Kyleigh’s story begins in Eastern Iowa, moving through foster care in early childhood before being adopted at a young age. Inside that adoptive home, she describes years of SA, physical abuse, neglect, and adults who prioritized image over child safety. As a teenager, after a report was finally taken seriously, Kyleigh was removed by authorities and placed back into the system, moving through temporary placements before transitioning into independent living.

Adulthood did not bring immediate stability. Kyleigh describes marrying young while trying to escape having no family foundation, only to find herself in a relationship that escalated to domestic violence. The military later became a turning point, first through the National Guard and then active duty service, including Hurricane Harvey response and deployment to Afghanistan. Her story traces how childhood trauma, domestic violence, housing insecurity at different points in life, and military service intersect without a simple cause-and-effect narrative.

Kyleigh’s Links:

https://www.instagram.com/kyleighraexo

https://www.tiktok.com/@kyleighraexo

https://www.facebook.com/kyleighrae19

Kyleigh’s Outfit:

https://www.instagram.com/urbanecollectivellc

Resources:

National Domestic Violence Hotline

800-799-7233

Text BEGIN to 88788

Crisis Text Line

741741

RAINN

1-800-656-HOPE

Beyond the Monsters’ Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters/

https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters

Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.

Topics: foster care, failed adoption, domestic violence, military service, childhood trauma

If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out a form here:

https://form.jotform.com/243366933402153

Please contact beyondthemonsters@gmail.com for any business inquiries!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What began as a marriage marked by love bombing, manipulation, and emotional volatility escalated into a custody battle rooted in coercive control, deception, and credible allegations of sexual harm. Indee describes years of psychological abuse, isolation, and intimidation, including being physically restrained, gaslit, and threatened into silence. As she attempted to leave, the abuse intensified, evolving into legal retaliation, false narratives, and a calculated effort to maintain power through the family court system. The unraveling of her ex-husband’s lies revealed a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior that family members had long concealed, leaving Indee to fight alone to protect her child.

This episode exposes how coercive control does not end when a relationship does, but often resurfaces through custody disputes, institutional failures, and court-sanctioned access to children. Indee shares the psychological toll of trauma bonding, suicidal crisis, and complex PTSD, alongside the exhausting reality of self-representation in court while facing a manipulative abuser. Her story underscores the dangers of dismissing survivor testimony, the consequences of silence within families, and the urgent need for trauma-informed custody decisions.

Indee’s Links:

https://www.instagram.com/simplyindee

https://www.tiktok.com/@indeefields

Resources:

National Domestic Violence Hotline

800-799-7233

Text BEGIN to 88788

SAMHSA’s National Helpline (mental health and/or substance use)

1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Crisis Text Line

741741

Beyond the Monsters’ Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters/

https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters

Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.

Topics: Coercive control, Custody abuse, Narcissistic abuse, Parental alienation, Family court trauma

If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out a form here:

https://form.jotform.com/243366933402153

Please contact beyondthemonsters@gmail.com for any business inquiries!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jessica Buchanan never imagined that a career rooted in service would lead her into one of the most extreme survival situations imaginable. A former schoolteacher turned humanitarian aid worker, she was kidnapped while working in Somalia and held captive for 93 days in the desert. What began as a mission driven by responsibility, purpose, and service became a fight for survival involving armed captors, ransom negotiations, physical illness, psychological terror, and the constant uncertainty of whether she would live to see another day. Her story exposes the hidden risks faced by humanitarian workers, the failures of institutional duty of care, and the devastating consequences of ignoring intuition.

What ultimately carried Jessica through captivity was not blind optimism or belief alone, but a disciplined inner survival strategy. Drawing from spirituality, memory, ritual, and mental control, she created structure where none existed and meaning where despair could have taken over. Her rescue by U.S. special operations forces marked the end of captivity but not the end of the trauma. Returning home meant rebuilding identity, navigating PTSD, motherhood after survival, betrayal by systems meant to protect her, and the long process of surviving survival.

Jessica’s Links:

https://www.instagram.com/jessicacbuchanan

https://linktr.ee/jessbuchanan

https://www.jessbuchanan.com

Her Book “Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six”:

https://a.co/d/2oFjqwH

Beyond the Monsters’ Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters/

https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters

Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.

Topics: Humanitarian worker kidnapping, Surviving captivity and hostage trauma, PTSD after extreme trauma, Intuition and survival psychology, Life after survival trauma

If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out a form here:

https://form.jotform.com/243366933402153

Please contact beyondthemonsters@gmail.com for any business inquiries!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.