Have you been able to find the support you needed after leaving an abusive relationship?  There is often support right after leaving or as you try to escape, but what about as you try to get your life back on track?

My guest, A. Garcia shares her story of leaving her abuser after an attempted murder of her and her unborn child and having to advocate for herself in a place where she had no connection.  1000 phone calls later and she finally found an advocate.  She shares her healing journey with her children and is vulnerable about the continued healing she is still working through.  We also discuss her role in actively supporting survivors so that you do not have to make the 1000 calls to get help.

Ms. Garcia is a PTG Strategian, Whole Life Coach, Certified High Performance Coach with a tenacious attitude toward empowering others. Over the past 35 years she’s navigated through domestic violence, privacy, safety, vulnerability, and the mindset to endure personal adverse events in life. Her survival of a double attempted homicide while 8 months pregnant (by the father) and the desperation to survive became the catalyst to the foundation of BYIS while achieving an undisputed outlook of independence. Her personal journey of Post Traumatic Growth has led Garcia to dedicating her life in developing transformational programs, various forms of coaching, and establishing a nonprofit to help real time victims of Domestic Violence with real time resources. Her commitment is to provide lifelong transformational habits that can restore your powerful internal sense of awareness and control. One of her personal statements is, ‘You can move a million times, but you live in your head,’ which is why some of her laser-focused teachings are on aligning your positive belief system with your actions.

Show Links:
Www.confrontingdv.org
Www.beyourincredibleself.com

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

Do abusive parents try to use children against a protective parent?  Yes.

But is it really parental alienation?

In this episode I discuss the origin of the term parental alienation, how it is used as a false narrative by abusers in family court, and what is really happening if you are experiencing a parent trying to turn your children against you.

It is really called domestic violence by proxy.

If your abuser is using the parental alienation claim falsely in court, you can use specific forms of documentation and specific behaviors to refute it.  And if your abuser is using the children as a weapon during post separation abuse you can use the “gift of perspective” to help your child see through this type of abuse. 

Show Links:
Joan S. Meier  research article

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

You dream of the day when you can find freedom and safety for yourself and your children.  You escape your abusive partner and are ready to start healing.  But years later, you are still dealing with the onslaught of abuse; not only from your abuser but from their family as well.

This is what my guest, Aimee has been dealing with for the last 13 years.  Aimee shares her story of her abusive relationship and the post-separation abuse she has experienced and the near lethal incident that changed the path of her life.  Aimee shares hope that even after such a scary and life-altering moment and consistent post-separation abuse, you can still find freedom and safety for you and your children.

Aimee is the Amazon Best Selling Author of The Re-Wilding of Womxn: Release Your Inner Wild to Live the Life of Your Dreams. She is the creator and host of Now and Zen, a Top 50 podcast, created to share the neuroscience of joy with the world. She is an expert on the neuroscience of adult learning, a speaker, a spiritual gangster, a lazy but avid meditator, and a fellow trauma survivor. Aimee’s mission is to help others on their spiritual and trauma-healing journeys through the neuroscience of mindfulness and joy. She has worked as a leader in higher education for over 20 years and regularly hosts healing meditation ceremonies and workshops in her hometown of Denver, Colorado, USA.

Website & Podcast: www.draimeecallahan.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_aimeecallahan/

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

If you are like many of The Rising Beyond Community members, then your WHY is around keeping your children safe, physically and emotionally.  Getting your children the support they need after leaving an abusive relationship with their other parent can feel extremely overwhelming, especially if they have to continue to see that parent without having you as a buffer.

Based on my training as a play therapist, I want to share some tips on building your child’s resilience after this transition.  So, this episode will focus on using play to build your connection and attachment with your child.  

As you begin to use imaginary play with your child, what is important about this special time for the two of you?  First, using child-centered play will allow your child to feel some power and control when they have very little of this in their world.  And second, it will give you a window into their world and allow you to connect in a way that is speaking the same language, will build problem-solving skills, and will feel amazing to your child.

Using the tools from Parent Child Interactional Therapy (PCIT), you can start to foster that connection with your child.  The skills discussed are:

• Praise
• Reflect
• Imitate
• Describe Behaviors
• Enjoy and Enthusiasm

Even if you can only spend 10 minutes a day due to single parent commitments or low energy levels, this type of connection will help increase their sense of felt safety with you and their resilience.

Register for the Audio Summit, April 17th-22nd: Surviving Post-Separation Abuse and a High-Conflict Co-Parent 

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

What questions do you have about post separation abuse?  I received many many questions before, during, and after a webinar I did for domesticshelters.org and know that many of you have the same questions.  In this episode I will be answering five of the questions received.

• If you have not left your abuser yet, how can you prepare for post separation abuse?  What should we make sure we do? What should we avoid?
• Do you have some suggestions for safely maintaining boundaries while co-parenting with an abusive ex-partner?
• We often work with a parent with a child who is court-ordered to visit the abuser.  The children in these situations often act out and have negative behaviors when they’re supposed to go to the visits, so the protective parent often doesn’t take them-which leads the abuser claiming that the child is being withheld and may file contempt of the court order.  Is there anything we can do to support clients in this situation?
• How do we deal with children who are mimicking the behaviors of the abusive parent?
• Do you have any tips on how to help children from blaming the survivor/protective parent and getting the kids to avoid taking sides?

Register for the Audio Summit, April 17th-22nd: Surviving Post-Separation Abuse and a High-Conflict Co-Parent 

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

Did you ever feel the nagging voice of your intuition telling you to get out or to stop a wedding and then ignore it?  You had dreams of a happy marriage and children and you were trying to will that into existence even when there were red flags waving in your face?

My guest, Amanda Lee knows this all too well.  In this week’s episode of The Rising Beyond Podcast, Amanda shares her experience of falling in love with her abuser and getting married even when her gut was telling her to get out.  She shares the extreme amount of shame she felt when thinking of telling her family that her relationship was not as wonderful as she made it out to be and that things were getting worse.  An extreme threat of violence to her and her children allowed her to break her silence and force past that shame in order to be “one of the lucky ones.”

We discuss the feelings of shame that come up when having to be honest with family and friends and that comes up when having to accept that you have been a victim of domestic violence.

A.E. Lee started her career in Pennsylvania politics, and while she had hoped it would be everything like her favorite TV show The West Wing, she quickly learned it was not. Long hours, little pay, and even less respect she decided it was time for a change and embarked on a second career in education. She is now a beloved sixth-grade teacher in Fairfax County, Virginia.

She resides there now with her two beautiful children, Ethan and Tessa where she continues her passion for writing and being a domestic violence advocate.


Show Links:

Amanda's Website
Buy Amanda's Book
Amanda on Instagram
Amanda on LinkedIn
Robin Gobbel on the Nervous System 

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

If you have just separated from your abusive ex and are facing family court for the first time or if you have been doing this for a while, it is important to have realistic expectations and tangible skills to use as you go through this process.

In this episode, you will learn what to expect and how to mitigate the challenges of family court with a high-conflict personality ex-partner before you go to court, during a court hearing and testimony, and then in the aftermath.  Some of the topics touched on are:

• Documentation
• Your relationship with your attorney
• Realistic expectations around the length of your case
• The false narrative of your abuser
• Tips for testifying in court
• Mindset shifts regarding the role of your attorney and that of the opposing counsel
• Safety planning after a hearing
• The importance of your support network
• The importance of self-care and how to regulate your nervous system

Remember that family court with a narcissistic and abusive ex is a marathon, not a sprint.

Show Links:
Blog Post - Let 'Em Have a Win
Ep 32 - Surviving the False Narrative of Your Abuser
Ep 11 - Your Nervous System Is Shot

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

Even at your lowest, after experiencing trauma and domestic violence, it is possible to heal and find your purpose.  

This week’s guest, Misty Chaviers shares her story of abuse and how she was able years later to heal and find her purpose as an advocate and podcaster helping other victims.  She is vulnerable and shares how she used drugs and alcohol and eating disorder behaviors as a way to cope with the pain.  

We discuss how important it is for professionals working in this space to be authentic and what that offers victims and survivors.  This authenticity allows victims to feel safe to share their most shameful stories and secrets in order to start the healing process.

Misty Chaviers is a court advocate, case manager and podcast host of the I’m a Survivor Podcast.

Follow Misty at:
I'm A Survivor Podcast
Misty on Instagram

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

Does witnessing domestic violence in your family of origin have effects on your relationships in adulthood?  My guest, Lovern Gordon shares her experiences of witnessing her father abuse her mother during her childhood and how this affected her self-worth and identity and led her into becoming a victim of domestic violence later in life.  

We discuss the misconception that we could pick out an abusive person by how they look and about the mask they wear for the outside world.  She shares why victims continue to stay in these abusive relationships and how our survival strategies to do everything in our power to “have a good day” that then lead us to more intense cycles of abuse.

Lovern shares her experiences of how she moved from a victim to survivor and now a “surthriver” and about her current advocacy work.  We discuss the need for major changes within the legal system to improve safety for victims and survivors.

Lovern Gordon is a two-time sur-THRIVER of domestic violence (a child witness until she was 15 years old in Trinidad, as well as a 2-year, young adult relationship in the United States). Ten years after escaping the adult relationship, she became the Founder of Love Life Now Foundation, Inc. (LLN), where she used 2 back-to-back pageant wins to increase awareness around issues in 2010 and the following year, LLN was formed. Today, Lovern continues to head LLN, a global awareness and education organization that supports survivors of abuse through their year-round initiatives and direct assistance to other domestic violence programs. She is also a DV awareness book author of the international memoir called, The Legacy He Left Me, which is on a nationwide book and speaking tour. She conducts DV awareness workshops worldwide, in-person and virtually for corporations, high schools, colleges and community groups.

Follow Lovern at:
Love Life Now Foundation, Inc.
The Legacy He Left Me

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...

 “Why can’t I just get over this and move on?”

There are many reasons why you may feel stuck in your healing process after domestic violence or narcissistic abuse.  Grief is one of these reasons.  And grief and loss happen when most relationships end, but it looks different for survivors.

You are likely grieving the loss of the dream of what could have been, the loss of the fictitious person your ex-partner pretended to be, the loss of time and the loss of yourself.

In this episode, I share the 5 stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) and how they look different after surviving an abusive relationship versus what it looks like after someone passes away.  I also share some simple steps to start moving through the grief process including:

• Allowing and accepting your emotions as they come
• Seeing anger in a different light
• Being mindful of your emotional state and mindset when making decisions
• Spending time with safe people
• Offering yourself self-compassion and grace
• Practical types of self-care

Show Links:
Your Nervous System is Shot - Rising Beyond Podcast, Episode 11

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest

If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

Enjoy some of our freebies!

• Choosing Your Battles Freebie
• Canned Responses Freebie
• Mic Drop Moments Freebie
• ...