Dave Ramsey helps save domestic violence victim calling for financial advice
Editor's Note: This story contains discussion and/or embedded images of domestic violence. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and need help call 1-800-799-SAFE or text “START” to 88788 to reach The National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Dave Ramsey gained popularity in the early 90s after starting a radio show to help people with money questions. The show exploded and evolved along with its host. Now Ramsey hosts a show named after him where he continues to answer money questions from people who call and write into the show.
On a more recent episode, a woman, Danielle, calls in to get financial advice on selling her home she shares with her partner and their shared child. But the reason she wanted to sell her home piqued Ramsey's interest causing him to go into concerned dad mode. Danielle is focuses in on being able to make $88K off of selling her home which would allow her to pay off her debt of $16K and settle in a new town with her son–without his father.
Ramsey perks up as does his co-host, Rachel Cruze, as they take in what the woman is saying but the fear in Danielle's voice is palpable. Listeners can tell she's either sneaking to call or is afraid her partner will put together what is happening. There's an immense amount of tension in the studio but through the entire exchange Ramsey and Cruze remain a calming voice of reassurance and reason.
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"I don't know if you need to sell your house or not, you may, that's possible but that's not your problem today is it," Ramsey asks the woman before asking if she had family in the area. Much to Ramsey and Cruze's relief the frightened woman reveals she has a father, brothers, aunt and a grandmother in or near the city in which she lives. Ramsey immediately encourages the woman to contact her father and police to get her out of the dangerous living situation but Danielle refuses, even when Ramsey offers to call the police for her.
The insistent refusal on contacting law enforcement or her family seemed to trigger Cruze into sussing out the true reason the woman didn't want to leave. Cruze asks the woman where her 8 month old son is which is when Danielle reveals her partner is holding the child standing directly in front of the car she's sitting in speaking to the co-hosts. This whole situation feels like the plot of a lifetime movie.
love shouldn't hurt-printed on back of woman
Photo by Sydney Sims on Unsplash
While Danielle didn't mention if the boyfriend was physically abusive in the first part of the call, she did imply she was afraid of him. The mom of one also reveals that she has previously involved the police but it "didn't work." But given the audible fear in the woman's voice it's not a far leap for the two co-hosts and their listeners to believe the woman is being abused in some way that has made her fearful of her partner.
"No, no, honey, we don't need to call a realtor. We need to get your boyfriend out of the house and that's gonna involve the police and or your father and your brothers. He needs to leave, it's your house...and you're afraid. You understand that this is wrong, right," Ramsey tells the woman. "You're not the crazy one. I'm talking to the sane one."
Immediately the woman begins to sob and briefly became frantic when Ramsey says one of the producers was going to call the police. After more talking to calm the woman she agrees she does need for the partner to leave the home. Ramsey offers to set up free counseling to the woman and to assist her with finances once she is safe, the call ends there.
In an update video, Ramsey shares that Dr. John Delony, a fellow co-host walks by as they're speaking to the distressed mother. Delony not only has a PhD in counselor education and supervision but has certifications in National Association of Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment (NABITA) and Group Crisis Intervention, Individual Crisis Assistance, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). Delony took over the call off air, explaining in the update that things got a little sticky while talking to the woman.
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"It was intense, mainly cause it was live. It was happening live and she was not...it wasn't philosophically unsafe, she was unsafe now, and somebody else had her kid. And then you've got this mom who needs to protect herself, but I'm not gonna leave my baby unprotected and now you've got a messy situation," Delony says before continuing. "Whenever I show up to something like that, I'm always looking at escalation trends. Is this thing slowing down are people separating are they just yelling at each other or is this thing moving up? And this one moved up real rapidly."
Thankfully, the police show up quickly while Delony is still speaking with Danielle and take the man into custody. When the update was shared the woman was safe with her family and Delony connected her with domestic violence services in her local area. The entire Ramsey team was on high alert pulling together to ensure the woman's safety. What an amazing job by all involved. Best wishes for a bright future for Danielle and her son Charlie.