The author and advocate for survivors hosts the true crime podcast ‘The Survivor Files With Elizabeth Smart,’ which she hopes will help other women stay safe

NEED TO KNOW

• Elizabeth Smart hosts a true crime podcast featuring survivors reclaiming their lives after traumatic experiences
• Smart says women should prioritize safety over politeness when someone or a situation feels wrong
• The mother of three teaches her daughters to trust their instincts and leave uncomfortable situations

Kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart has launched a true crime podcast with a focus on survivors and how they’ve rebuilt their lives after traumatic experiences.

In The Survivor Files With Elizabeth Smart, Smart, now 38 and a mother of three, speaks with fellow survivors about their harrowing experiences and journeys toward healing.

“I actually find these stories incredibly inspiring and help me to continue to just try to reach for the life that I want to live,” says Smart, who, in 2002, was abducted at knifepoint from her Salt Lake City bedroom at age 14, and held captive and sexually assaulted for nine months before being rescued.

“These people, they are trusting me with their stories,” she continues of guests like Kara Robinson Chamberlain, who escaped a serial killer, and Chris Cander, who was abducted and threatened at knifepoint while studying abroad in Spain.

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“They are sharing the worst moments of their life. They’re making themselves vulnerable. And that can be a really scary thing. But right off the bat, you know they survived what happened to them. You know they got away, which I think is just a testament to their strength, to their resiliency.”

She adds, “I get to keep listening to these incredible survivors talk about not allowing these monsters to ruin their lives or steal any of their time away from them.”

Smart says she understands the importance of not allowing her kidnapping to define the rest of her life.

“I recognize there are some pretty terrible people in this world. Unfortunately, I’ve had experience with two of them. But it’s also just made me realize I have one shot at life,” she tells PEOPLE. “And I know that I want to live my best possible life. I want to live, and do all of the things that I want to do.”

Drawing from her own experience, Smart says she’s made it a priority to teach her daughters — and other young women — how to recognize potentially dangerous situations and trust their instincts.

“Prioritize your safety over other people’s emotions,” she says. “There’s this saying, you will never see a gazelle getting into an elevator with a lion. But as women, we typically stifle our intuitions. And even if there is someone questionable or that makes you feel uncomfortable, we think, ‘Oh, I don’t wanna offend them.’”

She says that’s the wrong instinct.

“I think definitely for me, I was raised to be polite and respectful and courteous, and I think that’s great, but 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 adds, “In reality, I would hope that my daughters, if they felt something was wrong, would just say, nope, I’m waiting for the next elevator.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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