Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Diana pointed out something so subtle but so powerful.
We’re not usually praised for rest, joy, or doing things that fill us up.
We’re praised for productivity. For sacrifice. For holding everything together.
So when you start doing something just because it nourishes you, guilt shows up. Not because it’s wrong, but because of the story running underneath it.
That quiet voice that says, I shouldn’t be doing this. I should be doing something more important. This is selfish.
That voice didn’t come out of nowhere. It was learned. Repeated. Reinforced. And until you start questioning that story, it will keep running your life.
Because it’s not just about what you’re doing. It’s about what you believe you’re allowed to do.
Want to watch the rest of this episode of the Divorced Christian Woman Podcast? Head over to youtu.be/yMFf8bF0yPI
Diana pointed out something so subtle but so powerful.
We’re not usually praised for rest, joy, or doing things that fill us up.
We’re praised for productivity. For sacrifice. For holding everything together.
So when you start doing something just because it nourishes you, guilt shows up. Not because it’s wrong, but because of the story running underneath it.
That quiet voice that says, I shouldn’t be doing this. I should be doing something more important. This is selfish.
That voice didn’t come out of nowhere. It was learned. Repeated. Reinforced. And until you start questioning that story, it will keep running your life.
Because it’s not just about what you’re doing. It’s about what you believe you’re allowed to do.
Want to watch the rest of this episode of the Divorced Christian Woman Podcast? Head over to youtu.be/yMFf8bF0yPI
![Whats Gaslighting? How to Spot the Subtle Signs Youre Being Manipulated Part One [382]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iIOAThqCzYk/mqdefault.jpg "Whats Gaslighting? How to Spot the Subtle Signs Youre Being Manipulated Part One [382]
Today we’ll talk about one of the most disorienting experiences Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages face: gaslighting.
But we aren’t going to just define what gaslighting is. I’m going to break it down into all the tiny parts and give you some specific stories so you can see exactly what’s going on and WHY.
You’ll learn three specific tactics gaslighters use, why they use them, and what you can do to stay grounded in your own reality when someone is working hard to pull you out of it.
Key Takeaways:
- Why someone can sound completely loving and caring while actually doing something deeply harmful to you
- The hidden reason your concerns keep disappearing from conversations before they ever get resolved
- What a joke has to do with control, and why your bodys reaction is not a character flaw
- The psychological mechanism you share with a slot machine, and what its actually costing you
- The one shift that strips a gaslighting tactic of all its power, without you having to win a single argument
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.")
![Breaking the Cycle of Fear, Obligation, and Guilt: Gwendoline’s Story [354]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iP8xmt0dHbw/mqdefault.jpg "Breaking the Cycle of Fear, Obligation, and Guilt: Gwendoline’s Story [354]
What if the very things that make you kind, loyal, and generous are the same things that keep you stuck in a destructive marriage?
In this episode, I sit down with Gwendoline, one of our longtime Flying Free and Flying Higher members, to unpack her raw and powerful story of waking up, breaking free, and rebuilding her life from the inside out.
⚡ We’re talking emotional abuse, spiritual gaslighting, the lie that “love is enough,” and how hope can sometimes keep you trapped.
This isn’t just a story. It’s a survival guide for any woman who feels stuck, scared, and soul-tired, but still secretly wonders if she’s crazy.
💥 Key Takeaways:
- Fights that feel like warfare? 🚩 That’s not love.
- FOG = Fear, Obligation, Guilt = The trap that keeps you stuck.
- Your body will tell you the truth, even if your brain is in denial.
- Leaving while still loving him isn’t a contradiction—it’s wisdom.
- You are the rescuer you’ve been waiting for (with God as your co-pilot).
Get a FREE chapter of Is It ME? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage, along with the companion workbook for that chapter, by going to flyingfreenow.com. Ill also send you the Freedom Letters. (Also free. 😉 )
Related Resources:
🎙️ Check out related Flying Free Podcast episodes: “Out of the Poisoned Pond: Jennie’s Story” (https://www.flyingfreenow.com/343-2/) and “Military Marriage Abuse: Elizabeth’s Story” (https://www.flyingfreenow.com/336-2/).
📒 Read the full show notes at https://www.flyingfreenow.com/354
#FlyingFreePodcast #EmotionalAbuseRecovery #ChristianDivorceSupport #SpiritualAbuseAwareness #ToxicMarriage #ReligiousTraumaRecovery #WomenEmpowerment #DivorceHealingJourney #LeavingAnAbusiveMarriage #FaithAndFreedom #ChristianWomensupport #GaslightingRecovery #FaithDeconstruction #HealingFromAbuse #SurvivorStory")
![Toxic Beliefs That Keep Christian Women From Their True Identity (A Story about a Runner) [349]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iXkDvbexshU/mqdefault.jpg "Toxic Beliefs That Keep Christian Women From Their True Identity (A Story about a Runner) [349]
Are you exhausted from carrying the emotional weight of toxic teachings dressed up as biblical truth? In this episode, I share the story of Sarah, a woman ready to run, but burdened by decades of destructive beliefs she didn’t even know she was carrying.
💔 “A good wife never questions her husband.”
💔 “God won’t give you more than you can handle.”
💔 “What will people think?”
Sound familiar?
🔓 Let’s unpack the lies. Reclaim your identity. And maybe—just maybe—start running free.
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💬 LET’S CHAT:
What’s one belief youve carried that you now realize wasn’t true? Drop it in the comments below. Lets lighten the load together. 💬
Related Resources:
🧐 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: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse. Get a free chapter when you sign up for my mailing list at the top of my website: https://flyingfreenow.com
👹 My book, All the Scary Little Gods (https://www.flyingfreenow.com/all-the-scary-little-gods/), is a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming.
🦋 The Kaleidoscope (https://joinflyingfree.com) is our ridiculously affordable online community educating and supporting Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we can equip you for the next part of your journey through this program.
🚀 Flying Higher (https://joinflyinghigher.com) is my private mentorship program for Christian women who want to go deeper and work with me in a smaller group.
🎙️ Check out related Flying Free Podcast episodes: “12 Life-Changing Beliefs That Will Unhook You From Abuse” (https://www.flyingfreenow.com/181-2/) and “The Beliefs that Keep Christian Women Stuck in Abusive Marriages” (https://www.flyingfreenow.com/53-2/).
📒 Read the full show notes at https://www.flyingfreenow.com/349
#ChristianWomen #ReligiousTrauma #SpiritualAbuseRecovery #ToxicBeliefs #EmotionalAbuse #FlyingFree #NatalieHoffman #RunFree #ChristianMarriage #FaithDeconstruction #YouWereMeantToRun")
