For program administrators and teams in women’s and domestic and family violence services
Safety is the beginning.
Rebuilding is what comes next.
For many women, leaving violence is only the first step. When the immediate crisis ends, another journey begins: rebuilding strength, confidence, self-trust, independence and a sense of who she is again.
The Me VS Me Rebuild was created for that next chapter. A structured rebuilding program bringing together movement, nutrition, emotional wellbeing and practical, expert-led education, offered through a 12-month partnership with your organisation and designed to sit alongside the support you already provide.
Participation is voluntary and guided by her choice. There is no requirement to disclose or retell her experiences to take part.
Because surviving should never be where her story ends.
Safety gets her out. Rebuilding helps her move forward.
Me VS Me exists to walk beside women in what comes next, alongside the people who already know them, so that no woman has to rebuild alone.
Recovery and healing - Pillar 4 of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032. The stage that begins when the crisis work ends.
Maria's story has been told on
What comes after safety
She survived.
Now she has to find herself again.
Safety will always come first. Your service does the work that makes everything after it possible.
Every day, women’s services, refuges, counsellors and support workers help women through some of the most difficult moments of their lives: protection, housing, legal support, a caseworker who knows her name.
But there comes a point when the appointments become fewer, the crisis begins to quieten and life is expected to move forward. Her file may close. The rebuilding does not.
Moving forward can mean learning to trust her own judgement again after years of questioning it. Finding confidence in a body that has spent so long in survival mode. Learning to nourish herself, move again, create routines, make decisions and believe that she is capable of building something different.
Sometimes it simply means looking in the mirror and beginning to recognise herself again.
This is the woman The Me VS Me Rebuild was created for. Not because she needs to be fixed, not because she needs to tell anyone what happened, and not because her past should define what comes next.
The program gives her a place to begin again, through movement, nutrition, wellbeing, practical education and a community that walks beside her, while she remains supported by the people and services she already trusts.
Because surviving takes incredible strength.
Rebuilding deserves support too.
They don’t get to write the rest of your story. You do.
Maria Barbaro, Founder, Me VS Me Movement
Rebuilding starts with turning up
Register your interest Two minutes. We come back with a costed proposal for the number of women you have in mind.
The story behind the purpose
Maria survived.
Surviving was only the beginning.
Maria Barbaro’s story became public because of what happened to her. After surviving an attempted murder, and years earlier finding the courage to leave an abusive marriage and raise her three sons largely on her own, she had reached safety. She still had to rebuild.
Her strength, her confidence, her health, her trust in herself: all of it had to be found again, while still being a mum, showing up for her boys and trying to move forward with her life.
Somewhere in that rebuilding she recognised something your team will know well. A great many women survive violence and are then left wondering how to put themselves and their lives back together.
Me VS Me Movement was not created to keep telling the story of what happened. It was created because of what came after, so that another woman does not have to feel she is rebuilding alone.
Lived experience shapes the purpose and values of the program. Specialist education and practical guidance are contributed by appropriately qualified professionals, and the program is designed to complement specialist domestic and family violence services, not replace them.
Her story became her voice. Now she uses it for change.
After sharing her story with 60 Minutes Australia, Maria began advocating for greater protection and for a woman’s right to know when a partner has a history of violence. That advocacy continues.
The Me VS Me Rebuild is about something just as important to her:
What happens to a woman after she survives.
Watch Maria’s story - 60 Minutes Australia
Maria continues to advocate for change so women can make informed decisions about their safety. If the player does not load, watch it on YouTube.
I can’t change what happened to me. But I can choose what I do with it.
Maria Barbaro, Founder, Me VS Me Movement
The Me VS Me Rebuild
Eight weeks. Small steps. A new beginning.
A structured, compassionate eight-week journey designed to meet every woman exactly where she is, and the first step in her time with the program.
Across seven days each week, she can access pre-recorded sessions, meaningful conversations, accessible movement, realistic nutrition, emotional wellbeing practices and practical life skills, from home and at a time that works for her.
Each week has a clear purpose. Dedicated sessions from a psychologist and a wellbeing practitioner, guidance from Maria and contributions from guest professionals give her something new to learn, explore and take into everyday life. Final contributors and delivery arrangements will be confirmed before launch.
There is no pressure to share personal experiences, no expectation to move at anyone else’s pace and no judgement about where she is starting.
The eight-week journey
- 01
This is my start
A personal welcome from Maria, an optional private starting-point check-in and gentle first steps: simple movement, three nutrition basics and one small promise to herself.
I’m not alone. I’ve started.
- 02
You are not alone
Connection comes early, because isolation can be one of the hardest parts of rebuilding. A trauma-informed conversation on isolation and identity, and community prompts that never ask her to disclose her history.
I belong somewhere.
- 03
Move with me
Movement as a way to discover capability, energy and confidence rather than to change the size of her body, with home and gym pathways and shorter options for low-energy days.
My body is capable.
- 04
Choose yourself
A deliberately slower week. Affordable, realistic nutrition, rest and self-care presented as a basic part of rebuilding, not a reward that has to be earned.
I’m worth looking after.
- 05
Find your voice
Self-worth, healthy boundaries and learning to trust her own judgement, with education from an appropriately qualified professional and the story of a woman who learned to back herself.
My voice matters.
- 06
Take your next step
Practical independence without pressure: basic money awareness, free sources of support and one practical thing her future self may thank her for, starting from wherever she is.
I can take my next step.
- 07
Dream again
Permission to want things again. A vision exercise, a panel of women who rebuilt different parts of their lives, and one tiny action towards something on the board.
I’m allowed to dream again.
- 08
Look at me now
A return to her week-one reflection, a celebration of effort rather than perfection, a letter to her future self and a simple plan for the months ahead.
Look how far I’ve come - and I’m not finished.
A beginning, not an end. The guided eight weeks are the start of each woman’s time with the program. Continued access to selected resources follows for an agreed period, so support does not stop dead at week eight.
Maria’s promise
“I can’t change what happened to me, but I can use my journey to make a difference in yours. If there’s one thing I want every woman to know, it’s that your past does not define your future. You deserve to feel safe, loved, strong and worthy of a beautiful life. And above all, you deserve to know that you never have to rebuild alone.”
Maria Barbaro, Founder, Me VS Me Movement
Inside each week
A little something for her, every single day.
Because sometimes the smallest moments of support make the biggest difference.
Rebuilding does not happen in one big moment. It happens in the little things: finding the motivation to get out of bed, moving her body, preparing a nourishing meal, learning something new or finding a moment of peace in a busy day.
Every day offers something different. Some days encourage her to move; others help her understand herself, find calm, learn a practical skill or feel connected to women who understand that rebuilding takes time.
She takes part from home, on her phone, at whatever hour she can find. There is no falling behind, no pressure to keep up and no expectation to be anything other than herself.
What each week brings
A moment with Maria
Personal encouragement, honest conversation and practical guidance from someone who understands that surviving and rebuilding are two very different journeys.
Understanding herself
A dedicated weekly session with a psychologist, offering professional insight into emotional wellbeing, self-worth, confidence and learning to trust herself again.
Finding her calm
A dedicated weekly session with a wellbeing practitioner, introducing gentle breathwork, relaxation and ways to reconnect with herself and find moments of calm.
Move with me
Simple, accessible movement for home or the gym, designed to build strength, energy and confidence. Every woman is encouraged to begin at her own pace.
Nourish
Affordable, realistic nutrition guidance, simple meal ideas and everyday habits that make looking after herself feel achievable, even on the difficult days.
Real conversations. Real possibilities.
Conversations with guest professionals and women who have come through adversity, offering practical knowledge, encouragement and hope for what life can become, with careful attention to consent and emotional safety.
A place to belong
Opportunities to connect, share encouragement and feel part of a community without ever needing to explain or disclose personal experiences.
One small step forward
Simple, achievable actions and moments of reflection that help her recognise her own progress, however small it may seem.
Because every step matters.
Some days, progress might mean completing a workout. Other days, it might mean taking five minutes to breathe, learning something new or simply choosing to look after herself. Whatever that step looks like, it matters. She does not have to do everything. She does not have to do it perfectly. She only has to know that she deserves the opportunity to begin again.Recognising progress
Progress that matters to her.
Not measured by appearance. Not compared with anyone else. Recognised in her own words, and shared with your organisation in a way that respects her privacy.
At the beginning of the eight weeks, each woman is invited to complete a private, optional wellbeing check-in across seven areas of everyday wellbeing. In week eight she revisits it and notices what may have changed. There are no right or wrong answers, no weigh-ins and no before-and-after photographs, and it is not a clinical assessment.
- Hope
- Confidence
- Connection
- Energy
- Self-care
- Movement
- Belief in the future
Week one: where I am today
An opportunity to reflect on how she feels, what matters to her and what she hopes to gain from the experience.
“How would you love to feel eight weeks from today?”
Week eight: look how far I’ve come
An opportunity to revisit her starting point and notice what has changed. For some women the changes feel significant; for others, progress is quieter and slower. There is no milestone she is expected to have reached.
What your organisation receives
We intend to agree an evaluation approach with partner services and appropriately qualified professionals that may include voluntary wellbeing reflections, participant feedback and engagement information.
Partners receive appropriate insight into participation and experience, never a woman’s private reflections, and never anything that asks her to prove her recovery. The reporting format is agreed with you before your first intake.
The partnership
One partnership. More women supported.
A future worth rebuilding.
Because helping a woman reach safety matters. Helping her rebuild the life she deserves matters too.
Through a 12-month partnership, your organisation can give women access to a compassionate, structured and practical rebuilding program, designed to complement the support you already provide.
Rather than managing individual memberships, you fund an agreed number of places across three intakes through the year. Your team identifies the women who may benefit. She is invited privately, never asked to pay and never sees a payment screen.
Our goal is simple: to make meaningful rebuilding support accessible to more women, without placing additional demands on the people already caring for them.
A cohort that starts and finishes together
What your partnership makes possible
Three supported intakes
Three groups of women begin the eight-week journey through the year. Each intake creates opportunities for connection, encouragement and shared progress, while every woman participates at her own pace.
Tell us your referral pattern when you register and we will work to it.
Movement and wellbeing for real life
Accessible home and gym movement, emotional wellbeing practices and realistic personal goals that recognise every woman’s circumstances, energy and starting point. Progress is not measured by perfection.
Practical nutrition and everyday support
A library of more than 1,000 recipes with affordable meal ideas, dietary options and practical guidance to help women nourish themselves and their families, costed for women with nothing spare.
Guided by experience. Supported by professionals.
Maria’s lived experience, personal encouragement and practical guidance, alongside dedicated weekly pre-recorded sessions from a psychologist and a wellbeing practitioner and contributions from guest experts on emotional wellbeing, self-worth, healthy relationships, financial independence and everyday life.
Professional contributors provide education within their areas of expertise, with final roles confirmed before launch.
Real women. Real stories. Real possibilities.
Conversations with women who have experienced adversity and found their own ways forward. These are not about reliving trauma; they are about what helped, what was learned and the possibilities beyond survival. Participation is voluntary and boundaries are respected.
Real connection with Maria
Each intake includes a live Ask Maria conversation and an online closing celebration, offering encouragement, reflection and connection with the heart behind Me VS Me.
Proposed
A weekly, optional online gathering is being explored. It would only be introduced once privacy, safeguarding, facilitation and moderation arrangements have been developed with specialist input.
Continued access beyond eight weeks
After the guided journey, each woman keeps access to selected movement, nutrition, wellbeing and educational resources for an agreed period, so she can revisit learning, keep positive routines and take further steps at her own pace.
Because rebuilding does not follow a deadline, and support should not disappear just because the first eight weeks are over.
More than a program. An opportunity to help her move forward.
Every woman who enters the program brings her own story, circumstances and hopes for the future. Your partnership helps make space for what comes next: rebuilding confidence, rediscovering independence, reconnecting with herself and beginning to believe in the possibilities ahead.Ask for a costed proposal Tell us your numbers and your funding cycle. We will work to them.
Duty of care
Designed around what she actually has.
No before-and-after photographs. No weigh-ins as a measure of worth.
Progress is never measured by appearance or weight. What is recognised here is turning up and growing stronger, not shrinking. If your team has watched a wellbeing program undo a woman’s progress, this is the part to read twice.
Training that works at home, with or without equipment
Safety, privacy and participant choice
Her phone may not be private.
For women affected by domestic and family violence, technology is not always a safe or private space. A phone may be monitored. A notification may be seen. A program delivered to her phone has to start from that assumption, not treat access as a convenience.
Her safety. Her choice.
Participation is voluntary and offered through your service. She is invited privately through agreed referral arrangements, with her circumstances and safety needs considered with your team. There is no obligation to take part and no pressure to continue.
Her privacy matters.
Taking part is not a public act. Our intention is to avoid public participant profiles, public membership lists and any unnecessary sharing of identifying information. Before launch we will review, with specialist input, how the platform manages participant visibility, notifications, communication and personal information.
Clear answers, in writing.
Working with our platform provider and appropriate professionals, we intend to establish and document, before participant access is offered:
- How the app appears on a device and whether notifications create risk.
- What participant information is collected, stored and shared.
- Who can access personal information and how long it is retained.
- How she can stop using the program and request account or data deletion.
- What other participants may be able to see.
If your service has a device-safety protocol, send it to us. We would rather build to your standard than ask you to accept ours. We recognise that digital participation will not be safe or suitable for every woman, and that the decision about when and how access is offered belongs with the people who know her.
Start that conversation If an answer is not good enough for your risk framework, we would rather know now.
Commercial
Scaled to the number of women you support.
Partnerships are priced by volume rather than per woman, so the cost of each place falls as the number of women rises. The bands below are indicative. Every proposal is costed against your actual numbers and funding cycle, and a single-intake pilot exists so you can try it before committing to a year.
- Pilot 1 One cohort, eight weeks, then decide
- Bronze 45 Single-site refuges and smaller services
- Silver 90 Established services with continuous intake
- Gold 150 Multi-site services and funded programs
- Government 250+ Multi-region and national delivery
Pricing is confirmed in conversation, not on a page. Tell us how many women you support and how you are funded, and we will cost it against your funding cycle. Women never pay for their own places.
Get your numbers costed No obligation, and no pressure to commit beyond a pilot.
The story behind the name
Me VS Me began at 5am in a car park.
Around six months after the attack, still struggling and not yet feeling like herself, Maria rang a friend who had once told her to call when she was ready. At 5am the next morning they met in a car park and went to the gym. They kept showing up, every morning, for a year.
The accountability ran both ways. Some mornings they encouraged each other; other mornings, simply turning up was enough. There was no competition with anyone else and no expectation to be perfect, and three words became part of their everyday conversations. Maria credits her friend with the name.
That is the heart of the program’s approach: rebuilding does not always begin with feeling ready. Sometimes it begins with someone believing in you, showing up beside you and helping you take the next small step.
Lived experience shapes the purpose and values of The Me VS Me Rebuild. Appropriately qualified professionals contribute the specialist education and guidance. It is not clinical treatment and it does not replace specialist services.
Maria Barbaro, founder of Me VS Me Movement
Me versus me.
For media and speaking
A voice for change.
Maria is available for interviews, podcasts, panels and speaking, in Australia and internationally, remote or in studio. Based in New South Wales. Previous broadcast experience includes 60 Minutes.
What she speaks to
- Domestic and family violence awareness, including coercive and controlling behaviour
- Protection, accountability and disclosure reform
- Life after violence, and what services need once the crisis has passed
- Motherhood, raising three children alone and starting over
- The story behind Me VS Me
Making an enquiry
Choose Media, podcast or production when you enquire and tell us your outlet, format and deadline in the message. Each opportunity is considered according to its purpose, audience and alignment with Maria’s advocacy. Press assets and a one-page background are available on request.
Questions administrators ask
What makes The Me VS Me Rebuild different from a fitness or wellbeing app?
It is more than a fitness, nutrition or wellbeing program. It brings together lived experience, professional education, practical life skills, personal development and meaningful connection within a structured eight-week journey, with continued access afterwards.
The focus is on the woman as a whole: not only what she has survived, but who she is and what she wants for her future.
Who will be guiding and supporting the women?
Maria Barbaro brings her lived experience, encouragement and the personal purpose behind Me VS Me Movement. The program is being developed to include dedicated weekly sessions from a psychologist and a wellbeing practitioner, with education and contributions from other appropriately qualified professionals and approved guest speakers.
Professional contributors provide education within their areas of expertise. Final roles and delivery arrangements are confirmed before launch, and we are happy to share them with you in writing.
Can the program help women better understand their experiences?
Through professional education, lived-experience conversations and shared stories, women may begin to recognise behaviours, understand patterns or find words for experiences they previously struggled to make sense of. Sometimes hearing someone else describe an experience brings a moment of recognition.
For some women that brings reassurance; for others it opens the door to a conversation with a trusted professional. There is no expectation that every woman will experience these moments, and the program is not trauma therapy. Content touching on abuse or trauma is developed with appropriately qualified professionals, presented with care, and always optional.
How does it work alongside our existing services?
It does not replace counselling, crisis support, housing assistance, legal services or case management. It is an additional opportunity for a woman to focus on personal growth, everyday wellbeing, practical knowledge and connection while she remains supported by the professionals and organisations she already trusts.
Do the women pay anything, or have to share their story?
No. Your partnership covers her place. She is invited in by your team and never sees a payment screen. She is never required to share or relive her experiences, join group conversations or complete every activity.
Does she need a gym, equipment or money for food?
No. There is a complete home pathway alongside the gym pathway; a set of dumbbells is useful and nothing at all still works. Budget is a first-class nutrition category, with recipes chosen and tagged for affordability within a library of more than 1,000 recipes across 23 cuisines. Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian are all supported.
What if our referral pattern does not line up with the intakes?
There are three intakes a year, and because the core program is professionally recorded, a cohort starting in October receives the same standard as one starting in February. Tell us your referral pattern when you register and we will explore the most practical starting arrangements within the program’s structure.
Who can see what she writes, and what do we receive as a partner?
Her reflections and wellbeing check-ins are intended to support her own understanding of her progress, not to be shared with other participants or used to make her disclose anything. Before the program is offered we will confirm how the platform manages participant information, who can access it, what other participants can see and how data is stored and protected, and share that with you in writing.
Partner organisations receive appropriate insight into participation and experience, agreed with you before your first intake, never a woman’s private reflections.
Do we have to commit to a full year, and what does it cost?
Not necessarily. A single-intake pilot lets you put one group through, look at the engagement and decide afterwards. Partnerships are priced by the number of women you fund rather than per person, and the cost per place falls as volume rises. We confirm pricing against your actual numbers and funding cycle in a fully costed proposal.
Who is behind the platform?
The program is delivered through the Me VS Me Movement member app, built on the MacroActive platform, which supports coaching businesses internationally. Maria has run her member app on it since launch. Platform suitability, privacy, accessibility and digital safeguarding arrangements will be confirmed for the intended participants before launch.
Partner with us
You already stand beside her through the hardest part. Stay beside her through what comes next.
Whether you are exploring a pilot, looking to support a group of women or considering a longer-term partnership, we would welcome the chance to hear about your organisation and the women you support.
Prefer email? Write to support@mevsmemovement.com and we will send the same information.
The Me VS Me Rebuild complements, and does not replace, specialist domestic and family violence services, counselling, crisis intervention or clinical treatment. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency service.
Explore a partnership
Tell us about your organisation and the women you support.
Participant numbers, funding and delivery can be discussed once you have made contact. Nothing you enter is shared outside Me VS Me Movement.
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