202: Rebuilding Her Life After Leaving The Amish With Nora Bontragrer

The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

Nora Bontrager was born in an Amish community in Indiana where her life revolved around hard work. Each day she would bookend school with 2 hours of chores in the morning and evening. Her life was closed off from a lot of the world and she had the feeling that “these people just don’t get it.”

In a life that revolved around hard work, school felt like her only respite. The place that she felt like she could be a truer version of herself, but in the Amish community, school ends after 8th grade. And she was forced to return home and work with her father.

Each morning she looked at the stars and felt so much fear as she walked towards the barn because her father was there waiting for her. She spent the next year rarely speaking for the fear of setting him off. And without school as an outlet, there was no escape.

Even in her near silence she was seen as defiant and unruly in the eyes of her father who decided to bring in the community ministers to advise him. They leveled even stricter rules and expectations and she felt that men were controlling every aspect of her life.

She eventually escaped the community, but then was forced to rebuild her life, alone, and in a world that was so different from the life she’d known.

Today, she is the most healed that she’s ever been and on a journey of finding her voice.

Tune in to learn about:

From Amish Beginnings to Self-Discovery: Join us as we delve into Nora Bontrager's unique life journey, starting from her upbringing in an Amish community in Ohio, where hard work was the norm, and isolation was the reality.

School: A Sanctuary Amidst Hardship: Explore how Nora found solace and authenticity in the confines of her school, her only respite in an otherwise challenging Amish life.

Trapped in Silence: A Year of Fear: Uncover the harrowing year in Nora's life when she could scarcely speak, living in fear of her father and the absence of any escape.

The Weight of Strict Expectations: Learn how community ministers further tightened their grip on Nora's life, imposing stricter rules and intensifying the control exerted by men in her community.

Escaping the Amish: Rebuilding Alone: Follow Nora's journey as she bravely escapes her Amish community, only to face the daunting task of rebuilding her life in a world vastly different from her own.

Finding Voice and Healing: Discover Nora's ongoing quest for self-expression and healing, as she shares her inspiring journey toward becoming the most healed version of herself.

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Connect with Nora

Instagram | @nora_bontrager

TikTok | @norabontrager6

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