Sonia Orchard is an award-winning author, speaker, survivor advocate and educator whose work explores courage, power, trauma, prevention and the transformative potential of storytelling.
She is the author of five books, including Groomed (2025), a memoir about sexual abuse, grooming and navigating the justice system, which was shortlisted for the 2026 National Biography Award and the Davitt Awards. Her latest book, Before the Harm: Preventing Abuse, Protecting Children (Monash University Publishing, 2026), draws on extensive research and conversations with survivors, researchers, frontline practitioners and people who have caused harm. Sonia speaks about the conditions that allow harm to occur — and the knowledge, capacity and cultural change that can prevent it. Her work challenges audiences to think differently about responsibility, power, vulnerability, childhood trauma and the role all of us can play in creating safer communities.
Alongside her writing and advocacy, Sonia designs and facilitates life-writing and storytelling programs with people whose voices are rarely heard in the mainstream. She has worked with women in prison, young people in youth justice, and women and gender-diverse people experiencing homelessness, family violence and disadvantage. Her programs use storytelling to build confidence, connection and agency, and to enable people to reclaim authorship of their own stories.
Her broader writing spans fiction, memoir, science, environment, parenting and social justice, and she has appeared across television, radio, print, festivals and public events.
With degrees spanning music, literature and environmental science/marine biology, as well as a PhD in creative writing, Sonia brings an unusual combination of lived experience, research and storytelling to the stage. She is passionate about prioritising and honouring childhood, and helping governments, organisations and communities understand the importance of supporting children and the families and communities around them. She is also willing to look directly at difficult subjects — including violence, perpetration and trauma — and explore how greater understanding, alongside the power of storytelling, can move us beyond awareness towards empathy, prevention and meaningful change.
Speaking topics include: grooming and the prevention of child sexual abuse; child wellbeing and prevention; courage and difficult conversations; trauma, recovery and resilience; power and consent; justice and the survivor experience; justice reform; storytelling as a tool for social change; whose voices get heard and whose are overlooked; writing and life writing; community and belonging; parenting and adolescence; and turning lived experience into meaningful change.
You can hear Sonia talk about her book ‘Groomed’ on the One Question podcast here:
And on ABC News here:
Testimonials
“Sonia is a compelling speaker, her story speaks strongly to a wide range of audience members. Sonia’s examination of the complexity of grooming and the lasting impact of trauma is an important contribution to the conversation we need to have on child sexual abuse in all its forms.”
“Sonia made a powerful contribution to Spotlight on Sexual Violence. Her story brought the realities of victim-survivor experiences into sharp focus, grounding the academic presentations in lived experience. She spoke clearly to the ways systems meant to deliver justice can instead perpetuate harm. Through a compelling blend of personal experience, research, and systems analysis, she created a narrative that resonated deeply with the audience… Sonia’s willingness to share her insights reminds us of the strength and clarity that children and young people bring to this work. It also challenges us – as researchers, policymakers and practitioners – to do better; to design systems that truly work for children and young people, and to ensure our work is grounded in what matters most to them.”