Why this site exists

For nearly two decades, I've sat across from people on the worst days of their lives.

I'm a trauma professional who has spent 18+ years working with survivors of narcissistic abuse, intimate partner violence, stalking, and trafficking . I have extensive experience working with crime survivors and  families of homicide victims. I've helped people plan exits from dangerous relationships, rebuild after betrayal, piece their lives together after disasters, and learn to feel safe in their own homes again.

And I've learned something in all those years that most safety websites miss: feeling safe and being safe are two different skills — and you deserve both.

This isn't theoretical for me, either. My own home is procted by a security system recommended to my family by the sheriff's department after we experienced a security incident of our own. I've helped evacuate people and  horses ahead of a wildfire. I've weathered storms that ended in federal disaster declarations. Preparedness, in my life, has never been a hobby. It's been the difference between crisis and catastrophe.

I am the family member of law enforcement officers, fire safety experts and search and rescue professionals. Preparedness for both interpersonal crisis and disaster has been a way of life in my family since I was born. 

What You'll Find Here

Prepared & Protected covers three things, because in real life they're one thing:

Recover. Understanding what happened to you —  the after effects of trauma symptoms, trauma bonds, manipulation, the long tail of abuse — because clarity is the first form of safety.

Protect. The practical layer: digital privacy, documentation, home security, address confidentiality, and the safety planning that professionals actually use.

Prepare. Emergencies don't wait until you've healed. Go-bags, backup power, evacuation plans, and financial readiness — for storms of every kind.

What This Site Is (and Isn't)

Everything here is educational. Reading this site doesn't create a professional relationship of any kind, and nothing here replaces working with a therapist, attorney, or law enforcement when your situation calls for one. Please seek out advice specific to your situation for any questions related to your personal safety and preparedness. 

Some links on this site are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you purchase through them — at no cost to you. I only recommend tools I would suggest to the people I've worked with, and in several cases, tools installed in my own home.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For confidential support any hour of the day, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.

You are not overreacting. You are not alone. And you can do this — one prepared, protected step at a time.

— LS