Heal with the Reel - strong survivors series 4 with guest Laura Riley from Mums In Need

My guest this week is the incredibly strong Laura Riley from Mums In Need.<br/><br/>After a happy and stable upbringing in France, in 2002 Laura moved to the UK to study for a degree, where she began a relationship with a man she thought was her soulmate. <br/><br/>However, when their romantic relationship broke down, her world was shattered as the man she loved, and the father of her child, completely changed almost overnight. After separating, her ex-partner began to treat Laura unfairly, and his behaviour soon escalated. He issued threats, was manipulative and financially abusive, became violent, and made co-parenting impossible. It soon became clear that Laura was the victim of a form of post-separation domestic abuse known as coercive control.<br/><br/>As the years passed, the abuse continued. Laura and her son moved to Sheffield to make a fresh start, but the threats, manipulation, coercion and control continued, resulting in numerous hearings in the family court. Throughout these traumatic times, Laura found it impossible to access suitable help, advice or support services. She knew that if she was finding it impossible to access support to help navigate her way through such a difficult and traumatic time, other women were no doubt feeling the same. This led her to set up Mums In Need from her kitchen table in 2014.<br/><br/>Since its humble beginnings almost a decade ago, Mums In Need has gone from strength to strength. MIN became a registered charity in 2018 and now employs a small team of staff, along with an army of committed Trustees and valued volunteers, who together offer a range of services including 1:1 Caseworker support, legal advice, wellbeing sessions, counselling, peer group support, and coffee mornings. MIN has successfully helped over 300 mums in Sheffield and the surrounding areas who’ve experienced post-separation abuse and coercive control to gain the skills and confidence to get their lives back on track.   <br/><br/>As the CEO of Mums In Need and a survivor of post-separation abuse, Laura’s  mission is to provide a range of help, advice, and support services to enable mums experiencing coercive control and post separation abuse to rebuild their lives. Additionally, she is determined to raise awareness of this invisible form of abuse, be a voice of change within society, and impact the push for policy changes and improvements within the family court system. <br/><br/>The charity has also recently created a specialised post separation abuse training for two audiences: 1) victims of abuse. 2) Organisations who work with victims of abuse. Find out more here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9G-fnKmKNI<br/><br/><br/>Laura loves travelling abroad with her family and experiencing new cultures. She’s recently started prioritising her own fitness and enjoys running, strength training, and walking. Laura lives in Sheffield with her husband Antony, and teenage son Louis.