EP 555: Turning Cocoons Into Comebacks With Angie Rossi

What makes Angie Rossi with Wings of a Butterfly a good neighbor?

We talk with Angie Rossi about the life-changing work of supporting survivors of domestic violence and helping people move from crisis to hope. As the leader of Wings of a Butterfly, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Angie shares how the organization provides practical resources, advocacy, and support for individuals rebuilding their lives after abuse.

One of the most powerful moments in our conversation comes when Angie addresses a question many survivors quietly ask themselves: “Am I overreacting?” Her answer is simple and direct: if you think it’s abuse, it deserves to be taken seriously. Angie explains why abuse can take many forms and why trusting your instincts is often the first step toward finding safety and support.

Angie also shares her deeply personal story as a five-time survivor of domestic violence and a retired paramedic. Having experienced trauma personally and professionally, she offers a compassionate perspective on healing and explains why recovery looks different for every individual. We discuss how abuse affects not only survivors, but also children, parents, siblings, and entire support networks trying to navigate the aftermath together.

We also explore the role faith has played in Angie’s own journey and how it influences the way she serves others with compassion, dignity, and hope. Whether someone is taking their first step toward leaving an abusive situation or rebuilding after it, Wings of a Butterfly strives to meet people where they are.

The conversation also highlights the realities of running a nonprofit. Angie explains how fundraising, grant writing, and community support are essential to providing services, especially as funding becomes more difficult to secure. She also shares the meaning behind the name Wings of a Butterfly, inspired by the transformation from a cocoon into new life and new beginnings.

If you want to learn more about supporting survivors of domestic violence or the work local nonprofits do to strengthen their communities, this conversation offers both practical insight and hope.

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Guest Info: Wings of a Butterfly |   https://wingsofabutterfly.org/  | 

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a local nonprofit? Well, one may be closer than

Meet Angie Rossi And The Mission

SPEAKER_01 0:18

you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Angie Rossi, with Wings of a Butterfly. Angie, it's great to have you on today. Now we are so excited to learn more about you and your business. So go ahead and tell our listeners just a little bit more about your company.

What The Nonprofit Provides

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Thank you. It's great being here today. We are a 501c3 nonprofit. It was originally started in 1995. I took over in 2020, and we do all aspects of domestic violence help. We turn victims into survivors. We also expand it when I took over to service families in need, families in crisis, sexual assault, and suicide prevention as well. As we notice they all kind of go hand in hand these days.

A Survivor’s Story Becomes Service

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Wow. Now, where did your heart for this type of business come from?

SPEAKER_02 1:12

I am a five-time survivor of different forms of domestic violence since I was a young child up until currently. So it's always been someplace special to me. I am also a retired paramedic. So I saw it from both angles of it my entire life. And I've always had the inclination that this was something God was calling me to do and be a part of.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Wow. Well, thank you for your brave heart and for joining us today to discuss this.

The Biggest Misconception About Help

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Now, in your industry, working with all these survivors, what is the most common misconception you come across?

SPEAKER_02 1:53

That it's easy, that it doesn't take funds and resources and services to help these people rebuild their entire lives and their children's lives and their families' lives. Because domestic violence, sexual assault, suicide isn't just a one-size-fits-all shoe. It's just not affecting the client and their child. It's affecting their sisters, their brothers, their aunts, their uncles, anybody that's close to them needs the assistance as well because they don't understand what it's like to be there and coming out of that and trying to rebuild your entire identity, your entire life with nothing.

Faith And Recovery

SPEAKER_01 2:34

And Angie, it sounds like faith is important to you too. Did that play a part in your own recovery to help others?

SPEAKER_02 2:42

It did. It did. I am very closer to God now, and faith, it plays a very big part in everything that I do.

Grants, Donations, And Funding Challenges

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Now, Angie, we're gonna go ahead and switch gears here for a second. Now we know that marketing is the heart of every business. So who is your ideal person you would like to help? And how are you reaching them today?

SPEAKER_02 3:08

We do all of our own in-house grants and donations and fundraising. So we have a website, we do have a Facebook, we fill out applications for grants and donations, we share when we can, but with the past two years and the recessions and everything, everything's kind of declined significantly. So it's very hard now for us to get reputable donations and grants and to keep going and keep moving forward in our mission.

Life Outside The Work

SPEAKER_01 3:39

And you know, when you're not helping other survivors, what do you like to do outside of work for fun?

SPEAKER_02 3:46

I'm big into crafts. I really like to work with my cricket. I do a lot of artsy stuff and a lot of detail-oriented work.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Very interesting. Do you have a good church that you like to go to?

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Here I do not have one that I'm affiliated with. It's hard to find a good Catholic church these days, but I'm looking into two different ones and seeing what's going to be the right fit for myself and my family.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

100%.

Why The Name Wings Of A Butterfly

SPEAKER_01 4:20

And we've covered a great overview of information, but what is the greatest takeaway you would like our listeners to learn about wings of a butterfly and why this name?

SPEAKER_02 4:30

Wings of a butterfly was renamed in 2023. We decided it was the best course to take, our late president and I. And wings, because you need your wings to regrow and fly. And I always tell the story of the cocoon turning into the butterfly and taking its flight and going, spreading its wings. So we thought it'd be very fitting to be wings of a butterfly. And the logo I actually designed myself.

Advice For Leaving Safely

SPEAKER_01 5:06

And what words of wisdom do you have for someone who may be listening right now, getting out of some of these situations?

SPEAKER_02 5:14

If you think it's abuse, if you have the question if it's abuse, it's abuse. You need to reach out to your local nonprofits, your local police departments to get the resources you need to safely be able to leave and to be able to rebuild yourself from a victim into a survivor.

Where To Learn More And Nominate

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Well, Angie, final question for you. Where can our listeners go to learn more about Wings of a Butterfly?

SPEAKER_02 5:40

www.wingsofababutterfly.org and wings of a butterfly tx on Facebook.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Well, Angie, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your nonprofit the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

Thank you so much for having me. It was a great joy to be here today, and I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Frisco dot com. That's GNP Frisco dot com or call four six nine two two two two two two two two two two two two one nine three four five.