WHEN DATING HURTS

This is part one of a two-part story.

Kelsey thought Corey was the one. He was a talented artist with a following who bought his works.

There were warning signs she though odd, but she decided to overlook them in favor of keeping the relationship moving. When something abusive happened, she felt each one was an isolated incident.

This is a story about a caring woman and her narcissistic partner. There is no physical nor sexual abuse in this narrative, but that doesn't mean it would never lead to these.

This is Kelsey's story. It's one where we see how she enabled him to do whatever he wanted.

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I was recently interviewed by a podcast entitled "Persistence U" by Lizbeth Meredith.

Persistence U covers all manner of survivor stories. Take a listen when you have time.

Here is my interview with the host, Lizbeth Meredith.

Once you have heard it, I hope you felt rewarded for listening to our interview. It is a mix of my daughter's tragedy, but also life-saving advice on how to be a survivor and break free from an abuser.

There is nothing like regaining your freedom.

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The two episodes in this story come with content warnings.

This is part two of a two-part story.

You may find when listening to this story that the content is too intense for you. If that becomes the case, I strongly urge you: do not continue listening. The descriptions tell of the intense emotional and physical abuse a husband put upon his wife.

I thought many times about whether to publish this story, but I promised myself years ago that listeners deserved the option of knowing about the worst of dating and domestic violence without looking away.  

Lisa Clayton is a hero in real terms. She was so nice, sweet and innocent when she dated and married Josh Holden. Josh was, and remains today, a very sick-minded individual. He held no conscience or barriers in what he would do to keep Lisa in line under his thumb.   

The purpose of the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is to inform. You will find in the episode that warning signs that were overlooked and led to the worst kinds of behavior when a relationship continues to be as unhealthy as it can get. 

In this story, Lisa Clayton gets to know the real Josh Holden. You will too.  

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The two episodes in this story come with content warnings.

This is part one.

You may find when listening to this story that the content is too intense for you. If that becomes the case, I strongly urge you: do not continue listening. The descriptions tell of the intense emotional and physical abuse a husband put upon his wife.  

I thought many times about whether to publish this story, but I promised myself years ago that listeners deserved the option of knowing about the worst of dating and domestic violence without looking away.  

Lisa Clayton is a hero in real terms. She was so nice, sweet and innocent when she dated and married Josh Holden. Josh was, and remains today, a very sick-minded individual. He held no conscience or barriers in what he would do to keep Lisa in line under his thumb.   

The purpose of the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is to inform. You will find in the episode that warning signs that were overlooked and led to the worst kinds of behavior when a relationship continues to be as unhealthy as it can get. 

In this story, Lisa Clayton gets to know the real Josh Holden. You will too.  

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abigail was 18 when she met him. She was taken by the idea that he played in a very well-known Seattle band. The idea that he wanted to pay attention to her thrilled Abigail.

By the way, this man was 28.

See how a young woman who trusted someone she didn't know well was lured into a hyper-unhealthy relationship. She learned the hard way about what can happen. We can each learn from her.

Abigail had not intended to take her story to the world until she heard the WHEN DATING HURTS podcast. We thank her for choosing to tell us what happened.

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can only be found on Amazon.

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I was urged to run this episode again. IT'S THAT POWERFUL!

So, it's back once more!

One of our well-informed WHEN DATING HURTS listeners sent me an email with a list of things you must do before leaving your abuser. In this episode, you will hear the kinds of items a domestic violence counselor will tell you while figuring out your escape plan to safety.

This is a short episode, but one of our most valuable. Have a pen and paper handy so don't miss a thing.

Share this episode with friends and family who should hear it.

You never know when someone is suffering in an unhealthy relationship today and needs to start preparing for a safe escape.

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are so few instances when a man has come forward to tell his story of marital abuse. In this case, he was almost murdered. That is why we decided to reprise this story. It is so compelling.

We apologize for some of the buzzing on this track, and we hope it does not interfere with your listening to it.

J.D. McCabe maintained a loving relationship with his wife for nearly twenty years before their marriage, family, and world began to crumble. Their foundation had been rooted in "trust is the bedrock of a healthy relationship". Indeed, Erin had always claimed that things wouldn’t — couldn’t — work without trust.

But Erin became suspicious of his every move. His phone calls, texts, and work emails were turned into proof of infidelity, drug addiction, and a network of lies on his part.

She enlisted her mother in her efforts, and together they forged the words of family, trust and honesty beat him into the ground. Their accusations accumulated, twisting reality, and eventually resulting in J.D.'s involuntary hospitalization.

Listen to J.D.'s story. You will not be able to guess where it goes or how he survived.

You can read J.D. McCabe's full story in his memoir, "The Third Gift: My Dance with the Devil (and Her Mother)"

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Living in Ontario, Canada a few years ago, Maggie and her husband were wondering what was going on with Alyssa.

They saw bothersome warning signs around her, but Alyssa's parents were at a loss trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

Alyssa had dropped out of many school activities, she stopped interacting with friends, she changed the way she dressed, and her marks dropped. She had already suffered from anxiety, but it seemed to be getting worse.

A breakthrough came when two of Alyssa's friends contacted Maggie. What they explained was alarming, but it led to bringing Alyssa back. She was caught in an unhealthy relationship with a guy named Tim.

This is a dating abuse and violence story. Quite a good one to share with high school and college students.

See how Alyssa's friends bravely took steps to save their friend. Hear how Maggie and her husband took charge and brought Alyssa back safely.

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With survivor stories, it is so disturbing to hear what one person has done to another person. In these stories, it is always an ongoing pattern or campaign. It’s never just one instance or one awful act.

In this episode, we speak with Josephine. She will tell us about childhood abuse, intimate partner, violence, psychological abuse, sexual assault, and even reproductive coercion.

We want to thank Josephine for showing such courage and coming forth to tell us her story. Her life has taken her down many paths where she was taken full advantage of by predators of every kind. It is our hope, and I’m certain the hope of our listeners, that she has found peace and healing at this time.

We know a multifaceted abusive past never fully fades away. But Josephine has found ways to use it to help others, and I am sure she is also helping herself. We want to thank her for her honesty, her spirit, and this selfless gift she has given us.

This is Josephine’s story.

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Hera’s story.

On Oct. 20, 2012, Hera McLeod’s ex-boyfriend murdered her 15-month-old son. He killed him to get more than $500,000 in life insurance.

Few of our episodes have more twists and turns than this one. You will not be able to guess what Hera discovered about her psychopath ex-boyfriend. He was a predator beyond our wildest nightmares. You need to hear this one.

Today, Hera McLeod is a Washington, DC-based writer, speaker, and civil rights activist.

She is known for speaking out against the silence on topics such as civil rights for women and children, domestic violence, and Family Court reform.

She has published op-ed pieces in The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, and The New York Times. Hera has made several television appearances on The Today Show, Crime Watch Daily, and DC news affiliates for CBS, ABC, and Fox.

While Hera felt an overwhelming sense of relief as she heard Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows announce that her ex-boyfriend would never again walk free, she also was aware that full justice hadn’t been served that day.

Hera felt that day wasn’t just about justice for her son, Prince, it was about obtaining a piece of justice and peace for all of us.

When the judge announced the verdict after more than two hours of thorough explanation, the courtroom erupted. There were tears of joy, and then family and friends hugged her.

You will see how a predator will speed up a relationship as a means of coercive control. In this case, things became as awful as one can imagine.

Hera McLeod’s memoir, Defying Silence: A Memoir of a Mother's Loss and Courage in the Face of Injustice is available everywhere. She says it includes the kind of information she wish she had heard before she ever met her ex-boyfriend.

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: [email protected]

The WHEN DATING HURTS book (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – The Hotline.org – Call 800-799-SAFE

• LoveIsRespect – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – RAINN.org – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

WhenDatingHurts.com

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices