Episode 22: FRAMED: Women in the Family Court Underworld with Dr. Christine Cocchiola and Amy Polacko

“This is for everyone. Everyone needs to learn how to identify the reg flags within the family court system and how to navigate this process, particularly in custody cases when you have very little support behind you,” begins Dr. Z. Joining her this week are Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola, known as Dr. C, a coercive control educator and researcher, and Amy Polacko, an award-winning journalist and divorce coach. Both women, having survived domestic abuse, have turned their personal pain into a mission for change. Their newly released book, “Framed: Women in the Family Court Underworld,” shines a spotlight on the damaging impact of coercive control and systemic injustices women face in family court.

Dr. C and Amy share their deeply personal stories that emphasize how their experiences—and those of many other women—demand attention, action, and change. They pull back the curtain on a court system that too often fails to protect women, allowing abusers to continue their control and manipulation tactics through legal and financial strategies.

Beyond their individual stories, Dr. C and Amy tackle the broader issue of post-separation abuse and the emotional, psychological, and financial weight it carries for survivors. They question how society views romantic relationships, pushing for more awareness around coercive control and promoting healthier relationship dynamics for the future. This episode is both a validation for survivors and a rallying cry—how can we come together to support survivors and demand meaningful changes in the family court system?

Quotes

• “This is the overriding reason we wrote this. Yes, we want to validate and support victims—absolutely. But we want the masses to read this. We want the masses to hear about Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins, and be pissed off, frankly. So, by the time they get to the call to action at the end of our book, they are committed to doing something about it because it’s going to take more than just us in this world.” (09:08 | Amy Polacko)
• “By looking beyond the violent incident model and understanding what people often mix up is the idea that coercive control is invisible abuse. No, it’s not. Intimidation is certainly not invisible. Stalking is not invisible. Someone calling you horrible names is not invisible. These are visible, tangible things, and once you’re out of it, you realize, ‘Oh, that was abuse.’” (12:25 | Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola)
• “Women are damned if they do and damned if they don’t in many ways. If you stand up for yourself, if you try to protect your children, you are penalized. There’s this overwhelming feeling, along with the misogynistic tropes, that they should just go with the flow.” (42:27 | Amy Polacko)

Links

Framed: Women in the Family Court Underworld Book:

https://narcfreepress.com/

https://amzn.to/3Tl95EW

Please leave a review here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216871358-framed?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=uOOkkfQF8y&rank=1

Connect with Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola:

https://www.instagram.com/dr.cocchiola_coercivecontrol/

Connect with Amy Polacko:

https://www.instagram.com/freedomwarriortribe/

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