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Are You A Victim Of Domestic Violence?

This week's blog post is a little different than past ones. The common theme is celebrating and empowering other moms who are going outside of the box to live the lives they want so they can make money and also be with their children. It's not always easy, but the rewards are so worth it. This week's spotlight, Maralee McLean, is not necessarily an entrepreneur in the traditional sense of the word, but her story needs to be shared because someone reading this needs to hear what she has to say, needs to know she is not alone, needs to know that there is help and support.

Maralee's story begins where many times we think it would end. She was in a domestic violent marriage. All of the red flags had been there throughout their relationship, but they were not spoken of at that time. So she was unprepared but ultimately left, taking her young daughter with her.

That is when her living nightmare began. Her ex was allowed weekend visits, and when her daughter returned from those visits with her father, Maralee saw signs that she was being sexually abused. Many of us naively would believe that there are systems in place to protect our children, but apparently that is not the case. Not only was her daughter allowed to continuously be with her father, Maralee ended up losing her daughter to foster care.

Maralee fought tirelessly for her daughter, and this incredibly brave and fearless woman has spent the past 25 years fighting for other women so they have help and support. The struggles are real and support is lacking, but Maralee is working to change that by tirelessly speaking at events around the world and in front of congress. She volunteers her time at Mom's Fight Back and has also published Prosecuted But Not Silenced to help women who are going through similar issues.

So what can you do if you or someone you love is dealing with something similar? Get Maralee's book, go to the Mom's Fight Back website and check out all of the amazing resources, watch the full video interview, and get in touch with Maralee via email. Ultimately it is important to know that you are not alone in your fight. This is happening, to good, loving moms trying to protect their children from abuse in our family courts, and over 58,000 children a year are court ordered to live with or spend time with absuers. Other women have gone through it, are going through it and will be there to fight with you.

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