There's No Place Like Home by Future Women

Pip Rae thought her new smart watch was a thoughtful present from her partner. In reality, it was a way to track her every move. In the wrong hands, technology can be used to instil fear. But in the right hands, it’s a shield to defend, a safeguard for systems and a tool to hold perpetrators accountable. 

In the final episode of There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing, Sally Spicer is joined by survivor strategist Pip Rae and CommBank’s Group Customer Advocate, Angela MacMillan.

Together they explore: 

• The smartwatch trap: Pip’s personal experience with tech-facilitated abuse and how she transformed her story into a strategy for change.
• Technology as a shield: How CommBank is using human-centred AI and data to detect abusive transaction descriptions and combat digital harassment in its tracks.
• Safety by Design: The urgent shift toward building safety and protection into the everyday apps and devices we use.

More on There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing:

• Learn more about There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about CommBank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact the national service 1800RESPECT for free and confidential counselling, information and service referral. Call 1800 737 732, chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au or use the text line on 0458 737 732
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing is an FW podcast made in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, who through CommBank Next Chapter, are supporting people within Australia experiencing financial abuse, even if you don't bank with them.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you're not safe at home, a job can be a lifeline. It's a paycheck, a connection to the world and even a chance to raise the alarm. But when your ability to work is sabotaged, the road back to the workforce can be long and difficult, even after you’ve left. 

 

In episode five of There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing, Sally Spicer sits down with Dr Anne Summers AO, who founded Australia's first women's refuge fifty years ago, and Belinda Casselden, a survivor advocate who struggled for years to return to sustainable, meaningful work after abuse despite an impressive career.

Together they explore: 

• Career sabotage: How abuse can undermine a victim’s professional life and create total dependence on the perpetrator.
• Long-term impacts: How financial abuse impacts a woman’s financial security over her entire lifetime.
• Reclaiming your career: Belinda’s personal journey of returning to the workforce and the innovative programs helping women find stable work. 
• The role of the workplace: The critical difference employers can make in helping address Australia's domestic violence crisis.

More on There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing:

• Learn more about There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about CommBank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact the national service 1800RESPECT for free and confidential counselling, information and service referral. Call 1800 737 732, chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au or use the text line on 0458 737 732
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing is an FW podcast made in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, who through CommBank Next Chapter, are supporting people within Australia experiencing financial abuse, even if you don't bank with them.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many people abused by their partner are cut off from the world. From their loved ones, their community and in some cases, their culture. Core parts of who they are.

In episode four of There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing, Sally Spicer is joined by Sono Leone Weatherall, founder of Strong Women Talking, award-winning human rights advocate Juliana Nkrumah and Women’s Community Shelters CEO Annabelle Daniel.

Together they explore:

• The power of identity: Rebuilding a sense of self through culture and community, free from a perpetrator’s control.
•  New model for shelters: How local communities are building spaces that provide both a bed and a sense of belonging.
• Cultural healing: Why we must look beyond traditional crisis management to support survivors from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

More on There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing:

• Learn more about There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about CommBank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact the national service 1800RESPECT for free and confidential counselling, information and service referral. Call 1800 737 732, chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au or use the text line on 0458 737 732
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing is an FW podcast made in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, who through CommBank Next Chapter, are supporting people within Australia experiencing financial abuse, even if you don't bank with them.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the real price of safety? Escaping an abusive partner is not just difficult, it's expensive. Moving costs, rent, child care and lawyers all add up, especially if you've already had your money taken or controlled. 

In episode three of There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing, Sally Spicer is joined by survivor advocate Rachael Lloyd, Center for Women’s Economic Security (CWES) founder Rebecca Glenn and Good Shepherd’s Loren Katafono. 

Together they explore: 

• The cost of leaving: How financial abuse follows you after you leave and the high price survivors pay for their freedom. 
• A life controlled: Rachael’s story of moving across the world for what she thought was love, only to have every cent she earned stolen for years.
• Reclaiming independence: The vital work helping victim survivors process their trauma and rebuild their financial futures.

More on There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing:

• Learn more about There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing
• Check out Good Shepherd's Financial Independence Hub, the Centre for Women's Economic Safety and the Lokahi Foundation 
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about CommBank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact the national service 1800RESPECT for free and confidential counselling, information and service referral. Call 1800 737 732, chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au or use the text line on 0458 737 732
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing is an FW podcast made in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, who through CommBank Next Chapter, are supporting people within Australia experiencing financial abuse, even if you don't bank with them.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alecia* left her partner more times than she can count before she finally escaped for good. She didn't return because she wanted to get back together. She returned because she and her children had nowhere else to go. 

In episode two of There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing, Sally Spicer is joined by survivor advocate Alecia, Chloe Hope from Carrie's Place, and Jenny Holmes from the Women and Girls Emergency Centre (WAGEC) in Redfern.

Together they explore: 

• The necessity of home: Why a stable roof is the foundation for healing and the devastating impact when it’s missing.
• A system in crisis: How the cost-of-living and rental markets are creating barriers for services and survivors.
• More than a shelter: Why true recovery requires a focus on dignity and care, not just a place to sleep.
• Real solutions: How Jenny, Chloe and Alecia* think these problems can be addressed.

*Not her real name. 

More on There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing:

• Learn more about There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about CommBank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact the national service 1800RESPECT for free and confidential counselling, information and service referral. Call 1800 737 732, chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au or use the text line on 0458 737 732
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing is an FW podcast made in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, who through CommBank Next Chapter, are supporting people within Australia experiencing financial abuse, even if you don't bank with them.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does domestic violence affect mums and their children? And how do you rebuild a family bond after escaping an abusive partner? 

In episode one of There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing, Sally Spicer interviews survivor advocate Bethany Adams and Berry Street’s Clinical Psychologist Dr. Sherryn Tobin. 

Together they explore:

• The hidden impacts of trauma on children - including the myth that they don’t sense what they don’t see.
• The practical steps helping families heal. Bethany reveals how she and her kids rediscovered their ‘angel moments’ after escaping.
• Dr Tobin explains how child-parent psychotherapy helps mums and kids to speak the unspeakable and put the blame where it belongs. 

More on There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing:

• To hear more about how domestic abuse and family violence impacts young people, listen to Conor Pall's powerful story from season three
• Learn more about There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about CommBank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact the national service 1800RESPECT for free and confidential counselling, information and service referral. Call 1800 737 732, chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au or use the text line on 0458 737 732
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing is an FW podcast made in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, who through CommBank Next Chapter, are supporting people within Australia experiencing financial abuse, even if you don't bank with them.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Escaping domestic abuse is just the beginning. But how do you actually rebuild a life after the crisis has passed? Join journalist Sally Spicer for a sneak peek of our powerful new season, Paths to Healing, launching March 3. 

This season, we spotlight the extraordinary people and programs supporting survivors to thrive, not just survive, on their own terms. 

In this series, we cover:

• Bethany’s story & an innovative therapy strengthening the bond between mums and children.
• Alecia’s story & the frontline workers ensuring homeless survivors find dignity, not just a bed.
• Rachael’s story & recovering from financial abuse with "narrative-based" coaching.
• Sono’s story of breaking the cycle as an Aboriginal woman & the community-builders building homes & driving cultural change.
• Belinda’s story & the fully-virtual program helping women find work after decades of job loss.
• Pip’s story from smartwatches to social media & how banks are fighting tech abuse.

More on There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing:

• Learn more about There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about CommBank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact the national service 1800RESPECT for free and confidential counselling, information and service referral. Call 1800 737 732, chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au or use the text line on 0458 737 732
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing is an FW podcast made in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, who through CommBank Next Chapter, are supporting people within Australia experiencing financial abuse, even if you don't bank with them.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On March 3, award-winning podcast There's No Place Like Home is returning for a fourth season - this time with video as well as audio. It's called Paths to Healing, 

This is the story that starts where others end. After the headlines fade. After the crisis hotline call ends. After you walk out of the shelter doors. When survivors face the brutal, yet hope-filled work of rebuilding from scratch.

We know that leaving an abusive relationship can cost everything. Your home. Your money. Your job. Your kids. Your health. The life you thought you'd have. Putting the pieces back together can take years, sometimes a lifetime. And what comes next is rarely discussed, poorly understood and absolutely critical. 

Recovering from domestic abuse and family violence. It’s not just about surviving, but thriving.

There's No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing reveals the innovative programs across Australia rewriting that narrative, with video episodes also available for the very first time. Hosted by Sally Spicer and available wherever you get your podcasts. 

In this series, we cover:

• Bethany’s story & an innovative therapy strengthening the bond between mums and children.
• Alecia’s story & the frontline workers ensuring homeless survivors find dignity, not just a bed.
• Rachael’s story & recovering from financial abuse with "narrative-based" coaching.
• Sono’s story of breaking the cycle as an Aboriginal woman & the community-builders building homes & driving cultural change.
• Belinda’s story & the fully-virtual program helping women find work after decades of job loss.
• Pip’s story from smartwatches to social media & how banks are fighting tech abuse

More on There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing:

• Learn more about There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about CommBank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact the national service 1800RESPECT for free and confidential counselling, information and service referral. Call 1800 737 732, chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au or use the text line on 0458 737 732
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing is an FW podcast made in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, who through CommBank Next Chapter, are supporting people within Australia experiencing financial abuse, even if you don't bank with them.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geraldine Bilston first joined There’s No Place Like Home as a victim-survivor way back in season one. Since then a lot has changed for her, for the better. In this episode of There’s No Place Like Home: After she leaves, Tara Rae Moss investigates how we move past domestic abuse - as a society and as survivors. 

• Subscribe on Spotify or Apple
• Visit the official website
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about Commbank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact 1800RESPECT, the national service for free and confidential counselling, information and support. Call 1800 737 732 or chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au 
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home is a podcast by FW, made in collaboration with our proud partner, Commonwealth Bank, who are committed to helping end financial abuse through CommBank Next Chapter. No matter who you bank with, if you’re worried about your finances because of domestic and family violence, you can contact CommBank’s Next Chapter Team on 1800 222 387 within Australia or visit commbank.com.au/nextchapter. 

1. The research into children and young people who use violence referenced by Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS). (2022). Adolescent family violence in Australia: A national study of prevalence, use of and exposure to violence, and support needs for young people. Retrieved from https://www.anrows.org.au/project/adolescent-family-violence-in-australia-a-national-study-of-prevalence-use-of-and-exposure-to-violence-and-support-needs-for-young-people/
2. ‘The Man Box’ study on what kind of masculine behaviours increase the likelihood of abuse or assault: Jesuit Social Services. (2024). The Man Box: A study of masculine norms and their impact on Australian men and boys. Retrieved from https://jss.org.au/programs/research/the-man-box/
3. Leaving an abusive relationship costs upwards of $18,000 on average: Australian Council of Trade Unions. (2022). Family and domestic violence leave: Factsheet. Retrieved from https://www.australianunions.org.au/factsheet/family-and-domestic-violence-leave/ 
4. Further reading on the results of Canada’s national Leaving Home program: Gentilini, U., Almenfi, M., & Dale, P. (2021). How to deliver cash transfer programs more effectively to hard-to-reach populations. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/how_to_deliver_cash_transfer_programs_more_effectively_to_hard_to_reach_populations
5. Further reading on the results of Canada’s national Leaving Home program: Korteweg, A. C., & Yurdakul, G. (2022). Migration, gender, and social justice: Perspectives on human mobility and the politics of difference. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Retrieved from https://utppublishing.com/doi/book/10.3138/9781487545178
6. BC Society of Transition Houses (BCSTH). (2022). Bursary evaluation report: Supporting survivors through financial aid. Retrieved from https://bcsth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/BCSTH-Bursary-Evaluation-Report-Combined.pdf

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Brian Sullivan still remembers the man who duped his men’s behaviour change group into thinking he’d changed when he hadn’t. In this episode of There’s No Place Like Home: After she leaves, Tara Rae Moss investigates how men’s behaviour change programs work and the methods of the facilitators working with people who use violence. 

• Subscribe on Spotify or Apple
• Visit the official website
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about Commbank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact 1800RESPECT, the national service for free and confidential counselling, information and support. Call 1800 737 732 or chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au 
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home is a podcast by FW, made in collaboration with our proud partner, Commonwealth Bank, who are committed to helping end financial abuse through CommBank Next Chapter. No matter who you bank with, if you’re worried about your finances because of domestic and family violence, you can contact CommBank’s Next Chapter Team on 1800 222 387 within Australia or visit commbank.com.au/nextchapter.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.