Dating after domestic violence, coercive control, or post-separation abuse is one of the most under-discussed topics in the survivor space. Most people are somewhere between terrified and convinced it's simply not possible for them.

In this honest, personal episode, Danielle Black shares what dating after abuse actually looked like from the inside - not a glossy highlight reel, but the real experience of venturing back into connection while still afraid.

This episode explores:

• Why "my picker is broken" is one of the most common fears after abusive relationships - and what to do with it
• The difference between waiting until you're not afraid, and doing it afraid anyway
• Why safety is not the absence of threat - it is the presence of safe connection
• How self-trust, not trust in another person, is the foundation of healthy relationships after abuse
• What Danielle looked for, paid attention to, and would have walked away from
• The role of nervous system capacity in building new relationships after trauma
• Why "not fully healed" is not the same as "not ready"
• What it means to love fully while trusting yourself to have your own back

This episode follows on from Episode 97, in which Danielle's husband Drew joined the podcast for the first time. It does not require you to have listened to that episode first - but listeners who have will find it deepens what was raised there.

If you have wondered whether healthy relationships after abuse are possible for you - or whether you are simply too damaged, too cautious, or too far from ready - this episode is for you.

As always, this episode is not legal advice and not therapy.

Explore the supports offered by Danielle Black Coaching

The Post-Separation Parenting Blueprint™
👉 https://www.danielleblackcoaching.com.au/the-post-separation-parenting-blueprint-1

AI Danielle - Your 24/7 Digital Coach
👉 https://www.danielleblackcoaching.com.au/meet-ai-danielle

1:1 Coaching
👉 https://www.danielleblackcoaching.com.au/1-1-coaching

The music you hear in this outro is 'Calm is Credible' - an original track created exclusively for the Post-Separation Abuse Podcast and Danielle Black Coaching. You can listen and download this track via the Danielle Black Coaching website, in our 'free resources' area.

About Danielle Black Coaching:

Danielle Black is a respected authority in child-focused post-separation parenting in Australia. With over twenty years’ experience across education, counselling and coaching - alongside her own lived experience navigating a complex separation and family court journey - she supports parents to think strategically, build capacity, and protect their children’s safety and wellbeing within complex legal and relational systems.

Through Danielle Black Coaching, she leads a growing team of specialist coaches and a structured support ecosystem designed to provide professionally held, evidence-informed guidance for parents navigating high-conflict separation and family court processes.

Learn more at danielleblackcoaching.com.au

This podcast is for educational purposes only and not legal advice. Please seek independent legal, medical, financial, or mental health advice for your situation.

Healthy relationships after family violence, and in the midst of post-separation abuse, are possible - but they are rarely talked about honestly in survivor spaces.

In this special anniversary episode, Danielle Black is joined by her husband Drew for a candid conversation about what it actually looks like to build a safe, equal partnership after coercive control, trauma, and years of family court proceedings.

This episode does not offer a fairy tale. It offers something more useful: evidence.

Danielle and Drew explore:

• What it was like for a partner to step into a post-separation abuse situation they didn't fully understand
• The reality of loving someone with C-PTSD and ongoing coercive control
• What helplessness feels like for the supporting partner - and what actually helped
• Why healthy relationships after abuse require both people to do their own work
• What equal, non-performative partnership looks like in daily family life
• Raising sons and daughters while actively dismantling gender stereotypes at home
• Why "not all me" can be said from a place of hope rather than minimisation

This episode also marks the debut of Calm is Credible - the first brand anthem created for the Post-Separation Abuse Podcast and Danielle Black Coaching - releasing today for the first time.

If you have wondered whether safety and love are still possible after surviving family violence, coercive control, or post-separation abuse, this episode is for you.

If you are the partner of a survivor who doesn't know how to help, this episode is also for you.

As always, this episode is not legal advice and not therapy.

Explore the supports offered by Danielle Black Coaching

The Post-Separation Parenting Blueprint™
👉 https://www.danielleblackcoaching.com.au/the-post-separation-parenting-blueprint-1

AI Danielle - Your 24/7 Digital Coach
👉 https://www.danielleblackcoaching.com.au/meet-ai-danielle

1:1 Coaching
👉 https://www.danielleblackcoaching.com.au/1-1-coaching

The music you hear in this outro is 'Calm is Credible' - an original track created exclusively for the Post-Separation Abuse Podcast and Danielle Black Coaching. You can listen and download this track via the Danielle Black Coaching website, in our 'free resources' area.

About Danielle Black Coaching:

Danielle Black is a respected authority in child-focused post-separation parenting in Australia. With over twenty years’ experience across education, counselling and coaching - alongside her own lived experience navigating a complex separation and family court journey - she supports parents to think strategically, build capacity, and protect their children’s safety and wellbeing within complex legal and relational systems.

Through Danielle Black Coaching, she leads a growing team of specialist coaches and a structured support ecosystem designed to provide professionally held, evidence-informed guidance for parents navigating high-conflict separation and family court processes.

Learn more at danielleblackcoaching.com.au

This podcast is for educational purposes only and not legal advice. Please seek independent legal, medical, financial, or mental health advice for your situation.

Family Reports can be influential pieces of evidence in Australian family court proceedings - but they are widely misunderstood.

In this episode, Danielle Black explains what Family Report Writers are actually assessing, why protective parents can be misread and mischaracterised, and how nervous system responses to trauma can impact presentation in interviews.

Drawing on lived experience and years of supporting parents through the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Danielle explores:

• What a Family Report is - and what it is not
• The training gaps that can affect coercive-control cases
• The core parenting qualities report writers assess
• How trauma and threat responses affect communication
• Common credibility mistakes parents make without realising
• Why a Family Report is not the final word in court
• How legal professionals may treat reports as a “fait accompli”
• What protective parents can do strategically if recommendations are unfavourable

This episode accompanies the Preparing for Your Family Report Assessment guide inside the Post-Separation Parenting Blueprint™.

If you are facing a Family Report interview - or have already received a report that does not reflect your lived reality - this episode will help you understand the system, prepare strategically, and make informed decisions about next steps.

As always, this episode is not legal advice and not therapy.

Explore the supports offered by Danielle Black Coaching

The Post-Separation Parenting Blueprint™
👉 https://www.danielleblackcoaching.com.au/the-post-separation-parenting-blueprint-1

AI Danielle - Your 24/7 Digital Coach
👉 https://www.danielleblackcoaching.com.au/meet-ai-danielle

1:1 Coaching
👉 https://www.danielleblackcoaching.com.au/1-1-coaching

About Danielle Black Coaching:

Danielle Black is a respected authority in child-focused post-separation parenting in Australia. With over twenty years’ experience across education, counselling and coaching - alongside her own lived experience navigating a complex separation and family court journey - she supports parents to think strategically, build capacity, and protect their children’s safety and wellbeing within complex legal and relational systems.

Through Danielle Black Coaching, she leads a growing team of specialist coaches and a structured support ecosystem designed to provide professionally held, evidence-informed guidance for parents navigating high-conflict separation and family court processes.

Learn more at danielleblackcoaching.com.au

This podcast is for educational purposes only and not legal advice. Please seek independent legal, medical, financial, or mental health advice for your situation.