A Voice Rising from the Silence
In a world where emotional abuse within families is often ignored, few voices have emerged as courageously and clearly as that of Marisa Conway. Based in Pennsylvania, Marisa is not only a mother and emergency nurse but also a Harvard-trained lifestyle medicine coach, trauma-informed life coach, and author. Her powerful story of overcoming parental alienation is now the heartbeat of a national mission: to give language, healing, and visibility to a crisis that has stolen peace from millions of families.
Through her coaching platform, Presence & Persistence Life Coaching, and her recently published book, Shattered Bonds, Resilient Heart, Marisa is turning pain into purpose. “When the world silences you, healing begins the moment you reclaim your voice and, with it, the power to rebuild your life,” she says.
From the Emergency Room to the Emotional Battlefield
Marisa’s professional life began in high-stakes emergency rooms where she was trained to respond with clarity and compassion in the most critical of moments. But while she was saving lives on the outside, her own world was quietly crumbling within. After enduring the devastating effects of parental alienation, she found herself facing a system that didn’t recognize emotional abuse, let alone protect against it.
What followed were years of setbacks financial, professional, and emotional. “I lost more than just a career, I lost a role that once defined me: motherhood,” Marisa reflects. But in the rubble of that loss, a new mission began to form. With unshakable purpose, she began rebuilding, piece by piece, step by step.
Presence, Persistence, and Purpose
That personal and professional transformation led to the founding of Presence & Persistence Life Coaching, a name inspired by her belief that mindset and resilience are the stepping stones through life’s hardest paths. The logo itself is a reflection of that journey, symbolizing the unseen future we navigate toward healing.
Marisa’s coaching specializes in parental alienation recovery, trauma-informed care, lifestyle medicine, and emotional empowerment. Whether working virtually or in person, she brings both evidence-based knowledge and lived experience to the table, a rare and potent combination that sets her apart.
“I don’t just understand this issue, I’ve lived it, both as a child and a parent. That dual insight gives me perspective no textbook ever could,” she explains.
Shattered Bonds, Resilient Heart: A Memoir Meets Manifesto
In addition to her work as a coach, Marisa recently authored the transformative book Shattered Bonds, Resilient Heart, a raw and courageous memoir-meets-manifesto that exposes the hidden devastation of parental alienation. Drawing from her own experiences, both as a mother and as a child affected by this often-overlooked form of psychological abuse, she breaks the silence with emotional depth and unflinching honesty.
Part personal journey, part public call to action, the book validates the unheard, gives voice to the erased, and demands that legal and healthcare systems no longer turn away from this form of trauma. It’s a vital read for parents, professionals, and advocates alike.
You can find the book here: Shattered Bonds, Resilient Heart on Amazon.
Recognition and Reach
In 2023, Marisa was honored in the Marquis Who’s Who as a top nurse, a recognition that affirms her lifelong commitment to serving others, whether at the bedside or in the emotional trenches of trauma recovery. She now extends her impact through public speaking, podcast appearances, and a growing online community.
“Healing doesn’t ask for perfection,” she writes. “It asks for persistence, the kind that shows up with heart, especially on the hard days.”
Her platforms, coachmarisaconway.com and healparentalalienation.com, continue to uplift survivors and educate professionals who may be encountering this form of abuse for the first time.
Looking Ahead: A Vision for Reform
Marisa envisions a future where no loving parent is erased in silence and where family courts and therapists are properly trained to recognize and respond to parental alienation as the serious emotional abuse it is. She hopes her story serves as a bridge, one that leads others out of isolation and into empowerment.
“If I can help even one person feel seen, validated, and brave enough to reclaim their voice,” she says, “then my suffering will not have been in vain.”
