A Season for Sharing Story: Lisa’s Courage, and the Lifeline She Found at A New Leaf
For Lisa, the courthouse was never just a building. It was a weekly reminder of everything she was carrying: fear, exhaustion, and the relentless pressure of trying to protect her children while navigating a system that can feel impossible to face alone. On one of those days, Lisa was filling out a restraining order without a lawyer. She was crying, overwhelmed, and doing her best to hold it together in a public place.
“I was hysterical,” Lisa recalled. “I was crying while filling out my restraining order paperwork. That’s just how it always was when I went into court.” Like many survivors of domestic violence, Lisa’s story didn’t begin with a dramatic moment or a clear line where everything changed. She had seen signs of abuse before, she said. But after the birth of her first child, it escalated.
“I saw signs of abuse before,” Lisa said. “But when my first son was born, it escalated. He became verbally abusive, physically abusive, emotionally, financially, every kind of abuse you could think of.” With time, the situation grew more dangerous. When Lisa found out she was pregnant again, this time not by choice, she made a decision that changed her life.
“When I found out I was pregnant with my second child, I left,” she said. “I was 42 years old, two months pregnant and had a three-and-a-half-year-old. I knew if I didn’t get out, it was only going to get worse.” She returned to her parents’ home, but leaving didn’t mean the abuse ended. Instead, Lisa found herself pulled into years of legal battles: restraining orders, police reports, custody disputes, and constant court motions that kept her in a cycle of stress and fear.
“I’ve had five restraining orders and about 25 police reports in three years,” she said. “It was awful and I’m still going through it.” Nearly six years later, the paperwork, the hearings, and the pressure continue. And for a long time, she faced it feeling like she had no one beside her. “I was completely alone,” Lisa said. “I didn’t know what I was doing, and I was falling apart.”
That was when Laura Rodriguez, a domestic violence counselor with A New Leaf, stepped in. “She asked if I needed help,” Lisa said. “She sat with me, helped me fill out the paperwork, and brought me into her office. That moment changed everything.” Laura helped Lisa find a lawyer, the same attorney she still has today, and prepared her for court, sat with her during hearings, and explained what she was walking into every step of the way.
“She helped me find my lawyer, the one I still have today,” Lisa said. “She prepared me for court, sat with me during hearings, and explained everything. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without her.” Over time, that support became much more than advocacy. It became steadiness, the kind that helps someone breathe again. “She’s my advocate,” Lisa said. “She helps me daily. She sends me resources, talks me through breakdowns, and gives me tools so I can keep going.”
Lisa also shared that Laura’s care has extended to her children, checking on them, supporting them, and showing them consistent kindness when so much around them has been unstable. “She brings my boys Christmas presents every year,” Lisa said. “She checks on them constantly. She genuinely cares, it’s not just her job.” Hearing a survivor say words like that, about what it means to be seen, believed, and supported, is not something we take lightly. Lisa paused before adding, “I truly believe she saved my life. And my boys’ lives.”
Community Support That Makes Court Advocacy Possible
Lisa’s story is a powerful reminder that safety doesn’t always come from one big moment, it often comes from the steady support of someone walking beside you through the hardest parts. And for many survivors, the courthouse is one of those hardest places.
That’s why A New Leaf’s Court Advocacy Program exists: to make sure survivors are not forced to face restraining orders, custody concerns, safety planning, and the legal system alone. It offers practical support in the moments that matter most, helping survivors understand their options, complete paperwork, access resources, and feel grounded in an environment that can be overwhelming and intimidating. In many cases, court advocacy becomes the bridge between crisis and safety. It is often the difference between feeling trapped and feeling empowered.
We are deeply grateful to AZ Central and their Season for Sharing program for helping make this work possible. Their partnership doesn’t just amplify survivor stories, it provides essential support that helps keep programs like Court Advocacy running. This program depends on community support to operate, and because of Season for Sharing, more survivors can connect with advocates who are trained, compassionate, and ready to step in when help is needed most.
Programs like A New Leaf’s Court Advocacy are crucial to ending cycles of abuse. They help survivors build security and stability during a time when everything feels uncertain. They offer consistent support when a survivor is navigating trauma, fear, and life-altering decisions. And most importantly, they remind survivors of something they may have been told for far too long isn’t true: you have options, you have support, and you are not alone.
We’re thankful to Season for Sharing and AZ Central for standing with A New Leaf and with survivors across Arizona. Because freedom is not just leaving. Freedom is getting the support and protection it takes to stay safe, rebuild, and move toward a future defined not by abuse, but by hope.