Going Solo: Survivor Founds New Resource to Support DV Organizations
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Release Date: 06/20/2025
Getting Out Without a Scorched Earth Divorce
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Joe Dillon, divorce mediator and co-founder of Equitable Mediation, discusses his background and the benefits of mediation over a litigated divorce. He contrasts the aggressive, financially draining nature of litigated divorces with the cost effective, cooperative approach of mediation, which he has practiced for over two decades. Joe emphasizes the importance of financial literacy and transparency, highlighting common issues like hidden debt and financial abuse. He mentions his online courses on divorce mediation, which aim to educate clients on divorce preperation,...
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Going Solo: Survivor Founds New Resource to Support DV Organizations
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Joy Ingram, CEO and Founder of Love & Joy, discusses her journey from Georgia to Virginia, where she began advocacy work for domestic violence survivors. She highlights her roles at New Directions and RAFT, emphasizing the importance of supporting advocates to prevent burnout. Joy also shares her personal experience as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, which fueled her passion for advocacy. She notes that over 60% of advocates in the field of domestic abuse are survivors themselves and need consistent self-care and systematic changes within non-profit...
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Legal Eagle Becomes a Champion Advocate for Survivors of Domestic Abuse
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Maisha Colter, CEO of AVDA in Texas, discusses her extensive background in social work and law, emphasizing her transition from social work to law to better advocate for vulnerable populations, particularly children and women. AVDA provides legal services for thousands every year, focusing on family court cases and economic abuse. Maisha highlights the organizations BIPP program, which educates abusers on gender roles and communication, and its annual interfaith workshop to train faith leaders on supporting domestic violence survivors. AVDA also conducts various community...
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Harnessing Technology to Accelerate Access to Civil Legal Protection for Survivors
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Rosie Watson discusses her work as Head of External Relations with the Domestic Abuse Alliance in the United Kingdom, focusing on reducing the time victims receive legal support from weeks to hours using the WEPROTECT app. She highlights the recent United Kingdom law change recognizing coercive control as a criminal offense, now managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements. Rosie emphasizes the hidden nature of domestic abuse, particularly financial abuse, and the importance of employer support. The organization also provides interpretation and translation...
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From Survivor to Advocate: Windi's Story
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Windi, survivor and advocate from California, shares her journey of abuse and recovery. She details her childhood, meeting her abusive partner after the tragic end to a previous engagement and the challenges of her marriage with a partner suffering from untreated PTSD and financial instability. Windi highlights her efforts to protect and educate her children about domestic abuse, as well as her advocacy work in preventing gun violence. Windi describes her passion for being an advocate for gun violence prevention after her own personal tragedy. KEY...
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Hope & Healing Through Support and Accountability
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Sophora Acheson, Executive Director and Co-Board President of Ruby's Place, discusses her journey from Grass Valley, Califorinia, to Santa Rosa and developing a passion for helping survivors of domestic violence. She shares her personal history of abuse and her career path, which led her to pioneer a program to reduce perpetrator violence called R.A.F.T. (Restorative Action for Family Transformation). R.A.F.T. aims to address the root causes of domestic violence by providing accountability and trauma-informed care for abusers, while insuring survivors receive necessary...
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Serving Canada's Survivors Through Reconciliation and Collaboration
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
The Manitoba Association of Women's Shelters (MAWS) is a non-profit organization in Manitoba, Canada, dedicated to supporting survivors of gender-based violence through education, training and community collaboration. Today, Amber Merucci, Project Specialist; Tsungai Muvingi, Provincial Coodinator and Maria Paz, Communication Specialist at MAWS, discuss their roles and the organization's rich history. They emphasize MAW'S unique focus on provincial shelters and its committment to cultural humility and reconcilliation with indigenous communities. Amber, Maria and Tsungai each...
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Escaping the Gilded Cage: Sue's Story
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Sue, a court stenographer from Bayshore, New York, shares her harrowing experiences with financial and emotional abuse in her two marriages. She details her first husband's lies and instability, leading to a short-lived marriage and his eventual death. Her second husband, a successful financier with a beautiful mansion in Connecticut, was abusive, controlling her finances and eventually leading them both to an economic disaster. Sue's life changed after volunteering for ECLIVES, where she now serves as a vice president and rape crisis counselor. Sue emphasizes the...
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Rising Beyond Your Abusive Partnership
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Sybil Cummin, a licensed professional play therapist from Colorado, founded the Rising Beyond Power & Control podcast and resource website to address the gaps in support for survivors of abuse, particularly those with children. She emphasizes the concept of post-separation abuse, where abuse continues after leaving an abusive partnership. Sybil's community, designed for women, offers safety, privacy and support through live events, workshops and a private forum. She advises survivors to create safety plans, gather documentation and seek support from safe...
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Together Strong! Bringing New Hope for Survivors of Domestic Violence
Speaking Out on Financial Abuse
Julia Foos, a Community Education Coordinator from the North Shore suburbs of Chicago, discusses her role at Sarah's Inn, an organization dedicated to helping domestic violence survivors. Julia, who has a background in social work and gender studies, joined Sarah's Inn after discovering their podcast during COVID. She highlights Sarah's Inn's comprehensive services, including crisis lines, counseling, legal aid and the PAIP program which helps perpetrators of domestic violence unlearn toxic behaviors. Julia emphasizes the importance of addressing both survivors and...
info_outlineJoy Ingram, CEO and Founder of Love & Joy, discusses her journey from Georgia to Virginia, where she began advocacy work for domestic violence survivors. She highlights her roles at New Directions and RAFT, emphasizing the importance of supporting advocates to prevent burnout. Joy also shares her personal experience as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, which fueled her passion for advocacy. She notes that over 60% of advocates in the field of domestic abuse are survivors themselves and need consistent self-care and systematic changes within non-profit organizations. Joy plans to expand her Love & Joy consulting and workshop services to help and support more agencies and advocate organizations.
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KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Joy shares her background, born in Hawaii and raised in Rome, Georgia, before moving to Atlanta.
- She explains her move to Staunton, Virginia, through an early college entrance exam.
- Joy recounts her midlife crisis in 2016, which led her to make a connnection with a woman at her church and who adopted her into her family.
- Joy discusses her passion for helping survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, which began with her own experience.
- Joy begins volunteering at a rape crisis center in Decatur, Georgia, and later at a crisis center in Atlanta.
- She explains the New Beginnings organization and their programs and services.
- Joy discusses the RAFT (Resilience for Advocates Through Foundational Training) and its mission to support advocates working in the domestic abuse fields.
- She highlights the unique stresses faced by advocates, such as vicarious trauma from dealing with survivor issues throughout each working day.
- Joy shares statistics that 61% of all advocates in the domestic abuse field are survivors of abuse themselves.
- She discusses the importance of collaboration and communication between domestic violence agencies, sparking her idea to form her own consulting firm.
- Joy explains her Love and Joy company and its place in supporting advocates in domestic abuse agencies, including workshops to prevent job burnout and promote self care.
- She offers advice to survivors still in an abusive relationship as well as how to receive support after the end of the abusive partnership.
LINKS:
RAFT (Resilience for Advocates Through Foundational Training)