044: From Victim to Victorious with Jessica Conness (Repost)
She Handled It! with Arwen Becker
Release Date: 06/22/2021
She Handled It! with Arwen Becker
Just when she thought that 2021 had presented enough challenges to deal with, Arwen’s left arm started going numb. In addition to finding out that both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer, and supporting them as best she could, now Arwen needed medical attention as well. After several hours of testing, the E.R. doctors thought Arwen had a blood clot or was potentially suffering from a heart attack before discovering that she had developed a rare condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. And if that wasn’t enough, shortly after receiving this diagnosis, her entire household tested...
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In just eighteen months, Angela Henderson lost four very important people in her life. On Christmas Day, her grandmother died. On Mother’s Day, she lost her brother, and on the following New Year’s Day, a father-figure in her life had also passed away. And two weeks later, one of her close friends was killed on a highway when a piece of a boat flew through his windshield and struck him in the head. Having gone through that much loss and tragedy in such a short period of time would be too much for a lot of people. But these significant losses didn’t stop her from wanting to help others....
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In late February, Arwen’s 80-year-old father fell down the stairs. When he saw the doctor to find out what kind of damage had been done, they learned he’d fractured part of his neck–and also discovered he had metastasized cancer. Later that very same day, her mother found out that she had breast cancer. They say that bad things come in threes, but sometimes, it’s even more than that. Especially in a year that already has many challenges that are beyond our control. So what do you do when everything seems to go wrong at the same time? You just have to stay positive and know that you...
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In the corporate world, Katie McDonald was trapped in an endless, unwinnable race. She was selling advertising to huge corporations and in 45 national publications, but she was selling her soul in the process. She wasn’t sleeping. She stayed up all night thinking about the next sale, what she could do differently, all the ways she was failing, and why nothing would ever be enough. The more she pushed, the more her body acted up–and eventually, she couldn’t pretend anymore. When Katie left corporate life, she found herself in the depths of overwhelm, depression, and illness. In her...
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Through divorce, Sheryl Hickerson learned the hard way that a man is not a financial plan. After 25 years of marriage, and standing outside a Michael’s Craft store, with her two grandson’s hands in her own, her husband called to tell her the big news, “I don't want to be married to you anymore.” Sheryl is the founder of Females & Finance, a 3000-strong private membership dedicated to fostering recruitment, training, and advancement of women in financial services and financial technology roles. Today, Sheryl joins the podcast to share what she’s learned from her 30+ years in...
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While walking down the cart path on a golf course, LPGA instructor Kathleen Klawitter was struck in the head by an errant speeding golf ball. In her words, “It felt like a railroad tie had driven straight through my skull and out my left eye socket.” The pain was so excruciating that it felt like a bowling ball had landed on her head and shimmied through her whole body. She had to relearn how to speak, read, write, and drive. She used her own body, mind, and spirit modalities to reprogram her brain and reinvent herself to achieve a true normal–something she’s written about in...
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After 24-year-old Jessica Conness told her then-husband that rent was three months behind, he picked her up and threw her through the glass dining room table. When child protective services arrived later that day, they told her that the next time the police were called, they would take custody of her infant daughter. She knew at that moment, for her daughter’s sake, she had to break the cycle of domestic abuse she had been suffering for years. In her first marriage, Jessica suffered verbal and physical abuse at the hands of her then-husband, but it took time to end the relationship and leave...
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When Tina Mitchell was 5 years old, she often played violin at the local market with her younger sister to help her parents keep the roof over their head. And when her father would come home drunk, her mother would take them down to the train station for the night and pretend to go on a trip with them to escape from the trauma at home. From her father’s issues with addiction, to his suicide attempt when she was 12 years old, and then dealing with her own addiction issues and the death of her daughter, Tina has triumphed despite the many tragedies she has faced in her life. Now, Tina is the...
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When life is collapsing in on you, yet your personal and professional lives are intertwined, how do you persevere? After 17 years of working together, Arwen and her husband made the decision to sell half of their business and she was going to work for someone else. Arwen saw the sale as an opportunity to lift a huge financial burden off her shoulders, but the impact on their lives, their kids, and their employees was simply too much for her to bear. At the last possible minute, she backed out of the sale, since she believed that decision would end their marriage. This decision to not quit, led...
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When Barb Provost’s mom came home from her fourth grade parent-teacher conference, she relayed the teachers’ feedback, “You’re not as smart as the rest of the children, but you’re going to make it.” After hearing this, Barb realized that even if she didn’t fit in now, she knew that her skills and knowledge would be valuable later. There wasn’t something “wrong” with her then and she certainly isn’t wrong now. Barb is a 25-year veteran of the Chicago business industry. She holds multiple master’s degrees and has a doctorate in adult continuing education. She’s taught...
info_outlineAfter 24-year-old Jessica Conness told her then-husband that rent was three months behind, he picked her up and threw her through the glass dining room table. When child protective services arrived later that day, they told her that the next time the police were called, they would take custody of her infant daughter. She knew at that moment, for her daughter’s sake, she had to break the cycle of domestic abuse she had been suffering for years.
In her first marriage, Jessica suffered verbal and physical abuse at the hands of her then-husband, but it took time to end the relationship and leave for good. Since then, she’s gone on to happily remarry, build a beautiful family, and live life on her terms.
Today, Jessica joins the podcast to tell the story of how she escaped that abusive relationship, how she rebuilt her self-worth, and what she learned over the course of her harrowing five-year journey.
Overcomer Playlist Recommendation
Phillip Phillips - Tell Me a Story
Pearls of Wisdom
- There is power when you acknowledge there is life after abuse
- Why abuse breaks people down - and how counseling helps rebuild.
- How recovering from abuse helped Jessica realize what she really wanted from life, and that she could achieve it on her own terms.
Show Notes
To get access to the full show notes, including links to all the resources mentioned, visit LifeWithArwen.com/44
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