Sexual Abuse Survivor Shaun T on Other Assault Victims Coming Forward: 'Unleash Your Power'

Shaun T, a survivor of sexual abuse as a child, is "really happy" to see other victims coming out

As a survivor of sexual abuse as a child, Shaun T is glad to see other assault victims coming forward with allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and other men in Hollywood.

The fitness trainer opens up about his own abuse in his new memoir, T Is for Transformation, out Tuesday, and says that talking openly about sexual assault can give victims a sense of relief.

“The more you keep it hidden inside and the more you keep it hidden in your closet the less power you have. So it’s about taking your power back,” Shaun T, 39, tells PEOPLE Now. “Unleash your power.”

The Beachbody trainer was sexually molested between the ages of 8 to 12, and says that he was only able to move past it in the last few years, after he started reflecting on the abuse.

“What gave me the strength to share my story is when I actually overcame that abuse and I went to therapy, and then I looked back at that 8-year-old boy, and I was like, he’s actually the strongest person I know,” Shaun T says. “So I went back and I visited little Shauny. And I said thank you. Thank you for being strong to get me where I am today.”

The dad-to-be knows that sexual assault is tough to talk about, but emphasizes that coming out will only help other people.

“One of the things that people ask me a lot is, why didn’t you say anything? And obviously I talk about in the book why I didn’t say anything, but the more people talk about it, the more people will say it,” Shaun T explains. “They’ll feel free to know that other people have been through this too and you’re not alone. The more people who talk about it, the more you feel like you have an army of people behind you that can support you. And I’m one of those people that can support you.”