Real Talk with Lisa Sonni: Relationships Uncensored

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! Coercive Control: When You’re “Allowed” to Choose, But Pay for It | Lindsay Stoker If you’ve ever been “allowed” to do something, then paid for it with pressure, silence, tracking, or fear, this episode names that pattern. Lisa Sonni sits down with Lindsay Stoker , a 20-year stenographic court reporter and author of the forthcoming book Th...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! How Abusers Use Technology to Track, Watch & Control You | Dr. Christine Cocchiola If “I just worry about you” or “text me when you get there” has ever felt more like monitoring than care, this episode explains why. Lisa Sonni sits down with Dr. Christine Cocchiola , whose work in domestic violence, sexual assault crisis, and protectiv...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! If you’ve ever felt like the household manager while your partner acts helpless, this episode brings the nuance most conversations miss. Lisa Sonni sits down with Paige Turner , a mother of four and creator who talks about marriage, motherhood, and domestic labor, to unpack where weaponized incompetence ends and ordinary friction begins. ...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! If you’ve ever been hurt, reacted, and then watched your reaction become the only thing that mattered, this episode names that pattern clearly. Lisa Sonni sits down with therapist Dr. Les Carter , who brings more than 40 years of experience in counseling, anger management, and emotional wellness, to unpack why narcissistic abuse feels so d...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! You Don’t Need to Trust Men. You Need to Trust Yourself to Leave. | Sarah Robles If you’ve ever felt terrified of dating again after abuse, this episode offers both validation and a clear path forward. Lisa Sonni sits down with Sarah Robles to explore how survivors can rebuild self-trust, recognize red flags, and navigate the complex proce...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! Former Secret Service Agent: You Don’t Need Proof, You Need the Pattern | Brad Beeler If you’ve ever been told to “wait for proof” before trusting your gut, this episode will set you free. Lisa Sonni sits down with retired Secret Service agent and author Brad Beeler to reveal why pattern recognition is far more powerful than waiting for ha...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! The Most Effective Way To Lie | Dr. Abby Minaro If you’ve ever felt like something was off but couldn’t quite put your finger on the lie, this episode reveals exactly how abusers craft believable deception. Lisa Sonni sits down with behavioral scientist, author, and deception expert Dr. Abby Minaro (Dr. Abby Morono) to unpack the strategic...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! The Science Behind Why He Won’t Change | Dr. Justin Nussbaum If you’ve ever wondered why some people seem incapable of real change no matter how much therapy, pleading, or effort goes in, this episode delivers the science that explains it. Lisa Sonni sits down with Dr. Justin Nussbaum to break down the genetics and neuroscience behind pers...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! If you’ve ever wondered why abusers do what they do, whether therapy actually works for them, or how we can truly break the generational cycle of domestic violence — this episode gives you clear, compassionate, and unflinching answers. Lisa Sonni sits down with Stephen Ng (also known as Steven Ng), a seasoned Marriage and Family Therapist...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! If you’ve ever recognized the abuse but felt completely paralyzed and unable to leave, this episode explains exactly why that happens and how to break free. Lisa Sonni speaks with Chelli Pumphrey , a trauma-informed therapist specializing in attachment and relational healing.  Drawing from both professional expertise and her own lived expe...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! If you’ve ever been cheated on, then blamed for it while he expected you to just move on and stay, this episode will validate your experience and cut through the confusion. Lisa Sonni sits down with Dr. Kathy Nickelson to explore the dangerous overlap between infidelity and abusive, controlling behavior. They break down why cheating in abu...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! In this episode, Dr. Nadine Macaluso — trauma bond expert and survivor of narcissistic abuse — reveals the sophisticated con tactics narcissists use to manipulate, trap, and control their partners. Drawing from her personal journey as the real-life ex-wife of the Wolf of Wall Street and her clinical expertise, she explains the stages of ab...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! If you’ve ever heard “women just lie for attention,” “false accusations are ruining men’s lives,” or wondered why so many survivors wait years to speak up—this episode cuts through the noise with honesty and evidence. Lisa Sonni sits down with Reagan (Reagan Reacts / Buckle Up Babes), a sharp content creator who breaks down abuse, miscondu...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! If you've ever felt terrified to date again after abuse, wondered why your "radar" keeps failing you, or questioned how to trust yourself (and others) moving forward—this episode is going to validate everything you've sensed and give you clear, practical tools to move forward with confidence. Canada’s Dating Coach Chant...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! If you've ever been told your standards are too high, that you're trying to change him, or that real love means accepting everything he does - this episode is going to name something you've been feeling for a long time but maybe couldn't say out loud. Therapist, educator, and LCSW Aishia Grevenberg is back for her third...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! You know what gaslighting is. ”You're too sensitive.” ”I was just joking.” ”That never happened.” But there is a version of gaslighting that is much harder to name. It does not announce itself. It works slowly, through tone and framing and forgetfulness and calm. And by the time you notice it, you have already started doubting your ow...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! If you have ever wondered whether you are the toxic one, the narcissist, the problem…that question is not a coincidence, it was put there on purpose. Lisa sits down with Emma Davey, trauma-informed counsellor and master's candidate in the psychology of coercive and controlling behaviour, to break down exactly how abusive men flip the...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! You knew it was coming. Maybe not the exact moment, but you felt it building. The tension in the room. The stillness before it broke. Your nervous system clocked it before your brain caught up. That's pattern recognition, and there's a reason these conflicts follow a script. Lisa sits down with Bill Eddy, lawyer, therapist, media...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! You keep trying to make sense of it.  Maybe he didn’t mean it. Maybe you misunderstood. Maybe you’re overthinking. The reality? Confusion is not the problem. It’s the outcome. When someone can hurt you and comfort you in the same breath, your brain tries to reconcile two realities that don’t belong together. He loves you and he harms you....

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! "Physical touch is his love language." "If you loved him, you'd just do it." "If you were having more sex with him, maybe he wouldn't cheat."  You've heard these. Maybe you've even believed them. These aren't relationship truths. They're the exact language used to override your in...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! You didn’t become someone else overnight. You were shaped into someone who could survive him. It starts quietly. The confidence he once admired becomes “too much.” Your opinions become “dramatic.” Slowly, almost imperceptibly, you begin editing yourself to keep the peace. What feels like compromise is actually erosion. In this conversation...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! You were never “too sensitive.” You were surrounded by lies repeated so often they started to feel like truth.  Abuse is rare.  Women lie.  Men and women do it equally.  None of these are facts, and believing them keeps you stuck questioning your own reality. In this conversation, Lisa sits down with Brent McLearie, creator of the “These A...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! Sexual entitlement isn’t “a relationship issue.” It’s a belief system. It’s the mindset that your body comes with the marriage, the title, the ring, the label, the contract, the “needs.” It’s the idea that your availability lives on standby, no matter how he treats you, no matter what your body feels, no matter what your nervous system is...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! In this episode of Real Talk with Lisa Sonni: Relationships Uncensored, Lisa speaks with Angela Van, CEO of Family Court Corner, about the realities of divorcing and co-parenting with an abusive or highly destructive partner. Angela shares lessons from her own ten-year custody battle—one that reached the Supreme Court of Canada—and explain...

Send Lisa a question for her to reply in a future episode! Couples therapy is not the place to sort out coercive control. Full stop. But I also get why women end up there anyway, because when your relationship is messy, you’re trying to name what’s happening. Is it stress. Is it trauma. Is it aggression. Is it abuse. And when you’re living inside it, it can all blur. I sat down with Dr. Marina Ros...