This May Get RAW: Building Wise Resilience

Lisa Croke and Sara Judith
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Leaving an abusive relationship is just the beginning. Join domestic abuse survivors Lisa Croke and Sara Judith every week for no-holds-barred talk about life after domestic violence, emotional abuse, and narcissistic relationships. From real stories of healing from trauma to practical strategies for finding self-worth, reclaiming your identity, and building lasting resilience, this is a podcast by survivors, for survivors (and those who love them). Whether you're newly out, years into recovery, or supporting a survivor, get the tools, hope, and wisdom you need to thrive.

  1. 1d ago

    13. Joy and Fun - How to Boldly Claim Your Pleasure

    When’s the last time you did something just because it was fun and felt good?  For domestic abuse survivors, the idea of joy and fun can feel like a million miles away. But the joy that was buried by your abuse isn’t lost. It’s still there, just waiting for you to rediscover it.  This week, we’re breaking out the big guns (bubble guns, that is) when it comes to letting our hair down and having a little fun! We’re talking about: How we both reconnected with joy after domestic abuse The difference between happiness and joy What to do when “fun” seems hard or when you don’t even know what you enjoy doing anymore Why joy and fun aren’t frivolous—they’re human rights Practical—and fun!—steps to start exploring how to bring more joy and play into your life How allies and advocates can make it safe for survivors to explore joy and fun  Content Warning: This May Get RAW contains explicit language and candid discussions of trauma, domestic violence, and mental health — including the emotions and feelings that come with these lived experiences. We are speaking as survivors, not as mental health professionals. Please engage with care and at your own pace. If you need support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (call or text) or visit thehotline.org. Lisa Croke  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@Helvickcoaching⁠⁠ Sara Judith LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Sara Judith ⁠⁠⁠ Daniel Henriquez Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@danhenriquez

  2. Sep 1

    12. Grace - The Power of Self-Compassion

    Being kind to yourself: It might just be the hardest part of all when it comes to healing from domestic abuse.  Abuse survivors don’t just carry the wounds inflicted by their abuser. Often, they also carry the harm they inflict on themselves through shame, self-blame, and relentless self-criticism. Learning to silence that harsh inner critic and be kind to yourself is a major step in the path toward domestic abuse recovery.  This week, we’re getting real about how grace isn’t a weakness; it’s your secret weapon and biggest strength. Grace is the bridge between surviving and thriving, and it starts with choosing to release the harsh judgment you've been holding against yourself. This week, we’ll be talking about: How abusers demand grace for themselves while ensuring their victims never receive it Why grace does not mean letting your abuser off the hook or “forgiving and forgetting” Red flags that you need to extend yourself more grace Practical steps to start treating yourself with more kindness and compassion, today How allies and advocates can support and celebrate survivors’ journey to less judgment and a kinder, more compassionate attitude toward themselves Content Warning: This May Get RAW contains explicit language and candid discussions of trauma, domestic violence, and mental health — including the emotions and feelings that come with these lived experiences. We are speaking as survivors, not as mental health professionals. Please engage with care and at your own pace. If you need support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (call or text) or visit thehotline.org. Lisa Croke  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@Helvickcoaching⁠⁠ Sara Judith LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Sara Judith ⁠⁠⁠ Daniel Henriquez Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@danhenriquez

  3. Aug 25

    11. Imperfection - Why “Getting It Right” Keeps You Stuck

    When you’re in an abusive relationship, you spend all your time trying to be perfect because you hope it will keep you safe. But once the abuse ends, that perfectionism goes from being a survival strategy to being a trauma response—one that keeps you stuck in shame, fear, and the belief you’re never good enough. As two recovering perfectionists, this week’s topic is especially close to our hearts! We know that letting go of the need to be perfect can be terrifying, especially for domestic abuse survivors. The journey to being your real, imperfect self takes courage, resilience, community, and real, practical steps.  This week, we’ll be talking about: How (and why) abusers test for perfectionism and people-pleasing early on and use it against you How perfectionism can become a trauma response The joy of allowing yourself to be imperfect Practical steps to start moving beyond perfectionism into authenticity, wise resilience, and a more fulfilling life How allies and advocates can support survivors struggling to let go of the idea of perfection Content Warning: This May Get RAW contains explicit language and candid discussions of trauma, domestic violence, and mental health — including the emotions and feelings that come with these lived experiences. We are speaking as survivors, not as mental health professionals. Please engage with care and at your own pace. If you need support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (call or text) or visit thehotline.org. Lisa Croke  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@Helvickcoaching⁠⁠ Sara Judith LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Sara Judith ⁠⁠⁠ Daniel Henriquez Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@danhenriquez

  4. Aug 18

    10. Spirituality - Connecting to Something Bigger Than Yourself

    Many people think domestic abuse means bruises and black eyes. But there’s one aspect of domestic abuse that’s almost always overlooked: spiritual abuse.  When someone weaponizes your faith or spiritual practice, they're not just harming you physically or emotionally. They’re severing your connection to meaning itself. Recovering from spiritual abuse and reconnecting with your religious faith, spirituality, or soul is a journey all its own. This week, we get extra raw about this deeply personal topic, drawing on our own experiences of spiritual abuse and weaponization and our journeys back to our deepest selves. We’ll talk about: What spiritual abuse is, and how abusers and abusive systems weaponize spiritual beliefs The unique layers of grief that come with recognizing and healing from spiritual abuse What healing from spiritual abuse can actually look like The joy of rediscovering your spirituality and sense of meaning and purpose after abuse How allies and advocates can create space for complex feelings when it comes to spirituality Content Warning: This May Get RAW contains explicit language and candid discussions of trauma, domestic violence, and mental health — including the emotions and feelings that come with these lived experiences. We are speaking as survivors, not as mental health professionals. Please engage with care and at your own pace. If you need support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (call or text) or visit thehotline.org. Lisa Croke  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@Helvickcoaching⁠⁠ Sara Judith LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Sara Judith ⁠⁠⁠ Daniel Henriquez Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@danhenriquez

  5. Aug 11

    9. Self-Care - Practices That Actually Work (Not the Sexy Instagram Kind)

    Take a bubble bath. Practice gratitude. Treat yourself.  Instagram-worthy self-care practices sound great and can be wonderful for temporary comfort. But for domestic abuse survivors, long-term self-care is more complicated–and often less glamorous.  This week, we’re getting real about the unsexy side of self-care. Things like drinking enough water, committing to therapy, and setting boundaries.  We’ll talk about: What self-care actually means for survivors, and what to do when mainstream self-care advice becomes harmful How consistency in the small things builds the foundation for bigger healing work Why you can’t heal in isolation How to find the right self-care practices-–the ones that actually support YOUR healing How allies and advocates can be supportive without imposing their own wellness narratives Content Warning: This May Get RAW contains explicit language and candid discussions of trauma, domestic violence, and mental health — including the emotions and feelings that come with these lived experiences. We are speaking as survivors, not as mental health professionals. Please engage with care and at your own pace. If you need support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (call or text) or visit thehotline.org. Lisa Croke  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@Helvickcoaching⁠⁠ Sara Judith LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Sara Judith ⁠⁠⁠ Daniel Henriquez Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@danhenriquez

  6. Aug 4

    8. Self Trust - Reclaiming Your Decisions

    Trigger warning: This episode was recorded in February 2026 and contains discussion of the Epstein files. While no details of the files are shared, listeners should engage with awareness and take care of themselves.  Making decisions in an abusive relationship comes down to one thing: survival. And after months or even years of being conditioned to doubt your judgment, your capabilities, and your intuition, you may discover that even after the abuse when you’re free to make decisions for yourself, you no longer know how.  In this week’s episode, we’re diving into how to learn to trust yourself again after domestic abuse. Because self-trust in decision-making is how you stop abandoning yourself and finally take away your abuser’s power. We’ll talk about: How abusers systematically dismantle our decision-making capability Why "going with your gut" doesn't work when your gut has been rewired by trauma The difference between seeking wise counsel and living in chronic self-doubt How to begin making decisions—even small ones—with confidence How allies and advocates can empower (and not undermine) survivors’ self-trust muscle Content Warning: This May Get RAW contains explicit language and candid discussions of trauma, domestic violence, and mental health — including the emotions and feelings that come with these lived experiences. We are speaking as survivors, not as mental health professionals. Please engage with care and at your own pace. If you need support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (call or text) or visit thehotline.org. Lisa Croke  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@Helvickcoaching⁠⁠ Sara Judith LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Sara Judith ⁠⁠⁠ Daniel Henriquez Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@danhenriquez

  7. Jul 25

    7. Identity - Who Am I Becoming?

    It’s a question every domestic abuse survivor ultimately must face: Who am I now? Survivors spend so long adapting to survive—changing things about themselves their abusers don’t like, suppressing their needs, becoming smaller or different versions of themselves—that once they’ve escaped the abuse, many genuinely don’t know who they are anymore.  Redefining yourself after domestic abuse can feel scary and overwhelming, but it can also be exciting and freeing. In this episode, we get real about how survivors can reclaim their agency and create an identity that honors their past selves while forging a stronger future. We’ll talk about: How abusers steal our identity by systematically dismantling our sense of self How identity confusion can show up in recovery from domestic abuse Whether or not to share your story and adopt the “survivor” label publicly How to try on different versions of yourself and tolerate the discomfort of not knowing who you are right away How allies and advocates can support survivors in exploring their new identity after abuse Content Warning: This May Get RAW contains explicit language and candid discussions of trauma, domestic violence, and mental health — including the emotions and feelings that come with these lived experiences. We are speaking as survivors, not as mental health professionals. Please engage with care and at your own pace. If you need support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (call or text) or visit thehotline.org. Lisa Croke  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@Helvickcoaching⁠⁠ Sara Judith LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Sara Judith ⁠⁠⁠ Daniel Henriquez Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@danhenriquez

  8. Mar 24

    6. Boundaries - Protecting Your Emerging Self

    Imagine you live in a house with no doors. People can walk in whenever they choose, and your time, your space, your energy is never your own.  For many domestic abuse survivors, that’s what life in active abuse felt like: no boundaries standing between us and the danger. Learning how to set and hold healthy boundaries post-abuse is one of the most important, and hardest, lessons survivors need to learn.  In this episode, we’ll dive into what a boundaried life can look like and how survivors can come to embrace boundaries as an act of love. We’ll talk about: How abusers manipulate our boundaries to make us feel like we don’t deserve to have them Why boundaries aren’t selfish Red flags to help you identify when your boundaries are being violated Tips to help survivors decide what their own healthy boundaries are How allies and advocates can support survivors in setting and maintaining healthy boundaries Join us for some real talk about the hard work of establishing boundaries—and why that work is worth every second. Content Warning: This May Get RAW contains explicit language and candid discussions of trauma, domestic violence, and mental health — including the emotions and feelings that come with these lived experiences. We are speaking as survivors, not as mental health professionals. Please engage with care and at your own pace. If you need support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (call or text) or visit thehotline.org. Lisa Croke  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@Helvickcoaching⁠⁠ Sara Judith LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Sara Judith ⁠⁠⁠ Daniel Henriquez Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@Adravamedia⁠

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Leaving an abusive relationship is just the beginning. Join domestic abuse survivors Lisa Croke and Sara Judith every week for no-holds-barred talk about life after domestic violence, emotional abuse, and narcissistic relationships. From real stories of healing from trauma to practical strategies for finding self-worth, reclaiming your identity, and building lasting resilience, this is a podcast by survivors, for survivors (and those who love them). Whether you're newly out, years into recovery, or supporting a survivor, get the tools, hope, and wisdom you need to thrive.

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