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Some stories start with a roadmap. Ours begins on the side of a highway, smoke from a sliced radiator curling into the night while Dayelene and her son lie on a picnic rug, laughing at the chaos and choosing to keep moving.
From Airlie Beach’s endless summer to Victoria’s four seasons in a day, this is a candid journey through starting over, co‑parenting after domestic violence and learning how to let go of identities that no longer fit.
Dayelene is a single mum who rebuilt life twice, first for safety, then for alignment. She opens up about the hidden cost of coercive control, the slow burn of CPTSD and what it took to find grounding when anxiety kept hunting for the next storm. We talk safety planning and court hurdles, the sting of rental shortages, sneaking a beloved dog into motels on a state-spanning drive and the moment she realised that “old ways don’t open new doors.”
There’s no gloss here, just the real, repetitive work of recovery and the honest truth that relapse and repair can live in the same week. The conversation leans into practical tools including EMDR and therapy, daily systems that respect limited capacity, ten-minute walks that restart the day, food that steadies the mind and hobbies that reignite confidence. We unpack how to stop replicating yesterday’s life in today’s context, how to choose connection over isolation and how to teach kids resilience by letting them see you break and rise.
We also share what’s next for Dayelene, finishing a body–mind practitioner qualification, stepping fully into trauma‑informed coaching and launching a free community event in Geelong with breath work, meditation and open‑armed connection.
If you’ve ever felt stuck between survival and growth, this episode offers hope you can hold and steps you can actually take. Subscribe, share with someone who needs a steady voice, and leave a review to help more Everyday Warriors find their way back to themselves.
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Music Credit: Cody Martin - Sunrise (first 26 episodes) then custom made for me.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, experiences and stories shared by guests on the Everyday Warriors Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host, Trudie Marie, or the Everyday Warriors Podcast.
Guests are responsible for the accuracy of the information they choose to share and speak from their own personal experiences and perspectives. While every effort is made to provide a respectful and supportive platform for open conversation, the host accepts no responsibility or liability for the statements, opinions, advice, claims or recollections expressed by guests during a...