Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped at age 14 and held captive for nine months, is urging women to prioritize their intuition when assessing potential danger. Now 38, Smart spoke about the importance of trusting gut feelings during her recently launched podcast, “The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart,” where she interviews other survivors of traumatic experiences.

Smart’s abduction occurred in 2002 when she was taken at knifepoint from her home in Salt Lake City by a man known as a street preacher and his wife. Throughout her captivity, she endured repeated sexual assault. When law enforcement found her in a Salt Lake City suburb in March 2003, Smart was initially hesitant to identify herself, a response shaped by her intense fear of her captors. She later detailed her ordeal in her 2013 memoir, “My Story.”

Reflecting on her experience, Smart emphasized that her upbringing, which encouraged politeness and courtesy, contributed to a reluctance to heed warning signs. She warned that prioritizing being “nice” over responding to one’s instincts can increase vulnerability. “I would say that the idea that it was more important to be nice than it was to listen to my gut feeling was wrong,” she said.

As a mother of three, Smart has made it a priority to teach her daughters, as well as women at large, to trust their instincts and recognize signs of danger. She encouraged individuals to put their safety above concerns about others’ feelings, stating, “Prioritize your safety over other people’s emotions.”

Smart’s advocacy highlights the balance between social conditioning and personal safety, offering guidance rooted in her own survival and recovery.