This week’s post is going to be a littler different. Rachele Atreus is an amazing woman, mother, power lifter, #brodettevet and domestic abuse survivor. Her words are below. “Please be advised of a trigger warning for domestic abuse survivors. If that topic is something that causes you distress because of your own experiences in life, and you are not in a place where you can hear about others experiences, this episode is not for you. I struggled with decision of if I wanted to do this interview or tell my story. It kept me up at night. It made me feel anxiety to the point I was shaking and needed to throw up. But the evening Natassia and I met online to record, I poured a glass of wine, hauled my rickety old cozy chair into my kitchen because it just felt right to sit there, I got a giant blanket, I changed into cozy clothes, and I started talking. And when the interview was over, Natassia and I stayed online to talk some more and I told her my fears and insecurities about sharing this on my social media. What if people don’t believe my story?What if they judge me?What if they think I’m pathetic?What if they think my story is ridiculous and “not that bad”?What if they’re disgusted by my years of weakness?What if they look at me differently after they hear it (IF they listen to it at all, it’s kinda lengthy)?What if they treat me different or pity me?What if they’re upset I never told them about this? What if they’re angry with me for staying in my relationship for so long?What if they feel betrayed that I kept on my mask of “everything is fine” and stayed silent to their faces for so many years?What if what if what if what if what if! And Natassia said to me “Your silence only gives him power. When you speak out and expose him, and when you refuse to be silent, that is when you take that power back for yourself.” And she is absolutely right. My abuser counted on me to never tell. Knew I wouldn’t. Convinced himself (and me) that he wasn’t even abusive, and that it was all my fault. He counted on my fear of what others would think to keep me quiet - Which kept him safe from anyone ever knowing who he truly was. And allowed him to continue his abuse unhindered. So here is the recording of the day I took that power of silence back. And I didn’t just kinda take it. I recorded it with an amazing female empowerment podcast and made it available to every person I have contact with on the internet. I didn’t take a little bit of that power of silence back, I took all of it. And it feels. Damn. Good.” Domestic Violence Resource: http://www.thehotline.org/resources/ Follow Rachele:Instagram: @shell_inator#brodetteventure: Battle Tested VeteransBattle Tested Veterans believes in sharing stories not stereotypes. Story telling is proven a method to create compassion, understanding and cooperation in among individuals. Our personal struggles and growth, when told in our own words, imprints our experiences on the brains and hearts of others.This causes more empathy, connection and understanding between people.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/battletestedveterans/Battle Tested Veterans website: www.battletestedveterans.org (currently down due to being re-built) Battle Tested Veterans Podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/battle-tested-veterans-2/battle-tested-veterans  Podcast Promo: The Dirty Bits PodcastThe Dirty Bits Podcast is performed by Tawny Platis, a professional voice actor, who gives a casual -and hopefully comical- southern Californian retelling of the sexy, scandalous, and salacious stories from history your teacher probably left out.Website: https://www.tawnyvoice.com/dirtybits Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyBitsPodcast Instagram: @dirtybitspodcastTwitter: @dirtybitspodFollow Brodette Nation:Instagram:@brodettenationTwitter: @brodettenationFacebook: Brodette NationPodcast available on:Podbean: http://brodettenation.podbean.com/feed/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/brodette-nation/id1265275476Stitcher:  http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=145835&refid=stprTuneIn: https://tunein.com/radio/Brodette-Nation-p1016192/Google PlayMusic Credit:Song: Locked and LoadedArtist: Mitchell MarlowAlbum: NYB124 Jock RockDisclaimer:Any opinions or comments made by host Natassia Cherne, are her own and not endorsed by the U.S. Air Force or Department of Defense.  Furthermore, any sponsorships, business products, commercials, endorsements, and external links are associated solely with the Brodette Nation podcast and are not endorsed by the U.S. Air Force or Department of Defense.