When you are still dealing with coercive control or post-separation abuse, healing can feel impossible. How do you rebuild a life when the abuse has not completely ended? In this episode, I’m joined by Anne Paphitis, a survivor and life coach joining us from Ireland. We talk about how she found moments of joy while she was still in her marriage and continued rebuilding herself through the fallout that followed. Anne shares the small but intentional choices that helped her remember she was mor...
If you have ever had your therapist tell you, "That's a legal issue, talk to your attorney," only to have your attorney tell you, "That's something to talk about with your therapist," you know how frustrating it can be to feel like you're the only person connecting all the pieces. And in cases involving coercive control, post-separation abuse, and family court, those pieces are rarely separate. A child's anxiety around parenting-time exchanges may show up in therapy, at school, at the pediatr...
Mica Miller’s story has brought coercive control into the public conversation, but this episode is not about speculating about her death or turning her life into another true crime story. It is about learning to recognize the pattern. When we look at each behavior separately, the seriousness can be easy to miss. A tracking device. Repeated messages and calls. Financial control. Public humiliation. Sexual coercion. Using mental health systems against someone. One incident may not tell us the w...
A protective mom is preparing for her final family court hearing after receiving a fairly neutral CFI report. The evaluator acknowledged that domestic violence occurred during the relationship but did not recognize the post-separation abuse she continues to experience. Although the parenting-time recommendations leaned slightly in her favor, the CFI did not recommend sole decision-making. After hearing stories about judges disregarding evaluators’ recommendations, she is struggling to hold on...
Family court asks survivors to explain years of coercive control within a system that often focuses on isolated incidents, limited evidence, and only a few hours of conversation. So how do you make sure the right information is actually heard? In this episode, I’m joined by Renee Rodriguez from The Custody Blueprint and Best Foot Forward Consulting, LLC. Renee shares how her own experience with coercive control and a custody battle led her to combine her professional background in strategy wi...