Lisa Phillips told the ABC about her time on Jeffrey Epstein's island and the moment she decided to leave his world. ( ABC News: Tim Myers )
Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips says there’s "no way" the disgraced financier took his own life in prison, adding to doubts that have sparked conspiracy theories.
The podcast host says it's time the world focuses on how to stamp out widespread sexual abuse in society.
Lisa Phillips says she's trying to move on with her life after months of advocacy for Epstein survivors around the world.
Every time Lisa Phillips is on her phone, she knows she will see a picture of the man who abused her, Jeffrey Epstein.
"I'm on Instagram, TikTok, his face always pops up," she says.
"I do what I need to do but I don't want to look at his face."
More than a year after Ms Phillips joined dozens of other Epstein survivors on Capitol Hill, sharing their experiences publicly for the first time and demanding the release of the Epstein files, the podcast host is reflecting on the "interesting" turn her life has taken.
" I'm feeling a lot better now than I was about a year ago," she tells triple j hack.
"I have a lot of answered questions, things that I was really curious about since my early 20s.
"I don't regret it because it's actually where I found myself again and got my power back."
Lisa Phillips is one of hundreds of Epstein survivors.
She first met the disgraced businessman on his private island in 2000, when she was working as a model.
Like many others, she describes a cycle of grooming and abuse that continued for years, until she was finally able to get away from the sex offender in 2004.
An email chain printout illustrates the amount of redactions of personally identifiable information the DOJ was required to do before releasing the Epstein files. ( AP Photo: Jon Elswick )
Now, seven years after Epstein's death, and months after millions of documents, images and videos related to the financier were made public, she's relieved.
" Everything that I had known was in those files, so it validated it all for me," she says.
"But many of my survivor sisters' names weren't redacted — their addresses, their emails, pictures.
"It was pretty dirty what they did to them."
While the US Department of Justice maintains it has published all significant records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, there is ongoing debate about what has not been released.
"There's a lot that people don't know," Ms Phillips tells hack.
"I think the Department of Justice just doesn't know what to do because there's so much to go through.
"But there's a lot more to look into, that's for sure."
Conspiracy theories around the death of Jeffrey Epstein in his New York jail cell in August 2019 continue to captivate the world.
Whether or not his death was self-inflicted, as determined by the New York City medical examiner and federal investigations, sparks furious discussions online.
Many, including Epstein's brother and lawyer, have publicly stated they do not believe the sex offender took his own life.
" Absolutely not. No way," she tells hack.
"I don't believe he killed himself because I just felt like he always knew that he would get away with it.
"I think he had too many people behind him to help him get away.
"So no, I don't believe that for a second."
When asked what she believes Jeffrey Epstein would say if he was alive today, Ms Phillips pauses, knowing that her answer will not only surprise but confuse a lot of people.
"When I was with my survivor sisters last … we thought of that … if Jeffrey was alive and he walked in the room right now, what would he say?
"We thought that he would be proud of us."
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have continued campaigning for more transparency, including at a congressional hearing with Pam Bondi in February. ( AP: Tom Brenner )
Ms Phillips says that reaction is indicative of the power of grooming.
"He groomed us to think of him … as a mentor type," she says.
"It's almost like we think he would say, 'Wow, you didn't just stay silent, you're standing up for yourselves.'
"I know it's kind of ironic, but I think that's actually what he would say.
After a break from advocacy to protect her mental health, Lisa Phillips is throwing herself into her podcast, From Now On, where she speaks with other survivors, experts and changemakers.
"We have a big problem all around the world, in Australia too … with sexual abuse in our society," she says.
"We have to figure out what's going on.
Ms Phillips says she has been overwhelmed with the response from other survivors flooding her inbox with their own experiences.
Many of them are men, speaking about abuse that happened to them as children.
She says it's a good reminder for young people to "use their voice" to protect themselves.
"But your mental health, it will destroy you if you keep things inside."
After a year of public campaigning, travel and advocacy, Lisa Phillips says she is looking forward to getting on with the rest of her life.
"It's kind of hard because now I wear a hat … I'm just like, 'Oh great, I am the Epstein survivor.'
"That's not really what I wanted to be in life."
But she admits speaking out has given her a self-belief she never knew existed.
"When people say, 'I am proud of you' or, 'You're so brave because you spoke up,' that's really nice."
Ms Phillips says she's now in a "good place" and is looking forward to finding purpose by supporting other survivors.
"It makes me feel really good changing lives, seeing them getting into a healthy relationship and having a beautiful life," she says.
