Broken to Brilliant

In an uncanny turn of events, and completely out of the blue, I tentatively put my hand up to be considered to share my post domestic violence experiences as a chapter in a book that was to be published by Broken to Brilliant – a charity created by survivors of domestic abuse who support the long-term recovery of survivors like myself.

My journey with the Broken to Brilliant team has, put simply, woken a sleeping giant. The journey opened doors in my heart and mind that I don’t remember shutting, and once opened have redefined how I view myself and my world.

My sense of self-worth has been peppered with feelings of guilt, self-loathing, uselessness and belief that I am not worthy. My involvement with Broken to Brilliant, and the domestic violence support from them, has made me realise that none of these labels really pertain to me and that every single one of them has been hung on me by others – people I trusted to care for me. People I believed knew me better than I knew myself.

It has not been easy to redefine how I look at myself, building confidence, and indeed it is something that I work on on a daily basis as a self-esteem and personal development coach.

The Broken to Brilliant team have given me direction and a passion to support others with their journey back from domestic abuse to their authentic self. Stepping out from behind the shadows of a victim, becoming survivor, I feel driven to be a voice for those who have been silenced and for those who, like me in the past, are too fearful to speak.

Too many men, women and children have suffered, died and been damaged by this epidemic of socially awkward violence.

Wherever I can make a difference, I will.

These powerful books make such a difference, not only as a line of support to people battling with their own experiences with domestic abuse, but also to help family and loved ones to have a better understanding around the webs that are weaved and the power that is wielded inside. 

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Brave. Brilliant. Resilient.