Coercive Control, Survivor Safety & Finding Your Voice with Leesa Scanlan
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Domestic violence doesn't always leave bruises. Sometimes it looks like confusion, walking on eggshells, self-doubt, emotional exhaustion, and slowly losing trust in your own reality. And for many victim survivors, the hardest part is not even having the language to explain what's happening.
In this conversation I sit down with the courageous Leesa Scanlan, mental health advocate, lived experience speaker, podcast host, and passionate voice for domestic and family violence awareness. After publicly sharing her own experience with coercive control and emotional abuse, Leesa was flooded with messages from women whose stories mirrored her own, reinforcing just how common, hidden, and misunderstood these experiences can be.
Leesa now uses her voice to educate others on the warning signs of abuse, survivor safety, coercive control, and the importance of speaking up before things escalate. Through honesty, compassion, and lived experience, she is helping others realise they are not alone.
Together we explored:
Leesa’s journey through mental health advocacy and what led her to speak publicly about abuse.
Why coercive control and emotional abuse can be so difficult to recognise.
The shame, self-doubt, and confusion that often keeps people silent.
How manipulation, projection, and trauma bonds keep victim survivors trapped.
The difference between healthy conflict and patterns of intentional control.
Why leaving an abusive relationship can be the most dangerous time.
The importance of education, early intervention, and systemic reform.
Support services available for victim survivors and the power of taking one small step.
This episode is for anyone who has ever questioned their own reality, felt emotionally unsafe in a relationship, or quietly wondered, “Is this normal?” It’s also an important conversation for friends, families, and communities wanting to better understand the hidden dynamics of abuse and coercive control.
Together we unpack survivor safety, emotional manipulation, recovery, and what it means to slowly reclaim your voice, your confidence, and your life, then lay it all out on the Workbench for the Mind.
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🔗 Find all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/suzievans
🔗 Support services mentioned in this episode:
