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The Cost Of Survival Ep 3
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The house was empty, the texts unanswered, and the silence said everything. After exposing a devastating betrayal—her husband’s affair with her mother—Sarah tried to rebuild the “right” way: a prepaid year of rent, a steady job, a car, and a simple plan to co‑parent. What followed maps the hidden terrain many survivors know too well: when direct control ends, post‑separation abuse slips into new uniforms—rumors, court filings, custody leverage, and a “civil matter” that keeps you paying to be heard.
We walk through the playbook. A smear from someone tied to law enforcement turns gossip into “fact.” A protection order becomes a wall between a mother and her children. Each court date bleeds savings. Each knock on a family door goes ignored. Then a single workplace policy violation triggers job loss; the title loan eats the car after a breakdown; rent runs out. Hunger narrows choices until the only option left is the one most people don’t want to understand: survival sex framed as a last, painful way to afford a lawyer and claw back access to her kids. It’s not glamour. It’s the economics of trauma meeting the bureaucracy of custody.
We also name the psychology underneath. When lies come from the people who raised and married you, red flags blur; danger can feel like care. Sarah’s clarity grows as she traces gaslighting, coercive control, and the difference between discipline and abuse. Along the way, we offer language for what’s happening—post‑separation abuse, systems abuse, reputational harm—so listeners can spot it in their lives and communities. And we point to concrete supports: hotlines, documentation, trauma‑informed strategy, and a verified GoFundMe to help Sarah secure safety as her former abuser nears release.
If this story moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it, leave us a review to boost survivor voices, and call 1-844-TELL-DTS to leave your thoughts. Your share might be the lifeline another listener is waiting for.
🚨🚨Help Sarah get to safety:🚨🚨
✨👉 CookinCleaninMama’s Linktree 👈✨
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 OR text begin to 88788
Give me a call! 1-844-TELLDTS
Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.
🔗 Follow Along:
- TikTok: @thedvsurvivor
- Instagram: @thedvsurvivorsisterhood
- Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood
Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.
Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.
All sound and music courtesy of Epidemic Sound
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By The Survivor SisterhoodSend us a text
The house was empty, the texts unanswered, and the silence said everything. After exposing a devastating betrayal—her husband’s affair with her mother—Sarah tried to rebuild the “right” way: a prepaid year of rent, a steady job, a car, and a simple plan to co‑parent. What followed maps the hidden terrain many survivors know too well: when direct control ends, post‑separation abuse slips into new uniforms—rumors, court filings, custody leverage, and a “civil matter” that keeps you paying to be heard.
We walk through the playbook. A smear from someone tied to law enforcement turns gossip into “fact.” A protection order becomes a wall between a mother and her children. Each court date bleeds savings. Each knock on a family door goes ignored. Then a single workplace policy violation triggers job loss; the title loan eats the car after a breakdown; rent runs out. Hunger narrows choices until the only option left is the one most people don’t want to understand: survival sex framed as a last, painful way to afford a lawyer and claw back access to her kids. It’s not glamour. It’s the economics of trauma meeting the bureaucracy of custody.
We also name the psychology underneath. When lies come from the people who raised and married you, red flags blur; danger can feel like care. Sarah’s clarity grows as she traces gaslighting, coercive control, and the difference between discipline and abuse. Along the way, we offer language for what’s happening—post‑separation abuse, systems abuse, reputational harm—so listeners can spot it in their lives and communities. And we point to concrete supports: hotlines, documentation, trauma‑informed strategy, and a verified GoFundMe to help Sarah secure safety as her former abuser nears release.
If this story moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it, leave us a review to boost survivor voices, and call 1-844-TELL-DTS to leave your thoughts. Your share might be the lifeline another listener is waiting for.
🚨🚨Help Sarah get to safety:🚨🚨
✨👉 CookinCleaninMama’s Linktree 👈✨
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 OR text begin to 88788
Give me a call! 1-844-TELLDTS
Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.
🔗 Follow Along:
- TikTok: @thedvsurvivor
- Instagram: @thedvsurvivorsisterhood
- Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood
Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.
Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.
All sound and music courtesy of Epidemic Sound