Stephanie Archuleta, a mother of five who co-owns two businesses with her husband, Raymond Anchondo, is rebuilding her life after surviving domestic abuse. She is also making peace with her story for herself, her future, and her family.

As a college student at New Mexico State University, she had dreams for her future. Above all, she wanted to become a business owner.

For Archuleta, life changed when she met her former husband at 20. At 22, she married him. Over the next 12 years, she said, he abused her and isolated her from her family and friends. The first thing she lost, she said, was her freedom. Isolation became her new normal.

“Now going back and looking at everything, isolating me from my family and friends—that was something that seemed subtle, but it ended up having a huge impact on my life,” Archuleta said.

As the abuse and manipulation continued, Archuleta said she began to feel as though there was no way out.

“Nobody knew. There was nobody to reach out to, nobody to tell. No one could give me any guidance or see the abuse.”

In her 20s, amid trauma, she said it became difficult to see the situation clearly. Her spouse became the only constant in her life.

“He got me to a point where I depended on him for everything. I didn’t have a credit card, bank account, or education. I worked for him. Then having children with him, I relied on him. Even through the isolation, he made himself the only person I had,” Archuleta said.

In 2013, Archuleta fled with her children, including her newborn twin girls and a 12-year-old, leaving behind her home, her marriage, and the life she had known.

“I thought he was going to kill me. And since I had four kids at that time, I couldn’t imagine them without a mom or a dad. I had to get out for them,” Archuleta said.

Archuleta returned to her parents’ home with more than bruises on her face. Leaving did not erase the pain, she said. Much of it remained hidden, and she needed to unpack and unlearn it for herself and her children.

Driven by her experience, Archuleta chose to share her story to bring awareness to domestic abuse and its lasting impact on families. She hopes to one day open a safe, supportive facility where parents can seek immediate help and safely leave their children in a protected environment when they feel overwhelmed.

“I want to create a space where people can pause, get support, and make a different choice. A safe place could change everything,” Archuleta said.

Archuleta said her focus was simple: provide for her children and give them hope after years of hopelessness.

“I just needed to figure out a way to provide for my kids. I wanted to give them hope, because it had been such a hopeless situation for so long.”

She wanted her children to see her perseverance.

“If they saw me fall down and never get back up, that would be a bad reflection to them about perseverance.”

She returned home with only $20 to her name.

“This was the very last day that I was with him. This is what he did to me. When I came back, this is what my parents saw,” she said.

Rebuilding her confidence was a process she had to teach herself.

“I left with zero confidence and self-esteem. But I had kids who needed me. I didn’t realize how broken I was—that would take years of recovery,” Archuleta said.

Becoming a single mother while uprooting her life brought a grief she had never known.

“For the first year, I was in constant depression; I couldn’t even get out of bed. Then in the second year, my life started to turn around. I knew the only one who could help me was God, and for five years straight, I prayed for healing, a business, and a new husband,” Archuleta said.

Archuleta said she never lost faith, but the experience deepened it.

“I was a Christian since college, but I never realized how much God loved me until this happened.”

Today, safety in her new marriage and home life means freedom.

“Safety feels like the ability to go places, do things, create businesses, and have your own bank account.”

That sense of freedom helped bring her back to herself.

“I would tell my past self that I’m proud of her because I know she’s going to make it for her kids,” Archuleta said.

Now, with two businesses and a growing family, Archuleta is focused on the future.

“Never give up. Never lose faith and hope. There’s always a version of a person that made it out the other end.”