Speaking

Jen Kiaba is an artist, writer, and speaker whose work explores coercive control, belief systems, embodiment, and the long afterlife of ideology within the body. Her talks draw from her long-form photographic practice, lived experience as a second-generation cult survivor, and ongoing academic work in the psychology of coercive control.

Rather than offering prescriptive frameworks or inspirational narratives, Jen’s speaking work centers on witnessing, language, and recognition — how systems of control are internalized, normalized, and quietly resisted over time.

She is particularly interested in conversations that sit at the intersection of:

  • Art and lived experience

  • Religious trauma and recovery

  • Coercive control beyond romantic relationships

  • The body as a site of memory, belief, and compliance

  • Creative practice as a form of meaning-making, not resolution

Selected Talks & Presentations

Jen has presented artist talks and lectures in conference and gallery contexts, including:

  • The Phoenix Project — International Cultic Studies Association Annual Conference (Montreal, Québec)

  • Healing Through Art: Reclaiming & Rewriting Your Narrative — Conference on Religious Trauma (Vancouver, BC)

  • Unification Church (Moonie) Second Generation Adults: The Future is Unwritten — International Cultic Studies Association (Virtual Conference)

  • Story Sessions: Fear, Creativity & Connection for Artists — Promoting Passion Convention (Joshua Tree, CA)

  • Gallery artist talks in conjunction with solo exhibitions of Burdens of a White Dress

(Full details available on CV.)

Approach

Jen’s speaking style is reflective, image-driven, and emotionally precise. She does not position herself as a clinician or authority figure, but as an artist engaging in sustained inquiry — often leaving space for ambiguity, discomfort, and unfinished questions.

She is especially well-suited for:

  • Artist talks and university lectures

  • Conferences focused on trauma, belief systems, or recovery

  • Panel discussions bridging art, psychology, and social structures

  • Intimate, discussion-based formats rather than keynote stages

Current Focus

Jen is currently completing an MSc diploma in the Psychology of Coercive Control, deepening her research into how non-physical forms of domination operate across religious, familial, and cultural systems.

She welcomes invitations that value depth over spectacle and conversation over performance.

For speaking inquiries, please use the contact form or email listed below.

 
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Contact Me

Speaking Samples:

The Artist Entrepreneur Podcast

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EPISODE 020
HOW TO PUSH THROUGH FEAR AND STAND OUT IN A CROWD OF GOOD ARTISTS

Together, Jen and Catherine talk about the challenges and insecurities that come with building an art career, especially when everyone else seems to have it all together, and how there will always be reasons or excuses to give up, but that it’s up to you to turn your vision into reality. This episode is so packed with sound advice, you’ll want to go back to it…and not just once!

 
 

Fear, Creativity & Connection for Artists. Promoting Passion Convention, 2018. 14 minutes.

Perceptions of Beauty. Fashion Filter Panel, 2014. 16 mins.