When You’ve Lived It: What Healing Looks Like After Abuse

In memory of Paige Bell, whose story must become a turning point—not a PR moment.

A Tragedy That Demands More Than Grief

In light of Paige Bell’s tragic death—taken far too soon at just 20 years old—we find ourselves grieving, reflecting, and reckoning.

Her story isn’t just a personal tragedy. It’s a collective alarm bell for an industry—and a society—that has looked the other way for too long.

And we have to ask:

Did it really take the death of a young woman—for her name to spread in headlines—for this industry to finally start waking up?

Not Your PR Moment

Now, suddenly, the industry seems ready to talk—but not in the way it should.

Panels and PR campaigns. Male industry professionals speaking on violence against women—without ever having lived it, studied it, or truly listened.

What is wrong with this picture?

Paige’s death is being used as an opportunity to ride the wave, boost visibility, and claim moral high ground. But this is not a branding moment. This is a call for real change.

And to the young women in the industry—the ones who’ve been raped, bullied, manipulated, or abused:

You deserve confidentiality, safe spaces, and tools to heal—not to be re-traumatized on a panel or podcast.

Therapy must evolve. 

The nervous system doesn’t know if something happened yesterday or years ago. Healing is sacred. Not performative.

My Wake-Up Call

I speak from lived experience. Not in yachting—but abuse is abuse.

I remember the moment everything changed for me in Dubai.In a dance class—my supposed safe space—I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

Bruises across my arms.

That was the moment I saw it. This is not love. This is not normal. This is not okay.

I had normalized the fear, the isolation, the control. And he had convinced me it was my fault because I "pushed his buttons."

That mirror was my beginning. My wake-up. And as I write this now, I know I’ve healed. No trigger. No shame. No fear. Nervous system is regulated.

The Stories I’ve Heard - spending time in the areas of the super rich who are bored and traumatized themselves. As only hurt people hurt people.

As I walked my own healing path, I heard stories I’ll never forget.

Women who were:

• Passed around circles of powerful men & women

• Raped

• Burned with cigarettes

• Tortured—on purpose

• And even watched their own daughters suffer the same fate

Yes, these things happen.Yes, many of these men and women are rich, well-connected, and protected.

But we speak anyway. Because silence has a cost.

What I Know About Healing

1. We speak—not for performance, but for empowerment

For those still trapped. For those who never made it out. For those coming after us.We speak because the truth sets us free.

2. We don’t just survive—we heal

Trauma doesn’t just live in memory. It lives in the body—In the breath. In our reactions. In our nervous system.

Healing tools I trust:

• Trauma-informed therapy

• Somatic practices

• Qigong and Taiji

• Breathwork

• Sacred rest and nervous system regulation

• Meditation is key to not repeat the same karmic cycles.

3. We create active self-care routines that empower

Not surface-level. Deep self-care.The kind that helps us reclaim our boundaries, voice, and dignity.

We learn:

• We are enough

• We have the right to say no

• Our body and space are sacred

4. We understand that bystanders freeze for a reasonP

People don’t always help—not because they don’t care, but because their own trauma gets triggered. That’s why trauma education is essential.

5. We stop glorifying power that protects predators

Wealth, status, and prestige do not excuse abuse. We name it. We call it out. We hold systems accountable.

Let Paige Bell Be More Than a Headline

Let her name be spoken with reverence. Let her story ignite a movement, not another corporate talking point to tick the box for ESG and CSR.

Let her legacy be about empowerment, truth, and transformation.

“When the world stays silent, abusers grow louder. But when survivors speak, systems tremble.”

And if you're reading this shaking, remembering your own story, please know:

You are not broken.

You are not too late.

You are not alone.

Your healing is holy.

You are allowed to be seen.

You are allowed to be safe.

And you are allowed to say: Enough.

With fierce love,

Geraldine