The Rising Beyond Podcast

Abusers who use coercive control don’t just manipulate one person—they manipulate everyone around them, including their own children. As a protective parent, whether you’ve left the relationship or are still navigating it, how can you empower your child to recognize manipulation and maintain their sense of self? In this episode, we dive deep into: ✔️ How coercive control tactics—like triangulation...

As you start healing from coercive control and domestic violence within your relationship, it is likely that you will start to have revelations about other relationships in your life. Patterns and experiences in your family of origin, specifically with your parents may come to the forefront, especially if there was physical or emotional abandonment.   We welcome Kaytee Gillis, LCSW back to The Ris...

Language shapes how we see ourselves, our experiences, and our healing journey. In this episode of The Rising Beyond Podcast, we’re diving into why words matter for survivors of domestic violence—how they can be used to manipulate and harm, and how they can also be reclaimed to empower and heal. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:  ✔️ The power of survivor language vs. the gaslighting words abusers...

Being able to share your experiences of coercive control and domestic violence in a way that is credible is imperative if you are dealing with any larger systems or trying to get support from friends and family. And this is something survivors of abuse struggle with. In this episode of The Rising Beyond Podcast we look at not only the importance of sharing a credible story, but the common challeng...

How often have you felt voice-less and silenced as a survivor of coercive control and domestic violence? Survivors are voice-less when living in the relationship with their abuser.  They also often do not get a chance to speak their truth in family court or within any other larger systems either. And so when you are in a place where you want to be heard and decide to make things more public, it is...

Supervised visitation and therapeutic visitation are meant to provide safety and structure for children and families navigating complex custody dynamics. But what happens when there are no regulations, inconsistent oversight, and a severe lack of training among those facilitating these visits? In this episode, I share real-life stories, my experiences getting trained, and the major concerns with h...

Even though you’ve left the relationship, do you still feel embarrassed when you remember the way your ex treated others? Do you find yourself cringing at memories of their public outbursts, apologizing for their past behavior, or worrying that others judge you because of them? This lingering sense of responsibility is called vicarious shame—when you feel embarrassed on behalf of someone else’s ac...

What if the key to your post-separation freedom wasn’t fighting for control, but letting go of what’s beyond it? Imagine reclaiming your energy by focusing only on what you can control, even in the face of narcissistic abuse or coercive control. How might that shift your healing journey? Our guest Karen McMahon is a divorce coach specializing in supporting survivors of narcissistic abuse. Karen sh...

You are likely listening to The Rising Beyond Podcast because of coercive control and abuse within a romantic relationship.  Unfortunately coercive control often shows up in other relationships as well and can have long term impacts on your mental health and wellness and can interfere with your healing journey. Many of my clients have experienced what they often call a “test” of their healing.  Th...

If you are a survivor in the battle ground of family court, would you say that your attorney is representing you well? Do you feel heard?   Or maybe you do not have the financial means to even hire an attorney. And so you find yourself going pro se.  Representing yourself in family court.  This can be extremely scary and it is possible that you will be able to do an even better job going pro se th...

Have you ever felt like your entire life is consumed by the chaos of post-separation abuse? What if I told you that there’s a part of you—a healing self—that can exist outside of the constant stress and conflict? And what if you could nurture that part of you, even in the middle of everything you're facing? There is the delicate balance between the part of you that is stuck in survival mode—m...

When you finally realize that you are being abused in your relationship and that your partner is a narcissist, it can hit you like a ton of bricks. In this episode, I have a conversation with Mita Begum on her experience of realizing that she had been in two different abusive relationships after watching a video on Tik Tok and what she did to start getting her power back before even leaving her re...

Explore the transformative power of creativity as a tool for processing emotions and reclaiming your identity after abuse. Learn how engaging in creative expression can help rewire your brain, improve your mood, and reconnect you to your true self. We’ll dive into: Why creativity is particularly powerful for survivors of trauma. Insights from The Body Keeps the Score on how trauma affects brain fu...

We’re diving deep into the world of triggers. A common and often overwhelming experience for survivors of trauma and abuse. We’ll explore what triggers are, why they happen, and how they can actually become opportunities for healing and growth. Whether you’re just beginning your recovery journey or you’re further along, this episode offers practical tools and validation to help you navigate trigge...

Why is it that we can understand the abuse we suffered, understand why we are hypervigilant, and yet not see the progress we are hoping for on the healing front? The trauma of an abusive, narcissistic and coercively controlling relationship affects survivors in such a way that we cannot just think our way out of it.  Your brains and nervous systems have been re-wired to protect you and your surviv...

If you’re a survivor navigating family court, co-parenting with an abusive ex, and just trying to make it through another day, goal-setting might feel like an impossible task. Even though it is a new year, you are expecting the same old BS from your co-parent and the family court system. In this episode, we explore how to set meaningful goals for the year ahead—even when life feels like it’s stuck...

One of the most devastating consequences of coercive control and domestic abuse is the stripping away of the victim’s identity and sense of self. The emotional and psychological abuse leads victims to feel incapable of doing even small tasks that may once have felt easy, let alone the belief that one can follow their dreams. What if finding a way to take that first step towards your dreams could c...

What can we learn from all that happened in 2024? In this episode, I share some of the top themes that I have seen throughout the year based on the most listened to podcast episodes, my communications with the other advocates fighting for survivors of coercive control and domestic violence, and most importantly the clients and community members I have the honor to walk alongside every day. I have...

Post separation abuse resources are still scarce even though it is no longer a secret that abuse continues after a victim leaves the relationship. Feeling like you are on your own as you read and respond to your co-parent’s messages in your co-parenting app or as you search through hundreds of messages to find that one thread that your attorney has asked you to find by the end of the day is common...

Navigating the family court system with an abusive ex can feel like an endless, uphill battle.  And with our current system broken and the current state of our world, the idea of “finding hope” and positivity may not feel possible. In this episode, we explore how to find steadiness and strength when hope feels out of reach. Instead of relying on external outcomes, we discuss how cultivating resili...

Do you ever feel like you are stuck in your head? It may mean that you need to get out of your thoughts and into your body and emotions. On this week’s episode we do a deep dive with Bre Wolta, a relationship coach and certified EFT practitioner, on her experiences leaving an abusive relationship and the invaluable lessons about boundaries, self-worth, and the illusion of "potential land” she...

What does the family court system and other systems need to know about the realistic time it will take someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) or those who are high on the continuum of narcissism to actually change? That is if they are willing to change. And if you are struggling to leave, hoping that your partner will make the changes they have promised, what do you need to know? In...

Transparency is a requirement for any meaningful change in our family court system for survivors of domestic violence and narcissistic abuse.  This is extremely apparent when you hear the horror stories of survivors day after day of their time and retraumatization in family court. And just recently, the curtain has been pulled back to allow the world to see what is really going on when a survivor...

Coercive control and dv thrive in secrecy and so for many reasons victims lose their voices in the process of these relationships.   Once a victim has left they have to make the decision of what parts of their story to share and with whom.  This is especially important when a victim finds themselves in the family court system trying to protect their family. When facing a divorce with your abusive...

Are awareness and education the best option for decreasing the rates of domestic violence and coercive control? While it is important, we have been bringing awareness to the public since 1987 and it doesn’t feel like a lot has changed. What I believe will have the most impact is accountability for those that perpetrate family violence and coercive control on others? And I am not the only one.  But...