Judging Meghan22 Juli 2025

From PTA Volunteer to Life-Saving Leader: Heather Bellino on Finding Purpose, Fighting Abuse and Reclaiming Our Voices

In this episode I sit down with Heather Bellino, CEO of the Texas Advocacy Project, to talk about her unexpected journey from PTA volunteer to leading one of Texas’s most impactful nonprofit legal organizations. What began as a school carnival fundraiser turned into a life’s mission helping survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking access the civil legal services they need to reclaim their lives. Heather opens up about the culture of over-apologizing among women, the quiet epidemic of coercive control, and how real abuse rarely starts with violence. It starts with love bombing, manipulation, and slow erosion of boundaries. We dive into the incredible work her team is doing across Texas, including the powerful Teen Ambassadors of Hope program equipping young people to spot red flags, speak up, and protect each other. You’ll hear an unforgettable story of a brave boy on a school bus whose courage changed a life simply because he had the right tools. Heather also gets real about how the legal system often fails victims, why civil legal aid can be the only justice many survivors ever receive, and how critical it is that we create space for people to heal without shame. You can find out more about the Texas Advocacy Project here: https://www.texasadvocacyproject.org/ Get 15% off OneSkin with the code JUDGING at https://www.oneskin.co/ This podcast is a place for trauma survivors as well as their friends and family. This is a safe environment to be vulnerable but it's also a place for celebration and moving forward. Let's all start to embrace who we are becoming by #mentalhealth #selfcare #self #judgingothers #judgingmeghan #suicideawareness #suicideprevention #survivor #resilience #traumahealing #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #podcasts #oneskinpod #MentalHealthMatters #JudgingMeghan #HeatherBellino #TexasAdvocacyProject #DomesticViolenceAwareness #CivilLegalAid #WomenEmpowerment #TeenAdvocates #CoerciveControl #SurvivorStories #StopApologizing #FindYourVoice #HealingJourney #NonprofitLeadership #RealLove #TraumaRecovery #HopeAndHealing #SocialJustice #EndAbuse #VoicesThatMatter #PurposeDriven Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Avsnitt(296)

Understanding OCD, Postpartum Intrusive Thoughts, and Self-Guided EMDR with Natalia Aíza

This episode I’m joined by Natalia Aiza, an EMDR-trained therapist, writer, and mental health advocate, for an important conversation about OCD, postpartum OCD, and the challenges that often come with...

3 Nov 51min

101 Brain Hacks: Dr. Clint Steele on Sleep, Stress, and Preventing Dementia

In this episode I’m joined by dementia prevention and brain specialist Dr. Clint Steele to talk about brain health, stress, sleep, and simple habits that can make a difference. Clint shares his “101 B...

27 Okt 50min

Teaching Consent and Raising Independent Thinkers with Dr. Noelle Santorelli

This episode discusses consent, sexual assault, drugs, and other difficult topics that may be triggering for some listeners. In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Noelle Santorelli, a clinical therapis...

20 Okt 1h 5min

Breaking the Silence Around Suicide: A Conversation with Mental Health Advocate Heidi Ambrose

In this episode I’m joined by mental health advocate and speaker Heidi Ambrose for an honest conversation about suicide, grief, and finding hope after loss. Heidi and I first met when I was a speaker ...

13 Okt 52min

The Story My Mom Carried for Years: One of My Most Meaningful Conversations (Revisited)

Today, you’re going to hear a revisited conversation from 2022 between my Mom and me. We talk about her experience being attacked as a young girl and how it forever impacted her life. She has experien...

6 Okt 1h 2min

When Life Changes Your Plans: Grief, Resilience, and Starting Over with Lizzie Semmer

In this episode, I sit down with Lizzie Semmer, a former pre K teacher who left the classroom and started a new chapter of her life in Portugal. Lizzie shares what it was like growing up between Chica...

29 Sep 43min

Motherhood From a Different Perspective with Emmy Nominated Producer Riaz Patel

Two-time Emmy-nominated director/producer of TV and Broadway, Riaz Patel isn’t here because of his credentials. He’s here because of his unusual perspective: a man who has spent virtually his entire l...

24 Sep 1h 3min

Angelic Ancestry and the Search for Purpose with Alisha Das

As I celebrate my sixth year of podcasting and approach my 300th episode, I’m excited to welcome angel communicator, author, speaker, and podcaster Alisha Das. During a time when the world can feel es...

22 Sep 35min