Ep. 10 Maggie's Story, Part 1: "I Was Never Not Afraid" - Surviving an Abusive Childhood

Ep 12 Maggie's Story, Part 3: "I Like Who I Am" - Healing From a Lifetime of Trauma

Trigger warning: grief and the death of a parent, a serious medical event (stroke), and ongoing healing from trauma. This episode is lighter than Parts 1 and 2, but please take care of yourself. Resources are below. This is Part 3 - the finale. If you haven't listened from the beginning, start with Part 1 first. This story is worth hearing in order. She left. She got out. Her son was in the seat next to her. Part 3 is what happened after. Freedom doesn't mean the hard stuff stops. Maggie still carried the fear in her body - still said sorry too many times, still flinched when she spilled something. Fifty years of survival doesn't pack up and leave just because the circumstances change. But something else happened too. A man named Darrin showed up, patient in a way she had never experienced. Her son became someone she is endlessly proud of. And slowly, then all at once, Maggie started to find her way back to herself. Part 3 covers: starting over and watching her son thrive - what it felt like to be loved without conditions for the first time - losing her mother and the last phone call she almost didn't take - the morning in 2019 when she had a stroke at work and was airlifted to the hospital - learning to walk, talk, and think again - the grief, the arthritis, the art she came back to - and what she found, at fifty years old: peace. A self she actually likes. "I would do it all again to be where I am right now." If you need support Crisis/Suicide: 988 (US/CA) · Samaritans 116 123 (UK/IE) · Lifeline 13 11 14 (AU) · 0800 543 354 (NZ) | 988lifeline.org [http://988lifeline.org] Domestic Violence: 1-800-799-7233 (US) · 0808 2000 247 (UK) · sheltersafe.ca [http://sheltersafe.ca] (CA) · 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 (AU) · Women's Aid 1800 341 900 (IE) · Are You OK 0800 456 450 (NZ) Stroke Recovery: stroke.org [http://stroke.org] (US) · stroke.org.uk [http://stroke.org.uk] (UK) · heartandstroke.ca [http://heartandstroke.ca] (CA) · strokefoundation.org.au [http://strokefoundation.org.au] (AU) · irishheart.ie [http://irishheart.ie] (IE) · stroke.org.nz [http://stroke.org.nz] (NZ) Mental Health: SAMHSA 1-800-662-4357 samhsa.gov [http://samhsa.gov] (US) · Mind 0300 123 3393 mind.org.uk [http://mind.org.uk] (UK) · crisisservicescanada.ca [http://crisisservicescanada.ca] (CA) · Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 (AU) · mentalhealthireland.ie [http://mentalhealthireland.ie] (IE) · mentalhealth.org.nz [http://mentalhealth.org.nz] (NZ) Website: anchormomentspod.com Instagram: @anchormomentspod If Maggie's story moved you, share it. These stories only do their work when they travel.

Ep. 11 Maggie's Story, Part 2: "He Didn't Even Notice I Was Gone" -Leaving an Abusive Marriage

Trigger warning: emotional and financial abuse within a marriage, a false criminal accusation and arrest, suicidal ideation, and grief. This is Part 2 of a three-part series. At the end of Part 1, Maggie was alive. Angry about it. Not yet knowing what was still ahead. Part 2 is the long middle. And if you've ever lived through a long middle - the part where things are hard and slow and there's no obvious way out - you will recognize something of yourself in this episode. Maggie stayed in a marriage for nearly twenty years that slowly took everything: her money, her confidence, her voice. She knew something was wrong. But she had been practicing survival since she was small. And then her son was born. And everything shifted. Part 2 covers: almost two decades of financial and emotional control - finding her voice at work because it was the only place she had one - her son's birth and the turning point he became - the moment her twelve-year-old said he couldn't watch her cry anymore - being fired and falsely accused of embezzling at the same time she was facing a cancer scare - the arrest, the mugshot on the front page, and $$$ in restitution ordered for something she didn't do - why she pleaded guilty - forgiving her dying father - and the morning she packed everything into a little car and drove away while her husband was at work. He didn't even notice she was gone. All parts available now. Subscribe so you don't miss our next great story. Resources: Crisis/Suicide: 988 (US/CA) · Samaritans 116 123 (UK/IE) · Lifeline 13 11 14 (AU) · 0800 543 354 (NZ) | 988lifeline.org [http://988lifeline.org] Domestic Violence: 1-800-799-7233 (US) · 0808 2000 247 (UK) · sheltersafe.ca [http://sheltersafe.ca] (CA) · 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 (AU) · Women's Aid 1800 341 900 (IE) · Are You OK 0800 456 450 (NZ) Sexual Assault: RAINN 1-800-656-4673 (US) · Rape Crisis 0808 802 9999 (England/Wales) · 08088 01 03 02 (Scotland) · casac.ca [http://casac.ca] (CA) · 1800RESPECT (AU) · DRCC 1800 778 888 (IE) · Safe to Talk 0800 044 334 (NZ) Pregnancy & Infant Loss: nationalshare.org [http://nationalshare.org] (US) · Sands 0808 164 3332 sands.org.uk [http://sands.org.uk] (UK) · pailnetwork.ca [http://pailnetwork.ca] (CA) · Sands 1300 072 637 sands.org.au [http://sands.org.au] (AU) · alittlelifetime.ie [http://alittlelifetime.ie] (IE) · sands.org.nz [http://sands.org.nz] (NZ) Mental Health: SAMHSA 1-800-662-4357 samhsa.gov [http://samhsa.gov] (US) · Mind 0300 123 3393 mind.org.uk [http://mind.org.uk] (UK) · crisisservicescanada.ca [http://crisisservicescanada.ca] (CA) · Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 (AU) · mentalhealthireland.ie [http://mentalhealthireland.ie] (IE) · mentalhealth.org.nz [http://mentalhealth.org.nz] (NZ) Website: anchormomentspod.com Instagram: @anchormomentspod

Ep. 10 Maggie's Story, Part 1: "I Was Never Not Afraid" - Surviving an Abusive Childhood

Trigger warning: childhood physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, pregnancy loss (including stillbirth), suicide attempt, and domestic violence. Resources are below. This is Part 1 of a three-part series. Maggie has a thousand stories and we're just scratching the surface here. Maggie grew up in a home ruled by fear. Her father was physically and emotionally abusive in ways that shaped everything that came after. Her childhood is mostly blank to her - not because nothing happened, but because her mind protected her from remembering too much of it. What she does remember, she shares here - unflinchingly, with humor and with grief. Part 1 covers: a childhood with an unpredictable, abusive father - her brother leaving when she was nine - being sexually assaulted at thirteen and her reputation destroyed before she understood what had happened - moving twenty-two times - leaving home at seventeen - the loss of her daughter Emily Grace at thirty-six weeks - and the night, a week after the funeral, when she took a whole bottle of pills. Maggie survived all of it. But in Part 1, she doesn't know yet what she's surviving toward. Parts 2 & 3 available now. Subscribe so you don't miss the next great story. ---------------------------------------- If you need support Crisis/Suicide: 988 (US/CA) · Samaritans 116 123 (UK/IE) · Lifeline 13 11 14 (AU) · 0800 543 354 (NZ) | 988lifeline.org [http://988lifeline.org] Sexual Assault: RAINN 1-800-656-4673 (US) · Rape Crisis 0808 802 9999 (England/Wales) · 08088 01 03 02 (Scotland) · casac.ca [http://casac.ca] (CA) · 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 (AU) · DRCC 1800 778 888 (IE) · Safe to Talk 0800 044 334 (NZ) Domestic Violence: 1-800-799-7233 (US) · 0808 2000 247 (UK) · sheltersafe.ca [http://sheltersafe.ca] (CA) · 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 (AU) · Women's Aid 1800 341 900 (IE) · Are You OK 0800 456 450 (NZ) Pregnancy & Infant Loss: nationalshare.org [http://nationalshare.org] (US) · Sands 0808 164 3332 sands.org.uk [http://sands.org.uk] (UK) · pailnetwork.ca [http://pailnetwork.ca] (CA) · Sands 1300 072 637 sands.org.au [http://sands.org.au] (AU) · alittlelifetime.ie [http://alittlelifetime.ie] (IE) · sands.org.nz [http://sands.org.nz] (NZ) Mental Health: SAMHSA 1-800-662-4357 samhsa.gov [http://samhsa.gov] (US) · Mind 0300 123 3393 mind.org.uk [http://mind.org.uk] (UK) · crisisservicescanada.ca [http://crisisservicescanada.ca] (CA) · Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 beyondblue.org.au [http://beyondblue.org.au] (AU) · mentalhealthireland.ie [http://mentalhealthireland.ie] (IE) · mentalhealth.org.nz [http://mentalhealth.org.nz] (NZ) Connect with Anchor Moments * Website: anchormomentspod.com * Instagram: @anchormomentspod

Ep. 9 The Quiet Keeper

The Quiet Keeper is who I've been. This episode is where she retires. No guest today. Just me answering the two questions that have come up more than anything else since we launched: why I say "who we are still becoming," and how we ended up homeless. Both answers are longer than I expected, messier than I wanted, and still not fully over. But you asked. A gentle heads-up: This episode includes mention of sexual assault, homelessness, a mental health crisis, family estrangement, and financial fraud. Resources are below. Please take care of yourself as you listen. Resources If anything in this episode touched something real for you, please reach out for support. * RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1-800-656-4673 or rainn.org [http://rainn.org] (US) * 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - call or text 988 (US) * Crisis Text Line - text HOME to 741741 (US) * SAMHSA National Helpline (mental health and crisis support) - 1-800-662-4357 (US) * National Homeless Shelter Directory - homelessshelterdirectory.org [http://homelessshelterdirectory.org] (US) * Psychology Today therapist finder - psychologytoday.com [http://psychologytoday.com] (US and international listings) If you're outside the US - findahelpline.com [http://findahelpline.com] connects you to crisis support in more than 200 countries. Befrienders Worldwide offers free emotional support at befrienders.org [http://befrienders.org]. If you don't feel ready to call anyone, even telling one safe person you're struggling counts. If this episode stayed with you Please follow, rate, and share. One text to one person is the single biggest thing you can do for a show this size, and it might be exactly what someone in your life needs today. Tag us on socials @anchormomentspod. If you have a story you think belongs here, reach out at anchormomentspod.com [http://anchormomentspod.com] or email hello@anchormomentspod.com [hello@anchormomentspod.com]. I'm Krista Patrick. This is Anchor Moments. You are already part of someone's story. Carry that with kindness.

Ep. 0 Why This Show MUST Exist

Episode 0: Why This Show MUST Exist Before the guests. Before the stories. This one is mine. This mini-episode is dropping on my birthday. I mention in this episode that there was a point where I genuinely did not know how many more I would have. I thought it was appropriate to start here. Full episodes drop every Wednesday starting April 29th. Before anyone sits across from me and tells me the realest thing they have ever said out loud, I owe you the same. In this mini episode, I explain what Anchor Moments actually is - not the cleaned-up version, the real one. I talk about my own anchor moments: the childhood I have spent decades trying to understand, the year my family was technically homeless, and the rock bottom that was not metaphorical. I was struggling with suicidal ideation. I do not say that lightly. I say it because it is true, and I think there are people listening who know exactly what that feels like and need to hear that someone came out the other side. I made a list. Not a bucket list. Things to do with my kids. Financial goals I needed to meet to set them up. I taped it to the wall so I would see it the second I opened my eyes. Some mornings it was the only reason I stayed. Then something strange started to happen. Every item on that list turned out to teach me something I did not expect. What started as a reason to leave became a reason to stay. This show is on that list. I also explain what I mean by an anchor moment - why the anchor is often not the event itself but the response, the silence, the thing that did not happen. I talk about who comes on this show, which is not celebrities or experts or people who survived something so extraordinary that the rest of us can only marvel. It is everyone. The cashier, the refugee, the quiet neighbor, the parent who made choices they still cannot fully explain. Because I genuinely believe - not as a talking point, but as something I have lived - that it is impossible not to love someone once you know their story. If you are new here, start here. A gentle heads-up: This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, and homelessness. I share these things because they are true, and because I think someone listening needs to know they are not alone in them. Resources are below. Please take care of yourself as you listen. Resources If anything in this episode touched something real for you, please reach out for support. 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - call or text 988 (US) Crisis Text Line - text HOME to 741741 (US) Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline - 1-800-422-4453 (US) Psychology Today therapist finder - psychologytoday.com (US and international listings) National Homeless Shelter Directory - homelessshelterdirectory.org (US) SAMHSA National Helpline (mental health, grief, substance use) - 1-800-662-4357 (US) If you're outside the US - findahelpline.com connects you to crisis support in more than 200 countries. Befrienders Worldwide offers free emotional support at befrienders.org. If you don't feel ready to call anyone, even telling one safe person you're struggling counts. If this episode stayed with you Please follow, rate, comment, and share. One text to one person is the single biggest thing you can do for a show this size, and it might be exactly what someone in your life needs today. Tag us on socials @anchormomentspod. If you have a story you think belongs here, reach out at anchormomentspod.com or email hello@anchormomentspod.com. I'm Krista Patrick. This is Anchor Moments. You are already part of someone's story. Carry that with kindness.