Bitch Is A Bad Word: A Domestic Violence Podcast on Healing and Empowerment

Trauma doesn't just affect your mind and spirit - it can deeply affect your body, manifesting as chronic illnesses. And now there is scientific evidence linking the two - if we work on healing the trauma, the body recovers, too. Adriana Bucci is a life coach and narcissistic abuse survivor who helps people untangle the invisible threads between trauma, toxic relationships, and chronic pain. She sh...

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains real accounts of domestic violence, coercive control, stalking, knife attack, and self-defense. Listener discretion strongly advised. Terra Newell and her sister desperately tried to get her mom, Debra Newell, to leave her stepfather. Sometimes it worked, but only temporarily at best. Debra would always go back. Then on August 20, 2016, Terra was ambushed...

She thought she married a charming, successful man. Instead, she ended up trapped in a controlling, emotionally abusive marriage that nearly broke her. In this episode of Bitch Is A Bad Word, journalist and divorce coach Amy Polacko opens up about her own experience with a covert narcissist—a partner who manipulated, isolated, and gaslit her behind closed doors. She explains how smart, accomplishe...

In Part 2 of Lynn’s story, we explore a chilling truth many survivors face: the abuse doesn’t stop when the relationship ends. It just moves to the courtroom. Lynn’s ex didn’t just gaslight and control her at home—he took that manipulation into family court , painting himself as the victim, filing false reports, and using the legal system to financially drain and emotionally torture her. In this e...

JOIN the BIABW PATREON and DISCORD SERVER where we're building our Bestie community! On Discord, we've created a safe space where you can connect anonymously with others and share. And on Patreon, I "spill the tea" all week long as well as have all the episodes available ad-free! Join at patreon.com/BitchIsABadWord STAY UPDATED & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://www.caliber-studio.com/bitc...

In this episode of Bitch Is a Bad Word, Stephanie Strickland shares a story so many women will recognize—even if they don’t yet have the words for it. She thought she had the life she wanted: a husband, a home, a child. But behind closed doors, things weren’t adding up. Her husband controlled the money, twisted the truth, and left her questioning her own reality. There were no bruises. But there w...

In this episode of Bitch Is a Bad Word, we speak with Sara Davison—divorce coach, author, and survivor—about something many people face but don’t know how to name: being stuck in a relationship that slowly chips away at your confidence, independence, and sense of self. Sara explains how control can look like love, how you start ignoring red flags, and how to finally break free—even when you still...

JOIN the BIABW PATREON and DISCORD SERVER where we're building our Bestie community! On Discord, we've created a safe space where you can connect anonymously with others and share. And on Patreon, I "spill the tea" all week long as well as have all the episodes available ad-free! Join at patreon.com/BitchIsABadWord STAY UPDATED & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://www.caliber-studio.com/bitc...

In this powerful episode of B!tch is a Bad Word, host Lindsay sits down with Dr. Christine Cocchiola—researcher, advocate, and expert in coercive control—to expose the form of domestic abuse that leaves no bruises but devastates lives. Together, they unpack how coercive control erodes autonomy, uses children as weapons, and creates “death by a thousand paper cuts” for survivors. Dr. Cocchiola shar...

In this raw and emotional episode of Bitch Is a Bad Word, survivor Loren Gray shares her powerful story of escaping a covertly abusive relationship while raising a young child. Loren’s story sheds light on the often-missed signs of coercive control, financial abuse, emotional manipulation, and the deep trauma that can exist even without physical violence. What begins as a seemingly perfect relatio...

What if the person you love slowly takes away your freedom — not with fists, but with control over your money, your choices, and your self-worth? In this episode of Bitch Is A Bad Word , Jared Melo shares his story of how emotional manipulation and financial control kept him trapped in a toxic relationship. From paychecks being taken, to credit ruined, to being told he was “crazy,” Jared walks us...

What happens when your partner controls every dollar you spend, monitors your bank account, or sabotages your ability to work? This is financial abuse — one of the most powerful tools an abuser uses to trap you in a relationship. Produced in partnership with The National Domestic Violence Hotline for National Financial Abuse Awareness Day , this episode of Bitch Is A Bad Word dives deep into how f...

What really happens when you try couples therapy with a narcissist — and why it can make things worse? If you're in couples counseling, you NEED to listen to this episode! In this unfiltered conversation, Dr. Jamie Zuckerman (“Dr. Z”), a nationally recognized psychologist and narcissistic abuse expert, joins Lindsay to break down how abusers use therapy, gift-giving, and everyday moments to keep c...

In this powerful and emotional episode of Bitch Is a Bad Word, survivor and advocate Lynn shares her harrowing journey through childhood trauma, reproductive coercion, intimate partner violence, emotional abuse, and sexual assault—including surviving strangulation and rape. Lynn bravely recounts her experience growing up with a compulsive gambler father, enduring multiple abusive relationships, an...

In this powerful and emotional podcast episode, Lindsay welcomes advocate and survivor Courtney Gilmartin to unpack the insidious nature of coercive control, post-separation abuse, and the long game survivors must play to reclaim their lives. Courtney shares her deeply personal story of entering an abusive relationship at 19, marrying young, and eventually recognizing the subtle but devastating pa...

What happens when you accidentally launch a podcast about narcissistic abuse and end up becoming a lifeline for survivors around the world? In this unfiltered episode of Bitch Is a Bad Word, Lindsay sits down with the OG, Brandon Chadwick, host of the Narcissist Apocalypse podcast. What started as a comedy experiment turned into six years of holding space for survivors of narcissistic and emo...

What if the success you’ve been chasing isn’t what you actually want anymore? In this bold and enlightening episode of  Bitch Is a Bad Word , Lindsay sits down with career strategist and reinvention expert Daisy Swan to talk about what happens when the ladder you’ve been climbing suddenly feels like it’s up against the wrong wall. From Wall Street burnout to Malibu surfing, Daisy has helped t...

What happens when a survivor breaks free from strangulation, abuse, and a broken system — and finds her voice to fight back? In this honest and gripping episode of  Bitch Is a Bad Word , Lindsay sits down with Staci, a survivor of domestic violence and strangulation by a repeat offender still walking free. Staci shares her courageous journey through trauma, the failures of the...

So you're still toeing the line, trying to "be reasonable" for court, still hoping you can co-parent with someone who thrives on chaos. This week on  Bitch Is a Bad Word , Jackie Miller - divorce strategist, high-conflict coach, and professional BS caller - joins Lindsay to break down the narcissist's post-separation playbook. We’re talking: Why co-parenting with a narcissist is a setup The p...

What happens when a mother drops her daughter off at school—and never sees her again? In this gut-wrenching episode of  Bitch Sesh , Lindsay sits down with “M,” a doctor, mother, and fierce advocate who dropped her daughter off at school one morning and never saw her come home. It’s been 262 days. No warning, no goodbye. Just a so-called “temporary” custody order that became a silent sentence...

What happens when the narcissist loses control of  you  and starts targeting your kids instead? In this raw and revealing episode of  Bitch Is a Bad Word , Lindsay sits down with high-conflict divorce strategist Victoria McCooey, who shares what every woman needs to know before leaving a narcissistic or abusive partner and what’s waiting on the other side when you do it with strateg...

What happens when the man who once felt like home becomes the reason you fear for your safety? In this gripping episode of  Bitch Sesh,  Lindsay sits down with Nelsy, a veteran, mother, and survivor of a long-term abusive relationship that began with a single slap and spiraled into years of coercive control. It started in the barracks, with charm, attention, and tenderness… and it ended...

What if the thing that makes you lovable is the very thing an abuser uses to trap you? In this unforgettable episode of  Bitch Is a Bad Word , I sit down with Leslie Morgan Steiner—author of the New York Times bestseller  Crazy Love , TEDx speaker, and former editor at  Seventeen  to unravel how a smart, successful Harvard grad found herself isolated, gaslit, manipulated, and e...

What if your body knew the truth before your brain could catch up? In this riveting episode of  Bitch Is a Bad Word , I sit down with Kelly Sutliff, a trauma-informed psychotherapist, domestic abuse survivor, and founder of Kelly’s Canines—a nonprofit providing canine support for survivors of trauma. Despite her professional training, Kelly found herself entangled in a high-speed relationship...

What if the chaos you’re in feels familiar—because it  is ? In this validating and unflinching episode of  Bitch Is a Bad Word , I’m joined by somatic trauma expert Phoenix Gould for a conversation that will hit home for anyone who’s ever loved someone who flipped from warm to cruel in seconds—and made you feel like it was your fault. We explore the terrifying emotional terrain of narcis...