Jess on overcoming abuse and the power of motherhood

“I know a few women, even in my circle, have survived sexual trauma. And they all go back to the same thing and they talk about the moment where they changed. It's not to do with what somebody did to them physically is to do with they they know when they when their sense of self shattered.”  Today's episode is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I am joined by single mother, Jess, who opens up about her own turbulent childhood. This therapy session definitely brought up a lot of different issues surrounding family, the complexities of motherhood and the scarring impact of sexual abuse. In this episode we discuss issues around:  The impact of our parents choices on our mental health The devastating life shattering impact of sexual abuse and how the focus culturally has been the physical event but it can come in many forms How sexual abuse isn't always physical and can be subtle and can be harder to recognise The joy and complexity of having a baby and how it inevitably brings up our own issues The importance of community and how there are many diverse ways people can make a family Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/ Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe Important links: Support for people who are estranged: https://www.standalone.org.uk/ Support for sexual abuse victims: https://safeline.org.uk/ --- If you are an unheard voice and want to share your story, please email jsamuelpod@gmail.com. Produced by Georgie Rutherford Edited by Nick Kingswell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices