In this Kintsugi Heroes conversation, we hear a profoundly raw account of a woman’s lifelong experience with sexual abuse and sexual violence, beginning in childhood. She shares her healing journey from trauma, emphasizing that emotional processing is a journey without a timeline. This narrative offers a poignant look at coping with such significant experiences fostering personal growth and supporting her mental health. 💖
Donna carries memories from 18 months old, including repeated sexual abuse by her father beginning at age three. Through childhood and adolescence, she endured trafficking, gang rape, attempted abduction, and betrayal by peers. Two abortions—one illegal and traumatic, one legal—marked her teenage years. At 16, a suicide attempt by overdose nearly killed her. She married an abusive narcissist in her early twenties, escaped after years of rape and violence, and found safety with her second husband at 21. Real healing began at 38 when she finally disclosed her full story in a safe relationship. Hypnotherapy, EMDR, spiritual practice, and boundary-setting (‘weeding the garden’) became pivotal tools. At 44, just as she felt emotionally stable, her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died after 23 years together. Today she lives with peace and freedom, working toward a healing practice while helping others see hope beyond their circumstances.
Donna Kent is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, trafficking, and ongoing violence across her lifespan. Now in her late 40s, she works in bookkeeping and payroll while developing a healing practice as an intuitive guide and psychic medium, drawing on lived experience and multiple therapeutic modalities to support others in their recovery.
🕒 CHAPTERS:
00:00 Content warning and introduction
04:11 Early memories: hiding at 18 months, being trafficked by father’s taxi to paedophiles
07:08 Gang rape at bus stop age 12: survival and silent continuation
13:49 Pregnancy at 15, rejection by family, illegal abortion in Tweed Heads
22:37 Meeting and marrying first husband: narcissist and abuser
27:38 Moving to Mount Isa, meeting second husband, safe relationship begins
34:43 Hypnotherapy: confronting father in safe space, writing letter
42:26 Mind games in trauma recovery: reliving events, self-blame, paralysis
50:41 Reintegrating dissociated selves: survivor and school-aged identities
54:43 Gifts from suffering: empathy, perspective-shifting, offering hope
57:36 Life now: peace, freedom, healing practice vision
01:00:22 Final message: draw on strength, you’re not alone, keep moving forward
🌐 Support Is Available
Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/
1800RESPECT: https://www.1800respect.org.au/
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ABOUT KINTSUGI HEROES
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Welcome.
We’re glad you found your way here.
Kintsugi Heroes was created from a simple belief: every person has a story worth sharing, and sometimes the story we need to hear arrives exactly when we need it most.
Our name comes from the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold. Rather than hiding the cracks, they are honoured as part of the object’s history. We believe people are much the same. The experiences that challenge us, break us, shape us, and help us grow are often the very things that connect us to one another.
This channel is home to honest conversations about resilience, hope, grief, recovery, courage, love, and what it means to keep moving forward when life doesn’t go to plan.
Here you’ll find six podcast series, each sharing stories through a different lens:
• Kintsugi Heroes, hosted by John Milham
• Animals & Us, hosted by Natalie Stockdale
• Grit Diaries: From Grit to Grace, hosted by Simone Allan and Maryan Bova
• From There to Here, hosted by Emma Bellamy-Dodd
• Golden Threads: Stories of Disability & Resilience
Every story shared here is offered with the hope that it helps someone feel a little less alone. A little more understood. A little more connected.
Whether you’re navigating a difficult season, supporting someone you love, or simply looking for meaningful conversations, you’re welcome here.
New episodes are released every week.
If you’d like to help us continue sharing these stories and keeping them freely available to everyone, you can support our work here: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate#donate
Thank you for being part of this community. We help people tell the stories they need to share so others can discover the story they need to hear.
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