She passed her LCSW exam. He broke up with her at 1am the same night. What came next surprised everyone, including her.

In today's episode, Haley sits down with Billie Lowe, licensed clinical social worker and founder of Eva Mack Counseling LLC, to talk about what happens when the relationship you stayed in too long finally ends, and you discover you had no idea how much of yourself you had given away. What starts as a story about a painful breakup becomes a conversation about codependency, shame, and what it looks like to slowly remember who you actually are.

• How a couples therapist broke protocol mid-session to tell Billie the truth: he does not have the capacity to do this work with you, and why that moment changed everything
• Ten years of fixing someone who could not be fixed, and the moment Billie realised she had been hiding behind his dysfunction to avoid her own
• Waking up the morning after the breakup in a rage, telling him to get out, and how it felt like power she had forgotten she had
• Being put on paid administrative leave the same year, spending a summer at the beach with her cats, officiating her sister's wedding, and being slowly reminded by the universe that she was someone worth celebrating
• Launching her own consultancy three weeks before this recording with no steady income and a waiting list forming anyway
• What she is still working through: letting go of grief disguised as anger, navigating social anxiety as a public speaker, and learning to be present without a drink in her hand

This one isn't just about a breakup or a career leap. It's about how much of yourself disappears when you spend a decade trying to save someone else, and what it takes to find your way back.

About Billie Lowe

Originally from Philadelphia, Billie has lived in New York City for the last 8 years after previous stints in Wisconsin and New Orleans. After ending a 10+ year relationship in 2024, she spent the last two years growing and healing, which has been the best part of her journey yet. As a mental health professional and leader, this work has made her stronger both personally and professionally. She's just launched Eva Mack Counseling LLC (named after her grandmother who was a helper everywhere she went) after 18 years in community social work. Through clinical supervision, coaching, and workshops on trauma-informed care, healthy boundaries, and vicarious trauma, she provides skills, support, and wisdom to the people doing the work on the front lines.

Connect with Billie:

• Instagram: @evamaccounselingllc
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billie-jeanne-lowe-lcsw-sifi-72579537

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Follow me on Instagram @haleyryan.unfiltered or visit haleyryan.co.uk/discord for more real conversations about self-abandonment, boundaries, and designing life on your own terms.