WHEN DATING HURTS

This story was first published a couple years back. I rereleased it because it's full of helpful information. Susan Saurman is a survivor on several levels. Abused by her father when she was young, she also needed to heal from the day he murdered her dear mother. This is part one of a two-part story that spans decades. Susan has not let anything deter her from her mission to use her family's trage...

You are about to hear part two of a two-part story with Alissa. This is a teen dating violence story. It does not include physical violence to any great degree, but it makes the point that a relationship can be quite abusive even without the presence of the physical part. This interview is one you might want to listen to with teens present, both in high school or college. You will hear about warni...

You are about to hear part one of a two-part story with Alissa. This is a teen dating violence story. It does not include physical violence to any great degree, but it makes the point that a relationship can be quite abusive even without the presence of the physical part. This interview is one you might want to listen to with teens present, both in high school or college. You will hear about warni...

This is the third in a three-part narrative with Dawn. This story necessitates trigger warnings due to its adult language, violence, a shooting, the use of drugs, and both emotional and physical abuse. Dawn was a skilled auto mechanic living in the Mid West. She moved to the west side of Chicago to work on cars at a family friend's shop. She was set up for success. A man she met in her apartment b...

This is the first in a three-part narrative with Dawn. This story necessitates trigger warnings due to its adult language, violence, a shooting, the use of drugs, and both emotional and physical abuse. Dawn was a skilled auto mechanic living in the Mid West. She moved to the west side of Chicago to work on cars at a family friend's shop. She was set up for success. A man she met in her apartment b...

This is the first in a three-part narrative with Dawn. This story necessitates trigger warnings due to its adult language, violence, a shooting, the use of drugs, and both emotional and physical abuse. Dawn was a skilled auto mechanic living in the Mid West. She moved to the west side of Chicago to work on cars at a family friend's shop. She was set up for success. A man she met in her apartment b...

This is part two of a two-part story. Kelsey thought Corey was the one. He was a talented artist with a following who bought his works. There were warning signs she though odd, but she decided to overlook them in favor of keeping the relationship moving. When something abusive happened, she felt each one was an isolated incident. This is a story about a caring woman and her narcissistic partner. T...

This is part one of a two-part story. Kelsey thought Corey was the one. He was a talented artist with a following who bought his works. There were warning signs she though odd, but she decided to overlook them in favor of keeping the relationship moving. When something abusive happened, she felt each one was an isolated incident. This is a story about a caring woman and her narcissistic partner. T...

I was recently interviewed by a podcast entitled "Persistence U" by Lizbeth Meredith. Persistence U covers all manner of survivor stories. Take a listen when you have time. Here is my interview with the host, Lizbeth Meredith. Once you have heard it, I hope you felt rewarded for listening to our interview. It is a mix of my daughter's tragedy, but also life-saving advice on how to be a survivor an...

The two episodes in this story come with content warnings. This is part two of a two-part story. You may find when listening to this story that the content is too intense for you. If that becomes the case, I strongly urge you: do not continue listening. The descriptions tell of the intense emotional and physical abuse a husband put upon his wife. I thought many times about whether to publish this...

The two episodes in this story come with content warnings. This is part one. You may find when listening to this story that the content is too intense for you. If that becomes the case, I strongly urge you: do not continue listening. The descriptions tell of the intense emotional and physical abuse a husband put upon his wife.   I thought many times about whether to publish this story, but I prom...

Abigail was 18 when she met him. She was taken by the idea that he played in a very well-known Seattle band. The idea that he wanted to pay attention to her thrilled Abigail. By the way, this man was 28. See how a young woman who trusted someone she didn't know well was lured into a hyper-unhealthy relationship. She learned the hard way about what can happen. We can each learn from her. Abigail ha...

I was urged to run this episode again. IT'S THAT POWERFUL! So, it's back once more! One of our well-informed WHEN DATING HURTS listeners sent me an email with a list of things you must do before leaving your abuser. In this episode, you will hear the kinds of items a domestic violence counselor will tell you while figuring out your escape plan to safety. This is a short episode, but one of our mos...

There are so few instances when a man has come forward to tell his story of marital abuse. In this case, he was almost murdered. That is why we decided to reprise this story. It is so compelling. We apologize for some of the buzzing on this track, and we hope it does not interfere with your listening to it. J.D. McCabe maintained a loving relationship with his wife for nearly twenty years before t...

Living in Ontario, Canada a few years ago, Maggie and her husband were wondering what was going on with Alyssa. They saw bothersome warning signs around her, but Alyssa's parents were at a loss trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Alyssa had dropped out of many school activities, she stopped interacting with friends, she changed the way she dressed, and her marks dropped. She had alread...

With survivor stories, it is so disturbing to hear what one person has done to another person. In these stories, it is always an ongoing pattern or campaign. It’s never just one instance or one awful act. In this episode, we speak with Josephine. She will tell us about childhood abuse, intimate partner, violence, psychological abuse, sexual assault, and even reproductive coercion. We want to thank...

This is Hera’s story. On Oct. 20, 2012, Hera McLeod’s ex-boyfriend murdered her 15-month-old son. He killed him to get more than $500,000 in life insurance. Few of our episodes have more twists and turns than this one. You will not be able to guess what Hera discovered about her psychopath ex-boyfriend. He was a predator beyond our wildest nightmares. You need to hear this one. Today, Hera McLeod...

This is part two of our two-part interview with Kathleen. She will tell us about more than one ill-fated relationship with the men she dated. With the last one, she became pregnant. That is when all of his abusive behavior, selfish style, and narcissistic personality was on full display. We will see the many times she gave second chances to her boyfriend, Al. But, no matter what she tried, he neve...

This is part one of our two-part interview with Kathleen. She will tell us about more than one ill-fated relationship with the men she dated. With the last one, she became pregnant. That is when all of his abusive behavior, selfish style, and narcissistic personality was on full display. We will see the many times she gave second chances to her boyfriend, Al. But, no matter what she tried, he neve...

In this special episode, we examine 10 classic warning signs of an unhealthy relationship. We also take another look at "The Template Every Abuser Follows". Then we talk about the many differences between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship. Within this episode, we describe what dating abuse and domestic violence are. NOTE: If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WH...

This time, I am interviewing Brandon Chadwick, the esteemed host of Narcissist Apocalypse podcast. Narcissist Apocalypse is a raw and unfiltered podcast that gives a voice to survivors of domestic violence. Brandon Chadwick has been interviewing guests since 2019. Specifically, interviewing survivors of narcissistic and domestic violence abuse. Brandon has published over 250 survivor stories. He h...

We reprise a previous episode that deserved to be heard once more for the warning signs that this survivor missed, and the lessons she learned the heard way. Karen Widdoss is a courageous survivor of a murderous assault she suffered when she was a young teen.  In the summer of 1994, her ex-boyfriend attacked her and nearly took her life. How she managed to hold onto her life is a miracle.  Karen h...

This is part one of a two-part story My conversation with Charlee touches on areas we have not visited previously. She was born a twin to a mother who disliked children. Her twin brother might have had it worse because her mother hated men. It is debatable who made Charlee's younger years more miserable: her mother, her alcoholic father, her sexual predator stepfather, or her brother. By the time...

This is part one of a two-part story My conversation with Charlee touches on areas we have not visited previously. She was born a twin to a mother who disliked children. Her twin brother might have had it worse because her mother hated men. It is debatable who made Charlee's younger years more miserable: her mother, her alcoholic father, her sexual predator stepfather, or her brother. By the time...

This is part two of a two-part story from Sarah, who lives in Australia. Sarah and her siblings grew up in New Zealand under the tyrannical reign of a merciless stepfather. This man ruled their home with an iron fist that was directed mostly at Sarah's mother. For ten years, they needed to be on guard from his abusive behavior. Her mother bore the brunt of his emotional and physical abuse. It was...