You Don't Know What I Been Through Podcast

Over You Don't Know What I Been Through Podcast

You ever wanted to get something off your chest that you have been holding in? This Podcast is a platform for you, we focus on personal narratives of trauma, resilience, and extraordinary life journeys. This podcast allows those that has been through life changing experiences in their life or are going through life changing experiences, a safe space to be your authentic self without judgement. You Don't Know What I Been Through!

The Power of Prevention

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2602478/fan_mail/new] Some people show up when the world looks away. She shows up when it's falling apart. In this episode of You Don't Know What I Been Through, we sit down with Saleshea Peterson — founder of Hug A Child, NFP. When violence strikes, when grief is fresh, when communities are trying to hold themselves together — she's already there. Saleshea is an advocate and survivor who has dedicated her life to serving survivors of violence and leading violence prevention programming for young people across Chicago. She doesn't just understand this work intellectually — she has lived it. As a survivor of domestic violence and gun violence, she turned her deepest wounds into her greatest calling. And that is exactly what makes her voice undeniable. And when the news stories stop airing, when the vigils are over, when the world moves on — she stays. Months later. Years later. Still showing up. Still checking in. Still making sure survivors know they haven't been forgotten. That kind of commitment doesn't come from a job description. It comes from lived experience and a calling that runs deeper than most people will ever understand. But her mission doesn't stop with survivors. Saleshea wraps her arms around the youth too — literally and figuratively — creating experiences that remind them what it feels like to just be a kid. Because she understands that something as powerful as a hug — love, attention, and genuine investment in a child — can reshape their future and ignite something in them that the world truly needs. Prevention and intervention aren't separate strategies. They are both necessary. And she lives that truth every single day. This conversation goes deep — into the rooms most people never enter, the internal work behind the strength you see, and the weight of being the one everyone calls. This is the episode that reminds you why the work matters and what it truly costs the people who show up to do it. In this episode, we cover: 🎙️ Her origin story and the experiences that shaped her calling. 🎙️ Surviving domestic violence — and the truth about the journey of healing. 🎙️ What survivors of gun violence need most in the first hours after tragedy. 🎙️ How trust is built in the most sacred and painful spaces. 🎙️ Navigating systems to make sure survivors don't get lost. 🎙️ Why she named her organization Hug A Child — and the power behind that simple act. 🎙️ How pouring into young people today can minimize violence tomorrow. 🎙️ Why this work requires both prevention and intervention — and why one without the other isn't enough. 🎙️ Rebuilding yourself after trauma while showing up for others. 🎙️ What healing really looks like — for her and the people she serves. 🎙️ How everyday people can be part of the solution. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to build something powerful from your most broken moments — this episode holds the blueprint. 🔥 🔔 Hit subscribe — because the stories we're telling? They need to be heard. 💬 What does showing up for your community mean to you? Drop it in the comments. This is a safe space. 🕊️ 📲 Follow us: linktr.ee/geraldgthementor [http://linktr.ee/geraldgthementor] linktr.ee/stephharmony [http://linktr.ee/stephharmony] You Don't Know What I Been Through — but we're figuring it out together. 💙🤞🏾 May every survivor listening remember this: you are worthy of safety, worthy of support, and worthy of healing. Your story does not end in pain — it evolves in power. 💜✨️ #YouDontKnowWhatIBeenThrough #HugAChildMakeAChange #SalesheaPeterson #SurvivorStory #ChicagoStrong #HealingIsPossible #CommunityHealing #GunViolence #DomesticViolenceAwareness #HealingInAction Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2602478/support]

12 jun 2026 - 50 min