Im Nancy, and I am going to tell you a story.

For twenty years, I kept a secret from my family and coworkers. The secret was that I lived two lives. One, a successful corporate executive and the other, a behind closed doors battered wife.

Im a survivor of domestic violence. I was physically, emotionally, and economically abused by my husband.

My coping mechanism was a fantasy world that I created, one where life was good.

One of my favorite fantasies was that my husband was dead. Being a widow would be a wonderful thing, because it was acceptable to be a widow but not acceptable to be a divorced woman.

I kept my secret for twenty years, because I was ashamed.

Then, on December 28, 1991, I left.

I no longer know the Nancy who left, but I will always be grateful to that person inside me who finally summoned the courage to leave so that I could move on and thrive.

My hope is that women who have endured their own struggles find something from my story and realize that they too can create the financially self-sufficient life that they choose and achieve their own Victory over Violence.