‘Everyone deserves a little piece of hope’: Elizabeth Smart shares lessons in resilience at CdA chamber luncheon

Nearly two decades after Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapping worried the world, she stood on stage in Coeur d’Alene in front of hundreds of women Tuesday sharing how she has overcome her traumatic past and chose happiness.

The theme for the inaugural Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber Women’s Luncheon was “connecting with ourselves and others.”

The event brought more than 400 women together in the Coeur d’Alene Resort conference center to hear from both Smart and Marie Widmyer, Mrs. Idaho 2021 and wife to mayor Steve Widmyer.

Smart was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City home at the age of 14 on June 5, 2002, by Brian David Mitchell, who claimed to be a preacher. His wife, Wanda Barzee, helped keep Smart captive for nine months as Mitchell’s “second wife.”

Smart detailed her feelings during the ordeal Tuesday, explaining the one thing that kept her going was thinking back to a conversation she had with her mother, Lois Smart, as a child. Her mother told her that God would always love her and she would always love her.

Knowing that no matter what horrible things happened to her, she was loved, was what motivated Smart to survive, she said.

Nine months after she was kidnapped, Smart was spotted in Sandy, Utah, and was rescued. Smart said the best advice she got in her whole life was from her mother shortly after she was rescued.

Her mother said that the best revenge on her captors is to be happy, despite all the horrible things that happened to her, working toward happiness can help overcome those challenges.

“I think that deciding that happiness is important, deciding that you value it, that you value yourself, making that decision is the first step,” Smart said.

Little did Smart know her experience would inspire other women to choose happiness.

Fellow luncheon speaker Widmyer said she was inspired, in part, by Smart to share her story growing up in more than 20 foster homes. She grew up in North Idaho bouncing from foster home to foster home. A few times it looked like adoption was a possibility but tragedy would strike again.

Her foster parents died in a motorcycle wreck; then a few years later while placed with another family, her foster sister was kidnapped from a Hayden day care.

While Widmyer was able to grow up and become a successful entrepreneur, she still felt embarrassed by her past.

“There were parts of my life that I wanted to hide or forget,” Widmyer said. “Growing up I didn’t see people like me who grew up in foster care. At times I felt different and disconnected to those around me.”

She began feeling there would be value in sharing her story but she was scared to be vulnerable.

“I wanted to encourage others to not let their negative past circumstances predict their future success,” she said.

This past year Widmyer competed in the Mrs. Idaho pageant, winning the title.

“For connection to happen we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen with our whole heart,” Widmyer said. “Because Elizabeth (Smart) allowed herself to be seen and share her story I connected to her.”

Moving on from the kidnapping wasn’t easy, Smart said. She went through a whirlwind of emotions for years and didn’t publicly share her story until after the trial and conviction of her kidnappers.

Smart said in an interview that she felt at the trial she told the court a list of facts about what happened to her but there was so much more to the story.

“My story, me as an individual, I’m so much more than just this list of facts,” Smart said.

Since then Smart has written multiple books and created the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, that works to prevent sexual exploitation and violence while also supporting survivors.

When Smart decided to share her story she realized that so many survivors feel isolated and alone, by talking about her experience, Smart said she hoped to inspire them to be resilient and work toward happiness .

“I feel so grateful for honestly the miracle that happened in my life,” Smart said. “And I know that hope is really what carried me through everything, just having something to hold onto and I guess I feel like everyone deserves that, everyone deserves a little piece of hope.”

Smart’s speech was met with a standing ovation by the hundreds of women at the luncheon. Attendee, Kitten Ferrell said she was “blown away by her strength.”

The thing that surprised Ferrell the most was Smart’s ability to cope with the traumatic experience and to understand what happened to her. Allison Krutulis jumped in from across the table, to say how “remarkable” Smart’s resilience was.

Betty Magnus added that she appreciated the message of choosing happiness despite your problems.

“I just thought it was so powerful that she pushed through this message about choose happiness over poor me,” Magnus said. “I just loved that.”

Similar discussions were sparked around the room, as women shared their struggles and triumphs.

“It’s a profound testament to resilience,” Ferrell said.