Embrace Your Brave

12/19/2025

🌟 TEEN GIRLS, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU! 🌟
We’re SO excited to partner with The Authenticity Centerto bring you our Dream It & Do It Vision Board Workshop! 🎨💖

If you’ve got BIG dreams, bold goals, and a bright future ahead of you… this day is your chance to create it, see it, and BELIEVE IT! ✨

📅 Monday, January 19, 2026
⏰ 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 InspireHer Center | 1424 St. John St., Lafayette, LA
👧 For Teen Girls Ages 13–17
💸 Only $35 – ALL supplies + snacks included! 🙌

Expect vision boarding, creativity, empowerment, laughter… and a space where girls can dream out loud and DO something amazing with those dreams! 💪💗

🎟 Register here: https://givebutter.com/oHLqjZ

Spots are limited — grab your seat and let’s create some MAGIC together! ✨

12/17/2025

For anyone that needs it. Education is power.

Check out the Amazing Deals on my favorite products: https://trythis.dhrupurohit.com/p/try-this-amazing-deals-on-my-favorite-products-35-off-moreSocial media...

12/17/2025

Abuse breaks the marriage covenant. Divorce frees God's child from being held captive against God's will. Far too many abuse victims are guilted, shamed, and bullied into believing they are the sinner and the abuser is the victim for choosing to save their life, but the word of God, rightly divided, has something to say about that.

The bible does not command or obligate an injured spouse - mentally, emotionally, or physically, to stay in bo***ge, separate without divorce, reconcile with an abuser, or remain unmarried.

In this unprecedented Facebook live, my guests and I will address this topic from every angle and put to rest any notion that God's word condemns divorce on the grounds of marital abuse - physical, mental, or emotional, requires separation "without divorce" or prohibits remarriage after divorce from a pathologically destructive, depraved, and covenant-breaking spouse.

Join us on Thursday, December 18th, at 8:30 pm EST/7:30 pm CST/5:20 pm PST right here on my page for this life-changing Facebook Live event. Note: This is a free worldwide broadcast via Facebook Live. To watch, just visit my page at that time and tune in.

The event will be recorded and available to rewatch on my page following the event.

12/14/2025

Living with a coercive controller is not “conflict.”

It is the construction of a system of power and control, one that pulls everyone in the family into its orbit.

Over time, the rules shift, your choices shrink, and then you begin to notice the change in your child. The words they use don’t sound like their own. Their tone echoes his. They begin to pull away.

This is not because you failed, and it is not because your child stopped loving you.

It is because the predatory parent has stepped into the role of cult leader at home. The abuser creates fear, enforces loyalty, and fractures attachment until survival looks like obedience. To outsiders, it looks like preference.

To you, it feels like betrayal. In truth, it is neither. It is survival.

When your child repeats his script, “You’re always angry,” “You don’t want me to be happy,” My other parent “says you’re crazy,” it cuts deeply.

But those words are evidence of indoctrination. They are proof your child is doing what they must to survive.

In my blog, I unpack how coercive control mirrors cult leadership inside families, why indoctrination works so effectively on children, and what protective parents can do to stay steady through it.

Read the full blog here: https://www.coercivecontrolconsulting.com/cult-leader-at-home/

Or at the link in bio: NEW ON THE BLOG.

12/06/2025

✨ Anxiety isn’t the enemy — it’s an alarm. ✨

Anxiety isn’t your body failing you.
It’s your nervous system trying to protect you.

Often, anxiety is a younger, wounded part of you
waving a tiny flag that says:
“Something inside me needs attention and care.”

Not punishment.
Not pushing harder.
Not “getting it together.”

But gentleness.
Curiosity.
Safety.

When you feel anxious, try asking:
💛 What part of me feels scared right now?
💛 What does she need to feel safe?

Healing begins when we stop fighting our anxiety
and start listening to the story it’s trying to tell.

Your body isn’t broken — it’s communicating.
And you are worthy of responding with compassion.

🕊️ You matter.

12/04/2025

✨ Ready to make 2026 your most intentional, purposeful year yet? ✨

Say goodbye to autopilot and overwhelm — and hello to clarity, direction, and real momentum.

At Life By Design, we’re more than a vision-board workshop.

You'll have space to:
• Dream big and define exactly what you want.
• Build a mindset for success.
• Create clear, smart action steps.
• Anticipate obstacles so you stay on track (cause you know life can throw curveballs).

📅 When: January 10, 2026 | 9:00 AM–2:00 PM
📍 Where: UL Student Union, Louisiane Room — Lafayette, LA
💵 Early bird / deposit option available. Lunch is included.
👉 Spots are limited — claim yours now! (link in bio)

https://melissabowen.kartra.com/page/lifebydesign

11/19/2025

New episode is live! 🎙️✨

This week, we’re talking about gratitude — the kind that heals, softens, and reminds us that we matter and that there is still good in our story.

As Brené Brown says,

“It’s not joy that makes us grateful, it’s gratitude that makes us joyful.”

I’m sharing some of the things I’m deeply grateful for — including the healing in my family and the beautiful communities like Wise Women Collective that continue to lift my spirit! Join us every Friday at www.wisewomencollectivehq.com

https://not-that-girl-anymore.captivate.fm/listen

Let’s choose joy — one moment of gratitude at a time.

Women's Networking

11/13/2025

The holidays can bring connection and chaos all at once.

One of my favorite tools for staying grounded during this season is Brené Brown’s model of Living BIG — which stands for Boundaries, Integrity, and Generosity.

💡 Boundaries remind us that saying no is an act of self-respect, not selfishness.
💡 Integrity helps us show up in ways that align with who we really are, not who we think others expect us to be.
💡 Generosity means assuming the best in others — while still honoring our own limits.

When we practice Living BIG, we can move through the holidays with more calm, connection, and compassion — for ourselves and for everyone else.

✨ What’s one boundary or intention you want to hold onto this season?

11/12/2025

Perfectionism | Ep. 18 | Not That Girl Anymore 🎙️

This week, Dottie, Ashley, and I are talking about perfectionism — that quiet pressure to hold it all together, get it right, and be everything for everyone.

It often looks like strength or responsibility, but underneath, it’s usually fear — fear of rejection, shame, or not being enough.

As Brené Brown says,

“Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best.
It’s the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect, and act perfect,
we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgment, and shame.”

In this episode, we explore where perfectionism really comes from, how it shows up in our lives, and what it looks like to trade pressure for peace and performance for grace.

If you’re tired of trying to be perfect, this one’s for you.

https://not-that-girl-anymore.captivate.fm/listen

You don’t have to earn your worth.
You can rest now. 💛

Quickly and easily listen and subscribe to Not That Girl Anymore for free in your podcast app of choice.

11/04/2025

Have you felt betrayed by a faith that claims the name of Jesus but looks nothing like Him?
That preached love yet weaponized fear, shame, and control?
You’re not alone.
✨
Reclaiming Faith is an 8-week healing experience for women deconstructing fear-based religion and rediscovering a faith that feels like love, freedom, and truth.
In this safe, trauma-informed space, you’ll:
🌱 Untangle spiritual abuse and shame
🌱 Heal from purity culture and high-control teachings
🌱 Reconnect with your body, voice, and worth
🌱 Reclaim your faith—on your own terms
Because your healing matters. 💫
Sign up at embraceyourbrave.org/reclaiming-faith