The Quiet Reality of Domestic Violence with Laura McInnis

Domestic violence doesn’t always look like the movies. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s confusing. And sometimes it slowly erodes your sense of self.

This week on Ducking Realitea, Siobhan sits down with Laura MacInnis, managing attorney at the Family Violence Law Center, to talk about the real dynamics of abuse, coercive control, and the long road survivors take to reclaim their lives.

Laura shares how her own emotionally abusive relationship in college shaped her path into nearly a decade of legal advocacy for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Together, she and Siobhan unpack the subtle warning signs of abuse: isolation, manipulation disguised as love, financial dependence, and that constant feeling of walking on eggshells.

They also dive into why leaving abusive relationships is so difficult, the role shame and self-doubt play in keeping people stuck, and what actually helps survivors move forward: community support, financial stability, and being heard without judgment.

Laura also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the legal system, custody battles, myths about “parental alienation,” and how high-profile cases like Epstein and R. Kelly mirror patterns she sees every day in her work.

It’s a heavy conversation, but also a hopeful one.

Because healing is possible, community matters, and joy is one of the most powerful forms of resistance.