Ep 37: Moving from Victim to “Sur-thriver” after Domestic Violence with Lovern Gordon

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 MePlease 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! @risingbeyondpcIf 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/Wondering where to start? Check out our top free resources - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/resources.htmlIf you're interested in guesting on the show, please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7Where to find more from Rising Beyond:Rising Beyond FacebookRising Beyond LinkedInRising Beyond Pinterest