Natalie Hoffman, Author at Flying Free

When All Your Thoughts Are Despairing and Hopeless

If you’re like most Christian women in confusing and painful marriages, you’ve tried everything.

You’ve read the books, the blogs, the sarcastic memes, and the devotionals.
You’ve paid for counseling, training, seminars, and conferences.
You’ve asked for advice from other couples, your parents, your pastors, friends, and the lady in the check-out line.
You’ve prayed and given up all the fun things to eat and bit your tongue, and read your Bible and journaled, cried, and begged.

But your marriage never changes. Or it just gets worse.

You’re withering. Your life looks like a wasteland. You feel like a shell of a woman.

So what’s the REAL ANSWER? What’s THE ONE THING YOU’RE MISSING?

It’s simple. It’s free. It’s right in front of you.

How to Achieve Financial Independence After Abuse

Do you picture yourself and your children begging on the streets if you dare to leave?

Are you overwhelmed at the thought of making ends meet as a single mom?

Do you wonder how you’ll pay for groceries, much less legal fees, if you escape?

One of the biggest fears for women in abusive marriages is that they won’t survive financially.

And it’s a fear based on a lot of truth.

But it’s not the final say.

Hear from a woman who’s been there, done, and literally wrote a book on it. So don’t turn back.

But Didn’t I Promise to Stay in Sickness and in Health? What About Mental Illness?

When you react to your husband’s abuse, it can feel like you’re the abuser.

When he tells you how hard his childhood was, you may feel sorry for him.

When you read about personality disorders, some of the symptoms fit you.

When you read about mental illness, the symptoms also fit him.

Which makes you wonder…

If your husband was abused, is it really fair to hold his harmful behavior against him?

If he has unresolved trauma or a personality disorder, is it wrong to expect him to treat you better?

And even more confusing…

What if your C-PTSD sometimes mimics a personality disorder?

What if your traumatic responses seem abusive?

Finding Joy Even When Life Hurts

If your life is already a tough pill to swallow, taking more medicine is the last thing you want to do. Gross.

But what if it’s the “best medicine”? The type that makes you laugh-cry, hold your sides, and snort with glee.

Laughter and joy and humor can transform the darkest days, the bleakest seasons, and the hardest nights.

And no matter what you’ve been through, you really can experience their life-giving power.

I talk with prolific laugher, Sara Richmond, about how.

Does God Love You Less Because Your Marriage Is Bad?

If your child was starving and asked you for bread, would you make her eat from a dumpster?

If your child was dying of thirst and asked for water, would you pour sand down his throat?

Are you that child? Starving for safety. And love. And honesty. And help. And tenderness. And dying a little more each day in their absence and their opposites.

So why doesn’t God treat you like a daughter? Why does he give food and drink and good husbands and happy families to some but to you…only pain?

If these questions keep you up at night, this episode is for you.

How Do I Make an Exit Plan?

Getting out of an abusive marriage can seem impossible. Especially when it comes to the money aspect. As in…where will you get it? How will you reenter (or start in) the work force? How are you going to add MORE to your already overflowing plate?

And those emotions. The big ones that feel like a thick sludge up to your hips or a pile of wet blankets on top of you or a deep, aching hollow in your chest. How do you deal with those?

Dear one, it’s not easy, but it is simple.

I’ve traveled this way before—alone and with others. So let me share my road map.

Is the Bible Against Women?

It took 11 words to change the world. 11 words misinterpreted. 11 words misunderstood. 11 words manipulated.

A single sentence from the mouth of God to the first woman…Eve. A pronouncement. A prediction. A curse. Or was it?

Do you know these words?

Prepare yourself. Because you’re about to learn their TRUE meaning.

It might blow. your. mind. And it will change the world…again.

What You Can Do When Your Christian Husband Bullies You Part Two

Was there a day when you realized he was doing it all on purpose?

After all your tears, your pleading, and explanations, there was no way you could keep excusing his behavior.

His explanations didn’t fly.

You knew you didn’t hold the blame.

Maybe he finally, actually admitted it.

As painful as that realization is, it’s also your secret weapon—knowledge that can empower you.

Sound crazy? In Part 2 of 2, What You Can Do When Your Christian Husband Bullies You, I’ll prove it.

What You Can Do When Your Christian Husband Bullies You Part One

You are married to a bully. If only he’d steal your lunch money or call you a dingus during math class and be done with it.

Instead, he makes everything into a torturous game with changing rules that benefit one person. Himself. On the really bad days, you want to learn karate and get featured on the evening news.

Take heart, sweet potato. There’s a better way.

I’ve graphed his sleazy points and made a road map for dealing with his shenanigans.

Fair warning: It’s gonna take guts but it will be well worth it. And you won’t even need karate.

Exploring Natalie Hoffman