Beyond the Monsters

Chloe spent years carrying the trauma of a SA she never spoke about, burying the experience for nearly five years before PTSD, flashbacks, and overwhelming anxiety forced her to confront what happened. As she worked through therapy, marriage struggles, and the lasting impact of trauma, she found herself raising her husband’s young niece, Olivia, after the child was removed from her biological parents' care. What began as a temporary arrangement turned into a life-changing bond that would ultimately redefine Chloe’s future.While Chloe was dealing with the breakdown of her marriage, she learned her husband had become involved with another woman who was expecting his child, setting off a series of events that would lead to a high-conflict custody fight over the daughter she had spent years raising. She shares the emotional reality of navigating family court, parental abandonment, PTSD, divorce, childhood trauma, and the fight to protect a child caught in the middle. Chloe opens up about healing after SA, learning to advocate for herself, rebuilding her life, and the journey that eventually led to formally adopting the daughter she refused to leave behind.Resources:Crisis Text Line741741SAMHSA’s National Helpline (mental health and/or substance use)1-800-662-HELP (4357)RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)24/7 confidential support, online chat & hotline 1-800-656-HOPEBeyond the Monsters’ Socials:https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters/https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonstersDisclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.Topic: Sexual Assault, PTSD Recovery, Child Custody, Family Court, Infidelity, Adoption Journey, Custody Battle

JaHana Holloway spent much of her life searching for love while carrying deep wounds from childhood trauma, abandonment, SA, and years of believing her worth depended on what she could give to other people. Those experiences shaped the relationships she chose and eventually led her into a marriage marked by infidelity, manipulation, emotional abuse, gaslighting, and the devastating reality of narcissistic abuse. She shares how growing up without consistent support left her vulnerable to predators, unhealthy relationships, and a lifelong struggle with self-worth.JaHana opens up about discovering her husband's affairs, surviving the chaos that followed, navigating divorce, and confronting the painful patterns that kept repeating throughout her life. She and Chell talk about narcissistic relationships, cheating, trauma bonding, emotional manipulation, childhood wounds, healing the inner child, setting boundaries, and learning that self-worth cannot be found through someone else's validation. After years of silence, JaHana shares her story for the first time and explains how speaking openly became part of reclaiming her voice and rebuilding her life.JaHana’s Links:https://www.instagram.com/vibewithjahanahttps://linktr.ee/jahanahollowayJaHana’s book - Metamorphosis: The Alchemy of Turning Wounds Into Wingshttps://a.co/d/0hUQWSOHResources:Crisis Text Line 741741RAINN24/7 confidential support, online chat & hotline 1-800-656-HOPEhttps://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotlineBeyond the Monsters Socials:https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.Topic: Narcissistic Abuse, Narcissistic Relationship, Childhood Trauma, SA, Cheating Spouse, Emotional Abuse, Self Worth Healing

Attorney JoDee Neil spent years prosecuting crimes against children while carrying the truth about what she had survived herself. After hearing thousands of outcries from survivors throughout her career, she finally shared her own story and began writing Outcry Witness, a book focused on trauma, sexual violence, and the process of becoming “unfrozen” after years of silence. She opens up about working child abuse cases, what she has witnessed inside the criminal and family court systems, and how trauma reshapes the brain, nervous system, and sense of self over time.JoDee and Chell talk about childhood trauma, SA, addiction, EMDR therapy, recovery, dissociation, and the survival patterns many trauma survivors repeat for years without realizing it. They also discuss mandatory reporting, child abuse investigations, grooming, victim blaming, family court failures, workplace sexual violence, and why so many survivors become caretakers and protectors while quietly carrying unresolved trauma themselves. JoDee’s Links:https://www.instagram.com/jodeeneilattorneyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@jodeeneil.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@jodeeneilhttps://www.jodeeneil.comJoDee’s book - Outcry Witness: A Former Prosecutor's Guide to Healing and Justice After Sexual Violencehttps://a.co/d/0eE21UNMResources:RAINN24/7 confidential support, online chat & hotline 1-800-656-HOPEhttps://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline/Crisis Text Line 741741Beyond the Monsters Socials:https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.Topic: family court system, CSA survivors, childhood trauma, trauma recovery, SA trauma, criminal justice system

Summer grew up in a severe hoarder home (level 5) where rooms became inaccessible, utilities stopped working, and over 30 animals lived in extreme neglect inside the house. Behind the scenes, she was dealing with chronic bullying, isolation, domestic violence, emotional abuse, and the impossible pressure of protecting her family while trying to survive her own childhood. She opens up about what it was really like going to school embarrassed by the conditions she was living in, being removed by CPS, couch surfing as a teenager, and realizing in college that the life she grew up in was never normal.Summer shares the long-term impact of growing up with parents who have hoarding disorder, narcissistic family dynamics, parentification, and severe animal hoarding, along with the complicated grief that comes from loving parents who were unable to provide safety or stability. She talks about the shame children of hoarders carry, the survival behaviors that follow them into adulthood, and the difficult process of learning basic self-care, relationships, and normalcy after years of living in chaos.Summer’s Links:https://www.instagram.com/summerjoy.cptsd_survivorhttps://www.tiktok.com/@summerjoy4https://youtube.com/@summerjoy4https://linktr.ee/summerjoy4Collaborations/Media: summerjoy.officialmgmt@gmail.comResources:International OCD Foundation (Hoarding)https://iocdf.org/hoardingChildren of Hoardershttps://childrenofhoarders.comInstitute for Challenging Disorganizationhttps://challengingdisorganization.orgNAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)https://nami.orgHoarding Cleanup Directoryhttps://hoardingcleanup.comCrisis Text Line 741741Beyond the Monsters Socials:https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.Topic: Hoarding Disorder, Animal Hoarding, Childhood Trauma, Family Dysfunction, Childhood Neglect, Complex PTSD (CPTSD)

In this follow-up to episode 18, Sarah is joined by her stepdaughter Avery more than 20 years after Avery’s mother was murdered when she was just five months old. After spending most of their lives carrying the weight of the case, they received the call that the execution date had finally been set for the man responsible. Sarah and Avery share what it was like preparing for the execution, traveling to Texas together, and walking into a situation neither of them truly knew how to process until they were living it in real time.Avery opens up about growing up without her mother and later losing her father to suicide in 2023, while Sarah reflects on the years of grief and emotional survival that followed both tragedies. What they expected would bring closure instead forced them to confront layers of trauma, family pain, suicide loss, and the emotional reality of watching a case that shaped their lives finally come to an end. Together, they talk about the complicated emotions surrounding the execution, the unexpected moments that stayed with them afterward, and the difficult process of figuring out who they were once this chapter of their lives was finally over.Sarah’s Links:https://www.instagram.com/skyvisions333Sarah’s Podcast - All The Things Shoals:https://www.instagram.com/allthethings.shoalshttps://www.youtube.com/@allthethingsshoalshttps://open.spotify.com/show/65FFAsKIBmYj3sEocu9eXQ?si=c8973a65da1a49bfResources:Project Unbrokenhttps://projectunbroken.orgCrisis Text Line741741Beyond the Monsters Socials:https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.Topic: true crime, grief, murder case, family trauma, healing after loss, capital punishment 

Hope’s estranged husband murdered their two young children in an act of filicide after being granted unsupervised custody, despite clear warning signs of instability, prior abuse, and escalating mental health concerns. Just before their deaths, he made suicidal and homicidal statements, was hospitalized, and still walked out of court with 50/50 custody. Hope’s story exposes the reality of how quickly systems can fail, how mental health is misunderstood in legal settings, and how lethal risk is often missed until it’s too late.Hope shares what led up to that moment, including years of coercive control, psychological abuse, gaslighting, and physical violence that she kept hidden while trying to survive and protect her children. She breaks down the timeline of events, the court decisions, and the warning signs that were overlooked, while also speaking to the unimaginable reality of losing both of her children and what it means to live after that level of loss.Hope’s Links:Fill out the link to pass The Alec and Lydia Act!https://rallystarter.com/rally/2948/please-pass-the-alec-and-lydia-act-in-the-arizona-senatehttps://www.instagram.com/hope_in_the_painhttps://www.tiktok.com/@hope.in.the.painhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Hope-In-The-Painhttps://linktr.ee/hopeinthepain Voices Against Filicide - Hope’s Podcasthttps://tr.ee/4zExkNUIYi Resources:Crisis Text Line741741Beyond the Monsters Socials:https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.Topic: filicide, family court failure, coercive control, domestic violence (DV), custody system failure, true crime

Jess Patz was 18 when she entered an abusive relationship that quickly escalated from love bombing into domestic violence, coercive control, and manipulation. The first physical assault happened during her first pregnancy, followed by years of emotional abuse, gaslighting, sexual assault, and financial control that caused her to question her own reality. She breaks down what intimate partner violence actually looks like behind closed doors, including how someone can be conditioned to stay, how abuse escalates over time, and how early warning signs are often missed or dismissed. After leaving, she was pulled into a 10 year custody battle where family court systems failed to recognize patterns of abuse, allowing continued exposure for her children. During that time and years after, her body began to break down with severe health complications, including recurrent pulmonary embolisms, chronic pain, autoimmune disease, and eventually a stroke that forced her to relearn how to walk. Jess shares the reality of post separation abuse, child custody in abusive relationships, and how trauma doesn’t just stay mental, it shows up physically in ways that can change your life. She is now a speaker, advocate, and TEDx presenter using her story to raise awareness about domestic violence and its long term impact.Jess’ Links:https://www.instagram.com/_jesspatzhttps://www.tiktok.com/@_jesspatzhttps://www.jesspatz.comResources:Crisis Text Line741741National Domestic Violence Hotline800-799-7233Find local resources: https://www.thehotline.org/get-help/domestic-violence-local-resources/Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Centerhttps://dvsacenter.orgBeyond the Monsters Socials:https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonstershttps://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonstersDisclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.Topic: DV, coercive control, family court system, SA, trauma recovery, narcissistic abuse, autoimmune disease, lupus, stroke recovery, chronic illness

Sean Tobias Ambriz joined the Army at 18 and was deployed to Afghanistan early in his military career, where he was unexpectedly assigned as a combat medic in an active war zone. With accelerated training, he was responsible for treating wounded soldiers during intense firefights, navigating Taliban ambushes, sniper fire, and life-or-death decisions in the mountains.He describes being surrounded during combat, running toward gunfire to reach injured soldiers, and working through mass casualties with limited medical supplies. He also speaks on how experiences like his are often overlooked, as attention is typically focused on special operations forces, despite conventional Army units facing the same level of danger and loss. The trauma of war, loss of fellow soldiers, and repeated exposure to combat carried into multiple deployments, PTSD, and the long-term reality veterans face after surviving combat. Sean’s links:https://www.instagram.com/chief_pinkmisthttps://www.seantobiasambriz.comResources:Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSDhttps://www.ptsd.va.govBeyond the Monsters Socials:https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonstershttps://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonstersDisclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.Topic: combat medic, Afghanistan war, military PTSD, war trauma, Army veteran