WHEN DATING HURTS

This is part one of a two-part story. Taylor is a 39-year-old survivor from northern New York. She is two years with no contact from her emotionally abusive ex-partner. The only way she was able to escape was by educating herself about these types of individuals, and she thinks it’s important to reinforce the gut feelings that most of us feel when we first get involved. Taylor felt sorry for her e...

My three-part interview with Annie reveals a smart, innocent, creative, and fragile young woman giving her best to find a sustainable life. Her desire to share her successes and failures is on full display here. Annie takes us back to her childhood days moving from Wisconsin to Texas to Alaska and back to Wisconsin. Her father’s Air Force career makes the transfers necessary. Her biggest move was...

My three-part interview with Annie reveals a smart, innocent, creative, and fragile young woman giving her best to find a sustainable life. Her desire to share her successes and failures is on full display here. Annie takes us back to her childhood days moving from Wisconsin to Texas to Alaska and back to Wisconsin. Her father’s Air Force career makes the transfers necessary. Her biggest move was...

My three-part interview with Annie reveals a smart, innocent, creative, and fragile young woman giving her best to find a sustainable life. Her desire to share her successes and failures is on full display here. Annie takes us back to her childhood days moving from Wisconsin to Texas to Alaska and back to Wisconsin. Her father’s Air Force career makes the transfers necessary. Her biggest move was...

Few nurses have as many credentials attached to their names as this amazing woman. Let me introduce you to Laura Clary, BSN, RN, FNE-A/P, SANE-A. There is much to be learned from someone who has accumulated such a vast amount of knowledge. Laura has been a registered nurse for 11 years. In 2010, she completed her Forensic Nursing training at Greater Baltimore Medical Center and joined the GBMC tea...

From a very early age, Victorea Luminary and her father were abused by her alcoholic mother. Finally free from decades of abuse, she innocently ran into even more trouble with two different relationships with narcissists. One was her husband; the other a man she thought was going to become her savior. In vivid detail, Victorea tells of the ways she was lured into these insidious relationships. She...

J.D. McCabe maintained a loving relationship with his wife for nearly twenty years before their marriage, family, and world began to crumble. Their foundation had been rooted in "trust is the bedrock of a healthy relationship". Indeed, Erin had always claimed that things wouldn’t — couldn’t — work without trust. But Erin became suspicious of his every move. His phone calls, texts, and work emails...

This is part two of a two-part chat with Mindy. In the middle of 2023, Mindy appeared on the WHEN DATING HURTS podcast as “Becca”. It was a name she created to protect her identity from her abuser. In 2024, she has returned using her real name, Mindy. Mindy wants us to hear how her survivor journey is progressing. It has not been easy, but she wants to share her progress with us.   I think you wil...

This is part one of a two-part chat with Mindy. In the middle of 2023, Mindy appeared on the WHEN DATING HURTS podcast as “Becca”. It was a name she created to protect her identity from her abuser.  In 2024, she has returned using her real name, Mindy. Mindy wants us to hear how her survivor journey is progressing. It has not been easy, but she wants to share her progress with us. I think you will...

Hello, it's Bill.  It's early 2024, and I will give you my thoughts as WHEN DATING HURTS enters our fourth year speaking out to the world about dating abuse and domestic violence. This is from the heart. You will know what I am thinking. Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast, Bill Mitchell WhenDatingHurts.com NOTE: If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on t...

Gena contacted me after hearing my interview on another national podcast. She was determined to make her story of abuse survival known so current victims might learn what she didn't know when she was a victim of abuse.    Like every survivor I have interviewed, I found Gena to be strong, determined, and a decent human being. Abusers seek out nice, honest people like Gena because they calculate the...

This is part two in a three-part story. Danielle Patrice received very few breaks in life. Her parents divorced when she was young, and when she was in her early twenties, she lost her mother. Danielle was forced to figure out life by herself, and she did a magnificent job of doing so. A close male friend became her boyfriend. But, once his role changed, so did his handling of their relationship....

This is part two in a three-part story. Danielle Patrice received very few breaks in life. Her parents divorced when she was young, and when she was in her early twenties, she lost her mother. Danielle was forced to figure out life by herself, and she did a magnificent job of doing so. A close male friend became her boyfriend. But, once his role changed, so did his handling of their relationship....

This is part one in a three-part story. Danielle Patrice received very few breaks in life. Her parents divorced when she was young, and when she was in her early twenties, she lost her mother. Danielle was forced to figure out life by herself, and she did a magnificent job of doing so. A close male friend became her boyfriend. But, once his role changed, so did his handling of their relationship....

"Ryan" volunteered to speak with us. We are so glad he did.   What Ryan told us you will find stunning. This conversation will be remembered as one of the most-compelling interviews in the entire WHEN DATING HURTS series. I knew some of Ryan's background, but I didn't know everything he had been through until we spoke. You will hear his story and learn from it. I gained such respect for Ryan's cou...

"Ryan" volunteered to speak with us. We are so glad he did. What Ryan told us you will find stunning. This conversation will be remembered as one of the most-compelling interviews in the entire WHEN DATING HURTS series.  I knew some of Ryan's background, but I didn't know everything he had been through until we spoke. You will hear his story and learn from it. I gained such respect for Ryan's cour...

Barbra’s story takes time to tell. For that reason, it is presented to you in three parts. This is part three. Trigger Warnings due to graphic violence. Barbra Walker’s story of abuse comes with serious trigger warnings about its content and descriptions. There is much to be learned from listening to her telling of what happened, but it contains potentially distressing material. Ms. Walker had nev...

Barbra’s story takes time to tell. For that reason, it is presented to you in three parts. This is part two. Trigger Warnings due to graphic violence. Barbra Walker’s story of abuse comes with serious trigger warnings about its content and descriptions. There is much to be learned from listening to her telling of what happened, but it contains potentially distressing material. Ms. Walker had never...

Barbra’s story takes time to tell. For that reason, it is presented to you in three parts. This is part one.  Trigger Warnings due to graphic violence.  Barbra Walker’s story of abuse comes with serious trigger warnings about its content and descriptions. There is much to be learned from listening to her telling of what happened, but it contains potentially distressing material. Ms. Walker had ne...

This is part two of a two-part conversation. I was recently interviewed by David Keck. David is the host of the “Surviving Abuse” podcast. The Surviving Abuse podcast is a powerful platform dedicated to providing hope, healing, and education to individuals who have endured personal trauma and abuse. David Keck’s podcast aims to shed light on the struggles faced during and after abuse experiences....

This is part one of a two-part conversation.  I was recently interviewed by David Keck. David is the host of the “Surviving Abuse” podcast. The Surviving Abuse podcast is a powerful platform dedicated to providing hope, healing, and education to individuals who have endured personal trauma and abuse. David Keck’s podcast aims to shed light on the struggles faced during and after abuse experiences....

Natalie puts her life on full display so others can learn from her missteps. In her late teens, she consistently overlooked warning signs that would have saved her from years trapped in a relationship that never felt right. Her first date with this person could have been enough, but eventually found herself in a marriage that was completely one-sided. Her power and control was being ceded from the...

Natalie puts her life on full display so others can learn from her missteps. In her late teens, she consistently overlooked warning signs that would have saved her from years trapped in a relationship that never felt right. Her first date with this person could have been enough, but eventually found herself in a marriage that was completely one-sided. Her power and control was being ceded from the...

This is part three of a three-part story. Holly wasn’t looking for a boyfriend the evening she met Phil. Soon after they met, she felt they might have a future together. Well, they did have a future. A horrific one. Sometimes abuse survivors display levels of loyalty that go beyond our imagination. This is one of those stories. We find ourselves pulling for Holly to stop the madness and break away...

This is part two of a three-part story. Holly wasn’t looking for a boyfriend the evening she met Phil. Soon after they met, she felt they might have a future together. Well, they did have a future. A horrific one. Sometimes abuse survivors display levels of loyalty that go beyond our imagination. This is one of those stories. We find ourselves pulling for Holly to stop the madness and break away f...