"Spring exists to remind us that we can begin again."

– Unknown

Dear Ella,

As spring unfolds around us, I’m reminded that healing often looks like this—quiet, steady, and full of unseen growth.

It’s not always loud.

It’s not always visible.

But it is always there—rooting deeper, reaching upward, becoming.

This month, we’re honoring Resilience in Bloom—those moments when your progress may have felt small, but it was actually sacred:

when you set a boundary without explaining it,

when you caught yourself being kinder to your own reflection,

when you realized you're no longer afraid of your own voice.

That’s what blooming looks like after survival.

It’s layered. Cyclical. Powerful.

And it deserves to be celebrated.

Here in the Village, no one blooms alone.

That’s why our weekly Women’s Circles are such a vital part of our community. Each gathering is a safe space for connection, truth-telling, and sisterhood. Whether you’re walking through a season of planting, pruning, or full bloom—you are welcome. You are seen. You are not alone.

And as we hold space for one another, we also hold space for the future of this movement.

Our Hope Blooms campaign is what makes all of this possible. It’s the heartbeat that keeps our mission alive. Every dollar raised helps us continue to offer support, connection, education, and refuge to women who are reclaiming their lives after trauma.

If Rebel Thriver has been a part of your healing, or if you believe in the work we do, we invite you to join us in helping Hope Blooms—for yourself and for the women still finding their way home.

With much love,

Ella

Ella Hicks, founder of Rebel Thriver, is a trauma and mindfulness coach who empowers women worldwide on their healing journeys. As a domestic violence survivor, she brings deep understanding to the complexities of recovery, guiding women to overcome abuse and embrace brighter futures.

* If you would like to work with Ella individually or in a small group, reach out to her here: ella@ellahicks.com

Join us in the Village!

Our private online community is a dream come true for many women—a safe place to heal, and it's free for all. As survivors, finding a truly safe space where everyone speaks the same language of healing and support is rare.

The Village is an oasis in the often inauthentic world of social media. Women from all over the globe come together in The Village to learn, heal, find support, and build a vibrant, empowering community.

Resilience in Bloom

By Jacqui Fox

Resilience is not something we are born with—it is something we develop through our experiences, struggles, and personal growth. While some people may have a natural tendency toward optimism or adaptability, true resilience is built over time through challenges, setbacks, and perseverance. It comes from learning how to navigate difficult situations, manage stress, and find ways to keep moving forward even when things seem overwhelming.

Every obstacle we face presents an opportunity to strengthen our resilience. When we encounter failure, rejection, or hardship, we have a choice: we can let it break us, or we can use it as a lesson to become stronger. Through this process, we develop coping strategies, emotional strength, and the ability to bounce back from adversity.

Resilience is also shaped by the support systems around us—our family, friends, mentors, and communities play a significant role in helping us develop the confidence and emotional tools needed to overcome life’s difficulties. While we may not have control over every challenge we face, we do have control over how we respond. 

Ultimately, resilience is a skill that can be cultivated, refined, and strengthened over time. It is not about avoiding hardship but about learning to endure, adapt, and thrive despite it.

Resilience For Trauma Survivors

If you’re a trauma survivor, resilience is not just about “bouncing back” or pretending everything is fine. It’s about healing at your own pace, reclaiming your sense of control, and learning to trust yourself again. Here are a few things that might be helpful to know about resilience in the context of trauma: 

Resilience Doesn’t Mean Ignoring Pain

Being resilient doesn’t mean suppressing your emotions or acting like the trauma never happened. True resilience comes from acknowledging your pain, allowing yourself to process it, and finding ways to move forward without being defined by it.

Healing Is Not Linear

Some days will be easier than others, and setbacks don’t mean you’re weak or failing. Growth often comes in waves—there may be times when you feel strong and other times when memories or triggers resurface. This is completely normal, and it doesn’t erase the progress you’ve made.

You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

Resilience is often built with the help of others. Support from trusted friends, therapists, support groups, and even online communities can be a crucial part of healing. Connecting with people who understand or validate your experiences can remind you that you’re not alone.

Self-Compassion Is Key

Many trauma survivors struggle with self-blame, shame, or feeling like they “should be over it by now.” Resilience includes being kind to yourself, recognizing that your feelings are valid, and allowing yourself the grace to heal without judgment.

Your Strength Is Already Showing

If you’re reading this, if you’re trying to heal, if you’re still standing despite everything you’ve been through—you are already resilient. Surviving trauma takes incredible strength, even on days when you don’t feel strong. Every small step you take toward healing is proof of your resilience.

Resilience after trauma is not about returning to who you were before—it’s about becoming a version of yourself that integrates your past without being controlled by it. It’s about finding hope, rebuilding trust in yourself, and knowing that healing is possible.

Hope Blooms in the Hands of Women

Who Refuse to Give Up



Hope Blooms is not a one-time fundraising campaign—it’s the heart of what we do.

It’s the campaign that sustains Rebel Thriver and allows us to keep showing up—for every woman who needs a soft place to land, a Circle to sit in, a reminder that she’s not alone.

If this community has touched your life, or you believe in the healing we offer, consider becoming a monthly supporter.

Because when hope blooms in one woman’s life, it plants seeds for so many more.

Resilience or Rebound

by Kyra Strasberg

I think there is often a misconception in the world about survivors of domestic violence. Just because we don’t talk about it doesn’t mean we’ve “gotten over it.” Many of us have heard people we love say those very words. “Get over it.” While the intention is well meant, they have no idea what they are saying. 

It happens because we appear resilient to them. What is resilience? Sometimes we act as if we have gotten it all back together when in fact it may be quite the opposite. I believe that many of us, once free, just keep going to keep going. It’s not actually resilience, it’s more like rebound. We stay busy bouncing from one thing to another so we don’t have to sit still and feel the heartbreak and heartache of this brutal form of betrayal. 

Doing a little search about the two, here is what I found:

Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.

A number of factors contribute to how well people adapt to adversities, including the ways in which individuals view and engage with the world, the availability and quality of social resources, and specific coping strategies (adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology).

Rebound is an effect in which an activity or occurrence previously suppressed or prevented increases once the restrictions imposed on it are removed (adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology). 

Just because we’ve bounced back doesn’t mean we are always resilient. Resilience comes from hard work. Taking the time to learn who we really are without our abusers' negative influence requires time, thoughtful consideration, and energy. Some of us may rebound and "fake it 'til you make it." True resilience comes when we investigate the pain. When we take the time to sit with what we feel. Sometimes it’s hate; sometimes it’s love. It may take years to sift through the rubble and re-emerge whole. As a survivor, I have learned that it takes great courage to sit with the pain long enough to feel it transform. Meeting a survivor is the same as meeting a hero. Being in the presence of someone who has the grit to do the hard work of an alchemist; changing pain into love, is seeing resilience in action. 



Each week inside the Village, we gather in Sacred Circle— women from all over the world, coming together just as we are.

There is no pressure to be “healed” or have it all together. This is not a class, it’s not therapy—it’s a space to connect, to be witnessed, and to remember that we are not walking this path alone.

All women in the Village are welcome!

Whether you come to listen, to speak, or simply to be held—there is a place for you in the Circle.

We hope you join us!

The truth is...

I don’t want more power-hungry men in suits

making decisions rooted in greed and disconnection.

I want a circle of indigenous grandmothers—

women who carry the memory of the land,

the language of the stars, and the wisdom of what

it means to care for the next seven generations.

Women who know that leadership is sacred,

that power is stewardship, and that

healing the world begins with listening.

Let the old systems crumble.

Let the council rise.

We remember the way forward.

-Ella Hicks



Please remember that Rebel Thriver is a nonprofit organization. We need your help to continue the life saving work that we do 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We simply cannot offer the support that we do without your donations, which by the way, are tax deductible. Please consider becoming a lifeline to the women of our community, and thank you in advance for your support.

"We're all just walking each other home." - Ram Dass