Lessons in Discernment

What happens when the abuser doesn’t fit the stereotype? For this episode of Lessons in Discernment , I’m joined by Khelsy (@noonesmad)—a Paris-based content creator exploring queerness, neurodivergence, and life after narcissistic abuse. Together, we unpack the myths surrounding abuse in queer relationships, the role of U-hauling culture in masking unhealthy dynamics, and how neurodivergence can...

When the courts don’t recognize coercive control, children pay the price. This week on Lessons in Discernment , I’m joined by Canadian Member of Parliament Lisa Hepfner, sponsor of Bill C-223: The Keeping Children Safe Act—a groundbreaking piece of legislation that could transform how family violence is recognized and prevented in Canada. We talk about the stories that inspired the bill, the cultu...

What does it mean to truly rewrite your story after trauma? In this episode of Lessons in Discernment , I sit down with Kate Michaud—EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist, social worker, and founder of New Mindset Therapy. Together, we explore the power of EMDR as a tool for reprocessing trauma, the unintended consequences of diagnostic labels, and the path to reclaiming agency after experiences of narc...

What happens after survival? In this deeply moving episode of Lessons in Discernment , I sit down with Elissa Swihart — survivor, advocate, storyteller, and creator of Dismissed True Stories , a podcast amplifying the voices of women silenced or erased by abuse. Elissa is also the founder of Tala’s Closet, a donation-based free store that offers practical support to women and children escaping vio...

In this episode of Lessons in Discernment , I’m joined by Julie Theis—creator of a powerful YouTube channel unpacking the dark psychology of celebrities, and a cast member on Netflix’s The Trust . From the Kardashian family’s dysfunction to the Internet’s insatiable obsession with the Bieber love triangle, Julie’s work goes far beyond gossip & conspiracy, and analyzes the patterns no amount of...

What happens when abuse and conditioning erase your sense of self, and the only way you believe you can be loved is as a sex object? This week on Lessons in Discernment , I’m joined by Amy Watkins—a therapist turned truth teller and the voice behind @ms.emotionallyslutty . Amy shares her story of growing up under religious conditioning and neglect, surviving sexual abuse, and how those experiences...

What if the very thing your abuser tried to shame you for became the source of your strength? This week on Lessons in Discernment , I’m joined by Dr. Ruth—statistician, survivor, and founder of Healing by the Numbers . Blind in one eye and with limited vision in the other, Ruth endured years of cruelty from an abuser who weaponized her difference. Today, she transforms those scars into clarity: br...