Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
What would you do if the family that was supposed to protect you spent your entire life tearing you down instead?
Usha Singh-Das (@ushasinghdas) is the author of Breaking Free, a memoir about growing up in a toxic family environment shaped by a narcissistic father and relentless bullying from her sister-in-law. In this episode, she opens up about what it actually took to leave, go no contact, and rebuild her life from scratch.
We get into the moments that broke her and the ones that made her. From being told she was too ugly to ever get married, to losing her dad, her baby and eventually her mum in the space of one year, and her family's response to all of it. This is one of the most honest conversations about toxic family dynamics we've had on this podcast.
If you've ever wondered whether what you grew up with was actually normal, this one is for you.
🎙 What we cover:
- Growing up with a narcissistic father and not realising it until adulthood
- How toxic family behaviour becomes your normal
- Surviving a toxic sister-in-law and the damage it does
- Being told you'll never get married because of your appearance
- Miscarriage, grief and being dismissed by your own family
- Going no contact and what it actually costs you
- Breaking generational trauma when you had no positive role models
- How the right people can rebuild what the wrong ones destroyed
- Learning to parent differently when you had no example to follow
🔔 Subscribe for more discussions on mental health, personal growth, and healing! / @shivanipaupodcast
✨ Connect with Millennial Mind ✨
Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/amillennialmind
Shivani Pau Instagram: instagram.com/shivani.pau
Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/shivanipaupodcast
Performance Planner: my-performance-planner.myshopify.com
Let Me Change Your Mind 🧠
#toxicfamily #familydrama #mentalhealth #boundaries #relationships #familyrelationships #narcissism #personalgrowth
What would you do if the family that was supposed to protect you spent your entire life tearing you down instead?
Usha Singh-Das (@ushasinghdas) is the author of Breaking Free, a memoir about growing up in a toxic family environment shaped by a narcissistic father and relentless bullying from her sister-in-law. In this episode, she opens up about what it actually took to leave, go no contact, and rebuild her life from scratch.
We get into the moments that broke her and the ones that made her. From being told she was too ugly to ever get married, to losing her dad, her baby and eventually her mum in the space of one year, and her family's response to all of it. This is one of the most honest conversations about toxic family dynamics we've had on this podcast.
If you've ever wondered whether what you grew up with was actually normal, this one is for you.
🎙 What we cover:
- Growing up with a narcissistic father and not realising it until adulthood
- How toxic family behaviour becomes your normal
- Surviving a toxic sister-in-law and the damage it does
- Being told you'll never get married because of your appearance
- Miscarriage, grief and being dismissed by your own family
- Going no contact and what it actually costs you
- Breaking generational trauma when you had no positive role models
- How the right people can rebuild what the wrong ones destroyed
- Learning to parent differently when you had no example to follow
🔔 Subscribe for more discussions on mental health, personal growth, and healing! / @shivanipaupodcast
✨ Connect with Millennial Mind ✨
Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/amillennialmind
Shivani Pau Instagram: instagram.com/shivani.pau
Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/shivanipaupodcast
Performance Planner: my-performance-planner.myshopify.com
Let Me Change Your Mind 🧠
#toxicfamily #familydrama #mentalhealth #boundaries #relationships #familyrelationships #narcissism #personalgrowth
