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A mother sells the only home that still felt like home, walks into a shelter with her kids, and stares down a system that keeps telling her to wait. That’s where Sarah’s story turns—when waiting becomes planning, and planning becomes movement fueled by a community that refuses to look away.

We pick up right after the hostage night that changed everything. Sarah maps a route to South Dakota, hoping for work and a chance to be near her grandmother. The new start almost holds: an apartment, a small business, daycare for her son. Then the signs arrive—strange voices at the door, love notes meant for no one she knows, and a call from daycare about a man demanding pickup. Even with her ex behind bars, another person is doing his bidding. It’s coercive control by proxy, and it forces a hard reset. With help from advocates, an emergency voucher, and gas cards, she chooses another town and another chance to feel safe.

Along the way, we talk frankly about how leaving abuse is a process. We confront slow police responses during COVID, the power of a single warrant to quiet months of terror, and the unglamorous reality of food pantries, diaper drives, and the math of survival. We sit with the emotional crash that hits after the crisis, the practical buy-a-taser-and-breathe steps, and the discipline of keeping addresses off the grid. And we honor what carried Sarah forward: listeners who shared, donated, and turned empathy into action. That collective care didn’t just cheer from the sidelines—it moved her across state lines and into a safer life.

Sarah leaves us with a clear call: love yourself, fight for yourself, and trust your gut, even when starting over hurts. If you’re a survivor, an ally, or someone learning how to show up better, this story will stay with you. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help more survivors find a path to safety.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 OR text begin to 88788

Give me a call! 1-844-TELLDTS

Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.

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• Instagram: @thedvsurvivorsisterhood
• Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood

Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.

dismissedtruestories@thesurvivorsisterhood.com

Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.

All sound and music courtesy of Epidemic Sound

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Hey friends — welcome back to Dismissed True Stories.
I’m your host, Elissa, and you’re probably already clocking that this episode sounds a little different.

No intro music.
No disclaimer.
Just me and you.

In the spirit of keeping it quick and honest, here’s the update:
Sarah won’t be joining us today —
but that’s actually for all the best reasons.

She’s safe.
She’s happy.
And she’s officially relocated.

Which, if you’ve been following along since episode one,
you know how huge that is.
It means she’s out of immediate danger,
and finally has the chance to start settling into her next chapter.

So today, instead of a full episode,
I just want to take a minute to say thank you.

Thank you for coming back week after week.
Thank you for listening to Sarah’s story,
for sharing it,
for donating,
and for showing up for her in ways that truly made a difference.

Because of that support — your support — Sarah gets to breathe again.
And that’s what this work is all about.

Now, life is lifing — as it does —
so I’m going to give her a little space to get settled and grounded.
But hopefully, next week, we’ll be back with that girl chat we talked about in the last episode —
a real conversation about how she’s feeling now that she’s safe,
and what this next season of her life might look like.

Until then,
thank you for being here,
thank you for caring,
and thank you for helping us do what we set out to do from the very beginning —
help survivors feel seen, heard, and supported.

I’m Elissa,
and this is Dismissed True Stories.
I’ll talk to you soon.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 OR text begin to 88788

Give me a call! 1-844-TELLDTS

Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.

🔗 Follow Along:

• TikTok: @thedvsurvivor
• Instagram: @thedvsurvivorsisterhood
• Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood

Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.

dismissedtruestories@thesurvivorsisterhood.com

Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.

All sound and music courtesy of Epidemic Sound

Send us a text

A fairy-tale start can hide a nightmare ending. Sarah thought she’d finally found steady ground: years of affection, travel across the U.S., a partner who bonded with her son and promised a safe future. Then pregnancy exposed the truth. The first assault wasn’t a warning—it was a line crossed, followed by contempt during a traumatic C‑section and a campaign to control her through access, threats, and the legal system’s delays.

We walk through the moments most people never hear: the lock changes that say you don’t live here anymore, belongings stacked like trash to humiliate, and the marks of control that appear after every move. There’s an RV bought by an unexpected ally, seven relocations, and hearts drawn in dust to remind her that hiding isn’t the same as safety. When a calm custody exchange lured her back for “one civil night,” it turned into hours of violence, strangulation, and a knife to the skin—followed by crocodile tears and a fake future meant to reset the cycle. She agreed to everything to survive the night, then chose action at first light, even as officials told her to wait weeks.

We don’t sanitize the fear or the system’s failures. We name the tactics—love bombing, isolation, strangulation, future faking—and call out how often abuse escalates during pregnancy. We also center what matters most right now: Sarah is days from losing housing and weeks from her abuser’s release. Shelters are full. The clock is loud. If you’ve ever wondered what tangible support looks like, this is it: sharing her story, contributing to relocation, and refusing to let indifference be the last word.

Listen, learn, and help Sarah get to safety. If this moved you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review—your voice helps more survivors find the lifelines they need.

🚨🚨Help Sarah get to safety:🚨🚨

✨👉 CookinCleaninMama’s Linktree 👈✨

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 OR text begin to 88788

Give me a call! 1-844-TELLDTS

Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.

🔗 Follow Along:

• TikTok: @thedvsurvivor
• Instagram: @thedvsurvivorsisterhood
• Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood

Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.

dismissedtruestories@thesurvivorsisterhood.com

Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.

All sound and music courtesy of Epidemic Sound