At 18, Johanna moved in with a man who lied about his age. Three months later the abuse started, and it didn't stop for nine years. When she finally learned he was a registered sex offender, all she could ask herself was, "How did I not see the signs?" Today she's five years sober, back in both her kids' lives, and in college to become a therapist.

On Ep. 5 of Scars and All, Frank sits down with Johanna, who's like a sister to him, to talk about how meth became her escape from the pain, the night she thought she wouldn't survive, and giving birth in the back of an ambulance to a 1-pound son she didn't know she was carrying. "I walked out of the hospital empty-handed."

Two years later, she left the hospital without her newborn daughter too. Facing 15 to life on 18 felonies, she dropped to her knees in a county cell and thought about her kids: "I don't want them growing up feeling how I felt." That's where things started to change. Five years later: "My worst day today doesn't compare to my best day out there."

Her message if you’re struggling in silence: reach out. “If I was able to get out of it, so can you.”

Next time: Frank sits down with next guest. Subscribe so you don’t miss it.

No scripts. No polish. Just the truth, scars and all. New episodes every week.

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ABOUT THE SHOW
We all have scars. Some people hide them well, others don’t, but no one is exempt. Scars and All is a recovery podcast about the struggle behind the finished product, told honestly. Host Frank Wills sits down with people in recovery, families who’ve supported a loved one through it, doctors, nurses, clinicians, and everyone in between who have failed, sometimes more than once, and found the courage to try again. No filters. No muting. Just the real story behind the struggle, the pain, and the comeback. New episodes every week.

IF YOU NEED HELP NOW
This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, pregnancy loss, and incarceration.
Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7)
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 (free, confidential, 24/7)
This podcast shares personal experience and is not medical or clinical advice.

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