35: Lead Well Live Well with Dee Blick - Episode 3535: Lead Well Live Well with Dee Blick - Episode 35
UK Health Radio Podcast
Samantha Hawkins shares her journey from severe domestic abuse to running a values-led advisory business, reflecting on shame, survival and rebuilding life. The conversation also touches on addiction recovery, the power of support networks and the importance of safe spaces for women in business.
50:48•14 Nov 2026
From Domestic Abuse to Financial Freedom: Samantha Hawkins on Shame, Strength and Starting Again
Episode Overview
- Shame can keep survivors stuck; naming it and letting it go creates space for peace and new choices.
- Leaving an abusive relationship is rarely a single bold exit but a gruelling process of survival and gradual change.
- Understanding your finances and having regular support brings control and confidence, especially after financial abuse.
- Safe, non-judgemental networks help women in business stop dimming their light and ask the questions they’re afraid to ask elsewhere.
- Strong support systems – partners, sponsors, coaches and peers – can literally be the difference between giving up and staying alive in early recovery.
“Shame has been my biggest blocker, and now that I can release that, I know that my opportunities are going to be endless.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction and abuse? This conversation on UK Health Radio’s *Lead Well, Live Well* centres on accountant and business founder Samantha Hawkins, whose LinkedIn post about surviving severe domestic abuse stopped host Dee Blick in her tracks. You’ll hear how Sam describes living through years of violence, including an attempt on her life, and how she rejects the neat myth of simply “packing a bag and walking out”.
She talks honestly about shame as her “biggest blocker” and how releasing it has opened the door to what she calls “uninterrupted peace” and a new life with her son and supportive partner. Sam shares how those brutal experiences now shape her work at elevante advisory, a firm built on the belief that “business owners deserve to understand their numbers and not just receive them once a year”.
Her approach blends financial expertise with deep empathy, especially around financial abuse and the fear many people feel about money. The chat also touches gently on recovery from alcohol addiction, as Dee reflects on her own past shame, suicidal thoughts, and the lifesaving role of a sponsor, family and ongoing support. Together, they highlight how community, coaching and honest conversations can keep people alive and moving forward.
For women in business, Sam’s passion for all-female networking groups stands out; she talks about dimmed confidence in mixed rooms and the power of spaces where women can be “flawed and fabulous” without judgement. If you or someone you care about is wrestling with shame, trauma or the fallout from addiction or abuse, this heartfelt exchange offers hope that new chapters are possible, one brave conversation at a time.
What might change for you if you started to let go of your own shame and asked for support?
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