Lina Nguyen is a powerful advocate for truth, justice, and humanity. A lawyer, mediator, writer, and award-winning podcast host, Lina helps people navigate conflict with clarity and care. She is also a survivor of workplace sexual violence—raped by a police officer and later subjected to a four-day cross-examination while six months pregnant. After speaking up, she lost her job—but found something far more powerful: her voice. Today, she leads a legal and mediation practice that prioritises justice with compassion. As co-host of The Lawyer, The Sniper and the NSW Police, Lina combines lived experience with deep expertise to help others rebuild after harm. Her work empowers survivors and professionals alike to seek justice, reclaim identity, and find purpose beyond pain.

Have you ever felt punished for telling the truth?

In this powerful episode of Healing Through Love, host Sharlene Lynch welcomes Lina Nguyen, a lawyer, mediator, and survivor of workplace sexual violence, who shares her personal story of harm, truth-telling, and rising from the ruins.

Lina’s experience is heartbreaking but not uncommon: raped by a police officer at a work event, then cross-examined while six months pregnant. Speaking up cost her career—but it also ignited something greater: a new mission to help others navigate justice, healing, and self-respect.

This episode offers survivors a voice and a mirror. You’ll discover:
💜 How to reclaim your voice, even after being silenced
💜 What justice can look like when traditional systems fail
💜 How to rebuild your life, your identity, and your sense of purpose

Lina is more than her trauma. She’s a legal expert who now leads a heart-centered practice. Her work—and this conversation—blend humanity with professionalism to offer hope and direction to those starting over.

This is an episode for every survivor who’s been told to stay quiet. It’s time to speak, to heal, and to rise—on your own terms.

✅ Three Key Takeaways:

1. Speaking your truth is an act of self-respect—even when it’s costly.
2. Justice isn’t always delivered by systems—it can be defined on your terms.
3. You can rebuild your life, identity, and career after loss—and start again with purpose and power.

Introduction of Guest Lina Nguyen

• Lina Nguyen is introduced as a lawyer, mediator, writer, and award-winning podcast host who helps people move through conflict with clarity and care.
• She is a survivor of workplace sexual violence who was raped by a police officer at a work function and later cross-examined for four days while six months pregnant.
• After speaking up about the incident, she lost her job but eventually reclaimed her power, voice, purpose and developed a new vision for justice.

Initial Response and Coping Mechanisms After Trauma

• Lina’s lawyer brain automatically activated the morning after the rape, which helped protect her and enabled her to survive the immediate aftermath.
• The brain and body have incredible protective mechanisms that help trauma survivors get through the initial crisis period.
• Her legal training allowed her to think logically about reporting options and next steps, including whether she had to report the incident and what would happen if she didn’t.

Legal Process and Criminal Investigation

• Lina went through the process of reporting the matter and having a criminal investigation conducted by police against a police officer.
• When she was informed that the case would not proceed to criminal court for prosecution, she explored her options for civil litigation.
• She pursued legal action by suing both her former employer, the New South Wales Police Force, and the perpetrator.
• Lina believes in healing through the justice system and legal processes when survivors have the right legal solution, support, and team.

Advice for Survivors Considering Legal Action

• Survivors should know their legal rights and understand how the law can support their healing journey.
• Legal action can help survivors obtain justice, compensation for losses such as jobs or homes, or protection from being silenced.
• Understanding legal options is important for survivors who want to speak about their story without being forced into silence through non-disclosure agreements.
• Lina recorded her podcast during her civil case and ensured she wouldn’t be silenced by contractual agreements.
• Survivors should consider whether there are legal issues where a good lawyer can help identify problems and provide legal solutions.

Flaws in the Criminal Investigation Process

• The police investigation had fundamental flaws including assigning a detective with no experience in sexual assault cases who had just come from the drugs and firearms squad.
• The investigating detective did not understand the impact of trauma on memory, which affected the quality of the investigation.
• Lina experienced slut shaming during the investigation, with witnesses giving evidence about how she was dressed and behaved.
• These investigative flaws meant the criminal case didn’t have a proper chance to proceed, though Lina acknowledges that NSW Police has since improved its sexual assault investigations.

Understanding Legal Standards and Victim Control

• Criminal cases require evidence to meet the standard of beyond reasonable doubt, which is the highest legal standard in any type of case.
• This standard is higher than civil cases or family court proceedings, making criminal prosecution more difficult to achieve.
• The decision to lay criminal charges is not within the victim’s control, and Lina learned to let go of things she couldn’t control.
• Survivors need to understand that criminal charges are not always the right solution for every victim survivor.
• Civil cases can provide an alternative path to justice that gives survivors more control over the process.

Benefits of Legal Consultation for Trauma Survivors

• Speaking with a lawyer provides a different type of conversation than talking with family members, psychologists, counselors, or doctors.
• Legal consultation can help by removing emotion from the situation in a kind and compassionate way.
• A good lawyer should explain legal options, rights, risks, and costs without emotional attachment so survivors can make logical decisions.
• Lawyers can provide refreshing conversations during the healing journey by walking with survivors and explaining complex legal matters with kindness and compassion.
• Legal professionals want to make a difference for people and help protect and support them through complicated legal systems.

Considerations for Survivors in Trauma Brain

• A survivor’s health, emotional safety, physical safety, and psychological safety must come first before considering legal options.
• If survivors are not ready to communicate about their trauma in a safe and productive way, speaking to a lawyer should not be a top priority.
• Survivors need to get into the right headspace and heart space before engaging with legal processes.
• Even lawyer brain doesn’t always help trauma survivors, as it can prevent them from acknowledging their victim status.
• There are strengths in allowing oneself to be a victim and acknowledging that reality, while the priority should be physical survival and staying alive.

Reclaiming Voice Despite Disbelief and Blame

• Lina made an early decision to report the incident regardless of whether people believed her, separating emotional belief from legal credibility.
• There is a difference between being believed emotionally and having credibility as a witness from a legal technical standpoint.
• Survivors can choose to heal and seek justice without needing approval or belief from others.
• While some people may not believe survivors, there are many others who will believe and support them without requiring proof.
• The fact that someone says an experience happened to them is enough, and their truth is valid without having to prove anything to others.

Healing Through Love Organization Services

• Healing Through Love offers pamper days for survivors of family and domestic violence, which are like day spas with 25 different practitioners providing free services.
• Services include skincare, hair massage, hair styling, makeup, hand massage, chakra aligning, and various other therapies.
• The organization operates both locally and globally since 2023, and has won a global ambassador award through the UN.
• The organization started as a local initiative but has expanded to become a global movement.
• One pamper day is believed to change survivors’ entire lives through the comprehensive support provided.

Next Steps

• The podcast will have Lina return as a guest for future episodes to explore additional questions about rebuilding business and life after trauma.
• Healing Through Love is seeking practitioners to volunteer for pamper days and potential podcast guests.
• Survivors are encouraged to reach out to Healing Through Love for support services.
• Survivors should consider legal consultation if they feel there may be a legal path to their healing.
• The organization continues to expand its global reach to support more survivors of family and domestic violence.

• Lina Nguyen, a lawyer, mediator, writer, and podcast host, shares her experience as a survivor of workplace sexual violence by a police officer at a work function, which resulted in her losing her job.
• After the assault, Lina’s lawyer brain helped her navigate the trauma, leading her to report the incident and eventually pursue legal action against both her former employer and the perpetrator.
• Lina advocates for knowing your legal rights as a vehicle for healing, whether seeking justice, compensation for lost jobs or homes, or fighting against being silenced through non-disclosure agreements.
• The criminal investigation of Lina’s case was flawed, with the detective lacking experience in sexual assault cases and not understanding the impact of trauma on memory, resulting in no criminal charges being filed.
• Lina explained that criminal cases require evidence beyond reasonable doubt, a higher standard than civil cases, which led her to pursue civil action against her former employer after criminal charges weren’t filed.
• When speaking with a lawyer, Lina notes the benefit of taking emotion out of the situation to make logical decisions about legal options, rights, risks, and costs with compassion and guidance.
• Lina emphasizes that emotional and physical safety should be prioritized before pursuing legal options, acknowledging that victims need to be in the right headspace to effectively communicate with lawyers.
• For those who have been silenced or disbelieved, Lina shares her approach of reporting regardless of whether others believed her, distinguishing between emotional belief and legal credibility as a witness.
• Lina’s final advice to listeners is to consider legal solutions as part of their healing journey, expressing her belief in the Australian legal system’s ability to help survivors heal.