What Do I Do When My Husband’s Family Protects an Abuser?

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, Clem talks about what happens when someone you love tells you the truth about the abuse they’ve lived through, and that the family around them refuses to see it. Our listener has learned the full story of her sister-in-law’s marriage, and now she’s sitting with anger, guilt, and the pressure to keep the peace. Clem unpacks why these situations feel so heavy, how our own history can shape our reactions, and what it looks like to stand with survivors even when it’s uncomfortable. Content note: This episode contains discussions of coercive control, emotional and verbal abuse, childhood trauma, and the impact of witnessing abuse within families. If you or anyone you know needs help, please contact 1800RESPECT or call 000 in an emergency.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, a quick message recorded from a Sherpa village on the Everest Base Camp trail (yak bells and all). Clem sends a love note about choosing aliveness in small ways, invites you to think about the things you’ve told yourself you’re “too old” or “not capable” of - and to pick one to say yes to today. A gentle reminder that this is your one wild, rich life.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, Clem unpacks what it means to love across borders. Our listener is stretched between two countries, two cultures, and two futures - one dreaming of marriage and family, the other unsure where home is. Clem explores how inequality and expectation shape our choices, and why sometimes love doesn’t fail; it teaches us how to grow, let go, and begin again.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, Clem explores the tender chaos of desire and identity. Our listener writes from the crossroads of marriage and a queer awakening - torn between devotion to her husband and the magnetic pull of a woman who stirs something long-buried. Clem unpacks what it means to honour your truth inside systems that were never built for it, the grief of boundaries that clash with longing, and why self-discovery isn’t betrayal... it’s liberation.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] mentioned in this episode:Polysecure by Jessica Fern The Ethical Slut by Janet W. Hardy & Dossie EastonFollow Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, Clem takes on the impossible weight of fighting patriarchy from within its walls. Our listener writes about a workplace battle that left her burned out, betrayed, and questioning everything she thought feminism promised. Clem explores the moral injury of doing everything “right” in a system built to protect men, the grief of being punished for resistance, and the fire that keeps us rising even when we’re tired of burning.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, Clem unpacks the painful tension between love and self-protection when someone you care for is trapped in addiction. Our listener writes about her ex-partner’s struggle with alcoholism and bipolar disorder, and the guilt of stepping back. Clem explores how compassion and boundaries can coexist, and why saving yourself is sometimes the truest form of love.Content Warning: This episode includes conversations about alcohol addiction. If you or anyone you know is struggling, you can reach out to the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 for free, confidential support.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, Clem introduces a different kind of episode; a guided meditation. A gentle practice to help you sit with loneliness, reconnect with your breath, and meet your inner child with tenderness and love. Born out of a listener’s question about friendship and isolation, this meditation invites you to soften, to play, and to remember that you are never truly alone. Let this be a moment of stillness, grounding, and care - a gift from your Big Sister to you.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, we’re diving into the tender, complicated terrain of neurodivergence - from the anxiety of seeking an ADHD or autism diagnosis, to the lifelong stories we tell ourselves about being “lazy,” “disorganized,” or “too much.” Clem reflects on her own experience of diagnosis, the grief and relief that can accompany it, and why the medical system so often fails to see women clearly. More than a label, a diagnosis can offer language, tools, and compassion - but as Clem reminds us, your worth was never contingent on external validation. Whether or not you choose that path, you already have permission to love yourself exactly as you are.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, Clem is delving into the raw terrain of family conflict; when the people we’re told to love unconditionally become the ones who wound us most deeply. Our listener writes of a painful rift with her sister, fractured by a series of cruel remarks, and the ache of missing the niece caught in the crossfire. Clem reflects on the grief of sibling estrangement, the shadow work that cruelty often conceals, and the ways projection can mask unspoken unhappiness. Family bonds can tether us in complex, sometimes suffocating ways - but true healing lies in honouring love, boundaries, and self-respect in equal measure.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, we’re talking about protest; why it matters, what it achieves, and how it keeps us human in fractured times. From Gaza to the streets of Melbourne, protest is both a moral stand and a collective lifeline, reminding us that people power has always shaped history. Clem dives into the difference between war and genocide, unpacks the double standards in how resistance is framed, and explores why both nonviolent and violent protest have been essential to liberation struggles. Protest isn’t just about policy - it’s about solidarity, hope and refusing to give up our humanity.If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email [email protected] Clem on Instagram & FacebookSubscribe to her Dear Clementine SubstackJoin her PatreonThis podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.