Your Traitor Within

In this episode of Your Traitor Within, Jessica Anne Pressler, LCSW, sits down with dating and confidence coach Terri Boucher (@terri_boucher) to explore how the Traitor Within shows up in modern dating. Terri shares her story of growing up in chaos, emotional neglect, poverty, and hyper independence, and how those early wounds pushed her into survival mode, masculine energy, and relationships with emotionally unavailable men. Jessica and Terri discuss how trauma and protective parts shape our dating choices, why so many women end up chasing, settling, or abandoning themselves, and what it actually takes to step into authenticity, feminine energy, boundaries, self-worth, and healthy relationship patterns. Terri explains how she guides women through nervous system regulation, mindset work, deeper awareness, and aligned action so they can stop repeating old cycles, stop dating from their wounds, and start attracting relationships that feel safe, connected, and aligned with who they truly are.

Support the show

Emily Colligan is a somatic trauma and narcissistic abuse recovery coach who helps women break trauma-bond cycles, regulate their nervous system, and rebuild a secure sense of self after toxic relationships. Through body-based healing, attachment work, and deep pattern rewiring, Emily guides clients out of survival mode and into the grounded, empowered version of themselves they've never been allowed to be.

Connect with Emily:
 Instagram: @emilycolligantherapy
 Website: emilycolligantherapy.com

Support the show

In honor of National Adoption Month, Jessica Anne Pressler, LCSW, sits down with her longtime friend and fellow adoptee, Barbara Eckert of All The Feels Healing Space, to share the parts of their adoption stories that shaped their “Traitor Within” — the protective inner voice that helped them survive but later drove people-pleasing, over-trusting, secrecy, and self-silencing. They discuss late disclosures, abandoned fantasies about birth families, the “primal wound,” somatic fallout, and practical tools for repair, including breathwork, therapy, and community. This candid conversation offers language, validation, and next steps for adult adoptees and adoptive parents alike. 

Jessica Anne Pressler, LCSW: @jessicaannepressler | yourtraitorwithin.com

Barbara Eckert: @allthefeelshealingspace | allthefeelshealingspace.com

Support the show

"My brother used to openly call himself a master manipulator — he was proud of it.
And honestly, he did have a lot of people manipulated, including my parents.
The painful irony is that when he died at forty from an overdose, my father — the one who had been so controlled by him — was the most devastated. He died six months later.
My mother was already gone.
And while I can’t prove it, I’ve always believed the stress my brother caused helped take her, too.
The point isn’t the tragedy, though. The point is that narcissists destroy — not always on purpose, but through the chaos they create.
So when someone tells you who they are, believe them.
My brother told us exactly who he was. " - Jessica Anne Pressler, LCSW 

Support the show

In Part 2, Jessica and David J. Weeks (@djweeks_) move from the facts of David’s childhood into the adult fallout—and the work of repair. David traces how early chaos trained his body to confuse intensity with intimacy, how disorganized attachment and the survival role of “the chameleon” kept him safe then but costly now, and how narcissistic partners can exploit abandonment wounds through tactics like love-bombing, power imbalance, and data mining (“gaining information to use later against you”). He also reframes trafficking: it isn’t only the cinematic scenario—grooming and relational exploitation of minors belong in that definition, too. Together they highlight practical next steps: naming the pattern, regulating first, moving logistics to one written lane, and building a steady support map so safer connection becomes possible.

We cover:

• Why perceived abandonment can trigger the same alarm as the real thing
• The difference between intensity and intimacy (and how sex can cement a trauma bond)
• Narcissistic tactics in adult relationships: love-bombing → power imbalance → data mining → leverage
• Reframing trafficking for minors: grooming and relational exploitation behind closed doors
• Repair in practice: body-first resets, written-only logistics, simple boundaries you can repeat, community care

About David:
Trauma & Recovery Coach, complex-trauma survivor, and author of the forthcoming memoir Surviving Childhood. He coaches survivors to reclaim safety, language, boundaries, and voice. IG: @djweeks_.

Resources (U.S.): 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) • RAINN 800-656-HOPE • National DV Hotline 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788)

Support the show

(Part 1)

Content note: Discussion of childhood abuse and sexual assault/trafficking (non-graphic).

Summary
Jessica Anne Pressler, LCSW, sits with David J. Weeks—a complex-trauma survivor and Trauma & Recovery Coach—to tell the truth of his childhood and the long road back. Raised by a narcissistic mother and an antisocial stepfather, David endured years of torment. By age 14, he had experienced all 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). At 13, while searching for love he never received at home, he was exploited and raped by a 39-year-old neighbor; the abuse escalated into repeated assaults and trafficking. In this first half, David names what happened, explains how a child’s nervous system bonds to any attachment it can find, and shares why emotional abuse can become the deepest wound. He also describes the “chameleon” role that helped him survive—and why speaking now is part of breaking silence and stigma.

About David
David J. Weeks is a Trauma & Recovery Coach supporting survivors in reclaiming safety, language, and choice. He is writing his memoir, Surviving Childhood, to be released soon. IG: @djweeks_.

Notable Moments

• Home life: control, cruelty, and the cost of “keeping the peace.”
• The first assault at 13, how it escalated into trafficking, and the silence that followed.
• Why children bond to what’s available (even when it isn’t safe).
• Emotional abuse as the wound that lingers longest.
• The chameleon strategy—protective then, costly later.

Pull Quotes

• “By fourteen, I’d hit every ACE.” — David J. Weeks
• “I became a chameleon because it kept me safe.” — David J. Weeks
• “It wasn’t your fault—your nervous system chose connection when safety wasn’t available.” — Jessica Anne Pressler, LCSW

Resources (U.S.)
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call/text/chat 24/7)
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788)
RAINN 800-656-HOPE (Sexual Assault Hotline)

Part 2 continues with how these patterns show up in adult relationships—and the tools David uses to rebuild safety, boundaries, and voice.

Support the show

Join me with Marge Sr. (Margaret Kiss, @margesr) as she reflects on fleeing communist Hungary as a child, rebuilding her life in the U.S., navigating intergenerational wounds, and choosing daily acts of love over hate—while also offering hard-earned wisdom on mental health, advocacy, and staying grounded in turbulent times.

@margesr 

Support the show

On this episode of Your Traitor Within, Jessica Anne Pressler welcomes a dear friend and creative powerhouse, photographer Janet Barnett. Jessica and Janet’s friendship is rooted not only in their professional collaborations—Jessica has been one of Janet’s subjects, using her portraits across her own platforms—but also in the deep mutual respect and trust they share. That closeness gives this conversation an intimacy and candor that you’ll feel instantly.

Janet’s story begins on the Sunset Strip of the late ’80s and early ’90s, where she captured the swagger of rock stars in their natural habitat. But the real shift in her career came when she turned her lens toward women over forty, celebrating their unapologetic power, lived experience, and self-possession. Through her work, Janet reminds us that life after forty isn’t about fading into the background—it’s about turning up the volume.

Jessica guides Janet through her own traitor within story, one centered around business, money, and self-worth. For decades, Janet struggled with the messaging and modeling she grew up with—scarcity mindsets, cultural narratives that women should be givers, and an inner critic that kept her from asking for what she deserved. She shares how this lack of confidence cost her financially and emotionally, and how she is now rewriting that script. With honesty and humor, Janet talks about the daily practice of confronting her inner saboteur, learning to charge what she’s worth, and embracing that self-care and compensation are not selfish—they are necessary.

Together, Jessica and Janet explore the ways our “traitor within” shows up in business, how intergenerational patterns shape self-worth, and why it’s never too late to change. You’ll hear about Janet’s evolution from shooting rock stars to empowering women entrepreneurs, her reflections on adoption and family, and the mindset shifts that continue to shape her path forward.

If you’ve ever struggled with asking for more—whether that’s in your business, your art, or your own self-worth—this episode is for you.

Follow Janet and see her work on Instagram at @janet_barnett_photography
and learn more about her sessions at janetbarnettphotography.net
.

Support the show

Jessica Anne Pressler, LCSW, and producer Anthony have a candid, non-graphic conversation about C-PTSD and Jessica’s experience surviving a suicidal crisis—naming the “Traitor Within,” how emotional flashbacks show up, and the small nervous-system tools that helped her choose to stay. Short, compassionate, and practical. (If you need help in the U.S., call or text 988.)

Support the show

On this episode of Your Traitor Within, Jessica Anne Pressler sits down with Stephanie Schultz—founder of Blue Blood Metal Jewelry
, Senior Art Consultant with SH Modern, and Pure Barre Fort Myers
instructor. Stephanie’s journey has taken her from museum fundraising to the world of fine art and one-of-a-kind jewelry, with features in British Vogue and even the Real Housewives universe.

But today, Stephanie opens up about something deeper: the “traitor within” that silenced her voice for years. Raised between two cultures, she shares how shyness, self-doubt, and fear of anger shaped her childhood—and how those patterns resurfaced in her adult relationships and career. Together, Jessica and Stephanie explore:

• The link between childhood silencing and adult intimacy blocks
• Learning to identify triggers in relationships—and choosing vulnerability over fear
• How anger can be a healthy signal instead of something to repress
• The role of creativity, teaching, and fitness in building confidence
• Why taking risks (even scared) can bring true connection and growth

Stephanie’s honesty and insight remind us that healing isn’t about perfection—it’s about practice, self-compassion, and daring to be seen.

Highlights

• “Silence felt like safety, but it also created distance.”
• “You can take risks with the right people—and that helps you risk again.”
• “Parents don’t have to be perfect; they just need to be good enough.”
• “Do it scared. Bravery is contagious.”

Connect with Stephanie

• Jewelry: Website
  | Instagram: @bluebloodmetal
  
  
• Personal: Instagram: @stephanie_m_schultz
  
  
• Pure Barre Fort Myers: @purebarrefortmyers
  
  

Connect with Jessica

• Website: jessicaannepressler.com
  
  
• Instagram: @jessicaannepressler

Support the show