Welcome to the Aware and Prepared podcast

where I, Mandi, a trained domestic violence victim advocate helps those feeling vulnerable learn emotional self defense and how to be street smart.

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You deserve to live in peace and safety! Hear safety tips that will help us enjoy empowered lives. Let’s leave worry behind so we can be savvy, aware, and prepared

The Hidden Health Toll of Abuse: HPV, Cancer, and What No One Told You

Mandi Pratt

Published on: 02/06/2026

What if trauma you survived years ago is still affecting your body? For abuse and assault survivors, the effects can show up decades later. Rev. Dr. Geneece joins to discuss the link between abuse, assault, and cervical cancer.

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What Students Reflected on Victim Blaming and Boundaries

Mandi Pratt

Published on: 05/05/2026

We can't only teach people to avoid becoming victims. Hear what students reflected on victim blaming

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Sexual Assault Awareness: Ending Victim Blaming and Building Safer Communities

Mandi Pratt

Published on: 21/04/2026

In this episode Mandi Pratt breaks down why victim-blaming culture persists, where it comes from, and most importantly what we can ALL do to dismantle it: one conversation, one word choice, one moment of showing up at a time. Drawing on her own powerful story of survival and resilience, Mandi shares practical tools anyone can use to trust their intuition, set boundaries, and create communities where survivors are believed and supported. This episode is for everyone: survivors, allies, students, parents, and anyone who has ever wondered what they can actually do to make the world a safer, more peaceful place. Because it turns out the answer starts closer to home than most of us think

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The Invisible Cage: Tactics of Coercive Control Every Person Needs to Know - Copy

Mandi Pratt

Published on: 03/03/2026

Coercive control = any intentional pattern of behavior designed to control or dominate another person and is the umbrella over ALL forms of abuse. Bethany Jantzi, MSc, DPC explains why intelligent, strong people fall victim to it, and the early red flags to watch for: from love bombing and commitment whirlwinds to sexual pressure and the slow erosion of your autonomy. She also shares her powerful FOG-C framework to help you recognize coercion in real time. And if someone you love is being controlled, whether in a relationship or a cult, Bethany shares why compassionate curiosity, not confrontation, is the key to keeping that lifeline open. Whether you're a parent worried about your teen, someone dating again after abuse, or a survivor still making sense of what happened, this conversation is for you.

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