Dismissed True Stories
Dismissed True Stories is a survivor-led podcast that dares to break the silence around domestic violence, emotional abuse, and toxic relationships. Each episode shares the raw, unfiltered realities of what abuse really looks like. From overlooked red flags to moments of escape, and everything in between.
Created by a survivor-turned-advocate with a broadcasting background, DTS is where stories once silenced are now spoken. Loudly, honestly, and without apology. We’re not here to sensationalize abuse; we’re here to humanize survivors.
You’ll hear from survivors finding their voices, families forever changed by loss, and organizations working to support healing and recovery. Sometimes, it’s one survivor passing the mic to another with a piece of advice that could change or.. save a life.
But DTS isn’t just about telling stories of survival. Each episode's commentary helps you decode your own story, make sense of your experiences, and see the patterns you might have missed while in survival mode.
The tone? Like talking with a trusted friend. No fluff. Just truth.
Whether you're navigating narcissistic abuse, gaslighting, or coercive control or you're in the process of rebuilding your self-worth and healing your trauma this space is for you.
Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is finally tell your own story.
Survivor-led. Heart-led. Truth-led.
#DismissedTrueStories | A podcast for survivors and victims, by survivors.
Episodes
31 episodes
Season Finale: A Mother On The Run- WE DID IT!
A mother sells the only home that still felt like home, walks into a shelter with her kids, and stares down a system that keeps telling her to wait. That’s where Sarah’s story turns—when waiting becomes planning, and planning becomes movement f...
Quick Update
Hey friends — welcome back to Dismissed True Stories. I’m your host, Elissa, and you’re probably already clocking that this episode sounds a little different.No intro music. No disclaimer. Just me and you.<...
He Held Her At Knife Point Then Made Her Cuddle Ep 5
A fairy-tale start can hide a nightmare ending. Sarah thought she’d finally found steady ground: years of affection, travel across the U.S., a partner who bonded with her son and promised a safe future. Then pregnancy exposed the truth. The fir...
The Cost Of Acceptance Ep 4
You can hear the tension in Sarah’s voice before the first promise breaks. We open with care—clear content warnings, boundaries—then step into the hardest rooms of her life: three relationships that sold safety and delivered control. Each man a...
The Cost Of Survival Ep 3
The house was empty, the texts unanswered, and the silence said everything. After exposing a devastating betrayal—her husband’s affair with her mother—Sarah tried to rebuild the “right” way: a prepaid year of rent, a steady job, a car, and a si...
Betrayal Behind Closed Doors Ep 2
A uniform, a cigarette break, and a teenager who just wanted to feel seen—what starts as attention quickly reveals the blueprint of grooming and coercive control. We follow Sarah as a 16-year-old pulled into an adult’s orbit, pressured into mar...
Hunted: A Mother On The Run Ep 1
A mother of three children with special needs has been running for her life for nearly six years. Now, with her abuser scheduled for release from prison in November—a man who told a judge he's coming to find her—time is running out.Sara...
A Mother On The Run-Season 3 Trailer
What choices would you make to survive when the system designed to protect you repeatedly fails? Season 3 of Dismissed: True Stories follows one mother's harrowing journey as she flees domestic violence with her children across multiple states ...
Hope's 2nd Chance: Saving Pets From Domestic Violence
Haley McLean shares the story of Hope's Second Chance, Michigan's only animal sanctuary specifically created to help domestic violence survivors escape with their pets. She built this solution after seeing firsthand how survivors were forced to...
See A Need Fill A Need: Tala's Closet
Dignity arrives in unexpected forms—sometimes as a toothbrush, sometimes as a pair of socks, sometimes as a space that says "you're seen and you're not alone." Today, I'm taking you on a journey that's both heartbreaking and hopeful: the creati...
7 Steps To Finding Joy After Abuse
What happens after you've escaped abuse? When survival is no longer your only focus, how do you rediscover joy and truly come home to yourself? This deeply personal episode explores the challenging journey from merely existing to feeling alive ...
Imagine Their Face When They Realize They Didn't Break You: Farah's Story PT 2
Imagine waking up one day to find yourself trapped in a relationship that looked like love but secretly stripped away your safety, autonomy, and nearly your identity. This is Farah's story - a journey through BDSM, polyamory, and cult-like cont...
Kunta, Not Toby: Farah's Refusal To Break PT 1
"You don't need to see the whole path. Just take the next step." -Unknown"It took me 34 years to feel safe within my home." These words from Farah stopped me in my tracks as we recorded this powerful conversation about survival, recognit...
Surviving Your Darkest Days: Keyanna's Story PT 2
In part two of Keyanna's story, we dive deep into the darkest moments of her abusive relationship when isolation and control led to self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and her fight for survival.• Keyanna describes how severe isolation and em...
Starving for Freedom: Keyanna's Story PT 1
Kiana shares her harrowing journey of surviving relationship abuse that began when she was just 18 years old and directionless after high school. Her powerful testimony reveals how abuse can take many forms beyond physical violence.• Fi...
Mini Episode: So Much For The Honeymoon Phase
Hey! Let me know what you think of this mini episode. To be honest, I needed a small breather while I processed telling my story to a room full of people this past week. What a weird layered experience. Seeing how people react when you say the ...
Nobody Accidentally Downloads Tinder: Sophies Story PT 2
Sophie shares her harrowing journey through an abusive relationship, revealing how control intensified during pregnancy and after childbirth. Her powerful testimony illustrates the invisible wounds of psychological abuse and the strength it tak...
Cuckooed: Sophie's Story PT 1
Sophie shares her powerful journey of surviving domestic abuse during pregnancy and the complex manipulation tactics her abuser used to maintain control.• Met her abuser at college when she was 15 and he was 19, but didn't begin relatio...
Girl You Gotta Go: My Story PT 2
In part two of her personal story, Elissa shares the fuzzy, traumatic memories of life in a trailer with her abuser and how she eventually escaped with just a laundry basket of clothes and her toddler.• Experiencing dissociation during ...
Thug It Out: My Story PT 1
Raw vulnerability takes incredible courage. What began as a simple podcast episode transformed into a profound moment of truth as I shared my personal journey through domestic violence for the first time – completely unfiltered and unedited.
The Elephant In The Room
After seven months away, I've returned to the microphone with a refreshed spirit and important lessons to share. My break wasn't just about rest, it was an important journey into understanding how advocacy work affects mental health and how eas...
We’re All The Same: Survival Similarities
What if recognizing the subtle patterns of abuse could be the key to escaping a toxic relationship? Join me on a journey through the harrowing yet empowering stories of survivors of domestic abuse in our season finale of Dismissed True Storie...
Loving myself 1 percent more: Savannahs Story
What happens when the weight of addiction and grief collide? In this emotionally charged episode of Dismissed True Stories, we explore the raw and powerful journeys of abuse and trauma survivors. Host Elissa, draws from her own experience, sett...
Breaking Generational Cycles of Dysfunction: Jenna Finds Peace
What happens when the fear of disappointing a parent outweighs the terror of an abusive relationship? This heart-wrenching episode of Dismissed True Stories explores Jenna's painful journey through her first physically abusive relationship. S...
You’re bad, I’m good: Jenna’s Childhood of Narcissism
What if the person you trusted most turned out to be a stranger? Jenna takes us through the riveting journey of discovering her true biological parentage and the devastating impact of being raised by a narcissistic father figure. Her story is...