In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships with The Matadoras, we sit down with Diane McDowell, creator of the Brain to Heart Code, to uncover why so many emotionally intelligent women still feel unsafe in love—even in healthy relationships.

If you’ve ever:

• Overreacted and didn’t know why
• Felt triggered by something small
• Struggled with people pleasing or weak boundaries
• Attracted the same unhealthy relationship patterns

…this episode will change how you understand yourself.

Diane explains the concept of the “brain hijack”—when your nervous system mistakes safety for danger—and how this subconscious wiring impacts your relationships, reactions, and ability to set boundaries.

We also dive into:

• Why disconnection is NOT a communication issue
• The truth about boundaries (and why most people get them wrong)
• How people pleasing is actually self-abandonment
• The difference between your emotions and someone else’s “emotional dumping”
• Practical tools to regain control and rebuild emotional safety

This conversation is for anyone ready to break toxic cycles, reclaim their voice, and build healthier, more grounded relationships—from the inside out.

🔗 Connect with Diane McDowell:
Website: https://www.powerfulquestionscoaching.com

Mini Course: https://www.powerfulquestionscoaching.com/the-brain-to-heart-mini-course

🎙️ Stay Connected with Us!
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: @survivingrelationships12
🎵 Follow us on TikTok: @survivingtoxicrel
🌐 Visit our website: survivingtoxicrelationships.org

Looking to be a guest or host a guest for your podcast?

https://www.joinpodmatch.com/deanalizzie

📘 Our book is available on Amazon: Love With Eyes Wide Open: Teaching Our Daughters to Recognize Red Flags and God's Voice in Relationships

Not sure what you’re actually seeing in your relationship?
↓ Get your FREE Discernment Checklist ↓ https://the-matadoras.kit.com/survivingtoxicrelationships

Contact us anytime at our email: care@survivingtoxicrelationships.org

📘 Join our Facebook community: Surviving Toxic Relationships

Disclaimer: The views expressed by our guests are their own, and this show is for educational purposes only. It is not therapy, medical, or professional advice, and listening does not create a therapeutic relationship. If you need personalized support, please reach out to a licensed professional. If you’re in crisis or immediate danger, please call 911 for help.

In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, we sit down with trauma support specialist and reclamation coach Ashana Kaiulani to unpack what toxic relationships really do to your identity, self-worth, and ability to receive love.

We dive into:

• Why toxic relationships make you feel unlovable
• The truth about “reactive abuse” and self-blame
• How trauma rewires your identity and behaviors
• Why you can’t “think” your way into healing
• The role of safe relationships in true recovery
• How to soften without losing your boundaries

This is not just about surviving—it’s about reclaiming who you are.

Listen now and take your first step back home to yourself.

Don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE with someone who needs this.

Relevant links for Ashana’a information:

https://linktr.ee/ashanak

https://www.youtube.com/@WayHomeWellness

https://www.instagram.com/wayhomewellness/

🎙️ Stay Connected with Us!
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: @survivingrelationships12
🎵 Follow us on TikTok: @survivingtoxicrel
🌐 Visit our website: survivingtoxicrelationships.org

Looking to be a guest or host a guest for your podcast?

https://www.joinpodmatch.com/deanalizzie

📘 Our book is available on Amazon: Love With Eyes Wide Open: Teaching Our Daughters to Recognize Red Flags and God's Voice in Relationships

Not sure what you’re actually seeing in your relationship?
↓ Get your FREE Discernment Checklist ↓ https://the-matadoras.kit.com/survivingtoxicrelationships

Contact us anytime at our email: care@survivingtoxicrelationships.org

📘 Join our Facebook community: Surviving Toxic Relationships

Disclaimer: The views expressed by our guests are their own, and this show is for educational purposes only. It is not therapy, medical, or professional advice, and listening does not create a therapeutic relationship. If you need personalized support, please reach out to a licensed professional. If you’re in crisis or immediate danger, please call 911 for help.

Codependency, toxic relationships, healthy boundaries, and emotional healing are at the center of this powerful conversation with boundaries coach Barb Nangle, founder of Higher Power Coaching and host of Fragmented to Whole.

After decades of therapy and personal development, Barb hit a codependent breaking point at age 52. What followed was a life-changing journey through 12-step recovery, where she began to understand patterns of people pleasing, rescuing, and losing herself in relationships.

In this episode, Barb shares:

• What codependency actually looks like in real life
• Why focusing on others causes you to lose yourself
• How ignoring your own needs becomes a pattern
• The difference between being “nice” and being kind
• Why charm can be misleading in relationships
• How toxic behavior creates confusion, not always chaos
• What healthy boundaries actually look like in practice
• How boundaries lead to healthier communication and intimacy
• What a truly healthy relationship feels like
• Why it is never too late to change your patterns

We also discuss the emotional confusion that comes from being with someone everyone else sees as “a nice person,” and how that can cause you to question your own perception.

If you have ever ignored red flags, overfunctioned in relationships, or felt like you lost yourself trying to make things work, this conversation will give you language, perspective, and hope.

🎙️ Stay Connected with Us!
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: @survivingrelationships12
🎵 Follow us on TikTok: @survivingtoxicrel
🌐 Visit our website: survivingtoxicrelationships.org

Looking to be a guest or host a guest for your podcast?

https://www.joinpodmatch.com/deanalizzie

📘 Our book is available on Amazon: Love With Eyes Wide Open: Teaching Our Daughters to Recognize Red Flags and God's Voice in Relationships

Not sure what you’re noticing yet?
↓ Get your FREE Discernment Checklist ↓ https://the-matadoras.kit.com/survivingtoxicrelationships

Contact us anytime at our email: care@survivingtoxicrelationships.org

📘 Join our Facebook community: Surviving Toxic Relationships

Disclaimer: The views expressed by our guests are their own, and this show is for educational purposes only. It is not therapy, medical, or professional advice, and listening does not create a therapeutic relationship. If you need personalized support, please reach out to a licensed professional. If you’re in crisis or immediate danger, please call 911 for help.