The LOVE>hate Podcast

In this first part, Christine Dillard joins the Love is Greater Than Hate podcast to break down the complex mechanics of coercive control and domestic abuse. For 17 years, Christine lived an entirely double life: she was a confident, strong team lead in corporate America who managed boardrooms with ease, only to return home to an environment filled with walking on eggshells, explosive outbursts, a...

How do you find peace and joy on the days when life simply feels too heavy? In Part 2 of this inspiring conversation on the Love is Greater Than Hate podcast, host Melissa Etzler continues her discussion with author and podcaster Maria to explore the practical daily habits, tools, and mindsets required for long-term emotional healing and self-discovery. Following her survival of multiple health cr...

Why do some people survive impossible circumstances, and how do we shift from feeling like life is happening to us to realizing it is happening for us? In the first part of this deeply moving episode of the Love is Greater Than Hate podcast, host Melissa Etzler sits down with Maria, a remarkable survivor who has spent her life defying the statistics. From the very beginning, surviving a less-than-...

In this deeply moving episode of The LOVE>hate Podcast , host Melissa Etzler sits down with the incredibly resilient Amanda Goldman-Petrie (affectionately known as AGP) for a powerful conversation on trauma, survival, and why growth is always greater than pain. AGP shares her "utterly insane" life journey, walking listeners through three distinct evolutions of herself. She opens up abou...

In this powerful episode of The LOVE>hate Podcast , host Melissa Etzler sits down with author, minister, and overcomer Denise M. Walker for an intimate conversation on healing, faith, and reclaiming your voice after trauma. Denise opens up about her deeply personal journey overcoming the painful wounds of childhood abuse and the physical and emotional toll of a severe endometriosis diagnosis. A...

In the powerful second half of this interview on the Love is Greater Than Hate podcast , host Melissa Etzler dives deeper with advocate Dan Roth into the complex realities of mental health, family dynamics, and intentional recovery. Dan opens up about his personal turning point, sharing the precise mindset shift that saved his marriage and reshaped his entire approach to emotional healing. Navigat...

In this powerful episode of the Love is Greater Than Hate podcast , host Melissa Etzler sits down with advocate Dan Roth to discuss a critical yet frequently overlooked topic: male domestic violence and sexual assault survivorship . Dan opens up about his personal journey, shedding light on the complex realities of relationship trauma, mental health struggles, and the long road to recognizing abus...

In this powerful and soul-stirring episode of Love is Greater Than Hate , host Melissa Etzler welcomes Kimberly to share a story that remained hidden in the shadows for decades. For years, Kimberly lived in the suffocating grip of shame, only recently finding the strength in 2025 to reveal the reality of her past to her family. Her journey is a profound testament to the fact that true healing can...

In the powerful conclusion of our two-part series, host Melissa Etzler continues her conversation with Caralyn, diving deep into the terrifying reality of post-separation abuse and the high-stakes journey of escaping a toxic environment while pregnant. This episode moves beyond the early red flags discussed in Part 1 to explore the dangerous escalation of control that often occurs when a survivor...

In this episode of LOVE>hate , host Melissa Etzler sits down with Caralyn for the first installment of a two-part series on surviving and transcending toxic cycles. Caralyn, offers a raw and vulnerable retrospective of two different abusive relationships, one from her early twenties and one from her thirties, to provide a "glimpse into the future" for other survivors who feel trapped by...

In this powerful episode of Love is Greater Than Hate , host Melissa Etzler sits down with Matt Melvin , author of Bully Behind Bars , for a raw and transformative conversation about trauma, faith, and the long road to self-forgiveness. Matt shares his harrowing journey through the American prison system—including experiences with solitary confinement and physical assault—and how these challenges...

Picking up where Part 1 left off, Melissa and Bill dive into the "how" of long-term healing. Bill reflects on the messy reality of growth, admitting that progress isn't a straight line but a series of oscillations between old habits and new intentions. Now a father and a professional speaker, Bill discusses how he broke the cycle of generational trauma to raise his children differently...

In the first half of this powerful conversation, Bill de la Cruz joins host Melissa Etzler to pull back the curtain on a childhood defined by trauma, abuse, and survival. Bill shares the raw details of his early years—from navigating a volatile relationship with his father to the devastating and sudden loss of his sister. As a young man, Bill found himself on a dangerous trajectory toward prison o...

In the world of leadership and personal development, we often talk about "resilience" as a buzzword, but Jules’s story reminds us that true resilience is a grueling, active process of reclamation. This episode picks up at one of the most pivotal moments of her life: the aftermath of her abuser’s arrest. It wasn't the end of the struggle, but rather the beginning of a complex journey to...

Trigger Warning: This episode contains detailed discussions of domestic violence and emotional trauma. In Part One Jules provides a raw, unfiltered look at the "silent" beginnings of abuse . It wasn’t just physical; it was a calculated web of isolation, emotional manipulation, and psychological control . If you’ve ever wondered why leaving is so complex, Jules explains the "emotional t...

“I was not breathing. Everything was just very shallow.” In this moving episode of Love is Greater Than Hate , host Melissa Etzler sits down with Danielle, an award-winning author and master life coach, to discuss her incredible 26-year journey of healing after a life-threatening domestic violence situation. Danielle shares the raw reality of leaving a toxic relationship at 19, the "first brea...

In this moving episode of the Love is Greater Than Hate podcast, host Melissa Etzler sits down with Maricela , a licensed mental health clinician who shares her harrowing journey from surviving an armed robbery to finding her calling in helping others heal. In 2010, while working as a supervisor at a CVS in Los Angeles, Maricela’s life changed in an instant when three masked gunmen stormed the sto...

In this deeply moving episode, host Melissa Etzler welcomes Tina Djuretic to share her transformative "hero’s journey" from a life defined by trauma to one of profound self-love and joy. Tina opens up about hitting rock bottom in her late 40s after a series of relationships with narcissistic and emotionally unavailable partners. She reveals how she realized she had been "dating her par...

In this deeply moving episode, Melissa Etzler sits down with MJ , a survivor who has spent the last decade navigating the complexities of trauma and recovery. MJ opens up about her journey from childhood abuse and toxic relationships to finding her voice through the transformative power of art therapy . MJ shares how a chance encounter with the "Love is Greater Than Hate" organization in c...

In part two of Jessie's story we explore her marriage with a narcissist and how she was able to finally get away. We also hear about how she's able to help children, as a teacher, detect these signs and get them help. Her healing journey is an inspiring one that gives hope for ending ancestral trauma. Click here to donate to LOVE>hate now National Domestic Violence Hotline:  1-800-799-7...

Emotionally abused from the day she was born, Jessie was at the forefront of her fathers abuse growing up until she was able to go to college where the man who sexually assaulted her was also going. Jessie was resilient in moving forward with her life and has taken control. Part one explores her abusive upbringing and sexual assault while part two explores her marriage to a narcissist and how she...

Join Melissa Etzler for a powerful and deeply moving conversation with Jacalyn, who shares her incredible story of resilience and faith following an unimaginable tragedy. Jacalyn opens up about the devastating moment in 2018 when her abusive ex-husband took the life of her new husband, Chris, at her coffee shop—in front of their children. She recounts the earth-shattering shock and panic of that d...

In this deeply honest and moving episode, host Melissa Etzler welcomes Adam A. Meyers, a veteran police officer, who bravely shares the story of his six-year-long struggle following a critical, life-altering incident in 2016 where he was forced to use deadly force in the line of duty. Adam recounts the intense emotional turmoil he experienced after the shooting, leading him down a destructive path...

In this powerful first episode, Autumn shares her incredible journey of surviving years of escalating domestic violence. She takes us inside the fear, the isolation, and the critical moments—including a chilling encounter with a female police officer—that led her to prioritize her daughter's safety and finally escape. Autumn bravely discusses the lasting toll of mental abuse over physical scar...

The LOVE > hate Podcast is a trauma-informed space where survivors of assault and interpersonal violence can share their experiences and journey to healing and reclaiming their lives. Hosted by a trauma-informed Emotional Freedom Techniques practitioner, we believe in the power of your voice to inspire, empower, and connect.