Peace Over Pieces Domestic Abuse Survivor Podcast

Adama is a survivor of sexual violence, advocate, and founder of WHAN, an organization supporting African women affected by domestic abuse, sexual violence, and wider health inequalities. Alongside her work within the NHS, she has dedicated herself to helping women navigate not only survival, but the often complicated journey of rebuilding life after abuse.In this episode, Adama brings together lived experience and professional insight to explore what recovery really looks like. She discusses why healing doesn’t simply begin and end with leaving an abusive situation, and the work involved in rebuilding confidence, identity, purpose, and a sense of safety.Adama also sheds light on some of the barriers African women may face when seeking support, as well as the connection between trauma and women’s health. Through her work and her own journey, she offers a practical and hopeful perspective on life after survival—reminding us that recovery can take many forms, and that rebuilding is possible.

LaDonna Renee Crusby is a survivor advocate, speaker, author, educator, and founder of the LaDonna Renee VST Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors find their voice and connect with resources. A survivor of kidnapping and sexual assault at age 14, LaDonna has transformed her lived experience into a mission of advocacy, education, and support for others.In this episode, LaDonna explores the many layers of her healing journey, from the relationship patterns she witnessed as a child and the ways trauma shaped her responses to fear, to its lasting impact on self-worth, relationships, and the patterns we can unknowingly carry into adulthood.She shares what she has learned about moving forward despite fear, the importance of having a supportive village, and the power of recognizing harmful cycles before they continue into the next generation. Through her story and advocacy, LaDonna reminds survivors that finding your voice can be part of reclaiming your power, and that no one should have to navigate healing alone.

Joy is a mother of two, a devoted dog mom to her golden retriever, and a betrayal trauma and life transition coach who helps women rebuild their lives after infidelity, divorce, and identity loss. Drawing from her own healing journey and a trauma-informed approach, she empowers women to move beyond survival and create lives rooted in peace, purpose, and joy.In this episode, Joy shares how betrayal can shake every part of a person's identity—and why healing requires more than simply moving on. She opens up about the importance of regulating the nervous system, rebuilding self-worth, and finding the strength to embrace a new chapter after life's most painful transitions.Through her coaching, Joy helps women rediscover who they are beyond the pain of broken relationships. Her story is a reminder that even after profound heartbreak, healing is possible, confidence can be restored, and a joyful future can still be created.

Chloe, founder of Garden of Her, is a relationship healing coach dedicated to helping women understand the connection between the homes they grew up in and the relationships they continue to find themselves in. After escaping an abusive relationship, becoming a mother, and moving abroad to China, Chloe began the inner healing work that would completely transform her life.In this episode, Chloe shares how journaling became the tool that helped her connect the dots between her childhood, deeply rooted relationship patterns, and the cycles she couldn't seem to break. She opens up about the lessons she learned through her own healing journey and why understanding our past is often the key to creating healthier relationships in the future.Through Garden of Her and her coaching program, Boldly Rewritten, Chloe now empowers women to recognize unhealthy patterns, rebuild their sense of self, and create relationships rooted in safety, self-worth, and authenticity. Her message is a powerful reminder that the people who hurt us may not have started the pattern—and that healing begins when we're willing to understand where it truly began.

Liz Alley is a survivor, author, advocate, and educator whose life has been dedicated to helping others find safety, healing, and hope after abuse. When she entered a battered women's shelter in Big Bear, California, with three of her children in 1990, she believed escaping the violence would end the fear. Instead, she began a much deeper journey—one of rebuilding her identity, rediscovering her faith, and learning how to transform pain into purpose.In this episode, Liz shares her powerful story of surviving domestic violence, navigating the challenges of healing, and finding the courage to move forward. She opens up about the experiences that inspired her memoir, The Road to Big Bear: A Memoir of Domestic Violence Survival, Faith, and Forgiveness, and the lessons she learned about resilience, forgiveness, and personal strength along the way.Liz also discusses her decades of advocacy work supporting survivors, educating young people about violence prevention, and creating programs that strengthen families and communities. From serving as a domestic violence advocate to founding a family resource center and helping vulnerable populations rebuild their lives, Liz has dedicated herself to turning her own healing into a source of hope for others.Her story is a powerful reminder that survival is only the beginning—and that healing, purpose, and a meaningful life are possible on the other side of abuse.