About Our Founder
Sallie Culbreth, Founder and Director
How it all began …
Unfortunately, my story is not very unusual. No explicit sensational descriptions distinguish my experiences of sexual abuse as more or less than someone else’s. I am a survivor, perhaps like you. It is a tragic reality. But I have come to understand this: I am more than the abuse. It has scarred me, but I am more. I despise what I had to work though to come to that conclusion, but I am glad I know it.
The sexual abuse I experienced as a child launched me on a journey – a quest to move beyond what was done to me. The surprising destination was a life altering encounter with God… surprising because I wanted nothing to do with him. My abuser used God in order to use me. In my confusion, I held God responsible for my abuse. I despised church. I despised people. I despised God. In many ways, my spirit was as damaged as the rest of me. I became dark and overwhelmed – so much so that I thought suicide was the only way to find relief.
But God placed an obstacle in my way and interrupted my plans for self destruction. As if a curtain was drawn back to expose the lies I believed, I began to separate the acts of an abuser from the Being of God. I found a place of understanding. I re-discovered Jesus, who, like me, carried shame that was not his own. I found an Activist and and Advocate willing to march through darkness to show me light. Ultimately, I found freedom. In turn, that quest led to the development of Committed to Freedom in order to provide spiritual tools to helps others move beyond abuse.
Sallie Culbreth
Sallie Culbreth, Founder and Director
Click here to email Sallie Culbreth
Sallie Culbreth is the founder of Committed to Freedom which offers seminars, resources, and retreats for survivors of abuse – including childhood sexual abuse survivors. She is the author of several books including No Longer Alone (NavPress) – a narrative between abuse survivors and Christ; Despising the Shame – the story of her own childhood sexual abuse; The Uncaged Project – a self-help workbook for men and women who experienced childhood abuse, and many other resource, including a weekly online publication – Roadside Assistance,
She holds a B.A. in Pastoral Ministries and an M.S. in Counseling Studies. She is an ordained minister, member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), was a national faculty member for Living Free Ministries for many years, and is trained as a Critical Incident Stress Management Counselor.
She married her husband, Tim Culbreth, in 1973. She and Tim have two adult children and one grandchild.
