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This episode is the final part of my story not the end, but the beginning of something new.

After the trauma, the court case, and the survival mode, this is where I talk about what healing actually looks like. Not bubble baths and face masks but hard graft, grief, rebuilding self-worth, and learning how to be still after living in fight-or-flight for so long.

We talk honestly about how healing stripped me bare. How the noise didn’t stop overnight. How social media, control, and fear lingered long after the relationship ended  and why real healing couldn’t begin until I finally felt safe.

I open up about:

Why healing isn’t soft  and why it hurts before it helps
The impact of coercive control long after leaving
Social media, fake accounts, and how access doesn’t always end when a relationship does
Losing trust in myself and learning how to find my voice again
Body image, self-worth, and living with trauma-fuelled body dysmorphia
Why doing less healing work sometimes helped me heal more
The power of sitting still instead of running
Cutting out alcohol and seeing clearly for the first time

Turning pain into purpose  and how House of H.E.R. was born from the darkest chapter of my life
This episode is about learning to breathe again. About rebuilding foundations slowly.
About understanding that healing isn’t linear  but it is possible.
If you’re in the thick of it, if you feel like you’re “doing all the work” but still hurting, or if you’re scared you’ll never feel like yourself again this one is for you.

Trigger Warning

This episode contains discussion of domestic abuse, coercive control, physical violence, strangulation, stalking, suicide, and mental health struggles. If you’re struggling right now or something in this episode has brought things up for you, please know you are not alone and help is available.

Samaritans
Call 116 123 (free, 24/7)
https://www.samaritans.org

National Domestic Abuse Helpline (Refuge)
Call 0808 2000 247
https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk

Women’s Aid
https://www.womensaid.org.uk

The Survivors’ Handbook (Women’s Aid)
https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/the-survivors-handbook/

Clare’s Law
https://www.met.police.uk/rqo/request/ri/request-information/

House of H.E.R. is a space for women who have lived through abuse, trauma, and relationships that broke them. This podcast exists to tell the truth, raise awareness around domestic abuse, and remind you that you are not alone in what you’re healing from.

Resources & support:
https://stan.store/houseofherpod

Join our healing community:
https://patreon.com/HOUSEOFHER

Follow @houseofher__ and my personal account @holliedowdingx on Instagram and please share this episode with a woman who might need it 🥀