Everybody talks about leaving, but not enough people talk about what happens after you finally do.

What happens when the relationship ends, but the emotional, mental, and financial consequences don’t? What happens when choosing yourself means starting over in ways you never imagined?

In this episode of MyCurlsSpeak with Key, I’m joined by Cupcake from Piece of Cake Conversation for an honest and necessary conversation about life after domestic violence.

We’re discussing the parts of survival that don’t get talked about enough. The grief, the guilt, the healing, the setbacks, and the process of rebuilding a life after experiencing abuse.

I also open up about the reality of surviving an abusive relationship, only to find myself in another one in my 30s. The age when I thought I should have known better. We’re challenging that very idea, because recognizing abuse from the outside and recognizing it while you’re experiencing it are two very different things.

Sometimes choosing yourself doesn’t immediately look like peace, happiness, or a fresh start. Sometimes it looks like losing everything familiar, grieving the life you thought you would have, and learning how to trust yourself again.

This episode is a reminder that leaving doesn’t mean the healing is finished, and starting over doesn’t mean you’ve failed.

Because leaving is one chapter. Learning how to live again is another.

Whether you’re still finding the courage to leave, recently walked away, or are years into your healing journey, this conversation is for you.

Welcome to MyCurlsSpeak with Key, where we give a voice to the conversations that too often happen behind closed doors.