"When I felt like no one understood what I was going through, Crystal helped me understand it myself and gave me the words to finally articulate it, especially in court. She gave me the clarity and tools I needed to stabilize, advocate for myself and my children and move forward with confidence."
~JACKI F., SURVIVOR
LIVED EXPERIENCE · RESEARCH · POLICY
When coercive control turns financial, what happens next matters.
I study financial coercive control, how institutions respond to it, and how those responses can shape a survivor's ability to leave and rebuild.
My work sits at the intersection of survivor lived experience, research, and policy. I examine what survivors are experiencing, what the existing evidence tells us, and what those findings reveal about the systems survivors encounter after leaving.
The goal isn't simply to understand the problem. It's to use what we learn to inform policy and professional practice so institutional responses better reflect what survivors actually experience and need.
WORK WITH CRYSTAL
Two Paths. One Mission.
Whether you're navigating family court or working to build better systems,
let's create change together.
RESEARCH & PODCAST
Real experiences. Research.
And what we should do with what we know.
My work begins with questions raised by what people are experiencing in real life. I examine the existing research and peer-reviewed literature, then bring those findings into conversation with survivors, researchers, practitioners, and other experts through The Crystal Fedeli Podcast.
Together, the research and conversations help deepen our understanding of the problem, identify where institutional responses may fall short, and consider what the evidence tells us about how policy and professional practice can respond differently.
Because policy shouldn't be based on what we think people are experiencing.
It should be informed by the evidence of what they actually are.
THE RESEARCH
When Domestic Abuse Turns Financial: the Family Court Response
How family court responses to financial coercive control in single-income marriages can shape economic stability, access to justice, and a survivor's ability to rebuild.
FORTHCOMING WHITE PAPER
Engaging with Crystal’s work brought a level of clarity I had not experienced before. She brings clarity to something that is incredibly difficult to make sense of.
~SURVIVOR
MEET CRYSTAL
Research is made up of lived experience, and it should inform policy and professional practice.
Crystal Fedeli is a social researcher and policy analyst examining coercive control, institutional response, and how those responses can shape safety and long-term stability after leaving abuse.
She works directly with individuals navigating family court and with institutions through speaking, training, consulting, and research.
She is also the Founder and Executive Director of You Made a Way, a 501(c)(3) supporting women navigating the financial and systemic consequences of abuse after leaving.
AWARD RECIPIENT
2026 Nonprofit of the Year,
Mayoral Award Recipient
AS FEATURED IN
NJ Spotlight
News
SPOKE AT
3rd Annual Congressional
Reception
COMMUNITY REACH
15,000+ Followers
Across Social Platforms