Set Apart + Called Podcast

Unfiltered Conversations: In Real Time is a new series within Set Apart + Called where we talk through things while we're still living them.

No polished lessons. No pretending to have everything figured out.

Just honest conversations about healing, relationships, faith, self-awareness, and the things that come up along the way.

In this first episode, I'm talking about something I recently realized in therapy: how often I feel responsible for other people's emotions.

Why do some of us immediately assume we've done something wrong when someone's energy feels different?

Why do we rush to fix things that may not even be ours to fix?

And what happens when we finally learn to sit with discomfort instead of managing everyone else's emotions?

This isn't an episode from the other side of healing.

It's a conversation from the middle of it.

And maybe that's exactly where some of us need to be.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode.

Connect with me:

TikTok: @setapartcalled.po

Email: [email protected]

• Emotional Healing
• People Pleasing
• Self Awareness
• Emotional Regulation
• Boundaries
• Self-Abandonment
• Anxiety
• Trauma Recovery
• Relationships
• Personal Growth

What happens when the person abusing you is also the person everyone admires on Sunday morning?

In the first guest episode of Set Apart + Called, I sit down with Lena Rivers to talk about surviving narcissistic abuse inside a marriage with a pastor whose public image looked nothing like the reality happening behind closed doors.

We talk about spiritual abuse, manipulation inside the church, the pressure to stay silent, and what happens when faith becomes tangled with fear, control, and image management. Lena also shares what it was like asking church leadership for help — only to watch the institution protect the abuser instead.

This conversation is honest, uncomfortable, and deeply important for anyone who has ever questioned themselves inside a relationship that looked “good” from the outside.

• The duality of the public pastor and private abuser
• Spiritual manipulation and image control
• Why narcissists can thrive in church environments
• What happens when leadership protects the wrong person
• Rebuilding faith after spiritual abuse
• The reality of leaving and healing after narcissistic abuse

Lena Rivers is a narcissistic abuse survivor and educator focused on helping others understand coercive control, manipulation, and post-separation abuse. She is currently working on a book for survivors navigating recovery after narcissistic relationships.

TikTok / Instagram: @thrive_free_npd

Have you ever finally snapped after months of being provoked and then somehow ended up being the one who was out of control?
That’s reactive abuse. And it’s one of the most powerful tools a narcissist uses to maintain control, shift blame, and keep you questioning your own sanity.

In this episode we break down exactly what reactive abuse is, why it works, and how narcissists deliberately provoke reactions they can use against you. If you’ve ever been told you’re “too emotional,” “unstable,” or “the real problem” — this episode is for you.

What reactive abuse actually is and why it’s not your fault.

• How narcissists deliberately engineer your breaking point.
• Why your reaction gets weaponized against you.
• The connection between reactive abuse and gaslighting.
• How to recognize the cycle and protect your peace.
• The spiritual warfare behind the pattern.
  

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. You can reach me directly at [email protected] — I read every message personally.

Stay grounded in truth. What was meant to break you is building you instead.

If you've ever wondered why leaving felt impossible,why you still felt something for someone who hurt you, why years can pass and one message still shakes you — this episode is going to give you the answer you've been looking for.

It's not because you didn't love yourself enough.

It's biology.

In this episode we talk about:

→ What a trauma bond actually is and why it forms

→ What's happening psychologically — the real science behind

why leaving feels like withdrawal

→ Why co-parenting with a narcissist makes healing so much harder

→ Why the feelings don't just disappear even years later

→ 5 actionable things you can do to begin untangling the bond

→ The forgiveness that finally set me free — and why I did it

for myself, not for him

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to

hear it. That's how this podcast finds the people who need it most.

🎙️ New episodes every week

📧 [email protected]

📱 TikTok: @setapartcalled.po

narcissistic abuse, trauma bond, why leaving is so hard,

co-parenting with a narcissist, healing from narcissistic abuse,

trauma bond recovery, narcissist relationship, emotional abuse,

Set Apart and Called, Christian healing, forgiveness after abuse

Codependency gets talked about a lot online, but most explanations don’t actually help people understand what was really happening inside these relationships.

In this episode of Set Apart + Called, we look at why narcissistic abuse and codependent patterns often become intertwined in ways that are difficult to recognize while you’re living through them. Not because someone is weak or “just won’t leave,” but because empathy, responsibility, and the instinct to repair relationships can slowly be turned against you.

We also talk about love bombing, emotional manipulation, and why trauma bonds can make narcissistic relationships so hard to walk away from—even when you start seeing the truth.

If you’ve ever looked back at a relationship and wondered why it lasted as long as it did, this conversation helps explain what was really happening beneath the surface.

Leaving the relationship didn’t end the control. It just changed how it showed up.

In this Season 2 premiere, I’m talking about the reality of post-separation abuse — what happens when a narcissistic or high-conflict ex no longer has access to you as a partner, but still finds ways to maintain power through co-parenting, financial pressure, and psychological manipulation.

This episode covers:

• Why control often escalates after divorce
• The emotional and psychological toll of forced co-parenting
• How financial withholding becomes a tool of punishment
• The confusion created by their public behavior versus private treatment
• And how to protect your peace without losing yourself in the process

If you’ve ever wondered why it still affects you — even after you left — this episode will help you understand why.

If this episode resonated with you, the best way to support the podcast is to follow the show and leave a review. It helps more people find this space and reminds them they’re not alone.

To share your story or request a topic:
[email protected]

This podcast exists because of one night. This episode tells that story.

In this first-ever guest conversation, I sit down with Stephanie — a woman who played a pivotal role in my healing and the moment everything began to shift. This isn’t an interview. It’s a shared story of survival, prayer, and the quiet turning point that comes when you realize you can’t keep living the way you’ve been living.

We talk about:

• What it’s like to survive narcissistic abuse and spiritual confusion

• The moment you realize you’re functioning… but not truly living

• How prayer and discernment can cut through years of fog

• What actually changes when healing moves from intellectual to spiritual

• How purpose can be born out of a season you never would have chosen

If you’re in that in-between place — no longer in survival mode, but unsure of who you are now or what comes next — this conversation is for you.

This episode pulls back the curtain on how Set Apart + Called began, and why healing doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it starts with one honest moment, one safe person, and the courage to let God lead you somewhere new.

You finally left, and you're starting to feel like yourself again.
And then they reach out.

In this final episode of the Manipulation Tactics series, we unpack why narcissists often resurface right when your healing begins — not with obvious drama, but with subtle messages, concern, reflection, or crisis that pulls you back into emotional contact.

This episode explores:

• Why they come back when you’re quieter, less reactive, and moving forward

• What hoovering really looks like in real life (and why it’s so confusing)

• How empathy, history, and responsibility get used against you

• Why “just responding once” can restart the cycle

• How to recognize the pull without shaming yourself for feeling it

We also talk about what actually helps when this happens — how to stay grounded, protect your peace, and trust the clarity you’ve fought hard for.

If you’ve ever thought, “Why now?” or “Why does this still affect me?” — this episode will help you understand what’s happening without blaming yourself.

When someone hurts you, then claims they’re the victim — the confusion can be overwhelming.

This episode breaks down how the victim complex is used to flip accountability, rewrite reality, and turn you into the villain.

We explore how narcissistic individuals use the victim role to avoid responsibility, control the story, and recruit sympathy; leaving you doubting yourself while they appear misunderstood.

You’ll learn how to recognize this tactic in real time, stop engaging in the cycle, and stay grounded when someone is committed to seeing themselves as the victim no matter the evidence.

If you’ve ever thought, “How did I become the bad guy when I was just telling the truth?” — this episode is for you.

There’s a reason conversations with certain people go nowhere.

In this upcoming episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on the victim complex — a pattern where correction is received as cruelty, and accountability sounds like abuse. We’ll explore how narcissistic personalities weaponize their own pain to escape responsibility, rewrite the truth, and re-center themselves as the wounded party.

If you’ve ever walked away from a confrontation feeling like you were the villain for simply telling the truth… this one’s for you.

Coming this Wednesday on Set Apart + Called. Make sure you’re subscribed — and don’t forget to share with someone who needs to hear it.