The Audacious Life - Break Free

Identifying Green Flags: 7 Markers of a Healthy Relationship In this episode, Steph discusses the characteristics of healthy relationships, especially in the context of those who have experienced toxic or narcissistic dynamics who may not have a sense of what a "healthy relationship" even is. With Father's Day approaching, the importance of recognizing positive relationship markers is emphasized....

 Was It Trauma...or a Brain Injury? In this raw, in-the-car episode, I open up about something I've never fully talked about — the invisible symptoms of post-concussion syndrome and how they've affected my life and recovery. After overdoing it on a bike ride, I fell into a physical and cognitive relapse that left me confused, exhausted, and deeply frustrated. I now know it was a resurgence of TBI...

Stop Talking About Narcissists - Why Celebrating YOUR Wins Is The Path To Healing   After 10 years of podcasting about narcissistic abuse, I've realized something critical: we've been giving narcissists exactly what they want - attention. It's time for a movement where we stop obsessing over abusers and start celebrating ourselves!   In this powerful episode, I explain why focusing on "red flags"...

How I broke Free From Fear and Overwhelm with Prayer 🙏 Breaking free from overwhelming fear through the power of prayer transformed my life. Hear my journey of finding peace and spiritual strength. In this heartfelt video and audio, I share my transformative journey over the past few months, recounting a powerful spiritual awakening that reconnected me with God ✝️.  I discuss how this 'come to Je...

Massachusetts Passes Coercive Control Bill! What this Means for Survivors In this episode, I discuss the recent passing of the Coercive Control Bill in Massachusetts, the celebration I attended with many incredible survivors and advocates. And what the passing of the bill means for survivors of domestic abuse.  Key Points: Massachusetts unanimously passed the Coercive Control Bill, becoming the 7t...

I'm excited to share this interview because this is a service that I wish I had years ago. Legal help without breaking the bank? Yes, it's possible!  Ever wished you had a lawyer on speed dial, but thought it was way out of your budget? Think again! In this eye-opening combo episode of 'The Audacious Life and The Audacious Mama Show,' I sit down with Kamerane Gatlin to chat about a game-changing l...

Healing is in the air! Ready to break free from narcissistic abuse? Discover these 5 essential books to help you heal, release the fear, and rebuild your life. Learn how to break free from toxic patterns, regain your self-esteem, and find inner peace.     Steph discusses the need to focus on healing from narcissistic abuse through recommended resources, emphasizing the importance of moving beyond...

When we seek validation about narcissistic abuse, we think it's helping us heal. But be warned: The Truth About Narcissistic Abuse Validation is not what we think. We're drawn to memes and videos that validate our experience, comfort us, and maybe even help us feel seen...and sane. But is this the best thing for us to heal and grow beyond the abusive programming? In this episode, I'm sharing some...

Bethenny's Mom Passed - what happened to the divorce videos? Bethenny Frankel was on a role sharing about her messy 10-year divorce and my last podcast was all about this. But what happened to Bethenny's divorce videos?"  When she decided to share about her divorce, I was ecstatic and shared why I think she'll be a solid, outspoken catalyst for awareness around emotional abuse, coercive control, a...

Bethenny Frankel's Messy 10-Year Divorce - She's Sharing So We Can Learn As a longtime fan of Bethenny Frankel, I've been waiting for her to share more about her relationship with her former husband and father of their daughter, Bryn.   As outspoken as she is, she clearly had a gag order in place for many years. And she now considers herself an "expert on Divorce" as she  researched and dug deep t...

Fueling Healthy Thoughts: Overcoming Darkness and Transformative Resilience In this episode I have some raw and vulnerable moments about this year and reflect on what I believe I need to work on with my own stinkin' thinkin'. Being more intentional with what we feed our minds is essential in turning things around, creating hope in our lives, and being a light in the darkness.  It was recorded on M...

New Study Uncovers the 16 Early Warnings Signs of Emotionally Abusive Partners In this episode, I dive into brand new research that pinpoints behaviors you should look out for early on in a romantic relationship that could indicate your partner has the potential for emotional abuse, physical violence, and controlling tactics down the road. The study comes from the University of Western Ontario in...

How to get more of Lundy Bancroft? That's one of the most common questions I get. People often ask where Lundy Bancroft is and they want more access to his work. Lundy has a program called the Peak Living Network (PLN) that helps with emotional healing and recovery.  And as a gesture of support through this holiday season and into the New Year, I want to share some of the best places to find Lundy...

Why Become an Entrepreneur as a Survivor of Narcissistic Abuse? In this podcast episode, Steph discusses the advantages of entrepreneurship for mothers who have survived narcissistic or toxic abuse. Steph shares that being an entrepreneur provides a sense of independence and control, which is empowering after experiencing control in a previous relationship. Starting a business can rebuild confiden...

Hello! I hope you're well and caring for yourself through this emotionally turbulent time. In this episode, I'm letting you know where I am with the podcast and my current goals as I manage major life challenges with my children and, like everyone else, do my best to keep my chin up in the midst of life.   I'm sharing that I'm shifting a bit to focus on my other podcast, Audacious Mamas, to help a...

Hello, this week I'm talking about the mental cage we have in our minds. It's that thing that stops us from being our best selves, our true selves, from honoring the voice that was once there and was slowly eroded by the programming of toxic relationships, specifically those where coercive control and manipulation are at play. One consistent pattern I've seen with myself and fellow survivors of em...

It's Thanksgiving, and I'm sending a big thanks to all who are listening and sending love and appreciation to you. I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!  Today I have Jessica Perkins, Toy Maker, Parent Coach, and homeschooling mom of three. I wanted to interview Jessica to share her story, her Table Talk connection cards for families to improve communication--not just at the table anywhere you have...

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I've missed you! I love podcasting. I love creating content. And I so love being able to help people and earn a living. These past two months have been rough, and I don't want to sugarcoat what my kids and I have been through. I definitely wouldn't wish it on anyone.  So this episode is about what life throws our way and how we as caregivers will likely take a hit when someone gets sick, needs to...

Here's Game #2 to Make this the Best Year of Your Life! Play along each round and report back how it went. Last round was about making powerful requests of any size aka practicing asking for what we want. Score points for this and track them. Each request earned 150 points! I'll be giving away books and creative prizes as we move through the year. So hang on to those sheets! Or screenshot them and...

I recorded this video in June and sat on it. It's one of many I recorded in response to my channel's Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial and comments. I recorded another response last week, but this original is more natural, so I decided to let it flow without editing. I've been asked questions, and here finally responding to some of what came up while I was posting, including suggestions to have Lundy...

There's no question that these are dark times. I accept that. Heaps of doom and gloom are being served to us, and it's nearly impossible to dodge. Important news and events impact our lives and the lives of fellow humans. But dwelling in the darkness doesn't serve us, and we will all be better off finding ways to reach for and stay in the light.   I believe that when we're in dark times, it's a go...

Stephanie Pianades went into Massachusetts family court looking for help. That was it. One little thing. She went in looking for one help with one little thing, and it snowballed into a monumental challenge that altered her life and the life of her 10-year-old daughter, and as she says, "it will never go back to the way it was." This interview is a cautionary tale about Family Court Abuse, Parenta...

    Many of us are busy watching or actively avoiding the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial. It's triggering, and I've felt it myself. I've had to walk away many days because it's too much. As I've mentioned, I have another interview coming up with Stephanie Pianades, that's important an important case for parents related to custody and flipping the script. I know it will be triggering. As a parent...

  Mother's Day - Honoring Moms through loss - celebrating YOU! Man, it has been a crazy wild last two years, and I was thinking about this episode and how to honor moms and all that moms have been through because I think of all that people have been through, the most significant weight has been put upon mothers and mother figures, caregivers, for sure, over the last two years. And so some moms are...