How long do you think it takes for someone to heal after leaving a cult?

Coercive control is the underlying tactic of narcissistic abuse relationships, often known as a cult of one.

Does it give you more self compassion as you work towards healing when you realize that your healing mimics the healing of someone healing from a cult?

In this episode of The Rising Beyond Podcast I do a deep dive into the similarities between domestic violence and narcissistic abuse relationships and those of cults with Brooke Deanne. She uses her personal experience of leaving a high control religion which then led to an abusive romantic relationship to help survivors heal.

We discuss the similarities of tactics used post separation or when leaving a cult, how cult experiences may lead to future abusive relationships, and the first steps to healing.

Brooke Deanne is a Trauma Healing Mentor, Rapid Transformational Therapist (RTT), and NLP Practitioner empowering female survivors of abuse and trauma to reclaim their lives by rewriting their stories via a holistic approach to access new levels of mind, body, and spirit integration.

After overcoming her history of abuse as an ex-Jehovah’s Witness, and toxic relationships, Brooke brings profound insight to her work and as an advocate against religious abuse and domestic violence. She is the author of The Grief Monster, a trusted resource in therapy offices and hospitals to help children process loss, and Shattered, Broken, & Beautiful - Losing My Religion and Finding Faith, a transformative memoir exploring her healing journey from a religious cult and abusive relationships.

Brooke also hosts The Cult Diaries podcast. Discover more at https://www.lifecoachinggoddess.com/shattered-broken-beautiful

Connect with Brooke:
Instagram: @lifecoachinggoddess
YouTube: @Lifecoachinggoddess
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-kekos-253905231/
Website: https://www.lifecoachinggoddess.com/

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In this final Friday Coaching Corner of 2025, Sybil follows up on a previous episode after hearing from a listener whose story echoes so many others navigating malicious interference in the parent–child relationship.

This mom has been enduring post-separation abuse for over two years, including weaponized court orders, ignored therapeutic directives, and a teen who has been heavily influenced by the abusive parent.

She asks Sybil to address three painful and important questions:

1. How can a mom who has been partially separated from her teen due to manipulation and lies maintain connection outside of the legal and family court systems?
2. Why do teens so often side with the abusive parent, even when that parent is violating orders or causing harm?
3. What steps can a protective parent take to begin radically accepting the situation, especially when their child seems brainwashed, fearful, or aligned with the harmful parent?

Listen to episode 2 of the Friday Coaching Corner "When Unconditional Love Looks Like “Being Walked Over”": https://www.buzzsprout.com/1991648/episodes/17927785

Want your question featured in a future Friday Coaching Corner? Send a short paragraph explaining your situation and 2–3 specific questions to info@risingbeyondpc.com.

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

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If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

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Speaking out about abuse is never easy.

For survivors of coercive control and domestic violence, telling the truth can feel like reclaiming your voice and your dignity, but telling the truth often comes with a significant cost: retaliation.

In this episode I do a deep dive (and a bit of a rant) into the reasons why a narcissist feels the need to retaliate and the steps that they take to silence you and anyone who supports you. They use threats, smear campaigns, and then move to revenge on a larger scale.

This doesn’t only impact the survivor…an abuser will also retaliate against those who support their victim in order to maintain control over the narrative. The consequence of this is fewer who are willing to stand up and support those who need it the most.

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

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Family court can feel like a battlefield — especially when your ex-partner uses the system as another tool for control. But what if advocacy didn’t have to mean becoming hardened or adversarial?

In this episode of The Rising Beyond Podcast, Sybil is joined by Becky Sampson, founder of a subpoena support service and a survivor who turned her own three-and-a-half-year divorce battle into a mission to help others navigate family court with confidence, compassion, and strength.

Together, they discuss:

• Why knowledge is your greatest form of protection — from learning court terminology to understanding your rights.
• How documentation can make or break your case (and what judges actually look for).
• The role of subpoenas, when to use them, and why they can be a game-changer in uncovering hidden information.
• Balancing empathy and boundaries — learning to lead with heart without letting it be weaponized.
• What self-advocacy looks like for survivors representing themselves in court.
• Why your worth and your parenting are not defined by the outcome of a case.

Whether you’re preparing for your first hearing, fighting post-decree motions, or simply trying to stay steady through the process, this episode offers both practical tools and deep validation.

Connect with Becky:

• Website: https://beckysampson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divorcingstrongbeckysampson
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckysampson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beckysampson11/

📚 Resources Mentioned:

• Becky’s free 100 Divorce Terms You Need to Know download — available at beckysampson.com
• The Rising Beyond Podcast episodes on documentation, parenting plans, and preparing for court.

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

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Do the double standards that show up in a narcissistic relationship and “co-parenting” relationship drive you crazy?

Double standards are a hallmark of narcissistic abuse and are pervasive even (maybe especially) after you have left the relationship.

In this episode we explore why someone with narcissism requires these double standards to work in their world and how the larger system allows and supports them to continue. We also discuss ways in which you can lessen their emotional impact, decide if and when to engage and point the double standards out, and how best to do this to present as a good “co-parent.”

While the double standards will always be a part of any relationship your ex partner has, you can make shifts to not allow it to take so much of your emotional energy.

Be sure to listen to Episode 83: Co-Parenting with a Narcissist: Strategies for Modifying the Parenting Plan - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1991648/episodes/14356912-ep-83-co-parenting-with-a-narcissist-strategies-for-modifying-the-parenting-plan

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

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In this week’s Friday Coaching Corner, I respond to a mom’s heartfelt question that so many survivors share:

“How do I support my children’s relationship with their dad—because the court says I have to—while knowing he is emotionally and psychologically abusing them every week?”

This episode dives deep into one of the hardest balancing acts for protective parents: offering emotional honesty and safety without crossing into parental alienation.

You’ll hear strategies and validation around:

• How to build felt safety for your children when the other home is unsafe.
• Why it’s vital not to gaslight your kids—and what to say instead.
• How to reflect what you see (“Your body looks like it needs to move after visits”) instead of judging or rescuing.
• Using simple rituals and routines to help kids regulate after contact with the abusive parent.
• How to teach emotional intelligence and discernment so your kids can identify safe people and unsafe behaviors.
• Ways to contrast your safe home environment with the other parent’s behavior—without speaking negatively about them.
• The truth that children need one consistent, unconditional, loving caregiver to build resilience—and that person can be you.
  
  

This episode is a compassionate guide for every survivor-parent navigating the impossible tension between protecting your children and being forced to “support” a relationship that hurts them.

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

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How do you communicate with someone who continues to abuse you post separation?

I cannot stress how important it is to learn how to communicate with your “high conflict” co-parent in ways that will protect you and your mental health in order to better protect your children.

In this episode I talk with Jill Kaufman about how she supports those going through a “high conflict” divorce and post separation abuse find peace in their lives while also having to communicate with their coparent about their children. We discuss the pitfalls that many survivors fall into, how to pick your battles, and how to stop taking everything said personally to protect your peace.

Jill Kaufman is a Therapist, Divorce Coach, Mediator & Co-parenting Expert. After going through her own difficult divorce, she made it her life’s mission to help others not have it so tough. Her book, online course and transformative group coaching program help parents navigate the overwhelming process of divorce both emotionally and strategically with less stress, more confidence and a greater sense of peace.

Connect with Jill:

• Website: www.divorcecoachjill.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divorcecoachjill/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jill.kaufman.353, https://www.facebook.com/groups/separationanddivorcesupportcommunity

If you are struggling with communicating with your ex, Rising Beyond Power and Control offers many resources including our Canned Responses that can help when you just can’t find the words.

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
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If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7

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Family court can feel like it’s designed to wear you down. The long waits, the unpredictability, the endless back-and-forth with your ex — it can seem impossible to get through without breaking.

But what if you didn’t have to let court define you?

In this episode, Sybil shares how survivors can walk through family court with steadiness and strength. Instead of waiting for one big “final win,” you’ll learn how to find momentum in small victories, focus your energy where it counts, and adopt key mindset shifts that protect your well-being along the way.

You’ll hear about:

• Small wins that matter — how to recognize progress in the middle of a long battle.
• Control vs. no control — a practical way to separate what deserves your energy from what doesn’t.
• Mindset shifts that sustain you, including:
  • Court is a chapter, not your whole story.
  • Your strength is not defined by the outcome.
  • Preparation is power.
  • The courtroom doesn’t define your parenting.
  • Endurance over perfection.
  • Anchoring in values when the process feels chaotic.

Court is difficult — but with these strategies, it doesn’t have to break you.

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
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• ...