Episode Details

Maryann Petri was a registered nurse with a family and a steady life. Years later, she was fending off accusations, losing her children through a family-court process she describes as rigged, and fighting to clear her name. In this episode, she tells Lisa her story.

Early on she draws a key distinction: advocates treat "parental alienation" with caution because it's so often used to deflect from abuse claims in court. The term Maryann uses is "abuse by proxy," when an abuser weaponizes third parties, including CPS and the courts, to harass and control a target. She walks through how things unraveled, how a false abuse indication cost her her job and nursing license, and how a child was coached. But the heart of it is what she did next: facing fees and jail threats, she went pro se, appealed to Superior Court, and reclaimed a victory she calls life-saving.

This is Maryann's personal account, shared for education and support, not legal advice or a statement of fact about any named third party.

✅ WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
✅ What "abuse by proxy" means, and why advocates use it instead of "parental alienation"
✅ How institutions like CPS and the courts can be weaponized against a parent
✅ The warning signs that a custody fight has become something darker
✅ How a false abuse indication can cost you your job and license
✅ What coaching of a child can look like from the inside
✅ Why going pro se is terrifying, and how Maryann survived it
✅ The "little victories" that kept her going
✅ How she appealed to a higher court and reclaimed her life

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (+1:00 for the bumper)
0:00 Intro
1:00 Meet Maryann Petri: nurse, mother, and survivor
1:53 "Abuse by proxy" vs. "parental alienation"
3:55 How a well-meant favor unraveled everything
6:11 The first emergency petition
9:18 When CPS got involved
14:39 The caseworker at the door
19:00 Losing the kids, and a courtroom that felt like a circus
25:58 Going pro se, and the fight over child support
33:06 Little victories, and taking on the system

CTA (spoken): Fighting to protect your kids or your name in family court? Book a free discovery call at beentheregotout.com.
Books: When Your Ex Turns the Kids Against You — https://www.amazon.com/Been-There-Got-Out-Against/dp/1967674183 · Been There Got Out — https://www.amazon.com/Been-There-Got-Relationships-Circumstances/dp/194627495X/
Tags: abuse by proxy, family court, cps, pro se, custody battle, coached child, parental alienation, survivor, high conflict divorce