Domestic Violence Crisis Now Impacts 1 in 2 Women, with Oprah and author Rachel Louise Snyder

When Oprah first addressed the topic of domestic violence back in 1986, one out of four women in the United States was impacted by domestic violence. Today, that number has escalated to one out of two women who will experience sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. In this episode Oprah talks with journalist, writer and professor Rachel Louise Snyder. She is the author of the award-winning bestseller, No Visible Bruises, where she explores the domestic violence epidemic and how to combat it. She explains why domestic violence is becoming more prevalent, why a better term for it is “intimate partner terrorism,” the signs to look out for and what steps women can take to protect themselves and their families. Oprah and Rachel are joined by Susan, a former Oprah Show guest, who endured 17 years of physical and emotional abuse by her former husband - some of which her husband forced her then 13-year-old son to record on video. Also, in the fatal Ohio home invasion that grabbed headlines, the sister and brother-in-law of married couple Spencer and Monique Tepe join to talk about how Monique had experienced years of threatening behavior and emotional abuse from her surgeon ex-husband before he killed them both in their home in December 2025.

BUY THE BOOK!

https://www.amazon.com/No-Visible-Bruises-Domestic-Violence/

00:00:00 - Welcome Rachel Louise Snyder, author of “No Visible Bruises”

00:03:40 - Types of domestic violence

00:06:45 - Domestic violence vs. intimate terrorism

00:12:20 - The question: Why do you stay

00:14:57 - Seeing the signs

00:17:33 - Last act before homicide

00:19:00 - Rachel’s observation of abusive men

00:20:30 - Violence and addiction

00:24:24 - Susan’s story from The Oprah Winfrey Show

00:28:20 - Survivor Susan joins

00:35:20 - Susan’s son Dazmann joins

00:42:00 - Susan’s message to other women

00:43:10 - A DV tragedy rocked couple’s life

00:49:45 - What couple wants others to know

00:51:10 - Rachel’s personal connection to DV

NEED HELP?

If you or someone you know needs support, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available for anonymous, confidential help 24/7. Call 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) or visit the website below.

https://www.thehotline.org/

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