Resiliently Rising Podcast

Separation after betrayal can feel terrifying, confusing, and loaded with meaning. For many couples, the word “separation” feels like the beginning of the end. But separation is not automatically a step toward divorce, and it is not automatically a step toward reconciliation.  In this episode, Carrie and David talk about what separation after betrayal trauma can look like, including in-home s...

This bonus episode is a powerful conversation between Jan Winhall and Carrie Holladay on the Embodied Dialogues Podcast. Together they explore betrayal trauma through a Felt Sense Polyvagal lens. Together, they discuss how betrayal impacts the nervous system, disrupts a person's sense of safety, and often leads to protective responses like hypervigilance, shutdown, and disconnection. Rather than f...

Ever felt a sudden rush of panic that takes over your body? You're not alone. Let's talk about what to do next. Triggers can hit us out of nowhere, sending our bodies into a frenzy. Your heart races, muscles tense, and suddenly, you’re not in the present anymore. But it's important to remember: this reaction doesn't mean you're broken. It’s just your body trying to protect you from past trauma. To...

Betrayal trauma reshapes your nervous system — and anxiety is often the loudest signal of that change. In this What You're Wondering episode, Carrie and David respond to a listener struggling with constant anxiety after discovering her husband's porn addiction. Carrie explains why anxiety after betrayal isn't a flaw but a survival response, and introduces a powerful reframe: instead of asking how...

This week on the Resiliently Rising Podcast, Carrie sits down with therapist and betrayal trauma specialist Jenae Lindsey for a powerful conversation about the hidden damage of deception, secrecy, and integrity abuse in relationships after betrayal. Together, they unpack the concept of the “secret sexual basement,” why the lies and manipulation often hurt more than the behavior itself, and how bet...

In this episode, Carrie and David explore the powerful difference between disclosure and discovery in betrayal trauma recovery. They unpack why trickle truth, partial disclosures, and ongoing deception can be just as damaging... and sometimes more damaging... than the original betrayal itself.   They discuss how secrecy impacts trust, why the body often knows something is wrong before th...

In this episode, we slow down and explore that moment where your body knows before your mind catches up. We talk about how your nervous system is constantly reading for safety, how it communicates through sensation and reaction, and why those early signals are often more honest than the story your mind tries to build afterward. You’ll begin to understand how to recognize those subtle cues instead...

 In this episode, we’re talking about the painful experience of feeling like you’ve lost yourself after betrayal. We explore how betrayal trauma impacts the nervous system, why survival mode can disconnect you from your own identity, and how healing often begins through small moments of reconnecting with your preferences, needs, and inner voice. If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t even feel like...

In this powerful conversation, Carrie sits down with trauma psychotherapist and betrayal navigation coach   KayLee Dunn   to explore the deeper wounds betrayal creates beyond just the initial trauma. Together, they unpack how betrayal impacts identity, self-trust, reality, attachment, and agency… and why so many people feel “regulated but still lost” long after the crisis phase has passe...

In this episode, Carrie and David break down why so many relationship conflicts—especially after betrayal—feel like they go nowhere and leave both partners more hurt. Drawing from the Gottmans’ Fight Right , they explain how conflict itself isn’t the problem… it’s how we handle it that determines whether it builds connection or creates more damage. They unpack what happens in the body during an ar...

A gentle, guided somatic practice focused on healing your relationship with yourself after betrayal. This episode helps you move out of self-judgment and into compassion through simple, body-based awareness… creating small moments of connection, kindness, and internal safety that begin to rebuild self-trust from the inside out. Connect with Carrie: 📲 Instagram: @healwithcarriejean 🌿Resiliently R...

When the discovery is fresh, the most common question is the simplest one: where do I even begin? In this What You're Wondering episode, Carrie and David answer that question with honesty and compassion — covering how to find the right support, why professional help needs to be betrayal-trauma-specific, how to start working with the body instead of against it, and why your job right now is safety,...

In this episode, Carrie sits down with relationship coach Drew Daniels to explore the anxious… avoidant dynamic and what’s really happening beneath avoidant behaviors. Drew shares his personal journey of recognizing his own fearful-avoidant patterns in marriage and the transformation that led him to help other couples understand and heal these cycles. Together, they unpack the fears, shame, a...

In this episode, Carrie and David explore what actually makes an apology meaningful after betrayal. While many couples believe that saying “I’m sorry” should be enough, they unpack why apologies often fall short and why some even deepen the hurt. Using the framework of the Five A’s of an Apology,  they walk through what true repair requires and why rebuilding trust is a process, not a moment....

In this Revisited episode , we bring back one of our earlier conversations by combining Episode 5 Part 1 and Part 2 into a single episode. Carrie and David walk through the most common mistakes couples make when trying to rebuild a relationship after betrayal. Drawing from both their personal journey and professional experience, they share why real repair takes time, honesty, accountability, and s...

In this Somatic Safety Session, Carrie guides listeners through a gentle practice designed to help release stored tension in the body after betrayal trauma. She explains how trauma often leaves protective patterns of tightness in places like the jaw, shoulders, breath, and belly, and introduces slow micro-movements and vagus nerve support as simple ways to help the body unwind. Through a guided te...

 Why do we sometimes keep choosing partners who hurt us? In this episode, Carrie and David explore how the nervous system is wired to gravitate toward what feels familiar—even when it isn’t healthy. They unpack how early attachment wounds and the body’s longing for closure can unconsciously pull us back into similar relationship dynamics. Together they explain why this pattern isn’t a charact...

In this episode, Carrie sits down with former client for a powerful conversation about healing after betrayal trauma and leaving an abusive relationship.  Together, they explore why healing often gets harder before it gets easier, how the nervous system protects through dissociation, minimizing, and intellectualizing, and why slowing down… rather than forcing progress… is essential for real c...

 In this episode, Carrie and David unpack why rumination is so common after betrayal… for both the betrayed and the betrayer. They explain how looping thoughts aren’t a sign you’re broken, but a nervous system trying to restore safety, coherence, and control after your world has been shaken. They explore the “open loop” effect that keeps your brain revisiting unanswered questions, the di...

Episode Summary: In this month’s Somatic Safety Session, we focus on grounding… especially for moments when your system feels scattered, overwhelmed, or disconnected from your body. Betrayal trauma can pull you up and out of the present moment, leaving you feeling floaty, buzzy, or unanchored. In this gentle, trauma-informed practice, Carrie offers simple education about why this happens in the ne...

In this What You’re Wondering episode of the Resiliently Rising Podcast , we respond to a listener asking how to survive the “messy middle” of betrayal recovery… when both partners are healing, but neither is fully there yet. We talk honestly about why this phase feels so destabilizing… and why it’s often where the deepest change actually begins. We unpack what real self-care looks like during thi...

In this episode of the Resiliently Rising Podcast, Carrie Holladay talks with Tammy Gustafson, LPC - trauma-informed therapist, founder of Betrayal Healing / Live Free Counseling, host of the Betrayal Healing Conference, and author of Broken to Brave: Your Courageous Act of Healing After Intimate Betrayal. Tammy shares her personal betrayal story and what she’s learned from years of helping b...

In this episode, Carrie and David talk about why silence after betrayal doesn’t feel neutral…it feels like being left alone in the wreckage. They explore what’s happening in the nervous system for both the betrayed partner and the betrayer, why avoidance can come from fear and shame, and how “not wanting to make it worse” can actually deepen the disconnect. You’ll hear what helps instead…how to in...

Episode Summary: Somatic Safety Session:  Come Back Into Your Body | Orienting + Felt Sense Betrayal trauma can pull you out of your body and into survival mode — hypervigilance, overthinking, numbness, or overwhelm. This gentle, trauma-informed somatic practice is designed to help you slowly and safely come back into the present moment. ✨ In this practice, you’ll experience: • Gentle educat...

In this first What You’re Wondering episode, Carrie and David respond to a listener’s question about what happens when there’s a slip or relapse during betrayal healing. They explore why healing isn’t linear, how any return to secrecy or unsafe behavior impacts the nervous system of the betrayed partner, and why arguing over labels matters far less than addressing impact and restoring safety. From...