Anna Lopes' Story • What It Means to Be Your Own Brave

[Content Warning]: discussions of domestic violence, coercive control, child abuse, grooming, sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, and complex PTSD. What happens after you escape abuse? In this deeply personal conversation, Jan Broberg sits down with trauma recovery coach and Brave and Free founder Anna Lopes. Anna shares how childhood exposure to domestic violence shaped her understanding of love, how she entered a coercively controlling marriage at nineteen, and how she ultimately escaped with little more than a hidden passport and determination to survive. Together, Jan and Anna explore coercive control, financial abuse, digital surveillance, spiritual abuse, grooming, complex PTSD, and the long road of recovery. They also discuss the trauma response of fawning, rebuilding identity after abuse, and why healing happens through supportive relationships and community. This episode offers validation, language, and hope for survivors navigating life beyond survival mode. Where To Find Anna: Insta: @Iambraveandfree Brave and Free community Discovering Yourself After Abuse WorkbookIf you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation, please access the resources below:National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988National Sexual Assault Hotline  (RAINN) : 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)National Alliance for Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264  🎧 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE🍎 Apple Podcasts🎵 Spotify▶️ YouTube  ❣️ JAN BROBERG FOUNDATION🌐 JanBrobergFoundation.org🫂 Survivor Circle (free community)⏳ T.I.M.E. Program🔎 SPOT6📖 The Jan Broberg Story (book)🗞️ Newsletter  📲 CONNECT📷 Instagram🎶 TikTok✍️ Share Your Story💌 Fan Mail Support the show