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Flying Free

Natalie Hoffman

Flying Free is a support resource for women of faith who need hope and healing from hidden emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, and narcissistic abuse. Because of misogynistic theology taught in controlling and spiritually abusive churches, many Christian women find themselves in destructive marriages where there is an uneven power dynamic. Male partners use their status as a husband to gain power and control over a woman’s mind, emotions, body, social life, finances, and more. When she tries to get help from her equally abusive church environment, she is betrayed and re-abused. Flying Free offers a Christ-centered, gospel-oriented perspective on domestic abuse that protects and honors the voices and autonomy of women. Tune in each week to hear conversations with emotional abuse advocates and fellow survivors who will walk with you on your journey up and out. We hear you. You are not alone. Learn more at https://flyingfreenow.com

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#385
Tuesday · 1 hr 15 min
What Is the "Tradwife" Trend Really Selling Christian Women? [385]
In this episode, we’re doing something a little different. I’m opening up my private monthly book club discussion (usually just for Flying Higher members) and sharing it with you. This month we read the bestselling novel Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. We get into the tradwife aesthetic, performative Christianity, and the difference between a woman who genuinely loves a homemaking life and a system that demands every woman perform one. Key Takeaways: The reason the beautiful tradwife image is so seductive The most convincing performances usually start with a belief that's actually sincere. One character's storyline sparked a heated disagreement in the group about who gets to be "smart" in stories like this one, and why that distinction matters There's a subtle difference between a woman choosing a traditional role and a woman being conditioned into one, and it changes everything about how we respond to the trend. What does authentic faith look like once the performance stops? If you’re a divorced Christian woman who loves self-development and learning new things, consider joining the Flying Higher community! Get Today’s Free Resource: 🎁 I want to give you a free gift. It’s the audio version of my book, All the Scary Little Gods. It’s a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. You can listen to it FREE by going to scarylittlegods.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#384
August 18 · 19 min
Is Emotional Neglect Abusive? [384]
Let’s talk about emotional neglect. Can we really categorize this as “abuse?” I say we can, and in today’s episode, I’m going to tell you why. In this episode, you’ll learn: Five specific ways emotional neglect shows up in a marriage Why silence can be more controlling than yelling What your nervous system does when someone ignores you The question every neglected wife asks herself over and over again, and why she needs to stop asking that question Get Today’s Free Resource: 📒 Take a free Emotional Abuse Assessment by going to emotionalabusequiz.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women still in or healing from emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#383
August 11 · 41 min
What's Gaslighting? Part Two: Four More Narcissistic Gaslighting Tactics and How to Unhook
This is part two of our series on the subtle gaslighting tactics emotional abusers and narcissists use in Christian marriage. You'll hear four more specific examples of what he says, why he says it, what it triggers in you, and the precise words to say back so the tactic stops working on you for good. Key Takeaways: There's a reason your husband can turn any conversation about his behavior into a conversation about your tone, your past, or your "real" intentions, and once you see the move, you'll catch it every time. One specific manipulation pattern explains why a man can be caught in something devastating and somehow still come out of the conversation as the victim. There's a single Bible verse Christian men weaponize to shut down any conversation about unresolved hurt, and it doesn't actually say what they think it says. Find out why your anger in the moment of betrayal might be the most spiritually honest thing in the room, and why he needs you to believe otherwise. Every gaslighting tactic is aiming at the exact same target inside you, and once you know what it is, you'll never be fully fooled by any of them again. Get Today’s Free Resource: 🎁 I want to give you a free gift. It’s the audio version of my book, All the Scary Little Gods. It’s a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. You can listen to it FREE by going to scarylittlegods.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#382
August 4 · 41 min
What's Gaslighting? How to Spot the Subtle Signs You're Being Manipulated Part One [382]
Today we’ll talk about one of the most disorienting experiences Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages face: gaslighting. But we aren’t going to just define what gaslighting is. I’m going to break it down into all the tiny parts and give you some specific stories so you can see exactly what’s going on and WHY. You’ll learn three specific tactics gaslighters use, why they use them, and what you can do to stay grounded in your own reality when someone is working hard to pull you out of it. Key Takeaways: Why someone can sound completely loving and caring while actually doing something deeply harmful to you The hidden reason your concerns keep disappearing from conversations before they ever get resolved What a "joke" has to do with control, and why your body's reaction is not a character flaw The psychological mechanism you share with a slot machine, and what it's actually costing you The one shift that strips a gaslighting tactic of all its power, without you having to win a single argument Get Today’s Free Resource: 🧐 Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage. Get a free chapter by going to isitmebook.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#381
July 21 · 50 min
Healing From Religious Trauma: A Survivor's Roadmap with Tia Levings [381]
Tia Levings is the New York Times bestselling author of A Well-Trained Wife and her newest book, I Belong to Me. She survived a Christian patriarchy cult, escaped a near murder-suicide, was excommunicated for telling her own story, and spent 15 years in intensive trauma therapy doing the work to put herself back together. Now she's handing you the map to healing from religious trauma. In this episode, Tia and I dig into the real mechanics of religious trauma recovery: why your body refuses to believe you're safe even when your brain knows it, what "aftermath" actually means (it's an agricultural word, and it will change how you see your own devastation), why grief work is not optional, and what agency has to do with the entire trajectory of your healing. Key Takeaways: What does it actually mean to "belong to yourself" after religious trauma has dismantled your sense of identity from the inside out? Why trauma survivors often write, speak, and even think about themselves in the passive voice, and what that reveals about the agency that was quietly stolen from them What the agricultural origin of the word "aftermath" tells us about why the most painful, raw season of your healing is also the most generative Why anger and bitterness after religious trauma aren't signs that something is wrong with you, and what they're actually trying to show you How complex PTSD can keep a survivor locked in survival mode for years, making life-altering decisions in a state of ongoing shock without ever realizing it Get Tia’s books: A Well Trained Wife I Belong to Me Follow Tia everywhere on social media! Her handle is @tialevingswriter Get Today’s Free Resource: 📒 Take a free Emotional Abuse Assessment by going to emotionalabusequiz.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#380
July 7 · 40 min
What if “Biblical Womanhood” is Actually a Trauma Response? [380]
Let’s talk about something called “the subjugation schema.” It's a clinical pattern that secular psychologists are actively trying to help women heal from, and the conservative Christian church has rebranded the exact same wound as godliness, biblical womanhood, and a high calling. If you've spent your life apologizing for taking up space, smiling when you wanted to scream, or feeling guilty about basic human needs like rest, preferences, and an opinion of your own, this episode is going to feel like someone finally turned the lights on. Key Takeaways: Meet Rachel and Megan: two composite women, two very different engines driving the exact same wound. Find out which one might be running you in the background right now without your permission The four specific ways the conservative Christian church installs this pattern in little girls and quietly reinforces it in grown women Why "mutual submission," "complementarianism," and "servant leadership" might be the same old subjugation wearing a friendlier nametag The story of Sapphira in Acts 5 that quietly dismantles the "always submit to your husband" theology you've been handed The one journal question at the end of the episode that might wake up the woman who has been hiding underneath your schema for decades Get Today’s Free Resource: 🎁 I want to give you a free gift. It’s the audio version of my book, All the Scary Little Gods. It’s a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. You can listen to it FREE by going to scarylittlegods.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#379
June 23 · 18 min
Is Your Church Actually Safe for Abuse Survivors? Here's How to Find Out [379]
In this episode I’m answering a pressing question Christian women in difficult marriages ask: how do you find a church that will actually support you instead of silence you? Because not all churches are created equal, and the difference between a safe church and a harmful one can change everything for a woman trying to find her footing. I’ll break down exactly what to look for, what to ask, and what red flags to run from. 🔑 Key Takeaways: There's a question you can ask a pastor before ever setting foot in a pew that will tell you almost everything you need to know about whether that church is safe. What a church puts on its website (and what it leaves off) reveals far more than you might think about how they actually treat abuse survivors. One word in a pastor's answer about couples counseling is a dealbreaker. Do you know what it is? The church's leadership page can disqualify them before you ever walk through the door. There's a theology that sounds biblical and even beautiful to some women, but I make a case that it's actually setting the stage for harm. Get Today’s Free Resource: 📒 Take a free Emotional Abuse Assessment by going to emotionalabusequiz.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#378
June 9 · 1 hr 19 min
The Pastor's Wife Nobody Saw: Jessica's Story [378]
In this episode, I sit down with my real-life friend Jessica, a pastor's wife whose story intersects with mine: her husband was a pastor at the very church that excommunicated me. What started as a conversation about her story turned into one of the most layered, honest episodes I think we've ever recorded. Jessica spent decades being told her emotions were idols, her feelings weren't facts, and her needs were sin problems she needed to repent of. In this conversation, she shares what it took to finally see through that, what the long road out of a high-control religious marriage actually looks like, and why freedom sometimes takes many years to arrive even after the divorce papers are signed. Questions we cover: What does it actually take to leave when your abuser is also your pastor husband? Why do so many women choose the familiar over the safe? Is codependency just a fancy way to blame the victim? What does it look like when someone uses scripture as a weapon? What does a pastor's wife do when she can't tell anyone the truth? What actually happens when you let yourself grieve? What does it take to actually push yourself out? Get Today’s Free Resource: 🧐 Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage. Get a free chapter by going to isitmebook.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#377
May 26 · 27 min
Finding Your Freedom, Autonomy, and Independence - High Functioning Women Series Part Four [377]
This is part four of the High Functioning Christian Women in Destructive Marriages series, and today we talk about a concept that ties the whole series together: sovereignty. Synonyms for sovereignty include: freedom, autonomy, and independence. If you've spent years managing everyone's needs, shrinking your own, and building an identity around your capacity to give without limit, this episode will challenge a misunderstood theology that was never meant for women who are already pouring out from an empty cup. 🔑 Key Takeaways: There's a critical difference between two things that look almost identical from the outside, and which one you're living in changes everything about how you understand your marriage. The "die to self" command you've been handed your whole life? It may have been written for the exact opposite kind of person from you. Why does even asking yourself "what do I need?" feel like a threat to your survival, not just a little uncomfortable? What Jesus actually modeled about rest, limits, and saying no might completely reframe what you think faithful living looks like. The one question you could ask yourself in the mirror every single morning that could quietly begin to change everything. Get Today’s Free Resource: 🧐 Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage. Get a free chapter by going to isitmebook.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#376
May 12 · 33 min
Trusting What You Know is True When Others Gaslight You - High Functioning Women Series Part Three [376]
This is Part Three of our series on high-functioning Christian women in destructive marriages. You are the woman people call when something complicated needs solving. You read rooms, spot patterns, and get it right. And yet in this one area of your life, you have been told that your judgment, specifically, cannot be trusted. Key Takeaways: Why the very perceptiveness that makes you exceptional everywhere else has been deliberately turned off in your marriage What is actually happening when religious systems tell you to wait, and who is really benefiting from your patience How to tell the difference between genuine knowing and fear, and which one you have most likely been carrying all these years What "blind adherence" has to do with faith, and why the real version of faith might look completely different than what you have been taught The one question that changes everything when someone tells you to wait a little longer Get Today’s Free Resource: 🎁 I want to give you a free gift. It’s the audio version of my book, All the Scary Little Gods. It’s a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. You can listen to it FREE by going to scarylittlegods.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#375
April 28 · 29 min
Why Your Empathy is a Superpower (and a TARGET!) - High Functioning Women Series Part Two [375]
This is Part Two of my series on high-functioning Christian women in destructive marriages. In Part One, we explored how the very qualities that make these women extraordinary are the same ones that make them exceptionally vulnerable. Today we're going deeper into one of the most specific and targeted of those qualities: empathy. If you've ever felt like your compassion is working against you, like the more you understand him, the more stuck you become, this episode will show you exactly what's happening underneath that cycle. And it will start to give you a way out. 🔑 Key Takeaways: Why does understanding his pain seem to pull you closer to danger instead of toward safety? The answer will reframe everything you thought you knew about your own compassion. There's a biological metaphor in this episode that explains precisely how your God-given empathy gets hijacked, and once you see it, you cannot unsee it. What does a "scapegoat" have to do with your marriage? Natalie unpacks a family systems concept that might explain why you always end up holding everyone else's chaos. There's a trap that was specifically designed to make every exit feel impossible. Natalie names it, and then shows you the crack in the wall. What's the difference between empathy and enabling, and why does that distinction change everything about how you move forward? The answer might surprise you. Get Today’s Free Resource: 📒 Take a free Emotional Abuse Assessment by going to emotionalabusequiz.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#374
April 7 · 23 min
The Loneliness of the "Perfect" High Functioning Woman - High Functioning Women Series Part One [374]
So many capable, gifted Christian women are living a double life that is impressive in public, but diminished in private, and they don't even have words for what's happening to them. This episode will change that. 🔑 Key Takeaways: There's a specific kind of loneliness that has nothing to do with being sad, and it's far more common among high-functioning Christian women The reason you can run a business, lead a ministry, and hold everything together but still feel like no one actually knows you Why the very things people praise you for might be the things that are slowly killing you What's really happening in your body when you live this way, and why it's not a spiritual problem Get Today’s Free Resource: 🧐 I wrote a book just for high functioning Christian women called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage. Get a free chapter by going to isitmebook.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#373
March 31 · 1 hr 2 min
From Deconstructing to Reconstructing: Finding Wonder Again [373]
This is one of my favorite interviews! Today I’m talking with my friend, Dr. Tiffany Yecke Brooks, author of Gaslighted by God, Holy Ghosted, and her brand-new book, To Rebehold the Stars: Reimagining Faith After Deconstruction. If you've walked through the painful process of deconstructing the toxic theology you inherited, this conversation is going to knock your socks off. Drawing from Dante's Inferno (I know, right?!), classical literature, and deep theological study, Tiffany shows you how to create a new spiritual lexicon that actually reflects the heart of God. (Listen to find out what that even is!) This isn't about burning it all down. It's about holding up each piece to the light and deciding: Does this stay or go? 🔑 Key Takeaways: The one thing fundamentalism can't tolerate (and why that's actually your doorway to freedom) What Dante's Inferno has to do with your faith journey, and why the final line matters so much The Greek word that completely reframes what forgiveness actually means Why the images you were given for God might be keeping you stuck in an outdated script What happens when you stop trying to be perfect and start focusing on being good Resources mentioned: 📰 Tiffany’s Substack Newsletter (but only if you like to laugh - otherwise stay away) 📚 Her new book: To Rebehold the Stars: Reimagining Faith After Deconstruction. 🎧 Her OTHER interviews with me (all AMAZEBALLS): Confronting Religious Trauma Overcoming Spiritual Anxiety 👹 The book Dr. Brooks copy-edited for me AND that is a perfect illustration of what her book Holy Ghosted is talking about: All the Scary Little Gods 🆓 And hey - listen to my book FREE by going to scarylittlegods.com! Tiffany Yecke Brooks is the lead or contributing writer on more than two dozen books, including multiple New York Times bestsellers. She is the coauthor of Fear Is a Choice: Tackling Life’s Challenges With Dignity, Faith, and Determination (with NFL running back James Conner), Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance (with Paralympic gold-medalist Mallory Weggemann), and the narrative nonfiction historical thriller Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth (with historian Claire Bellerjeau). Her newest book, To Rebehold the Stars: Reimagining Faith After Deconstruction, was released in March 2026 by Eerdmans. She has also published articles in peer-reviewed journals and the Smithsonian. Tiffany holds a PhD from Florida State University, where her dissertation covered, in part, cultural adaptations of stories from the book of Genesis, and an MA from the University of Bristol in the UK, where her thesis examined cultural influences and literary techniques in the Gospel of Luke. A popular speaker for student groups, faith conferences, and academic lectureships, Tiffany has taught literature and writing at Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, and the University of South Carolina – Beaufort.
#372
March 24 · 21 min
Why Do Your Friends Believe the Person Who Abused You? [372]
What happens when seeing your ex derails all your progress? And why do your friends think he's such a great guy when you know the truth? 🔑 Key Takeaways: Why seeing your ex after months can feel like all your progress disappeared (it didn't) What trauma bonding actually does to your memory of the relationship Why emotionally abusive people seem so great to everyone else The false equivalency that keeps people from believing abuse survivors How to know if you're lonely for him or for something else entirely 🎁 I want to give you a free gift. It’s the audio version of my book, All the Scary Little Gods. It’s a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. You can listen to it FREE by going to scarylittlegods.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#371
March 17 · 23 min
Navigating Discard, Revenge, and Unsupportive Friends [371]
In this episode we tackle three questions: What happens when the abuser is the one who leaves? How do you live with the fear of post-separation or post-divorce revenge? And what do you do when your friends just don't get it? 🔑 Key Takeaways: Why some abusers discard their victims (and what it reveals about your progress) The difference between fear you should listen to and fear that steals your peace What actually helps kids navigate their father leaving The one question to ask yourself when trying to help someone understand your experience Why chasing validation from people who don't get it creates unnecessary suffering Get Today’s Free Resource: 📒 Take a free Emotional Abuse Assessment by going to emotionalabusequiz.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#370
March 10 · 19 min
How My Word for 2026 is Playing Out So Far (personal message) [370]
This isn't my typical podcast episode. Today I get personal, sharing why I’ve decided to pursue graduate studies in theology after experiencing profound spiritual abuse throughout my entire life. If you've read All the Scary Little Gods, you know my story, and you might be wondering why I’d ever step back into that world. I invite you into my journey of healing, my commitment to simplicity in 2026, and the real reason I keep this podcast free. Get Today’s Free Resource: 🎁 I want to give you a free gift. It’s the audio version of my book, All the Scary Little Gods. It’s a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. You can listen to it FREE by going to scarylittlegods.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#369
March 3 · 15 min
If It’s Not "Narcissism," What Is It? (The Answer) - The Narcissism Trap Series Part Four [369]
In Episode 369 of the Flying Free Podcast, you’ll learn a term that's more accurate than "narcissistic abuse,” and it's actually being recognized in courts of law. This is part four of The Narcissism Trap Series, and it shifts everything from trying to diagnose your partner to recognizing what's really happening to you. If you've been stuck wondering whether he meets the clinical criteria for narcissism or whether therapy could change him, this episode will free you from that trap. Natalie breaks down coercive control—what sociologist Evan Stark calls a "liberty crime"—and why understanding this pattern matters more than any personality disorder diagnosis ever could. 🔑 Key Takeaways: Why sociologist Evan Stark calls coercive control a "liberty crime" (and what that means for you) The calculated reason behind those "small" controlling acts that don't seem like abuse What happens in your brain when you start to self-police your own thoughts and feelings Why England made this a criminal offense in 2015 (and which U.S. states are following) The internal checkpoint questions that reveal if you're living in coercive control right now Get Today’s Free Resource: 🧐 Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage. Get a free chapter by going to isitmebook.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#368
February 24 · 22 min
Why Your Lawyer Cringes When You Say “Narcissist” - The Narcissism Trap Series Part Three [368]
In this third episode of The Narcissism Trap series, we shift from personal validation to legal strategy, exploring why the very word that brought you clarity could be the thing that sinks your court case. We’ll look at how judges actually view labels like "narcissist" and why focusing on clinical diagnoses can unintentionally dilute accountability and hand a "gift" to your ex’s legal team. 🎯 Key Takeaways: The label that saved your sanity might lose you your case. While identifying narcissistic patterns is vital for your personal healing, using that language in a courtroom often leads judges to label you as "high conflict" rather than a victim of abuse. Judges don't care about "psychobabble"; they care about concrete behaviors. An armchair diagnosis of NPD carries no weight in family court. To get the court's attention, you must swap labels for facts, like financial lockout, surveillance, and threats. Calling it a "sickness" can accidentally excuse the harm. If you frame his behavior as a mental illness he "can't help," you invite the court to suggest treatment instead of accountability. In reality, his actions are often calculated, strategic choices, not symptoms of a disordered brain. There is a more powerful legal framework: Coercive Control. While the court may ignore "narcissism," they are primed to hear about patterns of isolation, degradation, and entrapment. This shift moves the focus from who he is to what he does, which is a language the law is beginning to criminalize. Deep-diving into his psychology keeps you stuck. Spending years analyzing his "damaged inner self" or "Dark Triad" traits prevents you from the real work of safety planning and documenting the behavior that matters for your future. You don’t need a diagnosis to justify seeking safety. You cannot heal from a diagnosis; you heal from harm. Stop waiting for professional validation or a formal evaluation that will likely never come, and start tracking the ongoing patterns of intimidation and control. Get Today’s Free Resource: 🧐 Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage. Get a free chapter by going to isitmebook.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.
#367
February 17 · 31 min
Narcissist? Or Just Plain Evil? (Know the Difference!) - The Narcissism Trap Series Part Two [367]
In this second episode of The Narcissism Trap series, we open up the DSM-5 and walk through the actual clinical criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder but with a crucial twist. 🎯 Key Takeaways: The diagnosis you're hunting for might be the least of your problems. Even if your partner doesn't meet all nine DSM-5 criteria for NPD, you can still be experiencing serious harm in your relationship. Everyone has narcissistic traits, but it's about pattern, pervasiveness, and pathology. The difference between normal self-esteem and a personality disorder comes down to whether the behavior is consistent, shows up everywhere, and causes real damage. Not all narcissists look the same. Grandiose narcissists bulldoze you with charm and dominance. Vulnerable narcissists guilt-trip you with sensitivity and victimhood. Both cause devastation. You're likely dealing with coercive control, not just a difficult personality. This systematic pattern of isolation, gaslighting, financial control, and micro-regulation is psychological warfare, and it's actually a criminal offense in some countries. The label matters less than the behavior. Whether he's a clinical narcissist, has traits from the Dark Triad, or is just plain abusive, what matters is the harm you're experiencing, and you don't need a diagnosis to know it's not okay. Stop waiting for him to be diagnosed. Narcissistic traits are "ego-syntonic” which means he sees them as strengths, not problems. He'll never walk into a therapist's office asking for help, which means you can't wait for professional validation to seek safety. Get Today’s Free Resource: 📒 Take a free Emotional Abuse Assessment by going to emotionalabusequiz.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages. 🦋 Join me and hundreds of other Christian women for the transformation of your life inside the Flying Free Kaleidoscope! Learn more at joinflyingfree.com
#366
February 10 · 16 min
Stop Calling Him a “Narcissist” (Use This Word Instead) - The Narcissism Trap Series Part One [366]
In this kickoff to a powerful new series, The Narcissism Trap, Natalie Hoffman challenges a popular narrative in abuse recovery: labeling an emotionally abusive partner as a “narcissist.” While that term may feel validating at first, Natalie explains how it can actually work against your healing by keeping you locked in the wrong story. If you've been Googling “narcissist” at 2 a.m. to make sense of your painful marriage, this episode is for you. 🎯 Key Takeaways: Stop giving the abuse a medical label. Narcissism is a clinical diagnosis that can distract from the very real pattern of covert oppression you’re living in. Start calling it what it is: oppression. This isn’t about someone who’s mentally ill or just "struggling." This is about power, control, and silencing your voice. Shifting the language helps you shift your mindset. When you stop analyzing him and start focusing on your own story, healing becomes possible. You're not crazy or overreacting. You're likely experiencing strategic emotional abuse often invisible to outsiders but deeply damaging inside your home. Get Today’s Free Resource: 🧐 Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage. Get a free chapter by going to isitmebook.com I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.

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