The World According to the Knock

Susan Smith, presenter and producer or the podcast The World According to the Knock, answers the question:

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Why do I do this?

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Well where to start? At the beginning I guess…..

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In March 2019 my life changed forever as my husband was arrested (as well as live steamed all over Facebook) and I didn't have a bloody clue what was happening!

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Information was sparse, many lies told and was left all alone to deal with the massive fallout from, what I would call, a Public Flogging!

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I had nowhere or no one to turn to as all our friends ran for the hills and only gossips wanted to know what had happened, under the guise of being my friend, and I was completely broken and saw no way out for myself and my children.

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My daughter found a forum specifically for these offences but it took me months to even look at it but I took the plunge and joined! And from that day on, my life completely changed! I felt less alone and I felt heard and dare I say it I felt normal again after still feeling like a monster for still loving this man I shared my whole life and my children with.

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I then took the next step and reached out privately to people and the ball started to roll with phone calls, WhatsApp support groups (which are still running to this day), coffee mornings and weekends away for a group of women all in my position. This went on for years with more people reaching out and wanting help and support and I noticed that there was (and still is) hardly no help and support for families affected by “ The Knock” and I found that frustrating and confusing especially with organisations and professionals publicly stating they were there to help but that was very far from the truth (it's more about stroking their own egos than actually helping!)

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So over the years I gained a lot of knowledge and information whilst helping others to navigate their journey and I found that people wanted my help more and more and I knew there was more I could do. I thought, instead of repeating the same info over and over, why not get the info out there to the many affected daily (over 1000 people are arrested every month for these offences so over 1000 families affected every 30 odd days!) and I heard within the community that many were listening to podcasts. So I took the plunge!

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I bought a microphone and I started talking and then couldn't stop! People were listening, people wanted more, people thanked me for being their voice! And more importantly people thanked me for being open and honest about what the families really go through!

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Slowly professionals and organisations started reaching out and wanting to really listen and the numbers grew, I got invited to conferences, to speak to professionals all over the world! It is surreal, its just me talking and getting info out to our little but strong community! From there, the community asked where they could find charities and organisations I mentioned and so our website was born! Where they have sections for writing their own blogs, for all the different resources that could help and most importantly to have their own private and safe forum to speak openly about their journeys.

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The website and podcast grow daily and for that I am eternally grateful! But the most important thing for me is that this isn't about me, its about the community and getting their voices heard I am just their mouth piece! They trust me with their experiences and stories to tell the public the REAL TRUTH about what the families deal with daily and the long lasting affect that “ The Knock” has on so many innocent families. I would not be here without them all and I am proud to stand beside the bravest, strongest and most loving people I have the privilege to represent with my voice.

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