Could freedom begin with choosing yourself? How much of your life has fear been writing? What could healing make possible beyond what you currently imagine for yourself?
In this podcast episode, Jennifer Froemel discusses going from fear to freedom with Cherie Faus-Smith; this is her healing journey.
Meet Cherie Faus-Smith
Cherie Faus-Smith is a speaker, author, coach, and advocate who helps women in midlife reclaim their confidence, voice, and joy. As the founder of SASS, gracefully and the “Chief Joy Misfit” movement, she challenges women to stop shrinking themselves and start creating lives that feel authentic and fulfilling.
A bestselling author of The Cycle Ended: Saying Goodbye to Domestic Abuse, Cherie draws on her own experiences to speak about resilience, self-worth, boundaries, reinvention, and embracing the possibilities of midlife.
Visit Cherie’s website and connect on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
In This Podcast:
- Cherie’s journey to healing and herself
- Getting out of an abusive relationship
- Overcoming agoraphobia after abuse
- Cherie’s advice to listeners
Cherie’s journey to healing and herself
When Cherie discusses her healing journey and how she reconnected with herself in midlife and turned her whole life around, she first takes us back to her teenage years. Cherie used to date the wrong type of man at the age of 16.
She self-abandoned and lived so much for the men around her rather than for herself.
Over the years, coming out of abusive relationships and seeing her other friends being abused, she wrote about her story, and her husband of 25 years encouraged her.
I said, “You know, I don’t think I want to do this. I don’t think I want to publish this,” and [my now husband] said, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to … But writing about your experience is going to be your own healing journey, and whatever happens after that is what happens.”
Cherie Faus-Smith
With her husband’s encouragement, she ended up publishing her book. Over some years, Cherie overcame agoraphobia and changed her life for the better.
Getting out of an abusive relationship
My ex-husband, my son’s father, he had a lot of addictions … For me, it [came down to], “I need to get my son out of here” … I thought I could stay as long as it didn’t become physical, and when it became physical was the day I left.
Cherie Faus-Smith
Cherie tried to make it work but, upon realizing that it wasn’t going to improve – and that it was actually worsening – she, with the help of her mother, packed up her son and left her abusive, now ex-husband.
There’s a lot of shame that comes with leaving, and I wanted to do it for my son to show him, “Hey, mom is going to be okay, you’re going to be okay.” I remember standing in my parents’ [house], and I said to my dad, “I need you to take me to the courthouse to get a PFA … against my then-husband, and he laughed at me.
Cherie Faus-Smith
Before Cherie left, she tried to get her father to help, but her father claimed that the abuse “wan’t that bad.” But that didn’t persuade Cherie, and she still tried.
Overcoming agoraphobia after abuse
With Cherie’s newfound freedom after being diagnosed with agoraphobia and coming out of it, she’s pursuing passions and new hobbies.
I want to go outside and explore. I want to get in the car and go somewhere new and grab my camera and take some photographs … I want to go out on dates by myself! … What is it like to sit there in the quiet and be safe in my own body?
Cherie Faus-Smith
Cherie has been thinking about the things that she missed out on when she was feeling so afraid to leave her own home, and now that she feels safer, freer, and more secure, she is finally exploring in the way that she’s always wanted to.
Cherie’s advice to listeners
Mothers don’t need to suffer. Find your joy as a woman and a person, beyond being a mother.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Cherie Faus-Smith – The Cycle Ended: Saying Goodbye to Domestic Abuse
RESOURCES MENTIONED AND USEFUL LINKS
Visit Cherie’s website and connect on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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ABOUT THE FEAR OF CHANGE PODCAST
Change can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. The Fear of Change podcast is all about helping you embrace change and live a more fulfilling life. Hosted by Jennifer Froemel, LCPC, a therapist with nearly 30 years of experience, we cover topics like mental wellness, holistic health, and improving relationships.
Jennifer’s down-to-earth approach makes it easy to understand why we fear change and how to move past those fears. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, relationship issues, or just feeling stuck, there’s something here for you.
