Survivor Stories Archives

Rediscovering Your True Self After Toxic Relationships and Emotional Abuse [Episode 153]

January 11, 2022

Feeling like a moldy lemon?

Maybe you’re just an onion.

If you’ve escaped the horror of a destructive relationship, but you still feel numb, anxious, depressed, and like a steaming hot mess…it’s easy to believe that “being jacked up” is the new normal. And your whole identity.

It’s not. In fact, what you’re searching for is closer than you can believe:

You’re still a whole person. Your true self isn’t lost. Your body is actually trying to help you heal. The best of you is still there.

But some of these things are covered by layers. Like an onion.

Coatings of trauma. Blankets of pain. Wrappings of core wounds. Cocooned lies.

Want to know how to find that sweet little onion core again? Sara Richmond and I explore this very question.

A Teen’s Perspective on Divorce During the Holidays [Episode 150]

December 21, 2021

What’s it like to experience divorce as a kid?

You’ve heard from me. You’ve heard from experts. You’ve heard from survivors.

What about the young ones caught in the throes of things they don’t understand. The ones who only know that Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and life, will never be the same again.

Divorce through the eyes of a teen…my own daughter.

Three False Beliefs My Abusive Relationship Gave to Me [Episode 143]

November 2, 2021

Imagine carrying around a backpack full of books from high school.

You aren’t taking those classes anymore, but you always carry the weight anyway.

It digs into your shoulders. It makes you tired. Slows you down. Doesn’t let you truly rest. It keeps others from getting close.

Abuse is like that. It teaches us a lot—lessons no one should ever learn. And lessons we don’t even realize we’re still living out.

So we may escape abusive relationships, but we’re stuck in limbo, carrying the textbooks we think hold the truth about life, love, and ourselves.

Listen to this episode to learn how to be truly free from your past.

Finding Joy Even When Life Hurts [Episode 138]

September 28, 2021

If your life is already a tough pill to swallow, taking more medicine is the last thing you want to do. Gross.

But what if it’s the “best medicine”? The type that makes you laugh-cry, hold your sides, and snort with glee.

Laughter and joy and humor can transform the darkest days, the bleakest seasons, and the hardest nights.

And no matter what you’ve been through, you really can experience their life-giving power.

I talk with prolific laugher, Sara Richmond, about how.

Survivor Story: Marie [Episode 132]

August 17, 2021

The length of your marriage. You’ll never forget it. 3 years of holes in the wall. 9 years of sleepless nights. 17 years of pleading. 25 years of silence. 43 years of lowering your standards again and again and again.

While the past can’t be changed, and that time is set, your recovery is NOT. It has NO LIMIT. It has NO TIMELINE.

The depth of your pain and suffering do not outweigh your ability to heal. It all comes down to whether you want it.

The evidence?

Women like Marie. She found healing and transformation in community—one that’s available to you.

What You Need to Know When You Leave [Episode 130]

August 3, 2021

Your marriage was like a jigsaw puzzle. A big, confusing, fragmented mess.

Once you found the “abuse” piece, everything fell into place.

But are you prepared for what happens when you leave? Cause the gloves come off and the rulebook gets tossed out the window.

From two women who’ve been there and who’ve heard countless stories of the same, here’s the cheat sheet for what you need to know when you get out.

Category: Survivor Stories