Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Most Christian women were never given permission to fully become themselves. Not as girls, not as wives, and not inside their churches. So when the marriage ends and the roles fall away, they're left with a terrifying blank page and a question they don't know how to answer: Who am I?
In this episode of the Divorced Christian Woman Podcast, we get real about a psychological process called individuation and why so many divorced Christian women are doing it for the very first time in midlife. We’ll walk through three critical mindset shifts, seven signs of a woman who's becoming her own person, and three small but powerful practices you can start this week.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
- Why do so many divorced Christian women feel like they skipped an entire stage of growing up - and what does it take to go back and do it now?
- What is the fawn trauma response, and why does it explain why you keep saying yes when everything inside you is screaming no?
- There's a difference between self-awareness and self-blame - and getting it wrong keeps you stuck. Diana shares the two words she wrote down that finally changed everything.
- What does it actually look like when a woman is becoming individuated? Natalie walks through 7 signs - and you might already be further along than you think.
- Why do creativity, self-love, and knowing your values have everything to do with becoming a fully formed adult - and what are the three tiny practices that can start rewiring your nervous system this week?
Related Resources:
Flying Higher (https://joinflyinghigher.com) is our live mentorship program for Christian women pursuing increased confidence in their relationships, emotional management, decision making, and self-development. Join us for live classes, coaching, Bible study, and book studies every month. Plus access to a huge library of education and coaching resources. Only $59/month.
Be sure to check out Diana’s podcast, Renew Your Mind! (dianaswillinger.com/renew-your-mind-podcast/)
Do you have a question for the Divorced Christian Woman Podcast? Send me an email! natalie@flyingfreenow.com
Most Christian women were never given permission to fully become themselves. Not as girls, not as wives, and not inside their churches. So when the marriage ends and the roles fall away, they're left with a terrifying blank page and a question they don't know how to answer: Who am I?
In this episode of the Divorced Christian Woman Podcast, we get real about a psychological process called individuation and why so many divorced Christian women are doing it for the very first time in midlife. We’ll walk through three critical mindset shifts, seven signs of a woman who's becoming her own person, and three small but powerful practices you can start this week.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
- Why do so many divorced Christian women feel like they skipped an entire stage of growing up - and what does it take to go back and do it now?
- What is the fawn trauma response, and why does it explain why you keep saying yes when everything inside you is screaming no?
- There's a difference between self-awareness and self-blame - and getting it wrong keeps you stuck. Diana shares the two words she wrote down that finally changed everything.
- What does it actually look like when a woman is becoming individuated? Natalie walks through 7 signs - and you might already be further along than you think.
- Why do creativity, self-love, and knowing your values have everything to do with becoming a fully formed adult - and what are the three tiny practices that can start rewiring your nervous system this week?
Related Resources:
Flying Higher (https://joinflyinghigher.com) is our live mentorship program for Christian women pursuing increased confidence in their relationships, emotional management, decision making, and self-development. Join us for live classes, coaching, Bible study, and book studies every month. Plus access to a huge library of education and coaching resources. Only $59/month.
Be sure to check out Diana’s podcast, Renew Your Mind! (dianaswillinger.com/renew-your-mind-podcast/)
Do you have a question for the Divorced Christian Woman Podcast? Send me an email! natalie@flyingfreenow.com
![She Stopped Asking for Permission: Jillians Story [365]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oocTzbq-VyA/mqdefault.jpg "She Stopped Asking for Permission: Jillians Story [365]
What happens when you stop asking for permission in an abusive marriage?
Today, Jillian shares her story of waking up to covert abuse in her Christian marriage and what it took to finally get out.
Youll hear how she recognized the patterns, why she chose to leave despite having a young son, and what life looks like now on the other side. If youve been wondering whether things could actually be different, this conversation will show you whats possible when you start rescuing yourself.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
- The warning signs started immediately after marriage: Jillian noticed holiday ruining, rage, silent treatment, and passive aggression within the first year—but spent nine more years trying to fix it.
- The permission trap: When Jillian hired a life coach without asking, her husband threatened consequences and demanded she ask permission—revealing his need for control.
- Staying for the kids actually harms them: Jillian left because of her son, not despite him, knowing that growing up watching dysfunction would hardwire toxic patterns into his brain.
- Divorce doesnt have to be a war: Jillians divorce took just three months because she was willing to buy her freedom and give him what he wanted (money, custody, reputation).
- Post-divorce transformation is real: Two years out, Jillian has rebuilt her self-trust, started a successful business, and is leveling up emotionally—proof that change isnt just possible, its exponential.
Get Today’s Free Resource:
📒 Take a free Emotional Abuse Assessment by going to emotionalabusequiz.com
I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.")
![Stop Calling Him a Narcissist (Use This Word Instead) - The Narcissism Trap Series Part One [366]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pBFvLMNT3xk/mqdefault.jpg "Stop Calling Him a Narcissist (Use This Word Instead) - The Narcissism Trap Series Part One [366]
In this kickoff to a powerful new series, The Narcissism Trap, Natalie Hoffman challenges a popular narrative in abuse recovery: labeling an emotionally abusive partner as a “narcissist.”
While that term may feel validating at first, Natalie explains how it can actually work against your healing by keeping you locked in the wrong story.
If youve been Googling “narcissist” at 2 a.m. to make sense of your painful marriage, this episode is for you.
🎯 Key Takeaways:
-Stop giving the abuse a medical label. Narcissism is a clinical diagnosis that can distract from the very real pattern of covert oppression you’re living in.
-Start calling it what it is: oppression. This isn’t about someone who’s mentally ill or just struggling. This is about power, control, and silencing your voice.
-Shifting the language helps you shift your mindset. When you stop analyzing him and start focusing on your own story, healing becomes possible.
-Youre not crazy or overreacting. Youre likely experiencing strategic emotional abuse often invisible to outsiders but deeply damaging inside your home.
Get Today’s Free Resource:
🧐 Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage. Get a free chapter by going to isitmebook.com
I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.")
