I Choose The Bear Podcast

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses experiences of physical aggression and animal harm.

Abuse doesn’t always look like anger — sometimes it’s calm, mocking, or disguised as humor. This episode unpacks how emotional and psychological abuse can hide in plain sight and how survivors can begin to take their power back.

October is almost over… but what other awareness lives quietly among the rest?

We see pink ribbons and mental health posts.

We honor Down Syndrome and infant loss.

But there’s another story woven through this month …one that isn’t always seen, but deeply felt.

Domestic Violence Awareness.

This isn’t just for survivors.

It’s for all women and the men who stand beside them. Because nearly half of all women have experienced abuse in some form.

That means we all know someone who’s lived it, hidden it, or is still trying to heal from it.

Awareness isn’t just about statistics. It’s about empathy, courage, and change.

As October fades, I’m holding space for all the causes this month carries: the strength, the stories, the awareness, and the healing behind each one.

Domestic Violence Awareness is just one of them.

But like each ribbon this month, it reminds us how deeply human we all are …how connection, compassion, and courage can change everything.

Let’s keep carrying that light forward.

What Abuse Looks Like (Part 3 of 4)

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of physical and sexual abuse. Please listen only if you feel emotionally safe to do so. Take breaks or skip this one if you need to — your safety matters.

In this episode of I Choose the Bear Podcast, I explore three of the most visible and painful forms of abuse — physical, sexual, and financial.

These forms of control are never about anger or money — they’re about power.

This conversation is a space of truth, validation, and healing — for anyone who has ever felt unsafe in their own body or trapped by someone else’s control.

Resources Mentioned:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

• RAINN (Sexual Assault Hotline) – 1-800-656-4673

• The Allstate Foundation Moving Ahead Program

• National Network to End Domestic Violence

Your body belongs to you. Your safety is sacred. Rise like the phoenix. Find strength like the bear.

Healing doesn’t mean you stop crying — it means your tears start to change.

In this episode, I open up about the quiet grief that lingers after leaving a painful relationship — the ache for the love that never was, the longing for true partnership, and the strength it takes to keep rebuilding.

Through raw honesty and faith, I hope to remind all of us that tears aren’t weakness — they’re release. Because even in the heartbreak and loneliness, God is still filling the cracks with grace, hope, and gold.

This episode is for the woman who still cries, but keeps choosing to heal… to hope… and to rise.

In this episode of I Choose the Bear, I sit down with Amy Liptak, a certified counselor in Bloomington, Indiana, to talk about the realities women face during and after abusive relationships. Amy brings years of experience walking alongside women as they untangle from the toll that abuse leaves behind.

Together, we discuss how women fall into these types of relationships, why leaving can feel so difficult, and Amy also shares resources she recommends for women navigating this journey. Her contact information and the resources mentioned in this conversation are included in the show notes for anyone seeking further support.

This is a conversation filled with honesty, wisdom, and hope—reminding you that healing is possible and you are not alone.

*Side note* EMDR was mentioned in the podcast to have been developed in the 90's but it was actually around 1987.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Ramani

Dr. Kim Sage

Dr. Brené Brown

[email protected]

In this deeply personal journal reading, I open up about the emotional rollercoaster I experienced before separation — the gaslighting, the spiritual guilt, the financial fear, and the crushing pressure to “fix” a marriage I didn’t break.

You’ll hear my heavy words — written in the thick of it — as I questioned my future, my faith, and if I was too broken.

I talk about what it felt like to try so hard while constantly being blamed, silenced, and pulled into chaos by someone who refused to believe he was abusive.

If you’ve ever felt like you were the only one trying… this episode is for you.

In Part 2 of our conversation, Dr. Mallory Knipe returns to discuss the psychosomatic symptoms of trauma, how they show up in the body, and practical tools you can begin using today. We also share helpful resources for deepening your understanding of trauma’s lasting impact.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

• What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo

• Traumatic Experience and the Brain by Dave Ziegler, Ph.D.

• Bruce D. Perry

• Brené Brown

Trigger Warning:

In this week’s episode, we talk about trauma and reference a couple different types of traumatic events. Please listen with care and step away if needed.

In this episode of I Choose the Bear, I’m joined by Dr. Mallory Knipe, associate professor in the Master of Social Work program at Saint Mary’s University. With a doctorate in social work from the University of St. Thomas and a master’s from the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Knipe brings both clinical expertise and deep compassion to the conversation.

Together, we explore how trauma affects the body—what happens in your brain, why you freeze in moments of conflict, or why your body seems to “overreact” long after the danger is gone.

Whether you’re a survivor trying to understand yourself or a loved one trying to support someone you care about, this episode brings clarity to the question: “Why am I like this?”

“Why did you stay so long?”

It’s a question survivors hear all the time—and one that carries shame. But the truth is far more complex than most people realize.

In this episode of I Choose the Bear Podcast, we unpack the hidden reasons women stay in abusive relationships.

This conversation reframes the question, shifting the focus from judgment to compassion: not “Why did she stay?” but “What gave her the strength to leave?”

If you’ve ever stayed longer than you thought you would—or wondered why someone else has—this episode will bring clarity, validation, and hope.

In this episode of I Choose the Bear, we explore three invisible but devastating forms of abuse: verbal, spiritual, and neglect. Through personal and stories and made up scenarios, I walk you through what it looks like when someone chips away at your confidence, uses God as a weapon, or simply refuses to care.

If you’ve ever questioned whether your pain counted, or wondered if you were being “too sensitive,” this episode will remind you:

It was real. You are not alone. And your story matters.