Jen Adair Turned Tragedy Into Purpose After Domestic Violence Took Her Best Friend
Jen talks about losing her best friend, finding her voice and building Anyway Socks.
Listen on Apple Podcasts1Who she was
She was fierce.
She was brilliant, funny, loyal, a nurse practitioner, and the kind of mom who would do absolutely anything for her three kids. She was the strongest woman I knew. And she was abused by a boyfriend who did it out of “love.”
Like so many abusive relationships, it didn’t look obvious from the outside. There were secrets. Manipulation. Shame. Isolation. Faith used against her. A cycle that pulled her back in again and again.
2What happened
I stood beside her.
When the violence finally surfaced, I did what I knew to do: police, hospital, safety. I stood beside her through protective orders, court hearings, therapy, and the long, exhausting emotional aftermath. I learned firsthand how abuse isn’t just physical. It rewires your thinking, erodes your confidence, and convinces you that you can’t leave.
What I didn’t understand at first was how powerful that cycle really is.
She tried. She fought. She worked to rebuild. She remarried. She kept showing up for her kids and her career. But trauma doesn’t disappear just because time passes. And in 2020, in the middle of COVID, blended family stress, and unhealed wounds, she decided to die by “accident.” It was, and is, devastating.
The strongest woman I knew was taken down by abuse that began years earlier.
3Why Anyway
So I decided to fight back.
After she was gone, there was this enormous space in my life. So much of my time had been spent supporting her: worrying, helping, showing up. I didn’t know what to do with that space.
Anyway Socks was born from one simple idea:
If you’re in a bad situation, leave ANY WAY.
Even if you don’t have a plan.
Even if you’re scared.
Even if all you grab on the way out is a pair of mismatched socks.
Please. Leave. ANY WAY you can.
4Why three
Three Socks. One reminder.
Our socks come in sets of three. We say it’s about options. And it is. But it’s also something more.
1
Three different socks
Every set comes with three, and no two are alike.
2
Three ways to wear them
Any two make a pair. There’s no wrong way to put them on.
3
Three children
She has three kids. They are represented in every set we make.
10%+
We donate at least 10% of revenue to domestic violence organizations, and we partner with retailers so that donations support shelters in their own local communities.
Because leaving is hard. It’s complicated. It’s dangerous. And the people helping survivors need resources.
Abuse manipulated her.It did not define her.
I don’t want her to be remembered as “a victim.” She was fierce, intelligent, funny, faithful, and full of life.
If her story can help one person recognize the signs, or give one person the courage to walk out the door, then her legacy is still alive.
That’s why we do this.
— Jen
