I am Helen Keller's Daughter

If you are interested in coaching please email me at lnewman@thewac.com 

There came a time during my healing journey when I felt victims of domestic abuse needed me to speak on their behalf. I chose to stand up for them through my podcast platform with the conviction that, on the other end, I would reach expansive podcast listeners who could listen to my story to understand the stories of other women who can't speak for themselves. In the second season of I am Helen Keller's Daughter Podcast, each episode has the purpose of shattering judgment surrounding victims of domestic violence. First and foremost, my earnestness is in sharing our realities as victims of abuse. Secondly, I want to share how I altered my trust and view of others to protect myself and, in the process, blindly concealed my true identity. My concealment at the time felt like survivorship, so I could get to my next destination. I knew I could either lose my life or protect it, hoping someone would come to save me while I acted in regretful ways that shielded me from further mental harm. Unfortunately, none of my behaviors on the surface looked like I was screaming for help, and consequently, the reactions I received were judgment, blame, and avoidance. Let me ask you this question, how does a soldier fighting on the battlefield who has clearly lost decide when to surrender their gear and guns when they aren't sure those on the opposing side will or will not kill them? What does that soldier's surrender look like? The first step in helping abused victims is to let go of judgment and offer mercy. The mercy will come to you when you genuinely listen to my story and that of many others as if we were your daughters, sisters, and mothers. How many people could we help if we realized victims' actions are veneer and intertwined with their true selves to retrieve their minds and soul from losing their hope for life after violence. We witness the person in their totality and seek justice for them. * National Domestic Abuse Helpline 1-800-799-HOPE** SMS Text "START" to 88788** End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin 1-608-255-0539Speak up for those who can not speak for themselves. Render justice, give mercy. Act justly and walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

S2/E3 This podcast is a raw, unfiltered, and transparent of how domestic violence impacted me as a person when I lived through it and in the following years. Experiencing violence leaves invisible scars internally and externally. My story illustrates how a person can change who they are to protect their lives. The truth is no one could see how I regarded myself and my years of trauma on the outside. People had thought I had lost my mind and was a delinquent kid, but I was broken beyond comprehension. This story needs to be heard so other women can share those scars on a journey of acceptance and truth. 

This episode shares the start of renouncing my identity as a daughter and sister into an abused, homeless girl, and the following consequential domestic violence I would bear for the following seven years. I convey how it's hard to understand in adolescence and early adulthood that your choices can steal your life away from you, although you never meant those choices to be permanent. I also share a significant message for all the women who are wondering why me? I chose what I considered I saw myself deserving in relationships, abuse. I could not see that I was worth more. 

Season 2~ Episode 1 Welcome to the 2nd season of I am Helen Keller's Daughter. This second season will include drastic and graphic accounts of domestic abuse and how those experiences shaped the framework of how I saw the world and the very behaviors I utilized to cope. 

Season 1~ Episode 9 In this episode, I talk about my best friend and her family and how they assisted me in understanding relationships between friends and family. I then talk about my aunt, who offered my siblings and me tons of love that would serve to keep us pushing throughout our childhood.

In this episode, I talk about my mom's insecure attachment to her parents and how that lack of bond led her to have an insecure attachment in adulthood. I also talk about the lack of deaf schools near her home and how that may have weakened the bond between her and her parents. This episode highlights how earlier attachments in life can impact the kinds of relationships we have as adults.  

I want first to thank everyone for your continued support as I share my story.In this episode, I give the details of what I remember and how I felt when detained at the detention center. I furthermore illustrate how I handled my detainment and my peers were unable to cope given our trauma and support limitations. I also help my listeners understand how previous trauma arises in our minds and hearts after our traumatic experiences and why children who suffer maltreatment later develop PSTD.There are many takeaways here for listeners. My greatest hope is to eliminate cuffing juveniles in the courtrooms and between moving pods to pods. The second is how powerful an impact we can have on young people by acknowledging their pain and giving them hope. 

S1/E6 In this episode, I express how rejection can root itself in every action, decision, and thought without awareness, illustrating the power of our thoughts. I depict how we can live in the middle of something and not even be aware of what we are doing until something or someone helps us discover directly or indirectly the truth about ourselves. You might be able to relate to using similar steps I bore to conceal my pain from me. I want to shed light on reversing what we thought about ourselves by deciding to reconsider our deepest thoughts and tell ourselves that was how I felt then, but that does not make me who I am now. Contact information:Iamhelenkellersdaughter@gmail.com 

S1/E5- This episode highlights how the family dynamics changed where I would live. Starting with the lack of communication between the social workers and parents to not being heard or given a voice in our family outcomes. Next is how I was deceived when I was asked to attend a meeting in a place where the actual plan was "treat" me. Lastly, I explained how  I thought I go home after proving everyone wrong.   If you have any questions that you would like me to answer on the podcast or are interested in how to bridge the gaps for linguistic and cultural considerations in your place of work or for the people you are serving, please email me at: iamhelenkellersdaughter@gmail.com 

Welcome back to my show! This episode begins with my uncle (who is also deaf and blind) and how he helped me learn tactile sign language before my mom was entirely blind. I then talk about comical memories about the "rules" of the deaf home and my responses. Next, I share some of the things I miss about my mom. Lastly, I give some examples of the differences between the English and American Signlange sentence structure.If you have any questions that you would like me to answer on the podcast or are interested in how to bridge the gaps for linguistic and cultural considerations in your place of work or for the people you are serving, please email me at: iamhelenkellersdaughter@gmail.com 

This episode explores one of the most significant pillars in my life that connected me to a solid united deaf community, the deaf church! I talk about the deaf church and the church's uniqueness. I give a detailed account of how sign language is more illuminating than English. I then share how my mom's addiction isolated and eventually stopped our relationship and in what ways she changed. I explore how she coped with her vision loss and how she coped with the changes in the family.     

This episode involves how I helped my mom learn how to say my name despite never hearing a sound in her life and realizing what it was like to become blind. This episode shares many accounts of humor and pain. You can learn about the sound device that helped my parents detect all the noises I made, why that drove me nuts, how I had to interpret for teachers, doctors, and anyone who wanted to talk to my parents about me.      

This podcast episode covers a portion of earlier years in my life and my parents. I open my podcast this way to help listeners understand the significance of my mom's story and how it impacted our lives.Each step of the way, I talk about cultural differences, mental health, and she coped (as I), specifically how my mom started dealing with her blindness and deafness.