“One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals."

- Jean Vanier

Welcome to September Loves,

On September 30th we will celebrate the one year anniversary of our online Village! It has long been my goal to create a private community of our own. One where we do not have to worry about Meta tracking us or listening in on our private conversations. I was never really comfortable using the Facebook groups for us to meet, considering the often very personal nature of our conversations.

I get the most beautiful feedback from so many of you. I think one of the most prevalent ones is the sentiment that just by being a part of this community it has helped them heal and grow exponentially. My long held belief is that we need support from others who have experienced the types of trauma that most of us have lived through to help promote healing. The healing comes from the connection with each other, the acceptance, and the collective loss of shame. Some have said that the support they have received in our Village has helped them hands down more than any therapist has, and that again is the power of community.

Being a part of Rebel Thriver means that no matter where you are on your journey you are committed to your personal growth and healing. Survivors are no longer the victims, and therefore we have the opportunity to seek out a better life and learn how to truly thrive. I am really proud of the work that everyone is doing. It is an honor and a privilege to get to know all of you, and I can only hope to be a guide light for you as you create your own path forward. This is your one and only sweet life, and it is yours to decide how you want to live it. Our next BIG step is to one day create our very own retreat center. We all have to lean in on this dream to manifest it into reality!

I hope that all of you will be joining us in the bookclub, to start as a group, The Body Keeps the Score, this Thursday the 15th at 3pm EST.

Ella Hicks is a trauma informed life coach and founder of Rebel Thriver, a not-for-profit that works with survivors of domestic violence. She is a mother, an artist, and a survivor herself. Her favorite color is the ocean.

“We are all just walking each other home."

Our mission is to inspire, empower, educate, advocate, support, and offer a community where survivors of domestic abuse are supported by other survivors. A place to call home, with guidance to create a roadmap forward to a healthy and abundant life, full of hope for a better tomorrow.

Join the Village

Life Coaching in the Village with Ella

I am so excited to be starting private individual (1:1) life coaching sessions to the incredible women in our tribe this month. Names will be picked via lottery drawing. Sign up for a chance for a coaching session in October in the Village. 💙

We have chosen the women for September's coaching sessions and I am really hopeful about this program. If you are interested in a session with Ella for October please keep an eye out in the Village for the post to sign up under. Again, we will be picking names though a lottery system.

Join the Group Reading of the Body Keeps the Score

EVERYONE IS INVITED!

On September 15th, Ella will lead The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk in our Village bookclub. This is a must read for anyone who is trying to learn about trauma and how it affects us. We will be going one chapter a week coupled with a weekly discussion in the Village. We will take our time and when we finish we will pick up another book and keep going.

Join the Bookclub

You can sign up for our self paced coaching program and learn how you can strengthen your personal foundation and begin building a roadmap forward to a better future. This is a self paced two part program that you can sign up for anytime. If you feel like you are drifting along rudderless, let this be a guide.

*There is a $15 USD fee to sign up. Anyone who wants to participate but cannot afford it can request a fee waiver. Please send me an email: [email protected]

"I can't believe the kindness I encountered here in the Village!

I can't believe how many kind people there are in one place,

after I only found a handful throughout my life journey." - Karin

If you haven't yet joined our private community platform you are really missing out. To have this kind of support as we each navigate the path of our individual healing is priceless. We offer courses, life coaching, support groups, a book club, a merchandise shop, and topic rooms galore. Everyday we have dozens of new people joining from all around the globe. When we say you are not alone, we truly mean it. Our Village grew almost by 1,000 new members in the last month!

Join the Village

Your donations coupled with the proceeds from our shop go directly back into the development of our growing organization. Help us to continue to create more sustainable programs that will benefit each and every one of you in the Village (workshops, coaching, mentoring, advocacy, and education).

Yes, I Want to Help!

September is Suicide Prevention month and we want you to take note.

Depression is not something that can be shaken off, rather it is a real illness.There was a time in my life when I was thinking about suicide. I was trapped in a violent and abusive marriage. I didn't want to die, but I didn’t know how I could hold on any longer. The daily fear and pain was too much. If it weren’t for my babies I might have taken that leap, but I couldn’t leave them behind with my abuser. So I dug deep and found a faint spark of hope that I began to tend to everyday. Some days it was brighter than others, but I never let it go out. I made the decision that this was not how my story would end. I asked for help.

My life looks so different from how it did so many years ago and I am glad that I made the choice to keep living. If you or someone you know is struggling with these feelings please reach out for help. Today might feel unbearable, but tomorrow the tides can change.

Let's smash the stigma around mental health issues because it is doing great harm. Did you know that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for our youth? If you have preconceived notions about suicide, such that it’s selfish, then you need to educate yourself. No one wants to die, they just can’t carry the pain any longer. I know that there are those of you who will at one point or another want to give up, don’t. You may not be able to find hope today, but that doesn’t mean that

you won’t be able to tomorrow. Reach out for a hand, and ask for help. There is absolutely no shame in that. Hold on, you are not alone.

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (USA ): 988

*Don't forget we have a lot of great merchandise for sale in our shop merchandise!

Profits from every item purchased goes directly back into our operating costs to enable the continued creation of sustainable programs for a reasonable price for all of you.

Visit the Shop

I'd love you to check out my Q & A on the difference between Psychological and Emotional abuse on the

Her Self Expression Podcast

Listen Now

Wherever you are right now on this big beautiful planet please know that you matter so very much. You may not feel that you are extraordinary, but you are. There is no other person in this world who is just like you. Your gifts are singularly yours. Don't be afraid to illuminate the world with them. The world needs all of us to show up, now more than ever.

Whether you join the conversation in the Village, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or the Rebel Thriver Blog, we welcome you & are grateful to have you with us!

If you are facing domestic violence in the USA, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233

For a Global Directory sponsored by NoMore.org click HERE.