In this episode, I explore the stories we tell to survive. How they can help AND hinder us in toxic relationships.

From childhood fairytales to the quiet narratives we build around abuse, stories are how we make sense of chaos. They soften what’s unbearable. They protect us when we’re small and have no control. But sometimes, the very stories that once kept us alive become the ones that keep us stuck.

Through personal reflection and therapy-informed insight, I look at how survival narratives can form, how they shape adult relationships, and how they can quietly reinforce cycles of mistreatment. This episode isn’t about shame. It’s about awareness. Because healing doesn’t require destroying the stories that saved us. It requires gently rewriting them.

Reflection prompt at the end.

In this episode, I explore why discovering that the person you've been with for years has been hiding their true selves the entire time feels violating on a soul-level. This is true of narcissists or any type of manipulative or antagonistic personalities.Thank you to Clare Auden for the IG reel mentioned in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/claire_auden_/

Using AI in creating content for the trauma/abuse recovery space - practical and smart, or detrimental? In this episode, I explain why I find the over-use of AI in this space problematic.