Flying Free

Breaking the Cycle of Fear, Obligation, and Guilt: Gwendoline’s Story [354]


Listen Later

Ever wonder why you keep getting stuck in the same soul-sucking relational merry-go-round and can’t get off? Why you feel like you're starring in a never-ending soap opera you didn’t audition for, but somehow you’re the villain for wanting out?

I sat down with Gwendoline, a longtime member of Flying Free and Flying Higher, to talk about her epic butterfly transformation. We're talking cycles of chaos, religious gaslighting, and the sneaky little acronym that kept her trapped in marital misery: FOG (fear, obligation, guilt).


Key Takeaways:

  • If it feels off, it probably is – Chaos, fights, and emotional whiplash aren’t just "normal marriage stuff." They're red flags.
  • Your body knows before your brain does – Tight hips, tension, and dread? Not random. That’s trauma.
  • Love isn’t a magical fix-all – You can love someone and still need to leave them. 
  • Track the truth – Emoji mood calendars and journaling helped Gwendoline see the pattern she was gaslit into ignoring.
  • You are the rescuer – No knight in shining armor is coming. Just you, your big-girl panties, and God on a divine co-rescue mission.
  • Leaving is hard, but worth it – Healing takes time, but the moment you step out, your real life begins.

Read the full show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Get a FREE chapter of Is It ME? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage, along with the companion workbook for that chapter, by going to flyingfreenow.com. I'll also send you the Freedom Letters. (Also free. 😉 )

Related Resources:

  • Want to listen to more survivor stories? Check out “Military Marriage Abuse: Elizabeth’s Story” and “Out of the Poisoned Pond: Jennie’s Story.”


...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Flying FreeBy Natalie Hoffman

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

1,044 ratings


More shows like Flying Free

View all
Betrayal Trauma Recovery by Anne Blythe, M.Ed.

Betrayal Trauma Recovery

1,417 Listeners

The Place We Find Ourselves by Adam Young | LCSW, MDiv

The Place We Find Ourselves

2,565 Listeners

Bare Marriage by Sheila Gregoire

Bare Marriage

1,245 Listeners

Love and Abuse by Paul Colaianni: Relationship and Emotional Abuse Expert

Love and Abuse

856 Listeners

Breaking the Grip - Finding Faith and Freedom from Toxic People by Kris Reece

Breaking the Grip - Finding Faith and Freedom from Toxic People

220 Listeners

No Visible Bruises by Caroline Strawson

No Visible Bruises

514 Listeners

The Covert Narcissism Podcast by Renee Swanson, Bleav

The Covert Narcissism Podcast

42 Listeners

Waking Up to Narcissism by Tony Overbay LMFT

Waking Up to Narcissism

686 Listeners

The Best of You by Dr. Alison Cook

The Best of You

848 Listeners

Therapy and Theology by Lysa TerKeurst

Therapy and Theology

2,007 Listeners

Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse by Kerry McAvoy, Ph.D.

Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

286 Listeners

You Are Not Crazy by Jessica Knight

You Are Not Crazy

84 Listeners

Perfect Prey: A Coercive Control Podcast by Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola

Perfect Prey: A Coercive Control Podcast

130 Listeners

Divorced Christian Woman by Natalie Hoffman

Divorced Christian Woman

63 Listeners