In Episode 14 of After the Quiet, I share what early marriage really looked like behind closed doors—and the “rules” I was expected to follow without ever agreeing to them. This episode explores coercive control in marriage, including sexual coercion, emotional manipulation, isolation from family, and constant monitoring of my time. I open up about the pressure to never say no, the shame and confusion that followed, and how my relationship with my mom became something he tried to control. From rushing home after work to avoiding friendships and even giving up reading for enjoyment, I began shrinking to keep the peace. If you’ve ever felt like your needs didn’t matter, your voice wasn’t safe, or your body wasn’t your own, this episode will resonate.

In Episode 13 of After the Quiet, I share what it was really like living through home renovations as a newly married woman—where the stress wasn’t just the dust and chaos, but the growing emotional control behind closed doors. From spending Friday nights alone while he went out, to being mocked for not knowing how to cook, to feeling pressure to become a “proper wife,” this episode explores how coercive control can hide inside everyday expectations. I also open up about how my career as a teacher became a source of resentment, and how I was accused of caring more about my students than my husband. This is a story about isolation, humiliation, and slowly losing yourself while trying to keep the peace.

In Episode 12 of After the Quiet, I share what happened during my honeymoon in Mexico — and how the cracks in a controlling relationship didn’t disappear after marriage. From feeling alone during excursions to Mayan ruins, to fear and anxiety when my husband left to search for drugs in another country, this episode explores coercive control, emotional isolation, and the pressure to manage someone else’s choices. I also reflect on moving into his parents’ basement, the conflict that followed, and the sudden decision to move into a house still under renovations. A personal story about early marriage, emotional abuse, and how milestones don’t always bring safety.

In Episode 11 of After the Quiet, I share what it was like to move toward marriage after a long-term controlling relationship that never truly healed. From a first engagement at age 20, to a wedding planned without a second proposal, this episode explores relationship momentum, emotional loneliness, and the warning signs hidden in plain sight. I reflect on church marriage classes, the pressure to carry the relationship for two people, and how coercive control and emotional abuse can continue even during “happy” milestones like engagement and wedding planning.

In Episode 10 of After the Quiet, I share what happened when I was accepted into a university program three and a half hours from home — and how my growth became a threat in a controlling relationship. This episode explores education as a source of conflict, family involvement, guilt around ambition, and the exhaustion of being allowed to move forward only with conditions. A reflective look at coercive control, emotional abuse, and how independence is often framed as danger rather than possibility.

In Episode 9 of After the Quiet, I explore the moment when something inside begins to push back — not through escape, but through exhaustion, numbness, and quiet resistance. This episode reflects on emotional shutdown, fear of leaving, the relief and confusion of a breakup, and the pull of love-bombing that leads to reconciliation. A deeper look at coercive control, emotional abuse, trauma bonding, and how hope and commitment can keep the cycle going long before a breaking point is reached.

In Episode 8 of After the Quiet, I explore how the effects of a coercive controlling relationship linger long after the rules are no longer spoken. Through personal reflection, this episode examines silence as habit, hypervigilance, anxiety and panic, loss of spontaneity, and the grief of giving up joy in the name of “compromise.” A deeper look at emotional abuse, coercive control, nervous system survival, and why the quiet can follow you into every part of life.

In Episode 7 of After the Quiet, I reflect on the early moments of awareness in a coercive controlling relationship — when patterns begin to emerge but clarity still feels out of reach. Through personal experiences around major life events, shifting dreams, and outside concern I minimized, this episode explores emotional abuse, coercive control, and the tension between seeing what’s happening and feeling unable to act. A reflective look at how recognition unfolds slowly, often alongside hope.

In Episode 6 of After the Quiet, I explore how shame takes hold in a coercive controlling relationship and slowly reshapes identity, self-worth, and voice. Through personal reflection, this episode examines sexual shame, silence as survival, protecting an abuser’s image, and the belief that love must be earned by becoming smaller. A deeper look at emotional abuse, coercive control, internalized shame, and why staying quiet can feel safer than being seen.

In Episode 4 of After the Quiet, I explore how concern in a controlling relationship can slowly turn into criticism. Through personal reflection, this episode examines appearance-based criticism, monitoring social interactions, shifting expectations, and the no-win situations that leave you constantly second-guessing yourself. A deeper look at coercive control, emotional abuse, and how constant evaluation reshapes confidence and identity over time.