My Story
I’m Lisa Pous, a survivor, advocate, and empowerment coach committed to helping individuals and organizations create trauma-informed, survivor-led spaces.
I am a survivor of domestic violence, childhood sexual assault, labor and sex trafficking as a minor, 13 years of domestic violence, and the very systems meant to help. I know firsthand the challenges of navigating support structures that often fail to recognize the voices, leadership, and needs of survivors.
I built Survivor Extraordinaire to change that—to ensure that survivor-led spaces aren’t just an afterthought, but the foundation of meaningful support.
For over 15 years, I’ve worked with survivors, service providers, and organizations to build peer support programs, train advocates, and develop survivor-centered best practices that truly meet the needs of those they serve.
Because survivors don’t just need support—they need to be heard, valued, and supported.
Mission Statement: Survivor Extraordinaire
Because survivors ARE extraordinary—creative, intelligent, and catalysts for change in the world.
Survivor Extraordinaire is built on the belief that healing, safety, and empowerment should be survivor-led.
I provide coaching, training, and consulting for survivors, advocates, and organizations, helping them create sustainable, trauma-informed, and harm-reduction-based peer support models.
Through survivor-centered best practices, we can shift the way support systems work—ensuring they uplift survivors rather than retraumatize them.
Why It Matters (The “Why” Behind Survivor-Led Support)
Too often, services for survivors are built without survivor voices at the center. Many systems are rigid, retraumatizing, and fail to meet people where they are.
But when survivors lead, we create safer, more effective spaces for healing and empowerment. Survivor Extraordinaire exists to help make that shift.
By equipping organizations with peer support models, survivor-led training, and harm-reduction approaches, we ensure that survivors are not just recipients of support—but leaders, decision-makers, and changemakers in their own healing journeys.
BOOK A CALL – Lets change the world together!
This work isn’t just what I do — it’s how I live. I try to show up with honesty, love, and a commitment to staying human through it all. Allison Susin shared this reflection, and it captures that intention more beautifully than I ever could.
“Lisa has a remarkable way of making people feel truly seen. When those texts start to get heavy, or something was a little off the last time she saw you — she will pick up that phone to hold space.
In moments of feeling flooded or numb, she sits with you and offers strategies that are real and deeply rooted in community — not another task or opportunity to fix shit just for the sake or cred of doing so.
What sets Lisa apart is the way she carries imperfection. She doesn’t shy away from difficult moments or mistakes; instead, she embraces them as opportunities for learning, connection, and a deep commitment to growth. Lisa cultivates safety and trust, allowing those around her to show up as their full selves.
Lisa speaks the hard truths with deep care, creating space for growth and understanding. She is reflective, always willing to look back, acknowledge, and repair.”
— Allison Susin🔥 Rooted in Courage, Showing Up with Power
“Hey, I’ve got a testimonial for you: the day we first met we were in a meeting with influential people in our community, the kind that like to keep loud voices tampered down for their perception of the greater good. I was being pretty mouthy cuz I don’t play those games. You could tell people in that room wanted me to tone it down, so you made a point to not only support my points out loud, but to tell me in front of the whole room that you were surprised we hadn’t met before, and that may have been by design by the people that don’t like mouthy women like us joining forces. It changed the entire power dynamic in that room immediately and solidified a lifelong friendship between us instantly.”
— Candace Aylor, Mental Health Advocate & Organizer
