I’m Crystal Fedeli, a social researcher and policy analyst focused on coercive control in the context of domestic abuse, including how the family court system responds and how those responses shape outcomes over time. I’m also a consultant, award-winning nonprofit founder, and speaker.
 
Through You Made a Way, I focus specifically on financial control as a central mechanism that keeps women stuck in domestic abuse or pulls them back. We help women understand what’s happening, navigate the legal system and financial barriers, and move forward so they can rebuild their lives.
 
Before founding You Made a Way, I worked for the State of New Jersey, Office of the Public Defender, in the Drug Court Unit, where I handled expungements statewide. Before that, I worked for the State of New Jersey, Department of Children and Families, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, in the Litigation Unit. My experience also includes working in community-based nonprofits supporting individuals impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault, childhood trauma, and addiction. 
 
I hold dual graduate degrees, one in Social Research Analysis and a second in Child Advocacy and Policy with a Child Public Welfare Concentration, along with a Paralegal Certificate and a Graduate Certificate in Data Collection and Management.
 
This work is grounded in a core principle: systems fail individuals when institutional practices and norms diverge from evidence-based practice.