Left Write Hook in the media
Yarrawonga Chronicle
Survivor-led Left Write Hook events challenge silence around sexual violence
A survivor-led recovery program is prompting reflection, conversation and connection across Benalla and Beechworth, following a series of Left Write Hook documentary screenings and workshops.
The Courier
How a Ballarat boxing program is helping survivors rewrite their stories
Ballarat survivors of sexual abuse and gendered violence are taking part in a clinical trial to see whether boxing combined with expressive writing can help their recovery and wellbeing.
ABC Shepparton
Left Write Hook screening
(Starts at 1hr06mins) Dr Donna Lyon joins Jo Printz to introduce the upcoming screening of the Left Write Hook documentary in Benalla.
ABC Melbourne Drive
(Starts at 2h18mins) Dr Donna Lyon joins Justin Smith to talk about the impact of childhood sexual abuse and how much boxing and writing helped her. She introduces Left Write Hook and how it impacts survivors.
The Spit Bucket – a boxing fanzine
Interview with Dr Donna Lyon, founder and CEO of Left Write Hook, a charity organisation based in Melbourne, Australia.
ABC Listen Central Victoria
Left Write Hook, the documentary
(starts at 39mins) Pixie, Left Write Hook film participant and Kate Wright, CASA CV CEO, join Fiona Parker to talk about the program and the documentary, ahead of the Bendigo screening.
The Australian
Abuse recovery program packs powerful punch.
The Left Write Hook program has been shown to reduce depression, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder and leave participants feeling strong with a sense of agency and belonging, says the charity founder, The University of Melbourne filmmaker Dr Donna Lyon.
Pressing:On with Claudia Nankervis
Empowering Survivors through Boxing and Creative Writing
Tune in to hear how Donna drew on her own lived experiences as a trauma survivor to create this unique and rapidly expanding charity. Learn more about Left, Write, Hook's flagship 8-week workshop, which was first held in 2019 and has led to a published book of survivor stories and more recently an award winning documentary now screening on Netflix.
Evaluation of the Left Write Hook program for men
Project Supervisor: Dr Caitlin Hitchcock
Additional Researchers: Dr Daniel Rylatt, Dr Donna Lyon, Dr Emma Veltman, Ms Molly Butler, Dr Alicia Smith
Published in February 2026
Pro Bono Australia
Rewriting the Script. Building What’s Next For Survivors
Donna Lyon, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne and the founder and CEO of Left Write Hook, a survivor-led charity combining writing, boxing, and peer support to support recovery from childhood sexual abuse and gendered violence.
The Australian
Gong contenders already making real-life difference
A charity helping people recover from child sexual abuse through boxing and writing, and a school-based anti-vaping program are among the finalists in Universities Australia’s Shaping Australia awards.
What I Wish I Knew At 30:
Turning Trauma Into Purpose Through Creativity & Empowerment
Discover how filmmaker and charity CEO Donna Lyon transformed trauma, addiction, and adversity into a life of purpose, creativity, and empowerment. In this compelling episode host Fran Harper dives into Donna’s journey from “surviving” to “leading,” and how her organisation Left Write Hook helps survivors heal through storytelling, movement, and community.
The Corowa Free Press
Benalla to host acclaimed Left Write Hook program.
An internationally acclaimed program offering a hands-on workshop for victim-survivors of family and sexual violence is headed to Benalla in 2026.
Left Write Hook:Trial protocol for a community-based type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation cluster randomised controlled trial (…)
Left Write Hook: trial protocol for a community-based type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation cluster randomised controlled trial of a boxing and writing-based intervention for adult survivors of child sexual abuse and gender-based violence in Australia
Molly Butler, Emma Veltman, Donna Lyon, et al. (2025).
Published in BMJ Open,15, e099536. 10 September 2025.
Institute of Community Directors Australia
Punching through the pain of abuse
Left Write Hook is a charity that uses a unique blend of journal writing and boxing training to support victim-survivors of childhood sexual abuse and gendered violence.
Sunraysia Daily
Knocking out a left write hook
A one-off public screening of a documentary following the journey of eight survivors of childhood sexual abuse taking part in a trauma-recovery program will be held this month.
The Daily Telegraph
Brian Austin Green promotes Left Write Hook charity while in Sydney
Austin Green spoke to the Telegraph in support of the Left Write Hook charity initiative, which empowers survivors of child sexual abuse and trauma.
Herald Sun
Sexual abuse survivors call for more ‘informal’ services to help their recovery
Victims of sexual abuse say there is a shortage of long-term help outside of the counsellor’s office, fearing the “narrow” stream of options will “compromise” their recovery.