Yanni Profit stands as a national thought leader in trauma-informed systems reform, a fierce strategist reshaping domestic violence intervention, behavioral health advocacy, and survivor-centered accountability. With over 18 years of unyielding leadership, she doesn’t just respond to crises—she dismantles the broken systems that perpetuate them, demanding ethical, compliant, and culturally responsive frameworks that prioritize survivor safety, dignity, and long-term healing.

A survivor herself, Yanni refuses to let lived experience be a footnote; it’s the fire fueling her mission to bridge frontline advocacy with high-level strategy. At Maze of Life, as Domestic Violence Counselor and Clinical Program Developer, she spearheads nationwide research and innovation, crafting state-specific Batterer Intervention Programs (BIPs) and Partner Abuse Intervention Programs (PAIPs) that integrate cognitive-behavioral tools, relapse prevention, cultural responsiveness, and non-collusion ethics. With unparalleled precision and speed, she has mapped multi-state compliance, engineered scalable curricula, facilitator scripts, and operational protocols—positioning Maze of Life for ethical, transformative expansion while rejecting performative models that fail survivors and enable harm.

As Founder and Executive Director of Sisterhood Sanctuary Domestic Violence Resource Center (SHSDV), Yanni has built a survivor-led powerhouse in South Suburban Illinois, focusing on what happens after the escape: post-crisis stabilization, safety navigation, systems coordination, community education, and robust governance. SHSDV operates with ironclad confidentiality, state/federal compliance, and a refusal to retraumatize—serving women, children, and marginalized communities disproportionately ravaged by violence.

Through The Advocacy Blueprint™, her consulting and training firm, Yanni empowers municipalities, nonprofits, healthcare giants, and public agencies to embed healing-centered governance and trauma-informed leadership into every layer of policy, operations, and service delivery. Her partnerships—with Northwestern Medicine, Advocate Health, Sinai Health Systems, Thresholds, Turning Point Behavioral Health, C4 Chicago, and beyond—have fortified trauma-responsive ecosystems, ensuring accountability isn’t optional but foundational.

Yanni’s career trajectory is a testament to bold execution: from Assistant Director of Victim Services and Regional Medicaid Liaison to Associate Director of Social Services, Chief Inclusion Officer, and Regional Director of Public Health Initiatives. She’s not here to manage symptoms—she’s transforming infrastructures to save lives, challenging outdated paradigms that excuse violence under guises of culture, stress, or circumstance.

Featured in CanvasRebel, Bold Journey, and Fox, and honored with the 2025 Global Recognition Award for leadership, innovation, service, and mentoring, Yanni is a published author (I’m Fine: Suffering in Silence) and sought-after speaker on DV systems reform, survivor-centered accountability, and healing-centered leadership. She holds a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, a Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration, and certifications in domestic violence intervention, trauma-informed care, behavioral change facilitation, and executive coaching.

Unapologetic in her clarity and discretion, Yanni rejects visibility for its own sake—she builds unbreakable infrastructure. Her creed is simple and non-negotiable: Survivors deserve systems that are ethical, compliant, culturally attuned, and engineered for enduring impact. Anything less is unacceptable.

Speaking Topics:

1. Caring for Frontline Advocates Who Are Survivors

2. Community-Based Approaches in Healing

3. Intersections of Community Violence and Domestic Violence

4. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: HOW OFFENDERS SILENCE SURVIVORS—AND WHAT WE CAN DO
5. THE BLUE PRINT: CREATING SURVIVOR-CENTERED SYSTEMS THROUGH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ADVOCACY

6. CENTERING SURVIVORS LIVED EXPERIENCES & VOICES IN A COORDINATED COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO DV

7. COLLABORATING FOR CHANGE: CENTERING SURVIVOR VOICES TO PREVENT INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE & REDUCE HOMICIDES

8. HIDDEN FRONTLINES: EXPANDING DV PREVENTION THROUGH UNLIKELY ALLIES & TRUSTED COMMUNITY TOUCH-POINTS

9. IN HER SHOES: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ADVOCACY