166. From Silence to Bravery: Rowena Chiu’s Harvey Weinstein Sexual Assault Story

Rowena Chiu spent 20 years unable to speak about her sexual assault after signing an NDA. Now, she’s using her voice to challenge power and change how we talk about trauma, truth, and legacy.

 

Joining Alejandra Siroka in this episode, Rowena reflects on the cultural silence she grew up with as the daughter of Chinese immigrants, and how emotional scarcity and obedience shaped her response to assault. As a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein, she was coerced into signing a non-disclosure agreement that kept her silent for two decades. That silence was compounded by a culture that didn’t talk about sex, power, or emotional needs.

 

Together, Rowena and Alejandra examine what it means to leave a communication legacy for our children—one that makes space for difficult conversations about mental health, sexual assault, and personal boundaries. Rowena speaks openly about how she reclaimed her voice, why advocacy became part of her healing, and how power dynamics show up in everyday life.

 

This episode is a reminder that silence isn’t always chosen, and that breaking it can be an act of justice, healing, and love.

 

Quotes

• “Nobody in Asian culture talks about sex. We don’t talk about sex at all, let alone in the context of sexual assault.” (06:47 | Rowena Chiu)
• “Power is not given to us as a right, each of us, even if you are the king of England, it is not given to you as a right to abuse.” (24:49 | Rowena Chiu)
• “Any abuse of power, no matter how benign, in its own way is a violence.” (25:31 | Rowena Chiu)
• “This is not just about telling a factual story of what happened to me as a young woman, but we’ve really been propelled into a social justice fight. The more you dig under the surface of this fight, the more fundamental and basic it is. It’s really about elevating those that cannot communicate.” (28:53 | Rowena Chiu)
• “I think that one of the deeply important communication legacy is the ability to normalize difficult conversations.” (32:46 | Rowena Chiu)

 

Links

Find Rowena Chiu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Rowena-Chiu-for-School-Board/61564076595785/?_rdr,

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chiu_rowena/?hl=en

 

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Podcast Music composed by Gary Lapow: open.spotify.com/artist/1HlMhcNfKIELxYil5mVqD

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm