Sometimes it’s good to take a step back.

Writing your story is often just as exhausting as it is liberating. However, being a part of We Are HER has some wonderful side effects.Already with HER, I have met so many inspiring women. Women whose strength, resilience, courage, and motivation have brought me to tears.The things these women have overcome leave me speechless — because of their hardships but mostly because they are now some of the bravest souls I have ever met. From the sleepless nights, the custody battles, the court hearings, the complete destruction of their identity, I am left torn hearing these stories. But the reality is that abuse does happen, and it happens to women of all walks of life. Abuse has no societal or economical boundaries. It’s so easy to give up or to think it will never get better. It may not get better for a while. Your body and soul may need 10 months to recover or 10 years, but, yes, eventually, you will be restored. Maybe not to 100 percent, or maybe you’ll be restored to a new, stronger version of yourself.

But hang in there. Keep reading these stories and know that we are still in the healing process, we are empowered in some moments and in other moments, we still crumble to our knees because of the pain.

So to the millions of women who are dealing with the horrors of abuse right now, my heart goes out to you. But we have each other. You are not alone. Together We Are HER, but only together can we overcome domestic and sexual abuse and assault. This is a team effort where we come together and share our stories to let our friends, our brothers, our nephews, our sons, and yes, even our female acquaintances know that enough is enough. It is never okay to take advantage of another human, and we are all living testaments of the effects. But in the end, we can rise up against the hatred and the evil the world has thrown our way.  Because, together, We Are HER.