Breaking the Cycle: Redefining Recovery for IPV Survivors

Emergency shelters save lives. But saving someone from immediate danger is not the same as helping them build one. In this debut episode, I share why I created this podcast, what fifteen years of abuse taught me about the failures of crisis-only intervention, and what Judith Herman's three-stage trauma recovery framework tells us survivors actually need. You will also hear from Diane Fleet of Greenhouse17 in Kentucky, whose therapeutic farm program is giving survivors something a traditional shelter cannot: a lived experience of growth, capability, and belonging. And you will meet Brittney, a survivor who opens up about what it is really like to navigate housing, legal systems, and employment while trying to heal at the same time. If you have ever wondered why survivors go back, this episode will answer that question, and it has nothing to do with weakness.