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Michelle Denault is an advocate and educator who brings a survivor’s strength and a teacher’s heart to the critical conversation on child safety and sexual abuse prevention. As the founder of Voices Carry, she developed “Grooming 101 – A Predator’s Playbook,” a training that empowers both adults and students to recognize and respond to the subtle signs of grooming behavior. Michelle’s work is grounded in the belief that awareness is the first step toward protection—and that every member of a school community plays a role in keeping children safe. She challenges schools to move beyond awareness campaigns and toward a culture of vigilance, empathy, and shared responsibility. With a blend of personal experience and professional insight, Michelle equips audiences with the knowledge and confidence to act before harm can occur.
WHY
Book
Michelle
FOR YOUR EVENT?
“Michelle Denault has a story to share that can empower students and equip leaders. Her presentations strike the right balance of personal details and more generalized information to illustrate the process and impact of grooming and sexual abuse. I highly recommend her program to those who want to keep students safe and empower them to speak out if harm has already occurred.”
-Faith Colson, Survivor, Advocate, and Namesake of Faith’s Law
WHO
Books
Michelle
?
Michelle connects with audiences through personal storytelling, eye-opening insights, and a passionate call to action that empowers and inspires. Her presentations focus on topics such as child sexual abuse prevention, grooming awareness, creating safe school environments, and equipping both students and adults with the tools to recognize and interrupt predatory behavior.
Recent audiences Michelle has spoken to include:
National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO)
Gangs, Guns, and School Violence Prevention Summit (Vancouver, BC)
Michigan State Police
Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education
Hoogland Center for the Arts
Add your school or organization to the list of those inspired by Michelle - book her today!
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Get Inspired
TO BRING
Michelle
TO YOUR NEXT EVENT!
SPEAKER
Topics Include
Mental & Behavioral Health
Culture, Climate, & Community
Leadership, Law, & Policy
Grooming & Exploitation
Sexual Abuse Prevention
Identifying & Supporting At-Risk Students
Trauma-Informed Practices
Childhood Trauma & Adverse Experiences
Recovery & Resilience After Tragedy
Turning Pain into Purpose
Lessons Learned from Tragedy
Signature
PRESENTATIONS
Click on the titles to learn more about each signature presentation and fill out the form below to book for your next event.
Grooming 101
1 Hour
In this powerful presentation, Michelle sheds light on the insidious grooming process. Michelle shares her journey while dissecting each step of grooming. Through her dual lens as both a survivor and an administrator’s wife, she reveals how predators exploit a child’s natural desire for love, manipulating them into unwittingly consenting to their violation. Michelle also addresses the tendency to blame victims rather than hold perpetrators accountable. Her insights highlight the critical need for training and dispelling societal misconceptions so we can better protect our children. These failures have far-reaching consequences, affecting individuals, entire communities, and institutions.
It Is Your Business
3-hour (½ day PD) with “Grooming 101” included
The "It Is Your Business" program builds upon the foundational "Grooming 101 - A Predator's Playbook," offering a deeper exploration into the complexities of grooming and sexual abuse. This expanded session covers key risk factors, signs to watch for, and how societal misconceptions and generalizations often distort our understanding of these behaviors. The program also highlights the long-term impacts on victims, aiming to educate adults on the nuances of grooming and equip them with the knowledge needed for prevention and intervention. This initiative empowers participants to better protect the well-being of children and young adults by providing a comprehensive understanding of predatory behaviors and the grooming process. The session also includes a brief overview of mandated reporter laws and, for institutions in Illinois, details on Faith’s Law.
Grooming 101 (Extended)
2 Hours
This session includes all the aspects of the Basic 1 hour with the addition of an overview of societal misconceptions about sexual violence, supported by real-life cases and court documents. The extended 2-hour session goes further into exploring the long-term emotional and psychological impact on survivors and what it’s like to live with the effects of sexual violence for a lifetime.
It Is Your Business (Extended)
Full day (9:00 to 3:30 with 1-hour lunch and breaks built into each hour)
This program is identical to the three hours with the exception that it includes extended training on Mandated Reporting, Faith’s Law, and Title IX regulations in K-12 schools
Grooming 101 (Student)
The student program does not include the same statistics as the adult program. The student program also speaks to students on their level and where they are in their age group. For example: “How many of you have heard your parents say: ‘Just wait till you grow up! You think you have it bad now.’” I try to show them that we, as adults in society, often forget how hard it is to be a kid. In that forgetfulness, we neglect to share with them or understand how vulnerable they are to “grooming” behaviors and abuse.
Healthy Relationships and Internet Safety
Testimonials
“Michelle’s presentation was a highlight of our conference. Her energy, passion, and strength kept the audience on the edge of their seats, and when it was over they wanted more. Michelle speaks up for all the survivors, but especially those who cannot speak out themselves.”
-Jeremy Flood, Board President, Illinois School Resource Officers Administration
Speaker
BIOGRAPHY
Michelle Denault, owner and founder of “Voices Carry, LLC”, is a survivor of Educator Sexual Abuse and the creator of the training “Grooming 101 - A Predator’s Playbook”.
In 2015, after decades of believing she had been in a “love relationship” with a trusted teacher, a moment in time shifted her perspective and opened her eyes to the truth that she hadn't been loved but instead preyed on and abused. Since that time, Michelle has been speaking her truth, advocating for change, and in a fight in the justice system to bring accountability to her abuser and his enablers. Michelle teaches “Grooming 101” in schools and at conferences to train adults on how to recognize the signs a child is being groomed and to teach students how to recognize they or their peers may be being groomed.
Michelle is married to Mike Denault, Superintendent of the Waltonville School District, and has two boys, Jonny and Jacob Forbes, and two stepdaughters, Emersyn and Addysen.