Trigger Warning: Please note that this episode includes references to and actual experiences of different types of abuse.

As we celebrate World Mental Health Day, we put the spotlight on courageous women who have survived different forms of abuse and have emerged stronger, more resilient, and even joyful.

Daniela and Laura are two people with different lives, living thousands of miles away from each other, yet share a common tragic experience. They are both victims of abuse from people they trust and were supposed to love them. One was abused by her father and the other by her husband - and that caused trauma in their lives. 

But the beauty of surviving abuse - and when I say beauty I mean it in the most positive and invigorating manner - is that it gives the victim unimaginable strength, wisdom, and compassion that one might think won’t even be possible for someone who has undergone something so ugly, painful and traumatic.

By listening to their stories, you are joining us as we refuse to let the abuser claim victory. Instead, we take courage and joy in Daniela and Laura and their amazing healing journey.

Words of Healing

• I lived in constant fear growing up because afraid of my father’s retaliation. He kept putting me down. And I grew up with the perception that I'm never gonna be much because my dad constantly said I was nothing. - Daniela
• As a daughter, you want your, father to be proud of you. Looking back, he didn't have much education and he was always drunk. He couldn't even comprehend what I was doing. I can't expect that from him. I have to find self-worth on my own. - Daniela
• We don't need the approval of anybody. - Daniela
• Your worth comes from the fruits of what you producing life. Are you a genuine person? Are you taking care of others? Do you care to lift others up? Then you can look back and say, yeah, I did some good. - Daniela
• I was feeling very angry, very guilty, and shame. All those feelings that I once was constantly living through were at its surface. And I realized, oh my God, I have a lot of work to do. I really thought that I had overcome that. - Laura
• Hurt people hurt people. The amount of damage that my husband did was a lot. It's a pain.  - Laura
• We try to downplay abuse a little bit. To allow us to not think that it isn’t as big of a deal as it is. And what you experienced - no one should experience. No one deserves to have gone through what you went through. - Regina Marie

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