feel strong, alive, and secure.

IBU: What aspects of The Survivor Project do you think are unique to your business?  

Eliana : I believe the uniqueness of The Survivor Project is the combination of a traditional shop and activism, which draws different types of audiences. Some people found The Survivor Project because they were jewelry shopping, some found it because they were searching for resources, some wanted to subscribe to a blog that focuses on important issues, and some were looking to connect with other survivors. Before I was a business owner, I always recognized that I was more attracted to brands that I could relate to or that had a special message. I have remembered that feeling and wanted to channel it into my own business.

Eliana also wanted The Survivor Project to reflect her own experiences with jewlery, such as skin irritation complications on her senstitive skin. She engaged in a series of tarnish and quality testing before finalizing materials to start her brand, and only works with stainless steel or gold plated stainless steel, always looking to feel confident in her products before putting them out.

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‍IBU: We’ve noticed you’ve got an assortment of different products, including stickers in addition to your jewlery! What’s your creative process behind putting together your products?

Eliana:  My creative process varies depending on the item. My stickers were actually the first products I created and I did a lot of drawing on Procreate until I finalized designs that I felt suited my brand. I also make macrame keychains and have been learning new stitches recently, which I am excited to practice further.

Creating my jewelry pieces is a bit different and I often describe this process as ‘working backward.’ As I mentioned, each jewelry piece is named after someone that has helped through the darkest times of my life. I always strive to have the jewelry piece reflect who they are, so I typically have the person in mind before I search for the materials and charms. For example, one of our best-sellers is the Anne bracelet, which is named after my Aunt. She used to have a sunroom in her house and I remember I loved looking up at the stars, so I knew I wanted that piece to have something to do with stars. Another example is the Gabrielle necklace, which is named after a dear friend of mine who always wore gold jewelry, so I knew I wanted that piece to be gold. I am very intentional with each piece and make them personal to who it is named after. Once I have the piece made, I always wear it for a few weeks to make sure it will hold up in different environments, like in the shower or at the gym. Once it passes all my quality-control tests, I make the rest of the inventory and do the photography for the launch. The process of launching a new piece can take weeks, but taking my time to feel confident at the end is always worth it!

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IBU: Has starting a business always been something you imagined to do? What are some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome with becoming a business owner?

Eliana: A major struggle of being a new business owner has been simply learning how to be a business owner. In college I double-majored in Psychology and Journalism; I had zero business experience. I’m sure other business owners can relate to this, but we have to learn how to be advertisers, bookkeepers, social media managers, photographers, designers, website developers, and anything else that your business calls for. I have had to learn a lot in a short amount of time. It can also be tough to not compare yourself to others in moments of doubt. It has been important for me to stay focused on my mission and keep moving forward.

We certainly resonate with Eliana’s need to be a jack of all trades with her business, and have met many other small business owner’s who feel the same. Creating exciting products and building a community are the blissful parts of running a business, but non specialized areas are equally as time consuming, and those efforts aren’t often spotlighted to our end audiences.

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IBU: What other personal projects are you balancing in addition to your small business, and how do you manage them all?

Eliana: In addition to being the sole owner of this business, I am also a full-time graduate student. I am currently getting my Master’s degree in social work, with a focus on trauma-informed practice. It can be very challenging to balance being a business owner and a grad student, while also trying to have time for my personal life.

When you are running a business, there’s no ‘end of the day.’ I can come home from work at 4:00 PM and work on my website all night if I wanted to. It’s hard to set those boundaries, which is something I have been doing more recently. Sometimes I have to remind myself that my website will still be there in the morning and it's okay to step away and see my friends or family. Knowing when to unplug is important.

Unplug, unplug, unplug. Setting those boundaries between work and life are so vital and overlooked small business owners, because work blends so seamlessly into our own everyday space. Eliana reminds us that creating a space for yourself, whether on the weekends, after 8pm, or a day off, is so essential to maintaining the passion of a business. The reward’s of cultivating your business is felt after time apart.

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IBU:What do you hope to gain from being a part of the IBU community?

Eliana:  I hope to connect with other like-minded people! I love connecting and meeting new people. Especially as a relatively new business owner, finding a network of support is super important to me. One of the biggest blessings that has come from starting this business is the genuine friendships I have made along the way, and I hope to continue making lasting connections!

Eliana’s story shared with us how personal challenges can be reinvented into projects that not only heal the self, but also a diverse community through common experiences. Whether you are a jewlery fanatic with sensitive skin or one looking to be a part of a community, a business can extend beyond its seeding origins to connect with a widespread audience, without sacrificing the personal touches that give its business owners purpose. It reminded us of how rewarding it is to ground our businesses to what is meaningful to ourselves, as Eliana names her pieces after her supporters. It’s sharing these personal symbolizers of power that helps others discover what gives them light and strength.