Family Abuse Podcasts Episodes

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon talks with Darlene Thomas, Executive Director of Greenhouse17, a domestic violence shelter and advocacy program in Kentucky built on a 40-acre farm. Darlene shares how Greenhouse17 reimagined shelter by moving away from shame, secrecy, rigid rules, and one-size-fits-all support. Together, they discuss survivor shame, community belonging, financial abuse, economic repair, and why safety is only one part of rebuilding after abuse. Darlene explains ...

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon breaks down the patterns in Tommy’s story, including family scapegoating, public humiliation, body shaming, circular conversations, and the loss of safety inside the home. Tommy grew up with a father who needed control over the family image, the household rules, and the people around him. As Tommy got older, he became the target of criticism, shame, intimidation, and impossible expectations. In this debrief, Brandon explores how humiliati...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon talks with Tommy, a survivor of childhood abuse who grew up as the scapegoat child of a malicious controlling father. From public humiliation and body shaming to gaslighting, circular logic, physical abuse, and impossible expectations, Tommy spent his childhood walking on eggshells while desperately trying to avoid becoming his father's next target. As the abuse intensified, Tommy learned to stay invisible, seek refuge at friends' homes, and even...

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon Chadwick debriefs Porsha’s story and explores how emotional neglect can be mistaken for independence, especially when a child learns to disappear instead of asking for care. Brandon discusses the lost child role, parentification, covert incest, sexualized boundary violations, enabling, alcoholism as an excuse for abuse, and the painful family message of “you know how he is.” This episode is a reflection on the child who was forgotten, emo...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon talks with Porsha about growing up as the lost child in a family shaped by abuse, alcoholism, enmeshment, and covert incest. Porsha shares how she learned to stay quiet, disappear into books and activities, and survive by becoming as low-maintenance as possible. She also discusses the emotional burden of protecting a parent, the confusion of being sexualized and dismissed, and the long-term impact of being forgotten inside her own famil...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Louise shares the story of a 40-year relationship with a man who always seemed to be in conflict with someone else, until that conflict finally turned toward her. At first, Louise believed she was different. He could argue with colleagues, professionals, institutions, and family members, but with her, he seemed loving, principled, and safe. Over time, Louise’s life became smaller around his needs, his career, his battles, his conspiracy thinking, and his...

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon breaks down the patterns in Blanche’s story, including jealousy as coercive control, the role of an abuser’s family in reinforcing abuse, and the fear, obligation, guilt, and shame that kept Blanche in the relationship longer. Brandon also discusses how post-separation abuse can escalate after a survivor leaves, and why Blanche’s story is a powerful reminder that control often starts small before it takes over someone’s life. *** CONTENT ...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon talks with Blanche about her relationship with a dangerous jealous abuser. What began as jealousy, put-downs, and questions about her past slowly became isolation, physical violence, family-enabled abuse, threats, stalking, and a fight to get free. Blanche shares how her abuser used jealousy as a reason to control what she wore, who she spoke to, where she looked, and how much freedom she had. She also explains how the abuse escalated a...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Angelica tells the story of her controlling physically abusive relationship. Angelica's future husband was her child's martial arts instructor. Angelica saw him as responsible and safe. However, the persona Angelica's husband projected to the outside world was just a facade. Once they got married, Angelica's husband became very controlling, was unfaithful, and became sexually, physically, financially, and emotionally abusive toward her. It's a ...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Remy shares her story of being in a long-term relationship with a jealous and hypocritical abuser. What began as intense attention from someone she remembered from high school slowly became a relationship shaped by accusations, projection, infidelity, physical intimidation, monitoring, and control. Remy talks about being accused of cheating while her partner was secretly pursuing other women, the way his jealousy made her defend herself again and again, ...

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon breaks down the major themes in Parker’s story, including spiritual abuse, coercive control, suicide threats, custody abuse, and the way an abuser can use faith, community, and children as tools of control. Brandon explores how Parker’s upbringing inside a high-control religious environment shaped her sense of obligation, how her abuser used those beliefs against her, and how fear, guilt, and responsibility kept her trapped longer. The ep...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Parker shares her story of growing up inside a high-control religious environment, surviving sexual assault as a teenager, and later marrying a manipulative and controlling abuser who used her faith, fear, guilt, and responsibility for the family against her. It's a story of spiritual abuse, coercive control, entitlement, escalations, suicide threats, post separation abuse, child hood sexual abuse, court, protection orders, parental alienation,...

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon breaks down Rebelle’s story and the patterns that kept her tied to a relationship built on charm, fantasy, and control. What began as a relationship that felt like fate slowly became a cycle of gaslighting, stonewalling, weaponized incompetence, betrayal, and emotional exhaustion. Brandon discusses how Rebelle’s strength was used against her, how her husband’s woundedness became a way to avoid accountability, and how the dream of the rela...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Tegan shares her story of growing up in a family system where shame, criticism, and cultural excuses taught her to minimize her own pain. When she met her ex, the relationship felt like proof that she was finally chosen, wanted, and loved. But over time, the relationship became tangled with addiction, guilt trips, sexual coercion, intimidation, and fear. Tegan discusses how her ex’s drinking and drug use created chaos, but how the abuse also showed up in...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon talks with Erika about growing up inside religious conditioning that taught her to submit, stay quiet, and see her worth through being a wife and mother. After losing her family and community as a young adult, Erika entered relationships where she kept trying to build safety, stability, and family, even while being worn down by neglect, pressure, and control. Her second marriage became the center of this story. Erika shares how coercive...

In this release episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon talks with author, journalist, educational writer, coach, and survivor Julie L. Hall about scapegoating in narcissistic and dysfunctional family systems. Julie breaks down how family roles form, including the scapegoat, golden child, hero, mascot, and lost child, and why the scapegoated child often carries the blame, shame, and emotional projections of the narcissistic parent. She explains how scapegoats can be targeted for speaking the t...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, we debrief Charly’s story and what can happen when someone seeks help after abuse and the person offering that help becomes unsafe too. We break down how healing language can exist without healing behavior, how trust issues can be weaponized against a survivor, how the fixer role can keep someone invested in a harmful relationship, and why unregulated recovery spaces need clear boundaries, ethics, and accountability. It’s a conversation about broken boun...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Charly shares her story of seeking help after abuse and ending up in a relationship with the recovery practitioner she trusted. After two painful relationships, Charly found someone online who seemed to understand what she had been through. This person spoke the language of abuse recovery, worked with Charly professionally, and felt like someone who finally got it. But the professional relationship slowly crossed into something personal, then romantic. W...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon debriefs Kristi’s survivor story and explores the patterns that kept her trapped for years. He breaks down coercive control, fear, financial abuse, cognitive dissonance, institutional betrayal, and the way fear, obligation, guilt, and shame were used to keep Kristi in survival mode. This is a debrief about how abuse can begin through the promise of family, how psychological destabilization can erode self-trust, and what healing can look like in t...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Kristi shares her story of being trapped in a long-term abusive relationship with a manipulative, dangerous partner whose control took many forms over the years. In the beginning, he seemed like someone who could be a father figure to her son, and that became part of how she was drawn in. What started with boundary pushing, lies, and confusion grew into coercive control, financial abuse, intimidation, sexual coercion, gaslighting, isolation, and physical...

On this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Courtney shares her story of surviving an intimidating abuser. What began as a relationship that felt exciting, protective, and full of possibility slowly became a life shaped by coercive control, blame, fear, sexual coercion, physical intimidation, and post-separation abuse. As the relationship escalated, Courtney found herself trapped in no-win situations, isolated from parts of her support system, and constantly adapting to someone who needed power, d...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Cristina shares her story of losing her father young, growing up fast, and later meeting a man who seemed to offer the kind of stability she had been craving. He was charming, witty, and emotionally intense, and their relationship moved quickly. But once they built a life together, his instability started taking over everything. What followed was years of blame, intimidation, emotional volatility, threats of leaving, and a home life shaped by his resentm...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon talks about why setting a boundary can feel so guilty, even when it is necessary and healthy. He explores how survivors get conditioned to feel bad for having needs, disappointing others, changing old patterns, or protecting their peace. He also breaks down the difference between guilt and responsibility, why so many people over-explain their boundaries, and how another person’s reaction can pull survivors back into self-doubt. This episode is ab...

In this episode, Brandon talks with abuse survivor Alanis about growing up with an emotionally unavailable, volatile father and how that early instability shaped what later felt familiar in two abusive relationships. One relationship was more openly cruel. The other was harder to name while she was inside it. It was confusing, inconsistent, and full of push and pull. It's a story about childhood instability, repetition, being unseen, physical abuse, withholding affection, silent treatments, infi...