Nik & Nat Chat about our latest episode, Laura Richards: Surviving & Thriving After Narcissistic Abuse. Make sure you listen to her interview first then come back here to take a deep dive into the episode and the lessons we learned!

Narcissism. A buzz word that swarms social media and is the topic of many funny reels, but in reality, it's a form of abuse that so many people live with. Whether it's your partner, your parent, or another family member or loved one, it's very real and very painful.

In this episode, Nicole interviews Laura Richards. She is the host of That's Where I'm At Podcast, author of Married to a Nice Guy: Getting Over Narcissistic Abuse and There is Hope: 52 Keys to Healing After Divorce, and Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Expert. Laura has this incredible power inside of her. She speaks out against the abuse she faced for 33 years in marriage without hesitation and with strength and courage. We were in awe of her. She tells us that when she started her podcast her abuser reached out and said I hear you're talking about me all over the internet and telling people I'm a narcissist and she had one single word in response, "yup." chills.

Nicole and I wish for that kind of strength and empowerment on every survivor we meet. This episode is so important for so many to hear. I've been telling so many people, just wait for this episode, it'll really speak to you! I've been counting down the days to post it so you all can hear this story of strength and healing and be inspired right along with us!

If you've been a victim of narcissistic abuse, in any form, in your life, we hope this episode brings you peace and starts you on a journey of healing! Follow Laura Richards on social media and listen to her podcast. I hope for her courage to be passed on to you as you begin healing and thriving!

What is Collaborative Divorce and how is it different from Litigation?

Nik & Nat spent some time chatting the other day about what Collaborative Law is and what it is they do all day at Two Families Law with their clients! Collaborative is a great option for people who want to have a more peaceful divorce, focus on their kids well-being, save money, and many other things.

Not all divorce comes from a big trauma. Sometimes divorce comes from one or both spouses saying, “hey, I’m not happy/satisfied/fulfilled, and I want a divorce.” Anna’s story is just that. She thought her spouse was great and a good person, but their marriage didn’t fulfill her needs. They were two different people with different goals and love languages, and she needed to feel prioritized and loved.

She grew up as a Minister’s kid with a strong Christian value system that drove her in making all her decisions as a young adult and ultimately getting married. She, like many of us, was sucked into that Happily Ever After, perfect rom-com love story, life. She wanted that Princess Di wedding and was in a rush to find it all, all while meeting her Christian values of staying pure until marriage.

She quickly learned that the Happily Ever After doesn’t comes from rushing down the aisle or staying pure. Like we hear so many times from our clients and friends, she told her spouse she wasn’t happy. She gave the warning signs. She asked for more, but he couldn’t give it. She stayed true to herself and instead of sticking in a marriage that didn’t fulfill her needs, she put herself first and decided to look for someone who can be everything she needs. Spoiler alert, she found it after her divorce!

Anna took her story and turned it into a thriving business as a Relationship Coach. She’s your bestie that you need to text to say “ugh, my spouse is angering me, and I want to tell him off” and then she talks you through whether that’s the best decision. She helps both individuals and couples from trying to save the marriage or rebuild after divorce.

Divorced People Podcast is a podcast for all humans in a relationship, yes especially for Divorced People, but also for all people in a marriage or committed relationship. This episode is a great episode to listen to for anyone in any kind of relationship. It discusses the warning signs that one person sends out and how important it is to listen to those signs. We hear it all the time at work, one party says I’ve been saying this for years and the other party is shocked and hasn’t HEARD what the they were being told for years.

Lauren Stevens is a single mom, business owner, survivor, and badass. She took a huge leap of faith and quit her job, divorced her abuser, sold her home, and put everything she had into building Joy Worthy Co. Joy Worthy is an event rental space and creative workshop where she hosts paint pours, cooking classes, charcuterie making, holiday themed events, birthday parties, and more! She wanted a place where people can come together to feel JOY and express their artistic side. In a world filled with so much hate, she wanted people to know there is still joy to be found.

Lauren’s story is one that many of you may relate to. She grew up in a small Southern town, deep in a rigid Christianity, moved away from home, fell in love looking for that romcom love story, only to find that the pink flags she thought she saw were red and she needed to get away. She got married fast to fill a court obligation to be able to take in two young girls who needed a home. She put aside her voice in her head telling her he may not be the one and leaped into what she hoped was her fairytale.

The red flags appeared, the abuse started, until one day it went too far and her inner beast woke up and she took her child and left and never looked back. You’ll hear more about what happened, how religion played a role in her story and her abuse, and how she became the Boss Babe that she is now!

We hope you enjoy this story as much as we did. It’s a unique experience to watch your friend’s story unfold and then get to hear her tell it years later. I had the unique experience of hearing her open up about what she wanted from her friends during her journey and realizing I spent my time as a cheerleader instead of a honest friend who sees the flags and doesn’t speak up. Just like in her romcoms, there’s always the friend that supports no matter what and doesn’t learn to speak up and share her thoughts until it’s too late! My bestie and I have a phrase we use whenever the other one is sharing, and we have an opinion to chime in or if we are the one sharing and want that opinion ourselves- BBH- Brutal Bestie Honesty. We ask each other, are you here for BBH or not? Are you ready to hear something you probably don’t want to hear, but NEED to hear? Not everyone is, so asking if they want BBH first, gives them the chance to say no and just vent without fear of reality being thrown in their face.

Let us know what you think of Lauren’s story! Can you relate to the romcom love gone bad that so many Millennials and Gen X have been programmed to find?

Olivia Dreizen Howell is the joyful and dynamic CEO of Fresh Starts Registry and the host of the Divorce Happens Podcast. She is a powerful single mother and a survivor of emotional and psychological violence during her marriage. In this episode, Olivia shares what it was like growing up as a child of divorce and into her own divorce story. She has a beautiful village supporting her and her two small children every step of the way. Olivia has turned the struggle and learning of her own divorce into the Fresh Starts Registry as a way for divorcing people to create a registry for items they need and love to start their new life! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

In my day job as a collaborative divorce lawyer, one of our most magical tools in our non-violent toolbox is a neutral, skillful, well-trained child psychologist. And Dr. Brian Mackey is the very best.

Brian is a divorced dad, a new-ish step-dad, the owner of a booming child psych practice in NC (3-C Family Services), and an expert in representing children's interests in divorce. He meets with the children of our divorcing families, gathers their needs and interests, analyzes their coping skills and patterns, and then lovingly shares this insight with the parents and lawyers -- all at the same round table. The result is a deeper and clearer understanding for everyone about how the individual kids in any family are doing with the change, and how all the grown-ups can best support them. It's the fucking best.

In this episode, Brian discusses the cultures that shaped his own marriage and divorce, how to love your kids through family change, what he learns from kiddos whose parents are in the process, and the not so secret perks of leaving an unhealthy marriage and co-parenting like a pro.

Jen Berlingo is a coach, a writer, an artist, a mother, a trained therapist, and an intuitive being. Her story is so intricate and beautiful.

As she writes about in her book, Midlife Emergence, Jen reached her 40s, married to a man that she loved, and felt an undeniable call to end her marriage to further pursue her queer identity and love with a woman. The way that Jen is able to hold love and truth in so many ways that might seem to oppose one another is magical, and skilled.

Please enjoy this episode and share with a friend <3.

https://jenberlingo.com/