Dysfunctional

Today, I’m joined by the brilliant Dr. Genevieve von Lob – clinical psychologist, conscious parenting coach, and author of Five Deep Breaths: The Power of Mindful Parenting. Genevieve is a powerful voice for highly sensitive people (HSPs), and she's on a mission to create healing spaces for parents and children who’ve never felt like they fit the mould.

In this raw and deeply validating conversation, we explore what it really means to be highly sensitive in a world that often gets it wrong. We talk about the link between sensitivity and misdiagnosis, the emotional toll of being pathologized, and the damaging impact of growing up misunderstood.

Genevieve shares why many sensitive children end up labelled, punished, or shamed – and how their intense emotional world can actually be their greatest gift. We discuss addiction, bullying, co-regulation, parenting struggles, empowered sensitivity, narcissistic abuse, and why true healing happens in community, not isolation.

This is one of those conversations that might just change how you see yourself – or your child – forever.

Find out more about Dr Genevieve von Lob here - 

www.drgenevieve.com

@drgenevievevonlob (instagram) https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgenevieve/ (linkedin)

01:00 Introduction to Dr. Genevieve Von Lobb

02:59 Discovering High Sensitivity in Children

06:19 Personal Journey and Understanding Sensitivity

09:28 Challenges of Highly Sensitive Children

13:21 Recognizing and Supporting Sensitive Children

25:04 The Western Medical Model and Sensitivity

34:19 Bullying and Sensitivity

40:30 Understanding Trauma and Its Impact

41:59 The Dilemma of Highly Sensitive People

42:35 Ignoring Red Flags and Gut Instincts

45:38 Energetic Entanglement and Boundaries

47:12 The Reality of Bullying and Narcissism

50:03 The Journey to Empowerment

01:03:30 The Importance of Community Healing

01:04:57 Final Thoughts and Future Plans

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Josh is joined by IFS coach Kevin O’Neill — the man who guided him through 10 transformational sessions of Internal Family Systems work. Together, they explore what it really means to stop fighting your inner world and start leading from your Self. Josh shares the breakthrough that changed everything: realizing he was still judging himself through the lens of who he was at 22. They dive into shame, identity, addiction, inner protectors, and why even the messiest parts of us are just trying to help. This episode is a raw and moving deep-dive into parts work, masculinity, and what happens when you realise… there are no bad parts.

Working with Kevin was life changing for me and you can find out more about him and how to work with him yourself here -

www.nobadparts.coach

On instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/no_badparts/

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In this raw and powerful conversation, I’m joined by writer and survivor Stéphanie St-Jean, whose viral piece “I Hope This Finds You Unwell” marked the moment she stopped hiding and started healing.

Stéphanie shares the quiet devastation of emotional and financial abuse, the trauma of post-separation control, and how writing became the tool that helped her reclaim her truth, her worth, and her voice.

We talk about:

• The subtle patterns of narcissistic abuse that often go unseen
• How trauma survivors are misdiagnosed instead of supported
• Speaking out, smear campaigns, and the cost of telling the truth
• Creating a children’s book to help others feel worthy from the start

This episode is about what happens when you stop apologizing for your truth and finally say what needs to be said.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of narcissistic abuse, miscarriage, emotional manipulation, and post-separation abuse.

Find Stephaine here - https://lessonsindiscernment.substack.com

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What if your burnout, your self-doubt, your struggle to belong weren’t personal problems, but symptoms of a system that was never built for you?

In this raw and powerful conversation, Josh is joined by master intuitive psychology coach Helen to dismantle the myth of individual healing in a broken society. Together, they explore how patriarchy, capitalism, and outdated leadership models disconnect us from our true selves and how coming home to our intuition is an act of resistance.

This isn’t just another coaching chat. It’s a call to break free from the systems that broke you. Expect uncomfortable truths, gut-punch insights, and a reminder that real change starts within but never ends there.

Find Helen here -

www.helendudzinska.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-dudzinska-b75087184

Insta - @helendudzinska

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If you’ve ever dealt with a toxic person online or in real life, this episode is for you.

Josh breaks down a recent Facebook interaction that perfectly illustrates the exhausting tactics toxic people use to wear you down — from word salads to projection, reactive abuse, triangulation, moral superiority, and weaponised vulnerability.

You’ll learn:

• Why you’ll never “win” against a toxic person
• How they twist your words, deny reality, and drag you into chaos
• The difference between true vulnerability and manipulative victimhood
• How these same toxic tactics show up in cult-like communities and spiritual spaces
• Why gray rocking might be the only sane response

It’s raw, honest, a bit messy — and definitely dysfunctional.

Whether you’re healing from family dysfunction, dealing with online trolls, or navigating toxic dynamics in your life, this one will help you feel a little less crazy.

00:00 Introduction to Toxic Relationships

00:57 Personal Anecdote: The Persistent Commenter

04:32 The Facebook Confrontation

07:59 Understanding Reactive Abuse

17:17 The DAVO Tactic Explained

20:01 Confrontation and Gaslighting

22:22 Understanding Word Salad

23:45 Triangulation in Toxic Relationships

25:22 Weaponized Vulnerability

29:26 Moral Superiority and Cult-like Behavior

36:45 Personal Reflections and Community Building

40:55 Final Thoughts and Podcast Wrap-up

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What really happens when you cut ties with your own family?

In this episode, I’m joined by psychologist and author Karl Melvin, whose book Navigating Family Estrangement has been a lifeline for people trying to break free from toxic family systems. Together, we dive into the misunderstood world of family estrangement — exploring the deep grief, the guilt, the gaslighting, and the complex layers of going no contact.

We talk about:

• Why estrangement is sometimes the healthiest choice
• How society often sides with the abuser
• The pressure to forgive, reconcile, and “just move on”
• What healing can actually look like on the other side

Whether you’ve cut contact, are considering it, or are struggling to stay away, this conversation will help you feel seen, validated, and a little less alone.

Karl Melvin is an IACP (Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) accredited psychotherapist with an MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy. He has spent 14 years working with estranged adults of different perspectives, including adult sons and daughters, siblings and parents. He has spent several years training professionals on his own approach to understanding the complex reality of family estrangement in contemporary society and how to support clients through the various psychological, relational, and social challenges they face. 

He has published one paper in the Family Journal, entitled The Changing Impact and Challenges of Familial Estrangement, and his first book, Navigating Family Estrangement, published by Routledge, is a practical guide for professionals and estranged adults and is available from all book sellers now. 

Link to Book (There's sale on at the mo):

https://www.routledge.com/Navigating-Family-Estrangement-Helping-Adults-Understand-and-Manage-the-Challenges-of-Family-Estrangement/Melvin/p/book/9781032423067

Link to Workshop on Jun 5th (8 things everyone needs to know about family estrangement):

https://www.therapyacademy.ie/details/webinar/1673

Socials:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-melvin-psychotherapist-ma-miacp-2a29679/

https://www.instagram.com/karl.melvin/

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In this deeply personal and vulnerable episode, Josh Connolly shares his journey to 13 years of sobriety. But this isn’t just a story about putting down the drink. It’s a story of survival, chaos, pain, and ultimately transformation.

Josh opens up about his early experiences with cannabis at age 12, the spiral into alcohol and hard drugs, and the chaos that followed — from blackouts and self-destruction to brushes with death. He recounts traumatic events, addiction-fueled madness, and his darkest moments, where the idea of escape felt like the only way out.

But this episode is more than just a retelling of a troubled past. It’s about healing. Josh reflects on how sobriety didn’t fix everything overnight, how emotional wounds ran deeper than the addiction itself, and how he learned to live with — and eventually love — himself.

Whether you’re struggling with addiction, supporting someone who is, or just curious about the raw reality of sobriety beyond the social media highlight reel, this episode is a must-listen.

🔹 Topics Covered:

• The raw reality of addiction — beyond the social media facade.
• The love affair with substances and the chaos that followed.
• The turning point — from suicidal despair to a life of service.
• The truth about sobriety — why it’s more than just quitting.
• Josh’s ongoing journey — the challenges and the gifts of 13 years sober.
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Listen now to hear the story behind the resilience.

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In the very first guest episode of Dysfunctional, I’m joined by writer and embodiment coach Leona Waller — and we go all in on the toxic side of self-improvement culture.

We explore how the wellness and personal development world can subtly (and not-so-subtly) feed the same control, shame and conformity that many of us grew up with. We talk about embodiment as an antidote — not the trendy version, but the real, messy, human kind. The kind that gets you out of your head, back into your body, and into a life that actually feels like yours.

We also dig into:

— Why gratitude lists can actually make things worse

— How capitalism hijacked healing

— Why being “zen” isn’t always the answer

— The problem with trying to meditate your trauma away

— And how embodiment can help you feel less crazy and more you

Leona Waller is a writer and facilitator helping people trust their own bodies and emotions more than Instagram wellness influencers. She’s the co-creator of The Body Knows, a newsletter and community using somatics and embodiment to help people stop optimizing life and start living it. With a background in neuroscience and emotional psychology, she creates spaces where people shed the shoulds and come home — to the power and joy that are their birthright.

Follow Leona’s work here:

🔗 The Body Knows on Substack

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Subscribe to Dysfunctional for raw, unfiltered conversations about healing, systems, and seeing clearly — because if you grew up in dysfunction, chances are, you’re still surrounded by it.

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Back from the bank holiday chaos with a so-called “bite-sized” episode (spoiler: it’s not). I’m checking in after a couple of messy, kid-mode weeks—reflecting on how quickly I spiral into my childlike state and how the lows still hit me hard, even after all these years.

Then I’m answering some of your deep, messy, crunchy questions. Everything from “Is it ever okay to yell at a toxic parent?” to “Do narcissists know what they’re doing?” to “Why does the wellness industry feel so f*cking toxic?”

I also share where this podcast is going: we’re pulling the curtain back on toxic and dysfunctional systems, family, society, politics, wellness culture, the lot. If you’ve got guest ideas, I want them.

This one’s raw, honest, a bit sweary, and definitely dysfunctional.

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You can’t co-parent with a toxic person and it’s time we said that out loud.

In this episode, I’m naming what so many people live through in silence: post-separation abuse, control through communication, smear campaigns, financial manipulation, and the emotional destruction caused by toxic exes who weaponise the system.

I start by reading a real-life UK court case where a mother was forced to promote contact with her abusive ex, despite proven findings of sexual and domestic abuse. From there, I dive deep into what it actually looks like to parent alongside someone who uses your child as a pawn to keep control of your life.

If you're in it you’re not crazy. You're not alone. And no, it’s not “just a difficult co-parenting situation.” It’s abuse.

I’ll talk you through the signs, the tactics they use, and most importantly: what you can do about it. From the myth of co-parenting to parallel parenting and grey rocking this one is for every parent still trying to find peace in the chaos.

Parenting communication tool mentioned in the episode - https://www.neutrily.com/

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