Learn with Natalie Archives

Changing Your Role (Chapter Eight of Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage) Part One [Episode 146]

November 23, 2021

Do you wonder why you feel so angry and defeated about the way your husband treats you?

It’s not cause you were a closet rage monster before you got married. It’s not cause you’re crazy or demanding or that you just love drama.

He’s been stomping in your flower beds.

And YOU’VE been told that you had to leave the garden gate open in order to be a good wife and a good Christian.

If you’ve been wondering “Is it me?” then let’s make sense of your confusing marriage in this two-part episode.

Dealing with Difficult People During the Holidays [Episode 145]

November 16, 2021

The holidays can make the hard things harder. The sad things, sadder. The family fights and frustrations and fractures, bigger and deeper and wider.

They often remind you of all you’ve lost and all you never had. Especially in relationships.

Maybe they used to be a time of excitement and joy, but now you only feel dread and loneliness and grief.

If you find yourself wishing you could sleep until January comes around, or your eyes well up whenever you imagine how miserable these “special” days will be, gather round.

This episode is a warm blanket snuggled around your shoulders, a mug of hot cocoa in your hands, and a sweet gift-wrapped dose of hope from me…to you.

But Didn’t I Promise to Stay in Sickness and in Health? What About Mental Illness? [Episode 139]

October 5, 2021

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?

What You Can Do When Your Christian Husband Bullies You Part Two [Episode 134]

August 31, 2021

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 [Episode 133]

August 24, 2021

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.

What I Would Preach to the Modern Day Preachers (if they would listen…) [Episode 131]

August 10, 2021

Have you ever talked to people who weren’t there? Imagined conversations in your head? Perfected your argument while showering or lying in bed?

I did that…and made it into a podcast.

But this conversation isn’t with just one person. It’s with tens of thousands of people. Pastors.

Because the survivor community knows the price of patriarchy in the church. We know the cost of being controlled. We know the damage of being devalued. And pastors NEED to KNOW this too.

Category: Learn with Natalie