Surviving Toxic Relationships Podcast with The Matadoras

Epizódok

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  Episode #114: The Hidden Grief of Loving Someone with Addiction Faith, Loss & Hope with S.E. Tschritter 29.07.2026 32p

  What happens when the person you trust most is secretly battling addiction? In this deeply moving episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, Deana and Lizzie sit down with bestselling author S.E. Tschritter to discuss her heartbreaking yet hope-filled journey after her husband—a pastor—relapsed into alcoholism, was diagnosed with stage-four cancer following a drunk driving accident, and ultimately asked her to write his story. Together they explore: Living with a spouse struggling with addicti...
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  Episode #113: Who Were You Before Him? Rediscovering Your Identity After a Toxic Relationship 22.07.2026 34p

  Who were you before the relationship changed you? In this honest conversation, Lizzie, Deana, and special guest Jennifer discuss what happens when years of people-pleasing, survival, and emotional abuse slowly erase your sense of identity. Together they share personal stories of rediscovering forgotten dreams, preferences, confidence, and joy while offering hope for anyone wondering who they are after a toxic relationship. Whether you're still healing or beginning to reinvent your life, this ...
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  Episode #112:Can Breathwork Heal Trauma? How to Reset Your Nervous System After Toxic Relationships | Jon Paul Crimi 15.07.2026 58p

  If you've left a toxic relationship but still feel anxious, emotionally exhausted, or like your nervous system is always on high alert, you're not imagining it. In this powerful conversation, Lizzie and Deana sit down with breathwork pioneer Jon Paul Crimi to explore how trauma can become stored in the body—and why healing isn't always about talking through your past. Jon Paul shares his remarkable personal journey through addiction, recovery, and emotional healing after discovering conscious...
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  Episode #111: Addiction, Narcissism & Codependency: Why You Feel Crazy | Featuring Dr. Sarah Michaud 08.07.2026 34p

  Is your partner struggling with addiction, narcissistic behaviors, or both? How can you tell the difference, and more importantly, how do you begin healing? In this powerful conversation, we welcome Dr. Sarah Michaud, a clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience specializing in addiction and codependency. Drawing from both her professional expertise and personal recovery journey, Dr. Michaud shares practical insights into the similarities between addiction and narcissism, wh...
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  Episode #110: Behind the Mic: Big Changes, Publishers & Trusting God with What's Next 02.07.2026 24p

  In this Behind the Mic episode, Lizzie and Deana share a personal update about everything that's been happening behind the scenes. From winning the Selah Award and attending the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference to meeting with publishers, redesigning their books, expanding into coaching and speaking, and preparing for significant life transitions, this episode offers an honest look at what it means to follow God's leading even when the future isn't fully clear. Lizzie also shares her d...
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  Episode #109: From Exploitation to Restoration: A Story of Hope After Sexual Trauma 17.06.2026 36p

  What happens when childhood sexual trauma silently shapes every relationship, every decision, and every belief about your worth? In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, Tiffany Brearton shares her deeply personal story of childhood sexual abuse, shame, exploitation, toxic relationships, and the long road to healing. Tiffany opens up about how trauma affected her self-worth, why so many survivors struggle with relationships, and the freedom she found through faith, counselin...
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  Episode #108: The Red Flags I Ignored Before Discovering the Truth 10.06.2026 36p

  What happens when the relationship you've been fighting to save turns out to be something entirely different than you believed? In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships with The Matadoras, Heather Justice shares her personal story of emotional abuse, trauma bonding, narcissistic manipulation, and the shocking discovery that changed everything. After two and a half years of an on-again, off-again relationship, Heather uncovered an expunged felony record that forced her to conf...
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  Episode #107: Fired at 63, Millionaire by 69 The Financial Comeback Every Woman Needs to Hear 02.06.2026 42p

  At 63 years old, David Nassif unexpectedly lost his job after nearly two decades with the same company. Faced with the possibility of financial collapse, he chose to rebuild instead of giving up. Six years later, he had achieved financial freedom and created a simple one-page framework to help others avoid the mistakes he made. In this powerful conversation, David shares practical financial wisdom for anyone facing a major life transition, especially women navigating gray divorce, financial a...
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  Episode #106: Leaving Financial Abuse: What Women Need to Know Before Starting Over 27.05.2026 19p

  This conversation originally aired during our 2025 Breaking the Chains… Escaping Abuse telesummit with financial coach Suzanne Skolian, where we discussed one of the most overlooked forms of abuse: financial control. Financial abuse rarely begins with obvious manipulation. Often, it starts slowly through secrecy, monitoring, “allowances,” restricted access to accounts, damaged credit, or being made to feel incapable of surviving independently. Over time, money becomes more than a financial is...
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  Episode #105: Financial Abuse Red Flags Every Women Needs to Spot Before Leaving a Toxic Relationship! 20.05.2026 33p

  Many women do not realize they are experiencing financial abuse until they try to leave the relationship and suddenly discover they have no access to accounts, damaged credit, overwhelming debt, or no safe financial path forward. In this deeply personal conversation, Lizzie and Deana discuss the hidden red flags of financial abuse inside toxic relationships, including: financial control and surveillancehidden debt and secret credit cardsshame around spending moneybeing monitored through banki...
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  Episode 104: Why You Didn’t See the Red Flags Sooner | Trauma Bonds, Betrayal & Rebuilding Self-Trust 13.05.2026 30p

  Have you ever looked back on a relationship and wondered… “How did I miss the red flags?” In this deeply honest conversation, Lizzie and Deana unpack the emotional, psychological, and spiritual reasons people stay in toxic relationships longer than they expected. From trauma bonds and manipulation to confusion, shame, love bombing, and slowly adapting to unhealthy patterns, this episode explores why the warning signs often don’t feel obvious until much later. If you’ve struggled with self-bla...
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  Episode #103: The 5 Stages of Betrayal Recovery (Why You Still Feel Stuck & How to Heal) Dr. Debi Silber 06.05.2026 43p

  Why does betrayal cut so deeply—and why do so many people stay stuck for years, even decades? In this eye-opening episode, we sit down with Dr. Debi Silber, founder of the Post Betrayal Transformation Institute, to unpack the science and psychology behind betrayal trauma—and what it really takes to heal. Dr. Debi shares her groundbreaking research across 100,000+ people and reveals: ✔ Why betrayal is a distinct type of trauma (not all trauma is the same) ✔ What Post-Betrayal Syndrome is—and ...
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  Episode #102: I Didn’t Know It Was Abuse… |Therapist Explains Hidden Signs of Toxic Relationships 29.04.2026 42p

  What if the relationship you thought was “just difficult”… was actually harmful? In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships with The Matadoras, we sit down with licensed therapist and trauma specialist Zulma Williams, founder of Dragonfly Therapy Services, to unpack the hidden reality of emotional abuse, gaslighting, and toxic relationship cycles. Zulma shares her personal story of surviving a narcissistic and abusive relationship—and why so many strong, intelligent women don’t...
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  Episode #101: 5 Signs You’re Not Just in a Hard Season (You May Be in a Harmful Pattern) 27.04.2026 23p

  Are you going through a difficult season… or is something deeper happening in your relationship? In this episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships with The Matadoras, we continue our Love With Eyes Wide Open series by unpacking one of the most confusing and important questions many women face. Sometimes conflict, stress, and outside pressures can make a relationship feel overwhelming. But how do you know if what you’re experiencing is temporary… or part of a harmful pattern? We walk through 5 ...
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  Episode #100: Letting Go Without Going Back: Forgiveness, Boundaries & Healing | Eva Marie Everson 22.04.2026 33p

  Can you forgive someone and still walk away? In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, we sit down with award-winning author Eva Marie Everson to unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in relationships: forgiveness vs. reconciliation. Through personal stories, biblical insight, and themes from her upcoming novel Miss Beth Betancourt, Eva shares: Why forgiveness does NOT always mean restoring the relationshipHow to set healthy, God-honoring boundariesWhat toxic relations...
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  Episode #99: Brain Hijack in Relationships; Why You Feel Unsafe in Love (Even When You’re Not) | Diane McDowell 15.04.2026 31p

  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...
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  Episode #98: How Toxic Relationships Make You Feel Unlovable (And How to Heal) | Ashana Kaiulani 08.04.2026 32p

  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 unlovableThe truth about “reactive abuse” and self-blameHow trauma rewires your identity and behaviorsWhy you can’t “think” your way into healingThe role of safe relationships in true recoveryHow to so...
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  Episode #97: The Nice Guy Trap | Barb Nangle on Codependency, Boundaries, and Healthy Love 25.03.2026 40p

  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 relationship...
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  Episode #96: Moral Injury Explained | How Trauma, Abuse, and Faith Collide (Dr. Larry Brant) 18.03.2026 34p

  Moral injury is one of the most misunderstood forms of trauma—and it may explain why so many women leaving toxic or abusive relationships still feel broken, ashamed, or beyond forgiveness. In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, we sit down with Navy Chaplain and combat veteran Dr. Larry Brant, who has spent decades helping individuals heal from PTSD, spiritual trauma, and moral injury. Together, we explore: What moral injury actually is (and how it’s different from PTSD)Ho...
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  Episode #95: How Toxic Relationships Keep Women Stuck | Nikki Allen on Abuse, Trauma Bonds, and Healing 11.03.2026 38p

  Why do women stay in toxic relationships? In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, Nikki Allen shares her personal story of emotional abuse, physical violence, trauma bonding, identity loss, and the long journey toward healing and self-love. Nikki is the author of Loved You, Hated You, a bold novel inspired by real-life heartbreak. What began as a song became a screenplay and then a gripping work of fiction rooted in betrayal, emotional captivity, and the power of choosing y...