Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

The podcast that helps you spot the subtle signs of toxic relationships and reclaim your life.

Join Dr. Kerry McAvoy — author, educator with a 25-year background in psychology, and survivor — for expert interviews and deeply validating insight into why these relationships are so confusing, and how to find your way forward.

subscribe now:

breaking free podcast

Most Recent Episode

Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse
Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse
What Happens Inside a Narcissist the Moment You Confront Them & Why It Will Never Lead to Change
Loading
/

Past Episodes

What Happens Inside a Narcissist the Moment You Confront Them & Why It Will Never Lead to Change

What Happens Inside a Narcissist the Moment You Confront Them & Why It Will Never Lead to Change

Reactive Abuse: 4 Questions That Reveal Who Was Really the Dangerous One in the Room

Reactive Abuse: 4 Questions That Reveal Who Was Really the Dangerous One in the Room

The 7-Stage Trauma Bond That Makes Leaving Feel Impossible

The 7-Stage Trauma Bond That Makes Leaving Feel Impossible

They Told You Who They Were on the First Date: The Narcissist Red Flags No One Taught You to Hear

They Told You Who They Were on the First Date: The Narcissist Red Flags No One Taught You to Hear

Why Narcissists Need Ongoing Drama: It's All About Keeping You Exhausted & Under Control

Why Narcissists Need Ongoing Drama: It's All About Keeping You Exhausted & Under Control

Dr. Les Carter: Stop Trying to Make a Narcissist Understand You — Do This Instead

Dr. Les Carter: Stop Trying to Make a Narcissist Understand You — Do This Instead

Are You Feeling Stuck? Take my FREE “Toxic or Troubled?” survey to discover your relationship type and get instant access to a complete, private mini-course—educational overviews, reflective questions, grounding techniques, and new strategies tailored to your situation. ▶ Start here: https://kerrymcavoyphd.fillout.com/toxic-troubled-survey —— What if every explanation you offer becomes ammunition? Have you noticed how a narcissist stays one-up without ever having to raise their voice In this...

They Didn't Miss You, They Ran Out of Money: How Hoovering Actually Works

They Didn't Miss You, They Ran Out of Money: How Hoovering Actually Works

Future faking hoovering isn't a change of heart. It's a second round of grooming, aimed at exactly what the first round wanted. In this highlight from Kerry's weekly live Q&A, she takes on what's actually happening when someone shows up with flowers, apologies and a raked pile of leaves after months of silence — and why the answer has almost nothing to do with you. In this episode: • Why not being hoovered is a read on what you had left to give • Hoovering is a role vacancy, not a longi...

Narcissist, Psychopath, or Sadist? Does Naming Your Abuser's Personality Type Actually Help?

Narcissist, Psychopath, or Sadist? Does Naming Your Abuser's Personality Type Actually Help?

What if naming the disorder never actually got you out? And what if the thing you've been calling proof was really just a way to feel in control? In this episode, Kerry and co-host Lynn Strathdee take on the debate splitting the recovery world right now — one universal predator type, or many distinct subtypes. You can know exactly what someone is and stay anyway. You can't choose your neighbor, your coworker, or the parent sitting next to you at the PTA meeting. Understanding the diagnosis ...

Gray Divorce and the 30-Year Con: Why Covert Narcissists Never Wanted You to Leave

Gray Divorce and the 30-Year Con: Why Covert Narcissists Never Wanted You to Leave

Gray divorce isn't a midlife crisis. For a lot of people, it's the end of a con that ran for decades. When researchers ask why people divorce after 50, the top answer from women isn't money or infidelity — it was abuse. In this highlight from Kerry's weekly live Q&A, she takes on why so many people stay in psychologically abusive marriages for 20 or 30 years, and why leaving late isn't a failure of judgment. In this episode: * Why boomers are divorcing at four times the rate of 1...

Podcast for Next Week

Mel Hamlett

Journalist, Comedian, Storyteller

episode for November 2nd:

The Psychology of Men & Why They Knowingly Put Your Life in Danger and Call It Fun

  • Do male partners know they’re putting the women and children in their lives in danger when they push for big, risky adventures?

  • Why do so many women trust a confident man’s judgment over their own gut, even when they know better?

  • Why do some men seem to enjoy scaring the people around them and then call it fun?

Fan Mail Thursdays

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:

Why do I freeze when shocked or afraid? Is there anything I can do to regain control?

YouTube Q&A

Wondering if your relationship is healthy?

Take the Toxic or Troubled Quiz and get a personalized healing roadmap.

meet dr. kerry mcavoy

About the Host

Dr. Kerry McAvoy is an author, educator, and narcissistic abuse expert with a 25-year background in psychology.

She combines research-informed frameworks with personal insight to help people navigate toxic dynamics, break free from cognitive dissonance, and reclaim their lives.

meet lynn Strathdee

About the Co-Host

“Lynn Strathdee is a UK-based Psychodynamic Therapist and relationship abuse recovery specialist with years of clinical and lived experience.

She combines deep psychological insight with personal understanding to help survivors make sense of what happened — and find their way back to safety and themselves.

Rate & Review Us

available wherever you get your podcasts