WHEN DATING HURTS

Before diving in, please note: This episode contains graphic descriptions of emotional abuse, physical abuse, gun violence, and explicit intimate sexual situations. It's not suitable for all audiences, especially those sensitive to themes of dating violence or domestic abuse. Listener discretion is advised. The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast focuses on authentic experiences without sensationalism. Our...

For a long time, I have wanted to share some chapters from my WHEN DATING HURTS book with you. I am happy to have this for you now. This is part two of a two lengthy episodes. In this case, lengthy means I am sharing a lot... The WHEN DATING HURTS book is a memoir about my daughter Kristin's murder in 2005 due to dating violence. Reviews describe it as having short, gripping chapters that mix raw...

For a long time, I have wanted to share some chapters from my WHEN DATING HURTS book with you. I am happy to have this for you now. This is part one of a two lengthy episodes. In this case, lengthy means I am sharing a lot... The WHEN DATING HURTS book is a memoir about my daughter Kristin's murder in 2005 due to dating violence. Reviews describe it as having short, gripping chapters that mix raw...

Most of the episodes in this podcast are populated with survivors telling their stories. But there are many more survivors who are not prepared to be interviewed and have their full stories heard around the entire world. For this very special episode, we asked survivors to either record or email us stories. The recorded stories include the actual voice of survivors. If survivors emailed us their s...

Trigger Warning / Content Disclaimer: This episode contains explicit discussions of heavy drug use, narcissistic manipulation, physical violence, attempted murder, and life-threatening domestic violence. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This is the real-life survivor story that shows dating abuse and domestic violence can happen to anyone — in Ontario, Canada, the U.S., Australia, South Am...

Trigger Warning / Content Disclaimer: This episode contains explicit discussions of heavy drug use, narcissistic manipulation, physical violence, attempted murder, and life-threatening domestic violence. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This is the real-life survivor story that shows dating abuse and domestic violence can happen to anyone — in Ontario, Canada, the U.S., Australia, South Am...

Trigger Warning / Content Disclaimer: This episode contains explicit discussions of heavy drug use, narcissistic manipulation, physical violence, attempted murder, and life-threatening domestic violence. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This is the real-life survivor story that shows dating abuse and domestic violence can happen to anyone — in Ontario, Canada, the U.S., Australia, South Am...

Trigger Warning / Content Disclaimer This episode contains explicit discussions of heavy drug use, narcissistic manipulation, physical violence, and attempted murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised. From the outside, people always ask the same two questions about toxic and abusive relationships: “Why didn’t you just leave?” “Why are you still seeing this person?” This is one of those stor...

Trigger Warning / Content Disclaimer This episode contains explicit discussions of heavy drug use, narcissistic manipulation, physical violence, and attempted murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised. From the outside, people always ask the same two questions about toxic and abusive relationships: “Why didn’t you just leave?” “Why are you still seeing this person?” This is one of those stor...

Trigger Warning / Content Disclaimer This raw, true survivor story contains explicit details of heavy drug use, narcissistic abuse, physical violence, and attempted murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised. In this powerful episode of When Dating Hurts, we interview Abe, now 20 years old. Before diving in, we strongly recommend listening to episodes 310 and 311 where Abe’s mother, Heather,...

Trigger Warning / Content Disclaimer: This raw, true survivor story contains explicit details of heavy drug use, narcissistic abuse, physical violence, and attempted murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Heather bravely steps forward to share her unfiltered journey in this two-part series. Many assume drugs were the root of her nightmare — but Heather makes one thing crystal clear: drug...

Heather's Powerful Survivor's Story: Overcoming Narcissistic Abuse, Domestic Violence, Drug Addiction & Attempted Murder – Part 1 of 2 Trigger Warning / Content Disclaimer: This raw, true survivor story contains explicit details of heavy drug use, narcissistic abuse, physical violence, and attempted murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Heather bravely steps forward to share her unfilte...

Dr. Diane Mueller is a leading naturopathic doctor with dual doctorates in naturopathic medicine and acupuncture & Oriental medicine. As a best-selling author, international speaker, and founder of the acclaimed sexuality education center MyLibidoDoc.com, she has helped thousands of women and couples reclaim their confidence, libido, and relationships. She hosts The Libido Lounge podcast — the #1...

Hello, it's Bill Mitchell, your host of WHEN DATING HURTS. Here's what I'd like for you to do: I am inviting you, our WHEN DATING HURTS listeners, to contribute a 2-3 minute audio recording of your survivor story (or your thoughts about dating abuse or domestic violence) to be included in a future episode. This initiative is specifically for those of you who may not want to do a full interview, bu...

Why this interview matters If you’ve ever been stalked, controlled, or feared for your safety while trying to leave a toxic relationship, this conversation is for you. In this powerful stalking interview, Texas divorce lawyer and former Associate Judge Michele Locke breaks down exactly how stalking works, how it escalates into domestic violence, and what legal tools actually protect victims — espe...

Hello, it's Bill Mitchell, your host of WHEN DATING HURTS. Here's what I'd like for you to do: I am inviting you, our WHEN DATING HURTS listeners, to contribute a 2-3 minute audio recording of your survivor story (or your thoughts about dating abuse or domestic violence) to be included in a future episode. This initiative is specifically for those of you who may not want to do a full interview, bu...

This is part two of my interview with Nichole Schmidt, the Mother of Gabby Petito. Most of you remember the Gabby Petito story as it unfolded on national news across this country. When the reports said this young woman, traveling in a van out west with her boyfriend, had not been heard from for days, I admit I thought he probably killed her. Unfortunately, my intuition was correct. I wanted to spe...

This is part one of our two-part interview with Nichole Schmidt , the Mother of Gabby Petito. Most of you remember the Gabby Petito story as it unfolded on national news across this country. When the reports said this young woman, traveling in a van out west with her boyfriend, had not been heard from for days, I admit I thought he probably killed her. Unfortunately, my intuition was correct. I wa...

We are bringing back one of our most educational episodes. It was recorded a few years back soon after we met Nurse Laura Clary at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Listen to Ms. Clary and see domestic violence from her point of view as a professional. Few have as many credentials added to their names as this amazing woman. Allow me to introduce you to Laura Clary, BSN, RN, FNE-A/P, SANE-A. Th...

In this episode, you will hear what the world says about WHEN DATING HURTS heading into 2026. An open-ended search underscored what we have been trying to accomplish is being achieved. We could not be happier. You should listen. We gathered a lot of information, then we used a computer-generated voice to read it back for us. In 2026, we look forward to delivering more episodes with survivors descr...

Has it ended? Not yet. Not in the mind of Marcus. We are re-releasing this episode because it is so strong showing the warning signs we mention so often on WHEN DATING HURTS. Jill began dating Marcus when she was 16. He was a few years older but seemed to be everything she wanted. Unfortunately, he brought plenty of trouble with him. Listen to Jill, who lives in Canada, as she takes us through fal...

On our "End of 2025" episode, it's just me answering your questions. I hope this is the kind of information you would like to hear. The questions are ones I hear most often from listeners. I hope you have a healthy and happy holiday season. This time of year is stressful for a lot of us–especially when we have lost loved ones. I try my best to focus on what is here now. I appreciate this podcast i...

We are excited to have Anna Astwood return. Anna's first visit was in early 2025. Anna is a survivor of teen dating violence that occurred about 25 years ago. She has lived with this trauma every day since then. As a survivor of both sexual assault and teen dating violence from the ages of 12 to 18 years old, she knows the pain and the guilt of what relationship violence brings. She knows healing...

This is a very short episode. I explain why I am removing three episodes that ran recently. There were with Michael Clark and his wife, Lynn Clark. When I ran these interviews, it was with the best intentions and expectations. It is clear I was incorrect in what our listeners would accept. My loyalty and respect has to be with my listeners – first and foremost. Many are survivors and some are work...

"Sara" is a domestic violence survivor. She is also my cousin. Sara appeared to be in a perfect marriage. A nice home and three healthy boys. But her ex-husband eventually devolved into a serial abuser. She did all she could to coerce him into getting help, but nothing seemed to work. When living with this man became dangerous, she needed to break free.  Listen to a narrative of patience and coura...