Jess Michaels is a TEDx speaker, social-impact founder, and survivor-advocate reshaping how we understand trauma, safety, and community care. A 1991 Jeffrey Epstein and childhood sexual abuse survivor, Jess has navigated Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for more than three decades, an experience that now fuels her life’s work.

She is the founder of 3Joannes, Inc., a public benefit corporation developing #WithYouToo, the first-ever social safety app built on the principles of Sexual Assault First Aid™—a framework that teaches everyday people how to show up in moments that matter, before, during, and after crisis. The platform equips peers and communities with pre-crisis protocols, trauma-sensitive support skills, and clear post-assault care pathways.

At the heart of Jess’s work is a powerful reframing: sexual assault is an injury before it’s an investigation. Her mission is to prevent long-term PTSD by ensuring survivors receive immediate, compassionate, stabilizing care before systems and interrogations unintentionally deepen the harm.

read more