Helen talks with Lucinda, who is raising two neurodivergent children while breaking free from the patterns of a difficult childhood. Together they explore how she supports an autistic son through friendship struggles, helps an ADHD daughter manage big emotions, and finds ways to set firm yet compassionate boundaries.

Lucinda shares the loneliness of carrying the mental load, the relief of small breakthroughs, and the quiet strength it takes to create a home that feels safe, loving and truly her own.

In this powerful episode, Scarlett opens up about leaving a religious cult, the shock of being discarded by her entire family, and the grief of realising her parents never loved her in the way she needed. She and Helen explore what it means to parent after trauma, to live with the echoes of fat phobia, shame, and control, and to try to build an identity after years of being told who to be.

Their conversation touches on resilience, fragmentation, neurodivergence and the small, steady steps of reclaiming herself.

⁠⁠Apply to be on the show.

In this powerful conversation, Helen speaks with Sabrina, who was abducted by her mother as a child and raised far from her biological father. Now, at 40 and newly diagnosed as autistic, she is reconnecting with her father while still caught in the emotional grip of a controlling mother.

Together they explore the lifelong impact of enmeshment, secrecy, and guilt, and how Sabrina has been taught to protect her mother’s feelings above her own needs. She shares the pain of being made responsible for everyone else’s emotions, the fear of being seen as “bad” for wanting more, and the struggle of deciding whether she can risk honesty without losing her family.

Through the conversation, Helen helps Sabrina untangle fear from responsibility, recognise her right to know her father and heritage, and begin to imagine a future where her choices are not defined by her mother’s control.

Grow, connect and thrive with a free 7-day trial of The Hub.

Apply to be a guest on the show.

In this episode, Helen speaks with Elizabeth, who has gone no contact with her father and is now questioning the role her late mother played in enabling his behaviour. Once seen as her safe person, her mother’s minimising responses and final letters revealed a truth Elizabeth has struggled to face.

Together they explore the grief of realising lost protection, the weight of guilt and responsibility, and the anger that comes with uncovering how secrecy and shame shaped her childhood.

Grow, connect and thrive with a free 7-day trial of The Hub.

In this episode, Helen is joined by Jada, who opens up about the death of her abusive mother and the painful legacy it has left behind. Jada reflects on how her mother not only failed to protect her from her father’s abuse but also manipulated and controlled her well into adulthood. Now, six months after her mother’s death, she is faced with complex emotions of anger, grief, shame, and the question of whether to share the truth of her past with her two young adult children.

Jada speaks candidly about her children’s very different experiences of their grandmother, the shame she feels for raising them under her roof, and the confusion that comes with suddenly having the freedom to speak when her voice was suppressed for so long.

Content warning: This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse and discussions of suicide and cancer.

Grow, connect and thrive with a free 7-day trial of The Hub: ⁠⁠https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/⁠⁠To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application

The Fawn Response has been declared a primary trauma response, but is it really? Understanding this distinction between primary and secondary response is vital because it empowers you to be able to manage it. You don’t have to fawn! And if you’re feeling the need to, either your relational pattern is playing out, or the person you’re with isn’t safe.

Never shame yourself for surviving, it’s amazing you got here.

Take care,

Helen

In this episode, Helen is joined by psychosexual therapist and author Juliet Grayson for a rich and illuminating conversation about trauma, boundaries, and the power of body-based therapy.

What if shame has been speaking louder than your voice?

In this follow up to last week’s conversation, Sinead returns to talk with Helen about the deeper roots of her anxiety, guilt, and fear of speaking up. Through guided imagery, Sinead explores the physical sensations tied to her voice: a hot, jagged feeling in her chest and a tight grip in her stomach. Both have long worked to keep her safe from the consequences of speaking out.

Helen helps Sinead meet “Mr Guilt”, the shadowy figure who has been with her since childhood, shaped by years of control, secrecy, and the belief that serving others was the only safe choice. Together, they explore how guilt became her most familiar emotion, how it has been used to control her, and how it continues to shape her decisions.

By the end, Sinead begins to imagine a different way forward, one where her voice can be used for her own needs and where guilt might guide rather than silence her. It is a conversation about understanding the body’s warnings, loosening shame’s grip, and making space for self trust.

Grow, connect and thrive with a free 7-day trial of The Hub: ⁠⁠https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/

⁠⁠To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application