Presenter, Producer, Author, Speaker, and Advocate.
Rising from the shadows to spark change.
Jaél de Pardo is a speaker, advocate, and survivor transforming lived experience into insight. Through her powerful story and grounded perspective, she shows that even our hardest chapters can lead to clarity, purpose, and joy. Blending research and heart, Jaél creates space for truth, healing, and transformation - inviting others to reclaim, rebuild and reimagine what’s possible.
[ About ]
My work as a domestic violence advocate emerged from a profoundly difficult chapter in my life. Over more than a year with my abuser, I experienced the erosion of my world. The frightening and devastating effects of psychological and hidden abuse; isolation, manipulation, and the gradual dismantling of my support systems entirely altered my course.
At eight months pregnant, I made the urgent, unplanned decision to leave the relationship and Los Angeles, the city where I had built my life and career for 16 years, to keep myself and my baby safe through delivery. I had never imagined moving. Giving up the location and work path I cherished, with my sense of stability, was another profound loss. Within a weekend, I packed what I could and I left California to give birth in safety. I would later learn that leaving is often the most dangerous time for survivors.
What followed was a period of intensified abuse. My abuser used private threats, cyberstalking, and harassment paired with a public campaign to discredit my character through the last term of my pregnancy and beyond. While I worked to protect myself and my child, rumors spread, and I faced both fear and deepening isolation. The echoes of that abuse followed me into the delivery room, where the weight of trauma and new life collided. I was pale, frail, and fatigued; the toll was visible. I brought my son into the world in hiding.
Just days after giving birth, I connected with Safe Horizon, the largest victim services agency for survivors of domestic violence in the U.S., which supported me through obtaining a restraining order and rebuilding my sense of safety. For the next eight years, I lived cautiously, limiting contact with anyone linked to my abuser and vigilantly protecting our home and daily life. The emotional abuse I had endured during such a vulnerable time became a pivotal turning point, one that sparked my mission to advocate for other survivors.
In 2018, a year after my son was born, I joined Safe Horizon’s Speakers Bureau to share my story and illuminate the unseen impact of psychological abuse. Through this platform, I have contributed to a feature on cyberstalking for Marie Claire, spoken as a domestic violence expert on Bloomberg News, appeared in Safe Horizon’s nationally broadcast PSA, and participated in art initiatives in New York City amplifying survivor voices. I have also been featured on Crystal’s Nightcap podcast and continue to interview leading experts in the field to expand understanding and influence public discourse. My forthcoming book, Hall of Mirrors: Unmasking the Covert Abuser, was created to help readers recognize and understand hidden emotional abuse.
For many years, I kept this work separate from my personal life, choosing privacy and safety for myself and my child. Now, after nearly a decade, I am stepping forward to share my full story - to educate, create awareness, foster healing, and encourage others to transform pain into strength.
Today, I blend my skills as a journalist, presenter, and advocate to empower survivors and inspire others to rise stronger. By sharing my story openly after years of silence, I hope to offer others the clarity, courage, and hope I once searched for.
“The wound is the place where
the light enters you”
- Rumi
Advocacy Press
Marie Claire Press
“I Escaped My Abuser.
He Found Me Through My Computer.”
After more than a year of abuse at the hands of her then-fiance, Jaél de Pardo, eight months pregnant, fled the apartment they shared. She was living in secret… until he tracked her.
As told to Megan DiTrolio
Bloomberg
How to Get Help at Home: Jael’s Advice for Domestic Violence Survivors
Jael shares advocacy advice for domestic violence survivors, offering practical tips and resources for getting help, especially for those confined at home during lockdown or extended periods.
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