You're Not Crazy: A Podcast for the Adult Children of Parents with Borderline and Narcissistic Personality Disorders

Growing up with a parent with unmanaged borderline personality disorder or strong narcissistic traits means growing up in chaos. Gaslighting makes you question your reality, walking on eggshells keeps your nervous system on high alert, leaving you feeling crazy in a family that insists everything is fine.
In this episode you'll learn:
How clarity about what's really happening in your family lets you make intentional decisions instead of throwing things at the wall
Why making choices based on what someone else says is right for you replicates the exact dynamic you grew up in
The difference between what's actually right for you and what just makes you feel less guilty
How replicable skills, not one-size-fits-all rules, build the confidence that quiets self-doubt and self-gaslighting
Ready to go deeper?
The Cycle Breaker's Vault is Torie's self-guided course for the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic traits. It covers dysfunctional family dynamics, boundaries, manipulation, grief, and reconnecting with yourself.
Learn more and get started: confidentboundaries.com/vault
Follow Torie on Instagram: @cyclebreakertherapist
Follow Torie on TikTok: @cyclebreakertherapist
Want the more episodes of You're Not Crazy? Join The Private Feed for access to bonus and ad-free episodes plus the full archive: confidentboundaries.com/private
Free guide: 10 Boundary Mistakes That Keep You Stuck
If your boundaries keep blowing up or leaving you drowning in guilt, it's usually not you. Learn what problems actually get in the way of setting successful boundaries with toxic parents by downloading my free guide: confidentboundaries.com/opt-in
Support the show
A huge thank you to our podcast sponsors!
Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in crisis, please call the 988 Crisis Lifeline.
You're Not Crazy is owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.

Support the show
A huge thank you to our podcast sponsors!
Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in crisis, please call the 988 Crisis Lifeline.
You're Not Crazy is owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.

When you were raised by a narcissistic parent or a parent with unmanaged borderline personality disorder, you learn early on that keeping the peace and managing your parent's moods is the "kind" thing to do.
Your family conflates kindness with you taking on the job of regulating your parent's emotions, and now every boundary you try to set can feel like a moral failure instead of the basic self-care it actually is.
In this episode you'll learn:
The real difference between kindness and the emotional caretaking you were trained to call kindness
Why appeasing your parent got framed as "the right thing to do" 
The one question to ask yourself when a boundary feels mean
What genuinely unkind behavior looks like, and why setting a boundary doesn't come anywhere close
Why your body might still feel uncomfortable and unsafe setting a boundary even once you know you've done nothing wrong
If you've spent your whole life worrying that taking care of yourself makes you the mean one, this episode is for you.
Ready to go deeper?
The Cycle Breaker's Vault is Torie's self-guided course for the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic traits. It covers dysfunctional family dynamics, boundaries, manipulation, grief, and reconnecting with yourself.
Learn more and get started: confidentboundaries.com/vault
Follow Torie on Instagram: @cyclebreakertherapist
Follow Torie on TikTok: @cyclebreakertherapist
Want the more episodes of You're Not Crazy? Join The Private Feed for access to bonus and ad-free episodes plus the full archive: confidentboundaries.com/private
Free guide: 10 Boundary Mistakes That Keep You Stuck
If your boundaries keep blowing up or leaving you drowning in guilt, it's usually not you. Learn what problems actually get in the way of setting successful boundaries with toxic parents by downloading my free guide: confidentboundaries.com/opt-in
Support the show
A huge thank you to our podcast sponsors!
Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in crisis, please call the 988 Crisis Lifeline.
You're Not Crazy is owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.

You've told yourself that this time you won't let it get to you, and somehow you still leave the conversation feeling defeated and distraught, wondering why you can't just let things go.
When you grow up with a narcissistic parent or a parent with unmanaged borderline personality disorder, you learn to brace for the mean comments, the cruelty, the digs that come out of nowhere. 
And you work hard to get to a place of radical acceptance- acknowledging who your parent is and what you're likely to experience in your relationship with them. So shouldn't those realistic expectations of your parent come with less emotional distress when they do the toxic thing you're expecting them to do?
Not exactly.
In this episode you'll learn:
Why a negative emotional reaction to your parent's behavior is healthy and important
The two things that tend to happen when you successfully lower your reactivity (and why neither is where you want to be)
Your emotional reaction reframed as data that can inform your boundaries
The nuanced, gray-area questions to ask yourself to create a reality that leaves you feeling less defeated and depleted
If you're desperate to feel less emotionally consumed by the interactions with your parent, this episode is for you.
Ready to go deeper?
The Cycle Breaker's Vault is Torie's self-guided course for the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic traits. It covers dysfunctional family dynamics, boundaries, manipulation, grief, and reconnecting with yourself.
Learn more and get started: confidentboundaries.com/vault
Follow Torie on Instagram: @cyclebreakertherapist
Follow Torie on TikTok: @cyclebreakertherapist
Want the more episodes of You're Not Crazy? Join The Private Feed for access to bonus and ad-free episodes plus the full archive: confidentboundaries.com/private
Free guide: 10 Boundary Mistakes That Keep You Stuck
If your boundaries keep blowing up or leaving you drowning in guilt, it's usually not you. Learn what problems actually get in the way of setting successful boundaries with toxic parents by downloading my free guide: confidentboundaries.com/opt-in
Support the show
A huge thank you to our podcast sponsors!
Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in crisis, please call the 988 Crisis Lifeline.
You're Not Crazy is owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.

Too many cycle breakers know that moment when your phone lights up with the latest family emergency and you drop everything to try to calm the storm.
When you grow up with a narcissistic parent or a parent with unmanaged borderline personality disorder, you learn early on that keeping the peace is what keeps you safe. So, when there's a crisis, of course you spring into action.
In this episode we dive into:
The difference between what you're capable of and what you actually have the capacity for
The cost of being designated the family fixer
The "I should be able to handle this" story, and how it keeps you stuck in burnout and self-blame
One honest question to ask yourself this week that brings real clarity to how you spend your time, energy, and resources
Ready to go deeper?
The Cycle Breaker's Vault is Torie's self-guided course for the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic traits. It covers dysfunctional family dynamics, boundaries, manipulation, grief, and reconnecting with yourself.
Learn more and get started: confidentboundaries.com/vault
Want the more episodes of You're Not Crazy? Join The Private Feed for access to bonus and ad-free episodes plus the full archive: confidentboundaries.com/private
Follow Torie on Instagram: @cyclebreakertherapist
Follow Torie on TikTok: @cyclebreakertherapist
Free guide: 10 Boundary Mistakes That Keep You Stuck
Learn what actually gets in the way of setting successful boundaries with toxic parents by downloading my free guide: confidentboundaries.com/opt-in
Support the show
A huge thank you to our podcast sponsors!
Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in crisis, please call the 988 Crisis Lifeline.
You're Not Crazy is owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.