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Deana and Lizzie are two women whose lives unexpectedly crossed through a shared past with the same emotionally abusive partner. From that pain came Surviving Toxic Relationships—a faith-based podcast about truth, healing, and empowerment after emotional and relational abuse.
Grounded in faith and guided by God’s grace, they share honest conversations about manipulation, betrayal, gaslighting, trauma bonding, and recovery. Their mission isn’t to label anyone—it’s to reveal the patterns of toxic relationships and show how healing and freedom are possible through faith.
Each episode invites listeners into a space of hope, restoration, and renewal—where women can rediscover their worth, rebuild their confidence, and walk boldly in freedom.
Their message is simple but powerful: Your past may shape you, but it doesn’t define you. Healing is possible.
New to the podcast? Start with our trailer to learn more about who we are and the heart behind Surviving Toxic Relationships.
94 Episodes
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What if your burnout, sexual dysfunction, anxiety, or confusion isn’t a hormone problem… but a coercive control problem? In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, we sit down with naturopathic physician, author of The Pink Canary, and host of The Pleasure Principles, Dr. Jordin Wiggins. Jordin works with high-achieving women who appear successful on the outside but are secretly struggling in sexless marriages, emotionally abusive relationships, or rebuilding after divorce. In...
What if boundaries aren’t rejection… but stewardship? Many Christian women struggle to set boundaries because they fear being unloving, unforgiving, or “not submissive enough.” But boundaries are not walls. They are not punishment. They are protection. In this episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships and the Love With Eyes Wide Open series, Lizzie and Deana unpack the biblical difference between boundaries and emotional walls — and why discernment and boundaries must work together. You’ll hea...
Divorce doesn’t have to be a battlefield. In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, Lizzie and Deana sit down with divorce mediator and communication strategist Elizabeth Merrill, founder of Open Space Mediation. Liz shares her personal journey through a high-conflict marriage, emotional abuse, and the moment her children helped her find the courage to leave. Together, they unpack the hidden emotional and financial costs of litigation, how fear and misinformation keep women...
What is discernment, and how do Christian women recognize red flags while still leading with faith, wisdom, and peace? In this first episode of the Love With Eyes Wide Open podcast series, Lizzie and Deana talk about biblical discernment, Christian relationship advice, guarding your heart, parenting with spiritual wisdom, and how to recognize toxic relationship patterns before heartache begins. This faith-centered conversation explores how spiritual sensitivity, observation over time, and li...
Trauma. Addiction. Toxic relationships. Shame. Mindset renewal. In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, we sit down with Rose Ann Forte, international bestselling author and creator of the Choose Freedom program—a faith-forward, neuroscience-backed approach to overcoming life-interfering behaviors. Rose Ann shares her personal journey through a toxic marriage, substance use as coping, CPTSD, and deep spiritual confusion—and how renewing her mind through Scripture paired wit...
Narcissistic abuse. Gaslighting. Coercive control. Legal abuse. In this episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, we sit down with Skye Bellarmine, author of the Breaking Solace trilogy, to talk about surviving 20 years of narcissistic abuse, the moment she realized she wasn’t “crazy,” and the practical steps that helped her leave, heal, and rebuild. Skye shares how narcissists weaponize reputation (“she’s too sensitive,” “she’s brain damaged”), how they use financial control, and why s...
Conflict doesn’t mean failure, it means information. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Jen Fry explores why self-advocacy, boundaries, and conflict resolution are essential skills, especially for women navigating toxic relationships, people-pleasing patterns, and emotional burnout. Women are often taught to avoid conflict at all costs, but avoidance comes with a price: anxiety, resentment, loss of self-trust, and damaged mental health. Dr. Fry introduces the concept of micro advocacy—small...
In this powerful story, a teenager’s quick thinking after a devastating car crash leads to a startling discovery—one that forces him to confront years of emotional abuse, silence, and buried truth. In this episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, we sit down with Steve Eichenblatt, attorney and author of Pretend They Are Dead, to explore the lasting impact of childhood trauma and the quiet ways it shapes identity, relationships, and self-worth. At just sixteen years old, Steve witnessed a h...
This episode is for anyone who has ever asked: “Why am I still paying the price for someone else’s abuse?” In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, hosts Deana and Lizzie sit down with Joni Woods, a certified life coach, culture strategist, and founder of Journey Coaching, to discuss what happens after you leave a toxic or narcissistic relationship—especially when the family system turns against you. Joni shares her deeply personal story of surviving narcissistic abuse...
In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, with Deana and Lizzie sit down with Brooke DeBoer, author of Living the Free Life and a life coach whose journey from bullying and emotional abuse to healing and freedom is both deeply personal and incredibly inspiring. Brooke shares how years of peer bullying, emotional trauma, unhealthy relationships, and limiting beliefs shaped her self-worth—and how faith, counseling, self-care, and mindset work helped her break free. From childho...
In this gripping episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships with Deana and Lizzie sit down with Ken Childs, a veteran Los Angeles private investigator whose 25-year career includes celebrity cases, criminal investigations, and exposing double lives. Ken opens up about the rise of online deception, emotional cheating, and how narcissists use manipulation and control to hide their true selves. He shares insider tips on: How private investigators uncover hidden relationships and fraud.Why online “...
In this deeply personal episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, Lizzie shares her full story—one that spans faith, marriage, motherhood, religious abuse, emotional control, and survival. From marrying young with the belief that God had ordained the relationship, to enduring years of infidelity, manipulation, and spiritual coercion, Lizzie opens up about what it means to love God deeply while living in a marriage that slowly eroded her safety, identity, and voice. She shares the realities of...
Episode 81: If you’ve ever dreamed of writing a book—or wondered if it’s too late—this inspiring episode is for you. In this powerful conversation on Surviving Toxic Relationships, hosts Deana and Lizzie talk with Terry Whalin—author, editor, literary agent, and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing—about how midlife can become the perfect time to tell your story, share your testimony, and transform your pain into purpose through writing. Terry has written more than 60 books an...
Welcome to Surviving Toxic Relationships, a faith-based podcast created for women who are healing, rebuilding, and reclaiming their voice after emotional and relational abuse. Hosted by Lizzie and Deana—two women whose lives unexpectedly intersected through a shared past—this podcast offers honest conversations about manipulation, gaslighting, betrayal, trauma bonding, and the long road to recovery. Our goal is not to diagnose or label, but to bring clarity, truth, and hope to women navigatin...
In this deeply personal episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, Lizzie opens up about how the holidays can feel different—lonelier, quieter, or unexpectedly emotional—especially after walking through heartbreak, divorce, or the loss of family traditions. Midlife brings new realities: children growing up, parents passing on, relationships ending, and identities shifting. What once made the season magical—the gatherings, the laughter, the sense of belonging—can now stir up grief, longing, or ...
The holidays can intensify toxic family dynamics, emotional labor, grief, and high-conflict co-parenting. For many women, this season brings pressure to perform, suppress pain, and hold everything together. In this episode, Lizzie and Deana talk honestly about why the holidays feel so heavy for women navigating emotionally unsafe relationships and life transitions. We discuss guilt, boundaries, caregiving overload, and why real self-care is not selfish—it’s protective. This episode offers per...
What if the greatest pain in your life was also the beginning of your purpose? In this powerful episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, hosts Deana and Lizzie welcome Dr. Wole (Oluwole) Babatunde—a physician, psychiatrist, author, and faith leader whose extraordinary story proves that resilience and divine purpose can rise from even the darkest valleys. In this deeply moving episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships with Deana and Lizzie, we meet Dr. Wole (Oluwole) Babatunde—a man whose life...
What happens when the pain and exhaustion isn’t “in your head” — but everyone tells you it is? In this powerful and validating episode of Surviving Toxic Relationships, Lizzie and Deana talk with Tami Stackelhouse, founder of the International Fibromyalgia Coaching Institute and host of The Fibromyalgia Podcast. Tami shares her deeply personal journey from being dismissed and misdiagnosed to finally understanding her chronic pain, and how trauma, stress, and fibromyalgia can feel like an in...
Have you ever worked for a fear-based leader, a toxic bully boss, or someone in authority who used intimidation and harassment instead of emotional maturity? In today’s eye-opening conversation, Kate Lowry, CEO Coach and Author of "Unbreakable: How to Survive Under Fear Based Leaders" breaks down why so many leaders behave more like emotionally reactive children than competent adults — and how their lack of emotional intelligence can create abusive, chaotic workplaces. Kate explains the...
After a 25-year marriage ended suddenly, emotional-wellbeing expert and artist Elizabeth Jane turned heartbreak into a mission: to help others climb out of the quicksand of grief, reclaim self-worth, and rebuild a full life. In this episode Elizabeth shares practical, bite-sized tools that helped her move from shock → survival → reinvention — plus mindset shifts every woman leaving a long relationship needs to hear. In this episode we cover: • Quick presence tools to stop the “should’v...
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