A Survivor’s Unshakeable Voice From Silent Screams, Loud Strength
- Brainz Magazine
- Apr 4
- 5 min read
Written by Samantha Avril-Andreassen, Interior Design
Samantha Avril-Andreassen is a visionary entrepreneur, creative force, and legal expert with a Master’s in Law. As the founder of Home Fix Boutique, SJ Interior Designs, and The Body Solution Wear, she has built a portfolio of businesses that redefine interiors, craftsmanship, and personal empowerment.
There are moments in life when the silence is deafening, not because no one is speaking, but because no one is listening. As a survivor of domestic abuse, I’ve learned that the world can turn its face from truth, especially when that truth is inconvenient, uncomfortable, or impossible to sanitise. That’s why I created Silent Screams, Loud Strength, a podcast, a book, and a movement grounded in the radical act of truth-telling.
This is not just a personal narrative. It’s a public reckoning. And it's more relevant than ever in an age where domestic abuse survivors are still forced to prove their pain in systems built on disbelief and denial.
For years, I carried my pain in silence. Behind closed doors, abuse shaped the contours of my life, emotionally, psychologically, financially, and spiritually. When I finally found the courage to escape, I assumed the worst was over. I thought freedom would begin with the lock clicking behind me. But no one tells you that the escape is only the beginning and that surviving the system can be even more traumatic than surviving the abuse itself.
The weight of trauma does not dissipate the moment you leave the abuser. For many of us, the aftermath is a second wave of injustice, one that is often sanctioned by the institutions that are supposed to uphold our safety. The family courts, the housing system, the medical professionals who minimise our symptoms, and the public discourse that still asks, "Why didn't she leave sooner? "Silent Screams, Loud Strength was born in that gap between what society says it offers survivors and what it actually delivers. The book chronicles my story, but more importantly, it echoes the untold stories of countless others. It’s a mirror, a message, and a manifesto.
Each chapter peels back another layer of the silence that survivors are forced to live within: the stigma, the disbelief, the institutional failures. My podcast deepens that journey, giving a voice to other survivors, mental health advocates, legal experts, and anyone daring enough to speak the truth.
What we don’t say becomes the weight we carry
In Season One, we explored topics like finding your voice after trauma, empowering children to speak up, and healing from within. We talked about the difference between guilt and shame. We unpacked the harm caused by people-pleasing, especially in environments that train women to be small, silent, and self-sacrificing.
But this project isn’t just about identifying the pain; it’s about making space for healing. Radical, imperfect, transformative healing. The kind of healing that doesn’t look pretty on social media but saves lives in real time.
It’s about rebuilding a relationship with your own body, reclaiming your narrative, and rewriting the ending to a story that someone else tried to define for you.
What makes Silent Screams, Loud Strength different is that it dares to go where many fear to tread, exposing the brokenness of the family court system, the impact of post-separation abuse, and the real-life consequences of being unheard.
I didn’t create a platform to be palatable. I created it to be powerful.
The family court failed me, and I spoke anyway
When I was evicted from my own home, it wasn’t just a personal loss; it was a public failure. A systemic one. The home I had paid for, maintained, and nurtured was handed over to the very person who had abused me. I was made homeless by an order that disregarded safeguarding protocols, ignored my mental health diagnoses, and violated my human dignity.
I filed a judicial review. I created a paper trail that could not be dismissed. I turned every moment of pain into evidence. Into purpose. Into something bigger than myself.
In doing so, I revealed a truth that too many women live every day: justice is not guaranteed, and silence is often enforced.
I spoke out not because I was unafraid but because staying silent would have destroyed me. Because every time I was told to stay quiet, I found more strength in telling the truth.
Stillness meets strength
That’s the heart of what I do, whether I’m speaking into a microphone, writing late into the night, or walking by the river in search of clarity. Stillness is not weakness. It’s where strength begins. That’s what I want every survivor to know: your silence may have protected you once, but your voice will heal you now.
I write for the woman sleeping in her car because the shelter was full. I record for the mother who can’t prove emotional abuse in court. I speak for the child who tells the truth and is still not believed. Silent Screams, Loud Strength is for all of us.
I am not the exception. I am the echo.
A global message, a local fight
Domestic abuse is a global issue. But the fight for justice is deeply local, deeply personal. In the UK, thousands of women face systemic indifference when navigating the legal system. They are retraumatised, silenced, and displaced. My story is part of that tapestry, one thread among many, woven through with injustice and strength.
We are forced to become legal researchers, advocates, witnesses, and warriors, often with no safety net. The injustice isn't just in the outcome. It's in the process that it excludes, confuses, and dehumanises us at every step.
But we are rewriting that narrative: one podcast, one article, one survivor-led movement at a time.
Silent Screams, Loud Strength is not just content. It’s a call to action for trauma-informed justice, court reform, survivor support, and real, lasting change.
We are tired of waiting for systems to catch up. So we are building new ones.
Join the movement
This article is not the end; it’s the beginning of the next chapter. Join me. Listen. Read. Share. Speak. Rise.
Because we are no longer whispering in the dark; we are roaring in the light.
Read more from Samantha Avril-Andreassen
Samantha Avril-Andreassen, Interior Design
Samantha Avril-Andreassen is a visionary entrepreneur, creative force, and legal expert with a Master’s in Law. As the founder of Home Fix Boutique, SJ Interior Designs, and The Body Solution Wear, she has built a portfolio of businesses that redefine interiors, craftsmanship, and personal empowerment.
Her passion for design and innovation is deeply rooted in a commitment to helping others create beautiful, functional spaces while embracing confidence and self-expression. Samantha’s expertise spans bespoke home styling, luxury interior design, and innovative shapewear solutions, each brand reflecting her dedication to quality, elegance, and well-being.
