Shelby Smith

Shelby Smith, 29, founded the Unsilenced Movement after nearly three decades of health issues. After being informed about her VCUG while pregnant—a repressed traumatic memory that caused her to develop dissociative amnesia at age 2—she went on to have a missed miscarriage weeks later. At a time when healing felt unachievable, she turned to activism in her grief.

 

Starting the Unsilenced Movement was more than a way to heal. To Shelby, it was a nonnegotiable next step upon realizing the VCUG test is still widely performed today. In an effort to save other young women from leading the same poor quality of life she did—one rife with suicide attempts, autoimmune diseases, dating violence, self-harm, and emotional abuse—Shelby set out with one thing in mind: to be heard.

 

A full-time marketing professional by day and a storyteller at heart, Shelby has a longstanding passion for creative writing, social justice, and women’s rights. Her experiences with mental illnesses make her a trusted confidante for women battling similar issues. In her free time, she enjoys binge-watching documentaries, filmmaking, and singing/songwriting.

 

After earning her B.A. in English from Texas A&M University, Shelby moved to Colorado with her husband, where she hosts virtual support groups for VCUG survivors around the world. Shelby is very passionate about protecting the rights of women, children, and other vulnerable demographics by empowering individuals to discover and embrace their authentic selves.​