Episode 8 | She Left With Nothing — And Built Everything

⚠️ This episode contains discussions of domestic abuse and coercive control. Please take care of yourself while listening.

In this episode, Stacey sits down with Cheryl — a mum of two, accountant-turned-entrepreneur, and domestic abuse survivor — for one of the most honest, important conversations yet on Power To Her.

Cheryl opens up about leaving a coercive and controlling relationship in 2010 — long before coercive control was even a crime in the UK. With two boys under four, no job, and her confidence in pieces, she had no roadmap. What she did have was the will to keep going.

In this conversation, Cheryl shares:

• What coercive control actually looks like (and why so many women don't recognise it at first)
• How post-separation abuse continued long after she left
• The moment a police officer validated her experience — and why that changed everything
• How she built a business from scratch while still healing
• What Claire's Law is and how it could help you or someone you love
• Why she believes the grass really IS greener on the other side — and how she's now helping other women see that too

Cheryl now works with domestic abuse survivors in a local refuge, trains employers to spot the signs, and runs her own programme helping women reclaim their power and their finances.

This episode is for the woman who is in it, just out of it, or supporting someone who is. You are not alone. And there is a life waiting for you on the other side.

Resources mentioned:

• Claire's Law — the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (search your local police force to request a check online, confidentially)
• Your local council and Citizens Advice — more helpful than most people realise
• Cheryl's DMs are open: @iamcherylsharp

Episode 7 | Katie's Story: Behind the Smile

Please note: This episode discusses anxiety, depression, and OCD. If you're struggling, please reach out to a trusted friend, your GP, or a mental health professional.

Have you ever looked at someone and thought — she's got it all together? In this episode, Stacey sits down with Katie, mindset coach and former teacher, whose story is one that so many women will quietly recognise.

On the outside? Confident. Bubbly. Absolutely fine. On the inside? Battling crippling anxiety, depression, and OCD for over a decade — and not one person knew.

Katie opens up about how her parents' divorce at six set the foundation for a life lived in survival mode. From losing two stone on a dream trip to Thailand because she couldn't leave the room, to performing at university while falling apart behind closed doors — Katie shares the raw reality of living with two completely different versions of yourself.

She talks about the moment therapy changed everything, how EMDR helped her finally process what she'd been carrying since childhood, and the long road from people-pleasing perfectionist to the woman she is today — a mindset coach helping others do exactly what she had to do herself.

This episode covers:

• Growing up feeling deeply different and not understanding why
• What OCD really looked like for Katie — and why nobody knew
• EMDR therapy explained: what it is and why it worked when nothing else did
• Leaving teaching, pivoting to coaching, and learning to trust her gut
• The inner critic that gets louder when you go self-employed
• Why vulnerability is the real definition of female strength
• Learning to feel the full spectrum — including the joy

If you've ever smiled on the outside while falling apart on the inside, this one's for you.

In this episode, Stacey is joined by 21-year-old Katie Cook, the voice behind The PMDD Diary, for an honest, raw, and powerful conversation about living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) — a severe hormone-based mood disorder that affects millions of women, yet barely anyone talks about.

From the age of 12, Katie knew something wasn't right. She suffered crippling mood swings, heavy painful periods, and a level of anxiety and emotional pain she couldn't put into words. But every time she asked for help, she was told the same thing: "You're just a teenager. It's normal. You'll grow out of it."

For nearly nine years, Katie was dismissed by doctors, even by a gynaecologist who wrote her off in five minutes on a video call. She started to believe she was the problem. That she was "just dramatic." That maybe she really was crazy.

It wasn't until she was 18, sitting in a GP's office refusing to leave without an answer, that the words premenstrual dysphoric disorder were finally spoken — and her whole life made sense.

In this episode, Katie shares:

• What PMDD actually is (and why every woman needs to know about it)
• The emotional toll of being dismissed by medical professionals for almost a decade
• How she went from hiding her condition to running 10k and raising over £1,000 for the PMDD Project
• Why she shows up on her platform with no makeup, in tears, no shower — and why that rawness matters
• The advice she'd give her 13-year-old self
• A message for every parent watching their daughter struggle behind a closed bedroom door

This one is for the women who've been told "it's all in your head." For the mums trying to understand their daughters. For anyone who's ever felt like a burden when really, they just needed someone to sit beside them and ask if they wanted a cup of tea.

Katie's story is a reminder: you are not crazy, you are not alone, and you absolutely have to advocate for yourself.

Connect with Katie: Follow Katie on TikTok and Instagram: @pmdddiary_

Resources mentioned: The PMDD Project — research, advocacy, and awareness for PMDD