What happens when the fear of rejection runs so deep it controls your every decision?

In this episode of The Liberation Effect, Helen sits down with Laura, who is climbing the corporate ladder while quietly battling burnout. Behind her inability to say no lies a lifetime of people-pleasing, a deeply enmeshed family system, and a childhood marked by secrecy and survival.

Together, Helen and Laura trace the emotional roots of this fear - from Laura’s experience growing up with a mother who demanded complete emotional transparency while forcing her to conceal dangerous truths, to the trauma of abandonment and the impossible role of being everyone's safe place.

This conversation gently unpacks how trauma echoes in professional spaces, how enmeshment distorts boundaries, and how we start learning to say no - not just as a boundary, but as a form of self-protection.

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What happens when the ‘safe parent’ lets you down?

In this episode, Lucy joins host Helen to explore the painful realisation that the parent she once saw as kind, gentle and safe – may never have been that at all.

After going no contact with her emotionally abusive stepmother, Lucy began speaking to her dad about what she’d lived through. But what followed was denial, gaslighting and invalidation – not just from her stepmother, but from the man she thought would be in her corner.

Together, Helen and Lucy explore toxic hope, the idolisation of the “good dad”, and the heartbreak of seeing someone clearly for the first time.

If you’ve ever been made to feel too sensitive, too difficult, or like you’re remembering it all wrong – this one’s for you.

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In this episode, Helen is joined by Kate, who shares her story of going no contact with her mother and navigating the complex aftermath. What starts as a conversation about finding peace after estrangement becomes a profound exploration of trauma, covert abuse, family conditioning, and the grief that often follows disconnection.

Together, Helen and Kate discuss the deep roots of people-pleasing, how it links to childhood experiences, the long-term effects of narcissistic parenting, and the role shame plays in keeping us silent. With honesty and vulnerability, Kate offers a voice to what so many survivors feel but often can’t say.

Important note: There is a trigger/content warning in this episode for sexual abuse - please listen with caution and seek appropriate support if necessary.

Grow, connect and thrive with The Hub: ⁠⁠https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/⁠⁠To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application

In this episode, Helen talks with Amanda as she wrestles with the idea of reconnecting with her mother - someone who caused her deep pain. Diagnosed with autism later in life, Amanda shares how being neurodivergent shaped her understanding of the relationship, her patterns of trust, and the grief of toxic hope: the belief that maybe, one day, her mum might change.

Together they explore what it means to let go of the version of a parent you needed, how autism complicates that process, and what healing can look like when you stop waiting for someone else to be different.

Grow, connect and thrive with The Hub: ⁠https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/⁠

To be on the show please apply here: ⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application

When we’ve grown up in chaos, it can be hard to untangle our trauma from who we truly are. In this episode, Patrick explores the tangled web of trust, identity, and survival after a lifetime shaped by narcissistic abuse - and a recent autism diagnosis that’s reframed everything.

As he sits down with Helen, we witness a moving conversation about how trauma disguises itself in our thoughts, how autism and trauma intertwine, and how addiction can become a clever - if costly - coping mechanism. Together, they unpack people-pleasing, perfectionism, emotional disconnection, and the shame that lingers long after the abuse ends.

This is an episode about rebuilding from the rubble, reclaiming joy, and learning to trust yourself again.

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To be on the show please apply here: ⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application

When a child’s behaviour pushes all our buttons, it can be hard to separate the present from the past. In this powerful episode, a mother explores her deep discomfort around her son’s intense emotional responses and defiance—asking herself if he might be a narcissist, like her own father was.

But as she sits down with Helen, a different picture begins to emerge. How do unresolved wounds from narcissistic abuse shape the way we interpret our children’s behaviour? What part is ADHD or Autism playing in the dynamic?

This honest, tender conversation dives into projection, ADHD, autism, parental guilt, and the courage it takes to break inherited patterns.

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To be on the show please apply here: https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application

The Expert Series is a conversation between a professional and me discussing their specialism in relationship to the course on The Hub. Listen as we explore people pleasing and sex, trauma and shame, or identity and neurodiversity. This content is free for Hub members, or available for a small monthly subscription.

Thanks and take care!

Helen

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If you're looking for stories from people just like you, and suggestions on how to find a way through similar problems, welcome to The Liberation Effect.

Join me as we pull apart struggles and problems and see what's going on and how to move forward.

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