For two decades, millions of people watched my storytelling skills on some of the biggest shows on TV. TV shows like Extra and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno listed my name in the credits, Networks like ABC, NBC, Bravo, MTV, as well as companies such as The Walt Disney Company and Dreamworks Studios pepper my resume.
Before retiring last February to start a second career as an author and a speaker, I was one of about seven black female reality TV editors based in Hollywood.
Yet, as successful as I was, no one knew that for five years, I harbored a dark secret. While I held it down in Hollywood, I was also being held down in my own home.
I. Was. A. Battered. Wife.
You see, like many successful career women, I thought I could conquer anything, including the C.R.A.Z.Y. that I was sleeping next to every night in my home.
Even after being tormented, degraded, hit, strangled and nearly killed, I kept thinking I could “fix” my marriage.
So for three years, after a devastating miscarriage, I silently went home every night after work to assume my role as the 6-figure battered wife.
While I suffered from physical abuse-- those scars healed fairly quickly, But it was the verbal abuse that bruised my heart and soul and took years to process and recover from.
These days, I'm known as the "Walking Exclamation Point," "The Human Emoji," and "The World's Greatest Hugger" so many are shocked to learn that for three years, my light was almost extinguished.
Here’s the thing: many women don’t consider verbal abuse as domestic violence. But verbal abuse can be just as damaging as physical violence. It reminds me of ovarian cancer. You don’t know you have it until it’s in the advanced stages.
Verbal abuse is like that. It sneaks up on you after you find yourself three or four years into a relationship, not knowing you’ve been dying a slow death. It's the “insidious killer” because a lot of women don’t realize it’s happening to them.
If someone hits, slaps or punches you, you know that's violence. But what about when someone hits, slaps or punches your psyche? That is harder to diagnose.I know this to be true because not only did I experience it, I’ve spoken to several women who each have said, “I had no idea I was even in a verbally abusive relationship.
My goal is that this movement and my book, The 6-Figure Battered Wife: My Path to Resilience wakes up women who are enduring verbal and emotional abuse, so they get out before it escalates to the bloody noses, black eyes or worse. Because just like with ovarian cancer, early detection gives you a better chance of not just surviving but thriving!
I. AM. A. THRIVER!
Will you help me, help more women to wake up?
In the meantime, give yourself a big squishy hug for me!
Before retiring last February to start a second career as an author and a speaker, I was one of about seven black female reality TV editors based in Hollywood.
Yet, as successful as I was, no one knew that for five years, I harbored a dark secret. While I held it down in Hollywood, I was also being held down in my own home.
I. Was. A. Battered. Wife.
You see, like many successful career women, I thought I could conquer anything, including the C.R.A.Z.Y. that I was sleeping next to every night in my home.
Even after being tormented, degraded, hit, strangled and nearly killed, I kept thinking I could “fix” my marriage.
So for three years, after a devastating miscarriage, I silently went home every night after work to assume my role as the 6-figure battered wife.
While I suffered from physical abuse-- those scars healed fairly quickly, But it was the verbal abuse that bruised my heart and soul and took years to process and recover from.
These days, I'm known as the "Walking Exclamation Point," "The Human Emoji," and "The World's Greatest Hugger" so many are shocked to learn that for three years, my light was almost extinguished.
Here’s the thing: many women don’t consider verbal abuse as domestic violence. But verbal abuse can be just as damaging as physical violence. It reminds me of ovarian cancer. You don’t know you have it until it’s in the advanced stages.
Verbal abuse is like that. It sneaks up on you after you find yourself three or four years into a relationship, not knowing you’ve been dying a slow death. It's the “insidious killer” because a lot of women don’t realize it’s happening to them.
If someone hits, slaps or punches you, you know that's violence. But what about when someone hits, slaps or punches your psyche? That is harder to diagnose.I know this to be true because not only did I experience it, I’ve spoken to several women who each have said, “I had no idea I was even in a verbally abusive relationship.
My goal is that this movement and my book, The 6-Figure Battered Wife: My Path to Resilience wakes up women who are enduring verbal and emotional abuse, so they get out before it escalates to the bloody noses, black eyes or worse. Because just like with ovarian cancer, early detection gives you a better chance of not just surviving but thriving!
I. AM. A. THRIVER!
Will you help me, help more women to wake up?
In the meantime, give yourself a big squishy hug for me!
