🎧Owning Our Lives After Abuse with Natalie Collins

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📝Episode Summary

In this powerful episode of Intersecting Voices, I’m joined by Natalie Collins — writer, speaker, activist, and creator of the Own My Life Course — to explore the hidden and deeply complex world of coercive control and domestic abuse.

We unpack why victims often don’t leave abusive relationships — looking at traumatic attachment, isolation, financial control, and how the very systems designed to help often work against survivors. We also discuss the cycle of abuse and how it creates cognitive dissonance that keeps victims stuck.

Abuse doesn’t have one face. It can happen to anyone, and there’s no single type of victim or perpetrator. That’s why understanding the “Why did this happen to me?” question is so vital. We look at how romantic myths around possessiveness, generational trauma, and manipulation rooted in a victim’s insecurities can slowly trap someone — especially when the signs are subtle and misunderstood.

Together, we name red flags, share real-life examples, and talk about the societal messages that feed abuse. We also offer advice on how to protect yourself, and how to support someone who may be experiencing abuse — without judgment or pressure.

Whether you’re a survivor, an ally, or just beginning to learn about domestic abuse, this episode offers a compassionate, honest, and practical guide to understanding what’s really going on — and what can be done.

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🎧Why You Should Listen to This Episode

If you think you might be — or once were — a victim of abuse but still aren’t sure…

• If you’re struggling to understand why someone you loved treated you so badly — and why it was so hard to leave…
• If you’re trying to make peace with yourself, to understand how abuse can be so invisible, so confusing, and yet so devastating…
• If you want to make sense of why this happened to you — so you can finally move forward, free from guilt and shame…
• If you want to learn what a healthy relationship should really look and feel like
• If you feel alone in your healing, if you’re longing for connection, for a sisterhood that gets it, that sees you, and says: “None of this was your fault

Then this episode is for you.

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👤About the Guest

Natalie Collins is a writer, speaker, trainer, and the creator of the Own My Life course — a pioneering programme that supports women recovering from domestic abuse. A survivor herself, Natalie has worked with national organisations such as Women’s Aid and regularly speaks on the intersection of abuse, trauma, faith, and feminism. Her work is rooted in justice, empathy, and deep systemic change.

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🔗Resources

Website: ownmylifecourse.org

Counter-Parenting Video: https://youtu.be/QCbcjOmOwDM

Check out Natalie Collin’s books: Abuse is a Verb and Out of Control

LinkedIn: Own My Life: Overview | LinkedIn

Instagram: Own My Life Course | Instagram

Facebook: Own My Life | Facebook

X: Own My Life Course (@OwnMyLifeCourse) / X

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