She was 12 years old.

She said her dad's family "didn't matter."

No one asked her why.

In Episode 05 of Still Standing. Still Speaking., I sit down with Helen. A step-mother who watched her husband fight for his place in his own children's lives — and became a target for loving him.

I'll be honest — this was one of the hardest conversations I've had on this podcast. There were tears on both sides of the mic. Helen's story sits so close to my own that at times I forgot I was supposed to be asking the questions, not just feeling every word of the answers.

Helen's stepdaughters were coached to believe their father's new family was something to be ashamed of. What started as a custody arrangement became a campaign — accusations, silence, a video of a child being coached that even a lawyer had never seen before. And through it all, Helen kept showing up.

We talk about:

— Being accused of "replacing" the girls the moment she fell pregnant

— The accusation that turned an entire family silent overnight

— A video of a child being coached — and what the lawyer said when she saw it

— Why a 12 year old "deciding" isn't a decision at all

— Grief with no funeral — grieving someone who is still alive

— Why their trauma isn't yours to carry, but you carry it anyway

— How social media poisons children against a parent 24/7

— And why some people are just built to keep fighting

"You have to realize that this is all part of a bigger play. Their trauma isn't yours to carry."

This is why I speak.

Not just for me.

But for every step-parent, every parent, every child living this in silence.

You are not forgotten.

You are not alone.

The truth always comes out.

Always.

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🤍 SHARE this with someone who needs to hear it today.

💬 COMMENT below — have you ever had to stand beside someone fighting a system that wasn't built to believe them?

Still Standing. Still Speaking.

Real people. Real stories. No filter.

🎙️ HOSTED BY

Sabrina Treffiletti — Content creator, public advocate and podcast host based in Sydney, Australia.

After ten years of silence, Sabrina chose to speak. This podcast exists because one video proved that speaking up changes lives.

📲 FOLLOW SABRINA

Instagram: @[sabrina_treffiletti]

IG: (stillstandingstillspeaking)

TikTok: @[sabrina_treffiletti]

TT: @(stillstandingstillspeaking)

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⏱️ **TIMESTAMPS**

0:00 — Welcome to Still Standing. Still Speaking.

0:54 — Meet Helen

1:46 — When she first realized what her husband was going through

2:22 — Telling the stepdaughters about the pregnancy

3:09 — The shift after the eldest stepdaughter went home

3:35 — "You are replacing the girls with another baby"

4:23 — The relocation

4:48 — The first court hearing

5:07 — Coached behavior — and what it teaches a child

6:08 — "That is parental alienation on its own"

7:28 — Watching someone you love fight a broken system

12:39 — Naming it: emotional abuse

13:34 — "Half of their DNA is rubbish"

14:08 — The video shown to a lawyer

17:37 — Grief with no funeral

19:23 — Losing faith in the system

19:51 — Why can a 12 year old "decide"?

21:16 — Social media's role in poisoning families

22:55 — "I could never do that to my child"

26:26 — Six months in — the small heartbreaks

28:15 — "This is all part of a bigger play"

28:35 — Their trauma isn't yours to carry

32:13 — Still standing for the people who deserve it

32:58 — Still Standing. Still Speaking. sign off

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In Episode 4 of Still Standing. Still Speaking., I sit down with Joline — a mother, carer, and the founder of Help You Cope.

For a year, she told no one about her son’s autism diagnosis. Not because she was ashamed of him, but because she was terrified of how he’d be judged. That silence eventually became something bigger — a charity built for every family living the isolation she once knew.

🎙️ This conversation is one of the most honest we’ve had.

We talk about:

— What “coping” actually looks like on the hardest days

— Why carers live in fight-or-flight, constantly

— The guilt no parent prepares you for

— Why she kept her son’s diagnosis private for a year — and what changed

— How Help You Cope was born from her own isolation

— Why she’s still standing, for her son and for every parent like her

“Carers are in fight or flight mode. Pretty much all the time.”

This is why I speak. Not just for me, but for every parent quietly carrying something heavier than anyone around them realises. Out loud, in front of everyone.

You are not forgotten.

You are not alone.

Still standing. Still speaking.

📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a story.

🤍 SHARE this with someone who needs to hear it today.

💬 COMMENT below — what’s one thing you wish people understood about being a carer?

Still Standing. Still Speaking.

Real people. Real stories. No filter.

🎙️ HOSTED BY

Sabrina Treffiletti — Content creator, public advocate and podcast host based in Sydney, Australia.

After ten years of silence, Sabrina chose to speak. This podcast exists because one video proved that speaking up changes lives.

📲 FOLLOW SABRINA

Instagram: @sabrina_treffiletti

IG: @stillstandingstillspeaking

TikTok: @sabrina_treffiletti

TT: @stillstandingstillspeaking

#autismawareness #carersupport #stillstandingstillspeaking #podcast #australianpodcast #realpeoplerealstories #autismmum #helpyoucope #speakyourtruth #breakingthesilence #australiapodcast #autismparenting

In Episode 03 of Still Standing. Still Speaking., I sit down with Sandy — a family lawyer who didn’t reach out to me as a professional. She reached out as a human who has seen what parental alienation does to families from the inside.

For years, she’s sat across from parents living my story

— fighting to stay in their children’s lives against a system that doesn’t always make that easy.

🎙️This conversation is the one I wish existed when I needed it most.

We talk about:

— What parental alienation actually looks like, from a legal perspective

— Where the family court system gets it wrong — and where it gets it right

— What parents fighting for their kids need to know before they walk into a courtroom

— The emotional toll no one prepares you for

— Advice for anyone currently in the fight

— Why she chose to speak on this, and why it matters

“The truth about parental alienation.”

This is why I speak. Not just for me. But for every parent who has been shut out of their child’s life and doesn’t know where to turn — out loud, in front of everyone.

You are not forgotten.

You are not alone.

Still standing. Still speaking.

📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a story.

🤍 SHARE this with someone who needs to hear it today.

💬 COMMENT below — what do you wish you’d known before going through this?

Still Standing. Still Speaking.

Real people. Real stories. No filter.

🎙️ HOSTED BY

Sabrina Treffiletti — Content creator, public advocate and podcast host based in Sydney, Australia.

After ten years of silence, Sabrina chose to speak. This podcast exists because one video proved that speaking up changes lives.

📲 FOLLOW SABRINA

Instagram: @[sabrina_treffiletti]

IG: @stillstandingstillspeaking

TikTok: @[sabrina_treffiletti]

TT: @stillstandingstillspeaking

⚠️ A NOTE ON AUDIO

You may notice some audio inconsistencies in a few sections of this episode. We’re always working to improve our setup and appreciate your patience — the story matters more than the sound quality, and we didn’t want to hold this one back.