The Hidden Reality of Financial Abuse and Coercive Control | Emily Rose Chadwick

What happens when the systems designed to protect families leave women struggling to survive?

On this powerful episode of lovelustlaw, attorney Michele Locke sits down with Emily Rose Chadwick, founder of the Mama Wilder Foundation, a nonprofit providing emergency cash grants to women navigating family court battles, financial hardship, and life after abuse.

Emily shares her deeply personal journey as a single mother in Colorado, revealing how experiences with financial abuse, restraining orders, custody disputes, and a disappointing criminal justice outcome exposed critical gaps in support for women facing crisis. What began as grassroots fundraising through social media evolved into the Mama Wilder Foundation, a growing organization helping women pay for essentials like rent, groceries, transportation, and legal-related expenses when they need it most.

The conversation dives into the hidden realities of coercive control, why stay-at-home and homesteading mothers are often especially vulnerable to financial dependence, and how abusers can use money as a tool of power.

Emily and Michele also explore modern dating after divorce, identifying red flags and green flags in relationships, co-parenting challenges, digital evidence in family court, and the importance of maintaining financial autonomy.

**DISCLAIMER** The information shared in this podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered as professional legal advice or a substitute for seeking professional legal advice.

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Want to reach out to me? You can email me at hello@michelelocke.com. Just remember Michele is spelled with one L and you can thank my mother Margo for that :)

Want to find out what I'm up to? Follow me on socials (linked below).

Links
Michele Locke

• https://www.michelelocke.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/attorneymichelelocke/
• https://www.tiktok.com/@attorneymichelelocke
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-locke/
• https://www.youtube.com/@attorney-michelelocke

Emily Rose Chadwick
Instagram

• https://www.instagram.com/emilyrosechadwick/?hl=en
• https://www.instagram.com/themamawildernonprofit/?hl=en
• Threads
• https://www.threads.com/@emilyrosechadwick
• Substack
• https://substack.com/@emilyrosechadwick
• TikTok
• https://www.tiktok.com/@emily.rose.chadwick
• Mama Wilder Foundation
• https://themamawilderfoundation.org/
• A 501(c)(3) nonprofit for women, by women.
• We provide small cash grants to women all over the United States. Most of our applicants are mothers navigating the family court system.

lovelustfear

• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lovelustfear/id1735876283
• https://open.spotify.com/show/0e3ndcf5u8lZ5lhN1lvWec
• https://www.instagram.com/lovelustfearpod/

National Domestic Violence Hotline (24/7/365)
Call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233)
Text: START to 88788

• https://www.thehotline.org/
• https://www.facebook.com/NationalDomesticViolenceHotline
• https://www.instagram.com/NDVHofficial/