The Marissa Mitchell Show: October 21, 2026

Bringing Trunkland back to Annapolis, the event features a series of jewelry showcasing a different designer or collection. And learn how to create an elevated and stylish Halloween table, even for the spookiest of parties. You know what scares me about Halloween is what's left of my teeth won't survive. Yes. The candy. I mean, I've only got like two real ones left. You're so silly. You've got a two candy minimum. Beautiful afternoon. Enjoy. All right, guys. Thanks for joining us for us over to you. All right, team, thank you so much. And I'm really gearing up for this special edition of the Marissa Mitchell Show. I am standing next to Dr. Mildred Muhammad. You are here to help talk us through Domestic Violence Awareness Month and also to share some of your story. Absolutely. And I'm so honored to be here today with you in order to share information and resources that others may be unable to find, but we will direct them right to you. We certainly will. Well, with you, it's going to be some life-saving information as well. Thanks for tuning in the whole hour dedicated to the mission coming up. Thank you so much for joining us here on the Marissa Mitchell Show. And today, I am going purple as we highlight Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the show that our team worked so hard on. It's full of compelling conversations and life-changing and life-saving resources that we hope helps you or someone you know. Something's wrong. Something's wrong. The sniper shootings have been in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Dr. Mildred Muhammad spent several years living with an abuser and he ended up becoming the notorious D.C. sniper. Her life detailed in a documentary, Hunted by My Husband, the untold story of a D.C. sniper. 24 years to the month, Dr. Muhammad is here joining me for an exclusive conversation about her strength and survival and how she helps others. Plus, to bring you a preview of an annual party for a purpose that's yours truly the Prince George's County Dancing with the Stars just a few weeks off and it raises awareness and funding for local families impacted by violence i won the mirror ball trophy a few years ago but in 20 minutes this year's contestants they're going to be on the show and they're going to perform their routines live for us in less than 20 minutes i will be at aha for every single performance and experience we know that life's biggest breakthroughs no matter your struggle can begin with an aha moment best media mogul oprah coining the term she's going to bring her inspirational tour to the sphere in vegas we have all the details on that star-studded lineup and more in a motivational spin on the hot sheet. Now we're going to round out the hour with ways to teach teens and kids about dating red flags. It starts early. The organizers of a tour, including the Prince George's County Sheriff, they're going to join me here on the couch with ways that you can get involved. Our first guest spent years living with an abuser and eventually her experience made global headlines. Mildred Muhammad is the ex-wife of the infamous D.C. sniper. 24 years to the off. The attacks left 10 dead and three wounded here in the DMV, but more victims were discovered in other states. Investigators say Mohammed was the target, and her story of survival is chronicled in the documentary, Hunted by My Husband, the untold story of a D.C. sniper. He decided who lived and who died. The FBI. Said, Ms. Mohammed, didn't you know you were the target? That sniper's wife. The man that I married was a complete stranger. Gaslighting, coercive control, manipulation. John kidnapped the children. He was a ticking time bomb. And she has used her experience to help domestic abuse survivors, not just here in the DMV, but across the globe. And Dr. Muhammad is here now to tell us about our efforts. You look so good, my friend thank you so much for having me thank you for that compliment i appreciate it absolutely when you look back at your life essentially that so many of us think we know and there's still so much there what goes through your heart and mind about what you endured sometimes it still feels like i went through that ah and then i have to remember that there are other people that are experiencing the same thing and so I had to reach back to bring other people forward and in that 12 year marriage I mean you endured emotional psychological abuse in silence and I understand that you really noticed a change in him when he returned from Desert Storm can you tell us about some of the signs and the things that you notice but when he came back from Desert Storm they didn't have the resources available for PTSD as they do now. Not saying that because you have PTSD that you will commit a crime, but the resources were not available. And so there was cohesive control, financial control, pitting other people away from me in order to, so that he could have more control over the situation, taking the children away without my consent. We were going through a custody battle. He took them out of the country. I couldn't get anybody to believe me because I didn't have physical scars. He emptied the bank accounts. Nope. Everybody loved him as that is so with abusers that no one believes the victim, especially if he's attractive or he has a political office or if he's in the community, then nobody wants to hear that this person whom they love is an abuser. Yeah, there's a facade that takes over no matter what you're going through. I call it Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and I spell Hyde, H-I-D-E, because abusers hide in plain sight. I love, too, that you broke down that it's not just physical abuse. And I hate to say it, a lot of people still attach that to domestic violence, that it has to be physical. Because we are visual people. If I don't see your abuse, if I don't see the scars, then your abuse does not exist. 80% of victims don't have physical scars and it doesn't matter what their gender, it doesn't matter your occupation, financial status. Anybody and everybody can be a victim and it's so relevant now and it's happening so much that the person next to you could be a victim, but they are afraid to tell you because they don't want you to lose the spark that you have in your eyes for them. They don't want you to think badly of them or they're making bad decisions because most times people believe that victims are not good decision makers. Or they're doing something to provoke their attacker. Exactly. And the abuse is never the fault of the victim. It is always the fault of the abuser. Even after the split, I mean, you tried to do the right thing, protect your children, but he still stalked you, terrorized you. And that's the story that so many go through. And they do. I came over this way not to flee from him. I came over here because my mom was sick. He went to a father's rights group in Tacoma, Washington, found me, did a skip trace. They told him that I was in the D.C. area. And that's when he came over here, found me, started stalking people and unfortunately killing people around me in order to make it look like I would be one of the victims. You dealt with the emotional trauma with him, and then you had to deal with what he did, that massacre that took place. And also raised three children in the process. Absolutely, at the same time with the children. At any point, and I thought about this while watching the documentary, did you blame yourself for the attacks, thinking if I had done something differently, maybe sooner, no one else would have gotten hurt? No, because I went to the police. I went to the governor. I yelled to the rooftops that he was trying to kill me, not thinking about anybody else. So when it came about that he was named the sniper, then I just helped my children and myself to process that information so that we could live through it and be better on the other side. And you've certainly done that today. 24 years later, all of this was happening this month, 24 years ago. What have you learned about yourself and what would you like to share with those who may be going through violence as we speak? If you're going through an abusive relationship, never, ever, ever think that the abuse is your fault. It is always the fault of the abuser. What I've learned about myself is that I am stronger than I thought I was. I was able to raise my children, to help them to come out on the other side and to live productive lives. I help them to understand, as well as myself, emotional intelligence, understanding what that abuse is, look it up in the dictionary, understand what it means, and then understand how it applies to you. Abusers always transfer their emotions onto the victim, and the victim, unfortunately still believes in the abuser and takes those emotions upon themselves, which causes self-doubt, tackles their self-esteem until they understand they need to break away from that emotional tie in order to go back and love themselves better than what they did before. Wow. Thank you so much for being so open and vulnerable, transparent with us. I think so many are better because of your story and you helping others either avoid the situation or come out of it better yes ma'am than they originally intended dr muhammad thank you for your time for your life we honor you if you or a loved one is facing domestic violence please call this number here it's 1-800-799-7233 to reach the domestic violence hotline that number is also on your screen the support is confidential and available 24 7 the whole thing is my idea it's my dream well you can have your big aha moment with oprah that's what she says her name oprah winfrey next in our motivational edition of the hot sheet a sneak peek of her star-studded empowerment extravaganza tickets are now available and later you're going to hit the dance floor hopefully with us to raise money for families here in the dmv that are impacted by domestic violence we have a preview and a live performance ahead of this year's Prince George's County's Dancing with the Stars plus the uncovering the hidden signs of teen dating violence the organizers are here to talk about this tour that's aimed at stopping abuse among children and teens stay with us listen we are back with a motivational edition of the Hot Sheet as we shine a light on domestic violence awareness month i'm here with domestic violence expert Dr. Denise McCain and also host of the Truth Serum podcast Venus Freeman ladies thank you so much for coming thank you and you all are also pulling double duty doing other segments throughout the show which we will get to but i don't know about you but i start my day with a good song i have a playlist that is Just ready to get me pumped, get me empowered. And it goes with this first story because Harper's Bazaar, they recently released a list of some of the most empowering anthems spanning all genres and decades. We're going to take a listen and talk about it on the other side. Let's go. Sounds good. Making the list, Beyonce, Every Woman, Made It. I like her version. And Whitney's, okay. Leslie Gore's You Don't Own Me. Now, that's a throwback. Okay, I'm not one of your little toys. you know you would add or things that you listen to to kind of make you feel better about yourself so any given day let us see higher i love that song and um heather healy he is oh that's another one yeah i love that one blasted what is it about it um with heather healy's he is it's kind of like you know god is all over it he's all in it he's a part of it in all aspects of your life. So I'm loving that and that just kicks me off for the day. Sometimes you just gotta let go and let it ride. Absolutely. Okay, so don't judge me, but I just heard this song on the radio recently. Okay. Justin Timberlake Sexy Back. Don't judge me, but you don't have to bring it back if it never left. Okay. I heard it. I said, you know what? I like that. I could see doing something to that. Yeah, so that was one. That's a good one. That was one. But then on the other side, I'm also a person of spirit and so I like sold out that's oh my god that one will get me going that's a good one you're sold out for god it's funny you mentioned Ledisi I have so many songs that I know and love but it's her song bravo for me where she essentially sings about clapping for yourself yeah because if you get to that point in life sometimes you have to encourage yourself whether you get the applause for others or not so I can go all day if you can't add stuff of others that you're not even doing yourself. Okay, listen, I thought we were about to talk about Oprah. She might be here. That's like an Oprah quote you just dropped. Self-empowerment is powerful. It is powerful. Yes, and now to Oprah Winfrey, who we know she's been empowering people for decades now. And now the queen is bringing a new immersive experience to Vegas. It's Oprah Winfrey's AHA, and it's going to take over the sphere April 2nd through the 4th of next year. I've already put in my PTO. I'm trying to be there. the two-hour show will feature Oprah live on stage with other special performances set to take guests on a two-hour journey of wonder and joy. There will be performances. There will be singing. There will be dancing. Maybe even you will be dancing. I know you will also be singing because the audience at one point becomes its own performance. Now, if you've been to the Sphere, I have been there before. It's a full sensory experience. So you're going to feel things, the temperature changes, you hear things. So it's going to be truly, truly immersive. So I guess you're going to feel like you can rule the world for real once you leave the AHA experience. So what's the AHA place you go to when you need that pick-me-up or escapism? It could be a book, it could be a movie, it could be a place, it could be a person. So I am a beach person. I love the ocean. It's very, very, for me, it's therapeutic. It's something about the ability to just lie out. They call me the sun goddess. I love to just be in the sun. But it's something about being near the water that just does it for me. So that would be my aha place. Anytime I can travel and go somewhere and just relax and lay out and take in the environment with the water and the sun, the ocean, I'm happy. You need to do an audio book. I'm happy to the beat. You know, but with life being, for me in particular, being so hectic and always there and having to do and be, when I can get away and just have solitude and tranquility, perfect. It's everything. When I hear the crashing of the waves, it feels like renewal and restoration to me. So kind of piggybacking off of that, I actually have a room in my house that was like, I initially called it a prayer closet. I ended up turning it into a dressing room, but that's my place where I can just go. So I also have a journal, a healing journal. So I use it myself. I have a journal where I have an hourglass that goes for like 30 minutes. I turn it over, and I just release, depress, and do everything just right there. I have my healing crystals there. I set the mood by lighting a lavender candle and take my journal and just write about the day and let it go. Come on now. Aromatherapy. Yes. I love it. And it's funny you mention that because I just recently moved, and I took a den and kind of recreated something that feels just like that. And I think it's so important to control what you can control, and that is your space. Because once you leave it, anything goes, you know what I mean? So it's important to make your home feel like a home. Otherwise, it's just somewhere you just lay your head, and you deserve more than that. Let's talk about Miley Cyrus quickly now, because she's helping to create 97 permanent apartments in L.A. for unhoused women with her $1 million donation. You go, girl. That donation supports the Downtown Women's Center's Home Campaign, the new housing development on la skid row that's a hard part of town is going to provide homes for women including those escaping violence and homelessness so we salute you smiley and others for making that happen all right we're here at home at least the weather is giving us a break from all this stuff i love fall this is my favorite season so we got to bring out tucker now to talk more about it and i need to come over to your jar how are you you know what the tip jar has not made an appearance. You're slipping on your pippin. Thank you. We got the grays. You're right. We got the gray memo. Love it. Yeah, beautiful afternoon, upper 60s for daytime highs, and we'll keep the streak of nice weather right through the weekend. So beautiful weather as far as we can see. Okay, you get your tip jar, grab my purse. How about that? Sounds good. Thank you, ladies. And hang around. We got so much to get to because our mission against violence moves to the dance floor. Next up, a sneak peek at this year's Dancing with the Stars in Prince George's County and the incredible ways the event is keeping local families safe. We've got a lot of performance coming. And later, if you or a loved one needs an extra boost of faith and strength, a domestic abuse survivor and reverend, she's going to share her five-minute reset laid out in her devotional. That's ahead. Welcome back to this special edition of the Marissa Mitchell Show. We're family now. We're just getting to stand together. It's a family affair. Several community leaders and local celebrities are hitting the dance floor November 14 to raise money for families impacted by domestic violence. And it's all part of Dancing with the Stars. It's hosted by Prince George's County Family Justice Center Foundation. I'm here with some of the people who are making it possible. We have the foundation's board president, Quantier Lloyd, domestic violence expert, Dr. Denise McCain, who's doubling as a co-host, and dancer and lieutenant at Prince George's County Police. We have Kwesi Dotsie. He's one of the dancers and his partner, Wendy. Thank you so much for coming. And you all are going to dance in a few. So you're nervous? Not really? A little bit. Piece of cake. Piece of cake. You all are here because this is certainly near and dear to my heart because about three years ago, Denise, yours truly competed. Not only competed, but won. Oh! Well, that's me. That's me with the mirror ball there. And I dedicated a lot of hours and time, but it meant a lot. And it was truly a party for a purpose. It was. I mean, this is an event that, you know, it's an annual event, our third year. And as you said, it's a party with a purpose, but we're there to help raise money for children that have been impacted by domestic abuse. We have a camp mentoring and camping program, and the proceeds help us take them to camp free of charge. You know, I'm watching. It was to Jennifer Lopez's Let's Get Loud. I do not remember the routine. I just remember this part. Doing that. That was a cha-cha-cha with my partner, Pedro. Yes. Well, you were doing it. You were doing it, girl. You were doing it. Thank you so much. But the judges are tough, so be ready, Lieutenant. I'm already sweating. I'm already sweating. Tell me about your prep for this and why you decided to get on board. You know, it's really about the kids. We work with youth a lot, and I believe and the department believes in the cause when it comes to giving those in need, you know, an impact. But I also like to win. Wendy looks tough. I know she's going to make sure the steps are second. Yes, yes, yes. Believe it or not, like, my dance partner is actually out of the country, so she stepped in, and she's one of my coaches. Way to go. And she, you know, she treats me hard. All right. Well, we're going to get a preview after this quick break, so don't go anywhere. We'll also talk more about the work that you all do with the foundation. Still ahead, we're also highlighting the young people and getting to the heart of the hidden signs of dating violence among teens. It normally starts at an early age. Don't miss this special edition of the Marissa Mitchell Show. More is headed your way after this quick break. Thanks for joining us as we shine a light on Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I'm back now with a sneak peek of this year's Dancing with the Stars. And it's hosted by Prince George's County Family Justice Center Foundation. Thanks again for coming. Thanks for having us. This event supports local families impacted by abuse, and the dancers will hit the floor November 14th. He's going to be one of them. Listen, Dossie is one of them. And, Wendy, thanks for coming. Thank you for having me. But Dr. Denise McCain, she's here as well, the expert in kind of overseeing this alongside one of the foundation's leaders, the Foundation Board President, Quan-Tier Loy. And, Quan-Tier, I want you to start here. Talk about the work that you all do on the ground for families in the county. So the job of the board is to have the visibility of the center. We make sure that the county residents know that the support is there for the residents of Prince George's County, that they have the support, that these services are available to them free of charge. And we have social media. Please follow us. We also have the Dancing with the Stars gala that we're raising money for, Camp Hope, that supports the children that are affected by domestic violence. Yeah, they need to know you care. And whether you're impacted or not directly, we're all indirectly impacted. That's a community issue, Denise. It most certainly is a community issue. And I think what people need to understand is that more individuals are affected by domestic violence than people realize. It's still an issue that's somewhat private, behind the scenes, survivors are not comfortable stepping out, talking about it, but it's real, it's there, and it's difficult even for them to ask for help. So as Ponteer said, we want to make our resources known and available, and to let the community know that there's no shame, everything we do is confidential, it's free of charge, but help is so critical to survival. And that's what we want to make sure that the community knows. And this event is helping us to intervene, to help children who have been exposed to trauma and abuse, and to also prevent ongoing or the intergenerational cycle of abuse. All right, Lieutenant Dossie, you're going to give us a preview. Now, is this going to be the actual routine? No. Okay, good. No, no, no. I can't give you all the details. This is going to be something dialed down a little bit. All right. As a former contestant, I'm like, you can't show them everything. I'm trying to win. Okay? We've got to get that mirror ball trophy again. You know it. what this whole thing is about, and I can only assume that's why you said, hey, sign me up. Absolutely. It's about the kids. We work with youth. We want to do as much as we can for them and raising money to get as many kids to come is what's important, and also winning. All right. Okay. Well, listen, we're going to get off the dance floor, ladies, so he can show us the money, the shmoney, and his skills and what you all can hopefully see more of November 14th. For an hour? This is not even a full performance. This is a girl again. Number one. It's not even about the dancing. Number one, fundraising. Fundraising. That's what it's about. Oh, my gosh. The moves and the mood of the whole thing. I did not expect the facial expressions. I'm real. It was all in the face. You got to give it all. What you call that. I know we do different genres. I do. I think this has a little bit more of a little Afro beat. Very fun. A little more organic feel to it. trying to do a blend of not just technical but also freestyle so allows it to be flowy yeah it was definitely energetic i wanted to jump in every minute i don't know if it was money or whatever and i know too that it's in the arms and and the hips yes okay so i don't know if you ladies are ready but can you just show us just one simple move that we can all well all take away okay We'll just do our basic. Okay. Basic, basic, basic, right? Basic. We're going to do our basic, but I like to do the side. Okay. And because you can play with that, right? And then it's all in your upper body. And you don't have to really know how to do anything else other than crunch. Yeah. That's that freestyle. And you flirt. And you flirt. And you flirt with that. You were flirting. That's what it was. You all did a fantastic job. You did. Denise, how can people get these tickets and help raise money for this cause? Absolutely. We definitely want to sell tickets. You can go to the website for the foundation, PGC, FamilyJusticeCenterFoundation.org. Tickets are available. Sponsorships, ads are available. Everything you need is on the website. Again, PGC, FamilyJusticeCenterFoundation.org. Tickets are $150. It's for a great cause. So please, please come out and support it and see more amazing couples dance. November 14th. Yes, and the food is good. Where will it be this year? It's going to be at Martin's again, Martin's Cross Run. But it's a lot of fun. Good food, good entertainment, and just people love it. And vote for me. And you're going to donate. Please. I need the money. We need the money. I need the money, yes. That part, that part. You got our traffic. Thank you so much for coming, and thank you for all that you're doing. I know how hard of a job it is to keep it up and keep coming back bigger and better each year, but it means a lot, and we're all better for it, all right? We appreciate you. 151137, we better bring that mirror ball trophy. I want to see it in three weeks. You got the challenge now. This is all to reduce domestic abuse in our communities, and we know that it can happen at any time, at any age, outside of the confines of a home or even a marriage. So next up, we're going to talk teen dating violence with some advocates and community leaders. And man, Prince George's County, you all are representing on the show today because the sheriff, John D.B. Carr, who also participated in Dancing with the Stars, he's going to be a part of that segment to talk more about that tour that's aimed at keeping our young people safe. Also, after surviving domestic abuse, cancer four times, and a stroke, A reverend has created a five-minute reset for healing, and she's going to talk about her best-selling devotional. We'll be right back. For domestic violence awareness, I have to share a startling statistic with you that may impact you or the people you love. One out of every three teenagers in the U.S. will experience some form of abuse from a dating partner. That's all according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. But an initiative that you and your family can tap into, it aims to bring that number down. I'm going to say bring it down to zero. How about that? The Let's Talk Teen Dating Violence Tour sparks age-appropriate conversations with young people about safe and healthy dating. And the Prince George's County Sheriff, he's involved with that mission as well. So please welcome host of Truth Serum podcast, Venus Freeman. She's back, Sheriff of Prince George's County, Maryland, Sheriff John D.B. Carr, also performed in Dancing with the Stars about three years ago. You did a wonderful job. Thank you so much. I didn't know you had all of it. You did a wonderful job as well. I appreciate it. Community Partnerships Supervisor Sergeant Skylar Green in the house, too, and teen dating abuse survivor Tiara Burris. Tiara, thank you so much for coming. All right, well, I want to start with you, Venus. Talk about this tour that's already underway and what's come of it. Oh, my God. I'm so excited. It actually started with a podcast, and I had Sheriff Carr on as a guest. And from there, it just triggered something in me, in my heart. me also being a domestic violence survivor, I call it pre-gaming. So instead of you being that 52-year-old that's talking about surviving, I want to pour into them and get the information into them now, equip them with information so they won't have to do with that. And it starts with self-love. You know, if you love yourself unconditionally, a lot of things that you allow you will no longer allow. So we're in partnership to make sure that happens. Well, tell me about this partnership, Sheriff, and why it's so critically important for our community and beyond. So we really want to make sure that we touch those youth, especially as they try to navigate relationships, understanding what a healthy relationship looks like, understanding boundaries. And I had a privilege to meet Ms. Freeman and to really work and come up with this, that we can actually go to the schools. We can actually work with our kids. We're already in the middle school, so we took advantage of that. And now we're working with the principals, we're working with different families to try to make sure that we touch those teens. Yeah, a lot of people are hurting in silence. They don't even know how to express what's really happening. That's why I'm so glad that you're here, Tiara. Can you detail for us some of what you endured in your own personal journey? Well, my experience with domestic violence and teen dating, it started during my senior year of high school, which alone was already a very important and stressful year for me because I'm dealing with new emotions that I don't completely understand as well as I was just coming off of a traumatic car accident. So I was already dealing with a traumatic event as well as navigating teenage girl life and understanding the world for myself. I turned to that relationship for a sense of comfort and safety without even realizing that that was a danger to me over time and even over time after coming to the realization that this wasn't healthy for me or a place that I should stay in it still took time for me to leave because after so long and becoming so familiar with certain patterns and certain things that you feel like should be love and certain things that are normalized in my generation already, it becomes a little bit confusing in terms of leaving and breaking away from that. Well, what was the point where you were able to break away? What happened? What was said that helped you to break free from that situation? Really, the biggest part of it was my loved ones. And it wasn't listening to what they were telling me because what they were telling me, I already knew deep down, but it was more so of realizing that there are people who really love me and care for me who have been there for me that I can't even fully connect with anymore because they don't want to see me getting hurt and the person who I'm with doesn't even want me being involved with them so once I realize there's some being who's separating me from the people who I love the most that helped me kick start actually leaving. Wow and Sergeant Schuyler you're sitting right next to her hearing this knowing that so many other young people are still in it dealing with the same thing yes and the training that we take we learn it starts young so we go into the schools like we're doing middle schools and we're doing high schools and even down to sixth grade you'll be surprised at what kids are dealing with elementary school age elementary school age you'll be surprised so for us to get out here and set these boundaries and teach these kids what early domestic violence look like not just in relationships but also friendships like i said we'll cut the numbers in pg county and it'll be a lot safer community so this truth serum how can we get that you know get on this tour and make sure that we understand that it has to end and we all play a role absolutely contact us through the sheriff's sheriff's department or um i believe my information is up there reach out to me through dms emails i'm available if we you're not on the tour we can get you on the tour and again teen dating um violence awareness month is actually february so we kicked off the tour in october during domestic violence It's Awareness Month, but we're going all the way through leading up to that, through February. So any schools that want it, reach out. We'll make it happen. We'll be there. We'll be there. It's important. Oh I thought I go No no no no no we did but so much we we did get things going We kicked it off at Largo. We did Potomac last week. We did James G. Gostin yesterday. And then we'll be at Suitland next week on the 25th. All right, you're all over. I'd love to see it. And Sheriff, it goes without saying that, you know, if you can solve this issue and nip this in the bud, it will stop a whole lot of other activities that can happen down the line criminally. Yes. And you all often say that. Yes. So a lot of this is we look at mental health, especially when you talk about domestic violence. You're looking at our families. You're looking at ways to actually address the issue and not just kick the can down the road. We want to make sure that we make people whole again. We want to provide those wraparound services. we just don't want to talk about it we want to make sure that we're consistent so this is a program that we're starting our consistency with our youth so as they become of age they then can teach those younger ones and then we don't have to worry about the high peace and protective orders that we see not only here in Prince George's County but really you're looking at a lot of people throughout the country are hurting so all right well sheriff thank you so much for for coming sheriff carr sergeant green tiara for sharing your story and venus for being the woman who's really been behind this effort we salute you all thank you keep up the great work and once again if you or a loved one is facing domestic violence please please please call 1-800-799-7233 to reach a domestic violence hotline that number we put it on your screen there the support is confidential and available 24/7 my next guest is also on a mission to support domestic violence survivors, a survivor herself, her efforts manifested as a devotional. So I'm going to head to the other side of the studio here to talk more with her about her journey. And I was thinking about all that she's overcome. And I have to say, you're a walking miracle to be here today to talk with us. So I certainly want to recognize that. And thank you for sharing your heart and your story with us thank you Reverend Pettis she's founder and CEO of No Body But God Ministries you're a survivor of cancer i'm survivor of four cancers stroke yes with paralysis abuse for six years married to a pastor in DC yeah so don't run over it because it gets deeper four stroke four cancers colon cancer in 2004 endometrial cancer in 2018 kidney and breast cancer in 2019 all the way through 2021 when I was diagnosed the night before my double mastectomy surgery they called me and said Dr. Pettis we can't do the surgery tomorrow and I said why they said you have heart failure oh my I didn't know what cardiomyopathy was I had to google it they said you would die on the table and so a lot of people don't realize when you have breast cancer as an African-American woman because it's so aggressive heart disease often comes along with it but my domestic violence story and i thank you for submitting this entire show to that and focusing on it it's really important for women to know that your abuser can come in any ethnicity in any position and rank as uh as as melissa what i'm saying yeah dr mildred yeah she mentioned in the beginning so my husband my abuser he was a phenomenal fiance and boyfriend never argued never spoke out of his tone. And unfortunately he started abusing me the very night we got married and he shut me out of our suite and he was yelling at me. I went down to the desk and the clerk is looking at me in my full regalia. And we had a huge wedding, like 16 women, three preachers. It was huge. And she's like, you need another room. And I was like, yes, we're arguing. And the very next morning he called me, told me, come back up, get dressed. We're going to church. and I sat beside him like nothing had happened and I think he knew then I've got you he told me I am now your master you're going to be submissive and he quoted the bible Galatians 5 wives be submissive to your husband but if I had just really tuned into me and who I was I'd never been abused I never would have taken that I just thought it was my fault he's a pastor I did something wrong whatever it is we'll work it out during the honeymoon and it just became emotional then verbal and then finally one day he slapped me it was almost relief and I know you think that sounds crazy he had threatened so many times and so many arguments I'm going to knock you out I'm going to knock you out shut up that when he actually hit me and knocked me out I said wow and it felt final final it felt final because I kept believing and praying it's going to go away It's going to stop. And then I would be in the pulpit next to him. Once I was a licensed minister, I'd have one sunshine. The congregation clearly saw that it wasn't summertime. No one really focused on me because the church was growing and thriving. And he's the pastor. He's the leader in the pulpit. And he's the leader. And it's so interesting that it started in the church with the church leader. And now you're using scripture and a devotional to help others who are going through any kind of trauma or grief or hurt. How did you get there? I got there by battling cancer by myself, the three cancers back to back So I was talking to the Lord and I said Lord Everyone tells me my faith is incredibly strong and that I don't look like what I'm going through And so he gave me the term faithitude. So faithitude is three things Marissa: your mind, your mouth and your movement No matter what adversity adversity is coming your way. You have to think better You have to believe better. You have to understand that God can do the impossible your mouth it has to be in condition with where the mind is saying so if you believe you've got a job offer, you think you're going to get a job your mind has to say it, your mouth has to speak it but then your movement you have to do the resume to get the job oh my goodness you have to do the work and you've laid it out in your book and that's her website there where you can go and uh I definitely want to skip to work on here because there's so many things and the good thing about the 100 page devotional you can start it any day it's not in chronological order whatever mood you're feeling like you just open to that page and you'll get five minutes where you can just pour into yourself it's a five minute reset, Reverend Pettis, thank you so much oh you're good, you almost feels like Sunday in here all the way, all right, we'll be right back with your burst of joy local, we are back now with your burst of joy, first up production is officially underway on Women Like Us, a new Netflix dramedy with the star-studded cast, what begins as a Weekend Escape becomes an emotional journey through grief, marriage, and the power of sisterhood. Whoopi Goldberg, Jennifer Lewis, Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, everybody in this one. It follows the story of a recently widowed woman whose sister and lifelong friends take her to the Hamptons on what would have been their 30th wedding anniversary. It's directed by Tasha Smith, and I'm thinking it's going to be a great film. Can't wait to see it. Next up, also another big burst of joy. We have Olivia Rodrigo raising $20 million from her Daisy Chains Fills Festival over the summer, creating that to help women and inspire young girls. You go, girl. We'll be right back with a preview on tomorrow's show. Thanks for joining us on this special edition of the Marissa Mitchell Show. A quick reminder before we go, if you or a loved one is facing domestic violence, call 1-800-799-7233. That's the hotline. The support is there. It's confidential and available 24-7. Well, coming up tomorrow on the show, several viral stars. First, the violinist who earned more than 40 million views for a special moment at a wedding, Jeremy Green. He's going to be here.