From ashes to agency: Women find renewal through community

March carries a quiet promise. It’s the month when light stretches a little longer, winter begins to loosen its grip and renewal quietly takes root. For many women navigating trauma or abuse, healing unfolds in much the same way—gradual, unseen at first and requiring immense courage.

Lori Smithson knows this journey intimately. Widowed at 39 and later emerging from a destructive marriage marked by control, isolation and fear, she understands how disorienting trauma can be—especially when you don’t yet have the language to name what’s happening. “I just knew something was off,” she has shared, echoing the experience of countless women who sense danger long before they can articulate it.

Today, Smithson serves with Beauty from Ashes Ministries, a Utah-based nonprofit dedicated to walking alongside survivors of domestic abuse. Founded in 2019 after its director received a call from a woman hiding in her closet, the organization was born from a clear and urgent need: long-term, compassionate support rooted in truth, dignity and hope.

The statistics are sobering. One in three women will experience abuse in her lifetime. Yet numbers fail to capture the bravery required to reach out for help. At Beauty from Ashes, the first goal is simple but profound—that every woman feels heard, believed and respected. There is no pressure to make immediate decisions, no imposed timelines and no shame. Survivors are met exactly where they are.

What distinguishes Beauty from Ashes is its emphasis on empowerment rather than rescue. Women are not told what to do; they are supported as they reclaim agency over their own lives. Trained advocates walk alongside survivors as they explore options, build safety plans and begin to trust their voices again. Support groups offer something many women have never experienced before: a space where their stories are met with understanding rather than doubt.

Healing often extends beyond emotional wounds. Trauma can fracture trust, relationships and even faith. For some survivors, spiritual manipulation or deep disappointment has made it difficult to reengage with God at all. Beauty from Ashes honors that complexity, allowing women to move at their own pace—whether that means studying scripture together or simply holding space for grief, anger and unanswered questions. Healing, as Smithson emphasizes, is not a race. It is a long, intentional process.

Hope, however, has a way of appearing in unexpected places. Smithson recalls women facing overwhelming odds—no financial support, limited community and ongoing hardship—

who nonetheless find stability, provision and renewed purpose through faith and connection. Many eventually give back, becoming advocates themselves. These stories are reminders that restoration is not theoretical. It is happening, one life at a time.

March also invites reflection. It asks what must be released for growth to occur. For survivors, that first step might be journaling to recognize patterns, seeking trauma-informed counseling, setting boundaries, or simply speaking the truth aloud. Truth, after all, is often where freedom begins.

Perhaps the most important message is this: no woman has to walk this path alone. Fear thrives in isolation, but healing grows in safe, supportive community. When women are believed, empowered, and surrounded by care, even the deepest wounds can give way to something new.

For those seeking support, or for individuals interested in volunteering or getting involved, Beauty from Ashes Ministries welcomes connection. Help is available, and no one has to navigate abuse or healing alone. To learn more about services, request support or explore volunteer opportunities, visit www.BeautyfromAshesMinistries.org.

To hear more stories like this and learn how women are reclaiming hope and purpose, listen to the Holly’s Highlights podcast wherever you stream podcasts and at www.hollycurby.com.