Bonus Episode: Grieving the Person You Could Have Been

Success Fears Born from Abuse

Welcome back! After taking a short break last week to prioritize my health, I’m back and ready to dive into a topic that is deeply uncomfortable, raw, but absolutely necessary for healing. In this episode, I am opening up about a hidden roadblock that has been making me freeze up and self-sabotage my biggest goals: the fear of success. But this isn't just standard imposter syndrome. I’m unpacking how these fears were directly born from my childhood, growing up with an abusive mother who actively worked to cripple my independence and intentionally stunted my growth to keep me entirely dependent on her. We discuss the painful reality of infantilization, the psychology behind a narcissistic parent’s need for control, and how 20 years of conditioning wires our nervous systems to view "success" and "visibility" as dangerous threats. I also touch on how recent experiences with online hate and troublesome creators triggered these deep-seated fears, and exactly what I am doing to build an unshakeable fortress around my peace. If you’ve ever felt like you are subconsciously sabotaging your own dreams because taking up space feels fundamentally unsafe, this episode is for you. Success shouldn't mean sacrificing your safety, and it is time we take our power back. In this episode, we cover: * The Mother Wound: Unpacking how intentional childhood sabotage and infantilization impact our adult goals. * The Psychology of Control: Why a parent with malignant Narcissistic Personality Disorder views their child's independence as a threat, rather than a point of pride. * Visibility & Online Hate: How real-world triggers (like targeted harassment) validate childhood fears of being seen. * Breaking the Cycle: Why processing the grief and physically letting the anger leave your body is the first step to getting unstuck. * Actionable Safety Protocols: Using gradual exposure to get comfortable with success, setting strict digital boundaries, and reminding your nervous system that you are finally free. A quick reminder: Processing this kind of trauma is exhausting. Please be gentle with yourself after listening, and remember that you have the power to protect yourself while building the beautiful, successful life you are capable of living.

Rewiring the Alarm: Why I Normalised Danger

Have you ever found yourself in a genuinely dangerous situation, only for your first thought to be: “Am I just overreacting?” In today’s episode, I share a terrifying incident that happened to me just yesterday at a local laundromat. A situation that should have been an immediate call to 000, but instead left me hesitating, doubting my own instincts, and calling a non-emergency line because I was too ashamed to "make a scene." After spending the last 24 hours processing the intense guilt and shame of that moment, I hit a massive realisation: I didn’t trust my internal alarm system because I was conditioned from childhood to disable it. Today, we’re diving deep into the reality of maternal gaslighting, how growing up around abusive dynamics rewires our brains to mistake red flags for green ones, and the moment of relief that comes when you realise the shame was never yours to carry. If you’ve ever been told your emotions were "too dramatic" or an "inconvenience," this episode is for you. You are not crazy. You are just healing. ✨Key Takeaways: * The reality of the incident that led to calling 000. * How childhood emotional abuse teaches us to mistake red flags for green flags. * Why the brain craves what is "familiar," and how we can consciously choose to rewire our neural pathways. * What it truly means to be a cycle breaker. 📱 Let’s Hang Out: Behind-the-scenes updates, community chats, and daily reminders that your feelings are valid happen over on my socials. Come say hi! * Follow me on Instagram: [@linhamofficial] [https://www.instagram.com/linhamofficial?igsh=MTg3aWhibmMxd2JsOQ%253D%253D&utm_source=qr] * Follow me on TikTok: [@linhamofficial [https://www.tiktok.com/@linhamofficial?_r=1&_t=ZS-97X5flizF8m]] If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or family abuse, please know support is available. In Australia, you can contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) for free, confidential support. If you are in immediate danger, always call 000

To Everyone Saying "I Totally Relate" To My No-Contact Story...

This past week marks exactly 3 years and 11 months since I escaped my abusive mother. To honor that milestone, I wanted to talk about a raw reality that so many cycle breakers live through, but rarely see talked about openly: what it actually means to have literally no one. There is a massive difference between having a distant or complicated family and having zero safety net. In this episode, I’m unpacking the frustrating reality of people who say "I totally relate" when they actually still have a fallback plan. I talk about the daily anxiety of the "emergency contact" box at the doctor's office, carrying the full weight of life on your own shoulders, and how I finally started breaking through years of hyper-independence to let a chosen, healthy community in. If you’ve ever felt entirely alone in this world, this episode is a reminder that your feelings are valid—and that you are capable of building your own foundation. Inside the Episode: * The 4-Year Milestone: Reflecting on the physical and mental toll of escaping survival mode. * True Isolation vs. "Distant" Families: Why true loneliness hits differently when you have zero fallback plan. * The Everyday Triggers: Navigating next-of-kin forms, medical appointments, and ambiguous grief. * Choosing Your Community: How healthy friendships helped me heal the toxic echoes of my past. Connect With Me & Resources Mentioned: * See the Night & Day Transformation: Check out the pinned photo at the top of my Instagram page showing the physical difference of leaving trauma behind (2022 vs. 2024). Follow me here: [@linhamofficial] on all platforms. * Listen to Episode 2: “Missing the Mother I Never Had” (Deep dive into ambiguous grief). * Listen to Episode 4: “The Loneliness Trauma Creates” (Understanding hyper-independence). If this episode resonated with you, please consider leaving a review or sharing it with a fellow cycle breaker who needs to hear that they aren't alone today.

Owning My Story: Surviving Rape and Victim Blaming

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses sexual assault, rape, and childhood abuse. I’ve spent a long time being unsure if I would ever cover this topic because of how painful it is to talk about. But I know I am not alone, and it’s time to break the silence. This episode was born out of several recent, deep conversations with someone I consider a a force to be reckoned with - my long-lost soul sister, who has continued to empower me on my healing journey. In this incredibly raw bonus episode, I am sharing my personal survival story. I talk about being assaulted between 2017 and 2018 by a prominent local figure, how childhood trauma left me vulnerable to predators, and the devastating impact of the victim-blaming and slut-shaming I faced when I finally spoke out. Speaking up takes away your privacy, but it also takes away the abuser's power. It took a long time to realize that the shame of this crime does not belong to me - it belongs entirely to the person who did it. Thank you for listening and supporting me through the hardest episode I've ever had to record. If you need support after listening to this episode, please reach out to 1800RESPECT. You do not have to carry this alone.

The First Glimpse of Freedom

What finally awakens someone to leave an abusive situation? In this episode, I share the moments that changed everything for me. I talk about a trip to Darwin that gave me my first real glimpse of what a healthy parent-child relationship looked like, why returning home left me feeling unexpectedly heartbroken, and the moment I realised I could no longer stay where I was. I also open up about the chilling threat that ultimately solidified my decision to escape, the psychological trap that kept me stuck for so many years, and why leaving abusive relationships is often far more complicated than people realise. If you've ever wondered why survivors struggle to leave, why we sometimes go back, or why freedom can feel so terrifying, this episode is for you. Whether you're currently in a difficult situation, supporting someone who is, or simply trying to understand the realities of abuse and recovery, I hope this conversation reminds you that a better life is possible. You deserve peace. You deserve safety. And you deserve the freedom to become who you were always meant to be.