About
Our Story
I am Olive M. Ford, a Jamaican-American mother, domestic violence survivor, victim advocate, healthcare professional, and founder of Blossom Through The Concrete, LLC (BTTC). My mission was born from lived experience. After growing up surrounded by domestic violence, I later found myself repeating the same cycle in adulthood. Becoming a mother gave me the courage to leave, protect my son, and begin rebuilding our lives.
Although shelters and community programs helped us reach safety, I learned that leaving an abuser is only the beginning. Many mothers must continue navigating trauma, housing instability, childcare, employment, education, finances, and parenting with limited long-term support.
Dress for Success Palm Beaches became a turning point in my transformation. Mary Hart, then Executive Director and now CEO of the YWCA of Palm Beach County, recognized my ambition and took me under her wing as a surrogate daughter. Since 2018, she has mentored me in professionalism, leadership, workplace emotional intelligence, and understanding constructive criticism. Mary taught me that although trauma shaped my past, it could not guide every professional interaction. She helped me understand that not everyone was against me and showed me how to move from survival-mode thinking toward confidence, accountability, and professional growth.
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Her mentorship revealed an overlooked barrier for survivors: obtaining a job is not the same as being emotionally prepared to maintain and advance within one. Trauma can make it difficult to trust others, receive feedback, navigate workplace relationships, and distinguish constructive criticism from personal harm.
That realization became part of the foundation for BTTC. We help bridge the gap between emergency safety and long-term stability by supporting single mothers with trauma-informed aftercare, workforce readiness, education navigation, financial empowerment, emotional intelligence, and stability planning.
BTTC exists so mothers do not feel forced to return to unsafe situations because they lack resources, support, or a clear path forward. My purpose is to help women move beyond surviving...to build healthy, confident, financially stable lives for themselves and their children.
My trauma is part of my story, but it is not the author of my future. Through BTTC, I am helping other mothers reclaim the power to write their next chapter.
Our Mission
Blossom Through The Concrete, LLC partners with government agencies, domestic violence shelters, nonprofit organizations, transitional housing providers, and community institutions to strengthen long-term aftercare for single mothers rebuilding after domestic violence. Through trauma-informed consulting, program development, staff training, workforce-readiness strategies, and survivor-informed solutions, BTTC helps organizations close service gaps and improve participants’ emotional, employment, and financial stability beyond the point of crisis.
BTTC Vision
BTTC envisions a coordinated social-service system in which every organization serving domestic violence survivors is equipped to provide a clear pathway from emergency safety to sustainable independence. Our vision is to become a trusted B2B/B2G partner that helps institutions develop effective, survivor-informed aftercare programs, reducing service fragmentation, strengthening long-term outcomes, and ensuring that no mother feels compelled to return to an abusive environment because she lacks continued support, economic security, or a realistic path forward.
“My reflection reveals purpose, not pain.”
Olive M. Ford, Founder
Founder of BTTC
Her mission now explicitly positions BTTC as a trusted partner for agencies, organizations, and institutions seeking to strengthen their ability to support survivors and families affected by trauma and domestic violence. Through trauma-informed consulting, program development, staff training, workforce readiness, and survivor-informed solutions, BTTC helps organizations create more responsive, compassionate, and effective systems of care. The organization works collaboratively with partners to assess their unique needs, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop practical strategies that promote safety, stability, and long-term empowerment. BTTC also provides guidance and training designed to help staff better understand the impact of trauma and respond to survivors with empathy, dignity, and respect
