You're Not Doomed: Escaping a Pattern of Dysfunctional Relationships
Big news! The Confident Boundaries App is officially live—now available for free on iPhone and Android. Inside, you’ll get instant access to a curated starter bundle of some of my favorite episodes and articles to support your healing from family dysfunction.In today’s episode, we’re digging into a question I hear often from adult children of narcissistic parents or those with unmanaged BPD: “Why do I keep ending up in toxic relationships?”When you grow up with emotionally immature or abusive parents, you're taught to dismiss your gut, minimize your needs, and tolerate mistreatment. That pattern doesn’t magically disappear in adulthood.You’re not doomed to repeat these patterns forever. You can learn healthy love—and it starts with understanding what was never your fault to begin with.📲 Download the Confident Boundaries app now to start healing with practical tools and community support. And if this episode hit home, tap 5 stars and leave a quick review to help others find the podcast.Link to download on iPhone:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/confident-boundaries/id6746057902Link to download on Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj2148582879.app&pcampaignid=web_shareGrab my free guide, 5 Guilt-Proof Boundaries That Actually Work (Even With a Toxic Parent): confidentboundaries.com/guilt-proof-boundaries Download the Confident Boundaries App on iPhone:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/confident-boundaries/id6746057902 Download the Confident Boundaries App on Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj2148582879.app&pcampaignid=web_share Learn more about the Confident Boundaries Membership: confidentboundaries.com/membership Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/torieatconfidentboundaries Torie Wiksell is a therapist and coach who specializes in working with the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders. Torie brings a unique perspective having spent years working with clients with personality disorders and growing up with a mother she suspects had NPD with BPD traits. Torie provides online therapy to clients located in WA, OR, and CA, and online coaching internationally.Disclaimer: This podcast is not ...
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The Loneliness of Being the Cycle Breaker
If you’re breaking toxic cycles in a family marked by emotional immaturity, narcissism, or borderline traits, there’s something we don’t talk about enough: the profound loneliness that can come with healing.You’re not just setting boundaries—you’re stepping out of the role your family expected you to play. Maybe you were the peacekeeper, the fixer, the golden child, or the scapegoat. But once you stop playing by the unspoken rules, the system fights to pull you back in. What hurts the most is realizing your family often wants access to the old version of you—not the healthier, more boundaried version you’ve worked so hard to become. That rejection can feel like losing your family all over again.This episode is for the cycle breakers—the ones doing the heavy lifting, often in silence, wondering if anyone else truly gets it. You’ll learn:Why healing often feels lonelier before it feels betterHow to reframe your isolation as a sign of growthWhere to find real, mutual support outside of dysfunctional systemsReady to connect with other cycle breakers? Join me in the Confident Boundaries Membership: confidentboundaries.com/membershipGrab my free guide, 5 Guilt-Proof Boundaries That Actually Work (Even With a Toxic Parent): confidentboundaries.com/guilt-proof-boundaries Download the Confident Boundaries App on iPhone:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/confident-boundaries/id6746057902 Download the Confident Boundaries App on Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj2148582879.app&pcampaignid=web_share Learn more about the Confident Boundaries Membership: confidentboundaries.com/membership Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/torieatconfidentboundaries Torie Wiksell is a therapist and coach who specializes in working with the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders. Torie brings a unique perspective having spent years working with clients with personality disorders and growing up with a mother she suspects had NPD with BPD traits. Torie provides online therapy to clients located in WA, OR, and CA, and online coaching internationally.Disclaimer: This podcast is not ...
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Breaking Cycles Without Breaking Yourself
Healing isn’t linear—especially when you’re the cycle breaker. In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, I’m pulling back the curtain on what real, sustainable healing looks like when you grew up with emotionally immature, narcissistic, or borderline parents.I share how becoming a therapist over a decade ago didn’t free me from my dysfunctional patterns—it magnified them. I was the classic parentified child turned overwhelmed helper: running myself into the ground trying to "fix" everything and help everyone. I talk about how I'm working on breaking toxic cycles right now and all the feelings and thoughts I have around my own healing journey.Grab my free guide, 5 Guilt-Proof Boundaries That Actually Work (Even With a Toxic Parent): confidentboundaries.com/guilt-proof-boundaries Download the Confident Boundaries App on iPhone:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/confident-boundaries/id6746057902 Download the Confident Boundaries App on Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj2148582879.app&pcampaignid=web_share Learn more about the Confident Boundaries Membership: confidentboundaries.com/membership Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/torieatconfidentboundaries Torie Wiksell is a therapist and coach who specializes in working with the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders. Torie brings a unique perspective having spent years working with clients with personality disorders and growing up with a mother she suspects had NPD with BPD traits. Torie provides online therapy to clients located in WA, OR, and CA, and online coaching internationally.Disclaimer: This podcast is not ...
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What If Protecting Yourself Is the Honest Thing to Do?
Cycle breakers are often raised to believe that honesty = full disclosure and transparency… even when the other person has a history of weaponizing that honesty against them.In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, we’re digging into the messy middle between brutal honesty and self-abandonment—especially when it comes to dealing with parents who have borderline personality disorder (BPD) or narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).So many of us value being open and real because we didn’t get that growing up. But when it comes to setting boundaries with toxic parents, that same desire to be transparent can backfire—leaving us feeling overexposed, manipulated, and unsafe.In this episode, I’m sharing:The difference between honesty and over-disclosureHow I decide what to share (and not share) on this podcast and in my own lifeWhy you don’t owe anyone—not even your parent—access to your most vulnerable truthsAnd the underrated boundary no one talks about: walking away when you're being mistreated→Ready to learn why your boundaries haven’t been working—and what to do instead? Grab my free mini-course at confidentboundaries.com/courseGrab my free guide, 5 Guilt-Proof Boundaries That Actually Work (Even With a Toxic Parent): confidentboundaries.com/guilt-proof-boundaries Download the Confident Boundaries App on iPhone:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/confident-boundaries/id6746057902 Download the Confident Boundaries App on Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj2148582879.app&pcampaignid=web_share Learn more about the Confident Boundaries Membership: confidentboundaries.com/membership Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/torieatconfidentboundaries Torie Wiksell is a therapist and coach who specializes in working with the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders. Torie brings a unique perspective having spent years working with clients with personality disorders and growing up with a mother she suspects had NPD with BPD traits. Torie provides online therapy to clients located in WA, OR, and CA, and online coaching internationally.Disclaimer: This podcast is not ...
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Guilt-Tripped Again? How Toxic Parents Keep You Under Control
If you’ve ever felt a pit in your stomach after setting a boundary… or a wave of guilt for saying no to your parent’s last-minute demand… this episode is for you.Guilt has been weaponized in toxic families for generations—and if you grew up with a toxic parent or narcissistic parent, chances are you’ve been conditioned to confuse manipulative guilt with a healthy conscience. But here’s the truth: that guilt you feel? It’s not because you’ve done something wrong. It’s because your parent taught you that their comfort matters more than your well-being.In this episode, we break down:The difference between healthy guilt and the kind that keeps you stuck in people-pleasing modeWhy you don’t need to prove your parent is “trying” to manipulate you for the guilt to be real and harmfulThis is a must-listen for any adult child of emotionally immature, narcissistic, or borderline parents who’s ready to break the cycle and stop abandoning themselves to keep the peace.Ready to find out why your boundaries aren’t working with your toxic parent? Take my free mini-course at confidentboundaries.com/courseAnd for a limited time, join the Confident Boundaries membership for just $38 your first month with code BIRTHDAYGrab my free guide, 5 Guilt-Proof Boundaries That Actually Work (Even With a Toxic Parent): confidentboundaries.com/guilt-proof-boundaries Download the Confident Boundaries App on iPhone:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/confident-boundaries/id6746057902 Download the Confident Boundaries App on Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj2148582879.app&pcampaignid=web_share Learn more about the Confident Boundaries Membership: confidentboundaries.com/membership Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/torieatconfidentboundaries Torie Wiksell is a therapist and coach who specializes in working with the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders. Torie brings a unique perspective having spent years working with clients with personality disorders and growing up with a mother she suspects had NPD with BPD traits. Torie provides online therapy to clients located in WA, OR, and CA, and online coaching internationally.Disclaimer: This podcast is not ...
About You're Not Crazy: A Podcast for Cycle Breakers with Toxic Parents
Psychotherapist and Coach, Torie Wiksell, is no stranger to talking about challenging and dysfunctional family dynamics. In addition to specializing in working with the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders as both a therapist and coach, Torie grew up with a mother who had an unmanaged personality disorder.Torie has spent a significant portion of her 12 year career as a therapist working with clients with personality disorders, their partners, and family members, and brings a unique and relatable perspective to navigating these complicated relationships.Follow Torie on Instagram: instagram.com/torieatconfidentboundariesLearn more about Coaching and the Confident Boundaries Membership: www.confidentboundaries.comDisclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you are in mental health crisis, please contact the Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. You're Not Crazy is a podcast owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.
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