Breaking the Silence

Nichole Schmidt is an American advocate and nonprofit leader who became known for missing persons advocacy and domestic violence prevention after the disappearance and death of her stepdaughter, Gabby Petito. Drawing on a background in administrative and operational work, she co-founded the Gabby Petito Foundation, which supports efforts to locate missing people and provides domestic violence awareness and intervention resources, collaborating with law enforcement, victim support groups, and community organizations on rapid alerts, public education, and grantmaking. She has appeared widely in news coverage, documentaries, and panels discussing intimate partner violence, coercive control, and gaps in missing persons response, using her own experience to push for policy and cultural change. Through the foundation and her public advocacy, she remains a prominent voice on early intervention, victim support, and institutional accountability.

Tara Petito is a nonprofit leader with the Gabby Petito Foundation, working in Gabby's name to turn public attention and grief into tangible support for victims of domestic violence and families of missing people. She guides the foundation's partnerships with shelters, victim-services agencies, and advocacy groups, directing fundraising and grantmaking that fund emergency housing, counseling, legal support, and tools to increase visibility of missing-person cases. Through public events, interviews, and awareness campaigns, she speaks to the challenges families face seeking help, stressing early intervention, better agency coordination, and education on warning signs of abuse, while also supporting foundation initiatives on safer dating practices and recognizing coercive behavior. Her work has helped shape Gabby Petito's legacy into one of prevention, support, and reform in the response to domestic violence and missing persons cases.

While the world may know me from the island, my true passions are grounded in everyday acts of service: serving my community as a firefighter, standing up against domestic violence in honor of my late sister Joanna, and being the best husband, father, and son I can be. My journey on Survivor was about resilience and heart—but off- camera, my mission is even bigger. Through advocacy and action, I aim to bring awareness to domestic violence prevention and support those whose voices too often go unheard. Whether I’m on the front lines, speaking out for change, or spending time with loved

Cliantha Miller-Finn is the founder of the Emily Finn Foundation, created in loving memory of her daughter, Emily, whose life was tragically taken at age 18 in an act of dating violence. Today, Cliantha has dedicated her life, and turned her pain into purpose, by advocating for awareness and prevention of teen dating and intimate partner violence, consisting of digital abuse and the number one killer of our youth in this country, gun violence.

Through education, the performing arts, community partnerships, and public speaking, she honors Emily's light and legacy by working to create a safer future for young people everywhere.