Send us a textWhen someone walks away from you in the most painful and blindsiding way—through betrayal, broken promises, or abandonment—it can feel like your whole world collapses. In this episode of Beyond Words, Najwa gently guides you through the shock, denial, and grief of endings you didn’t choose, and shows you how to begin reclaiming yourself piece by piece.Through powerful metaphors and deeply human reflections, Najwa reminds you that someone’s choice to leave says nothing about your worth. This episode is for anyone who has ever been left to carry the weight of broken promises and wondered how to rise again.Show Notes & Timestamps0:00 – Introduction When someone walks away in a hurtful or unexpected way—betrayal, cheating, or abandonment.1:12 – The shock of endings Facing the denial and devastation when someone leaves suddenly.2:55 – Allowing yourself to feel Why you shouldn’t push away the shock or minimize the pain.4:42 – Therapy lesson Looking the truth directly in the eyes instead of turning away from it.7:06 – Life isn’t fair Why fairness and character don’t always align in relationships.9:11 – Watering your own grass A powerful metaphor on self-investment versus pouring everything into someone else.12:10 – Who’s really the “bad guy” in walking away Reframing walking away from something harmful as an act of self-heroism, not betrayal.15:17 – Breaking the victim loop Challenging the story that everyone always abandons you.17:01 – Hope in the right places Why hope placed in a toxic relationship can still exist—and how to replant it in fertile soil.20:02 – Moving on doesn’t mean rushing Healing means moving into self-love, not into another relationship.21:00 – Don’t close the door on yourself How not to let someone else’s abandonment teach you to abandon yourself.22:28 – A visualization exercise Learning to put down the weight you’ve been carrying.23:14 – The grocery store story A reminder about receiving help and recognizing who pays attention to your struggles.25:08 – Who really sees your pain Choosing the people who notice your suffering and step in to help.29:16 – A blessing in disguise Why someone leaving can be a gift for every future version of you.30:07 – Words That Found Me Taylor Swift’s My Tears Ricochet and the imagery of “jewels” as metaphors for what people take from us.34:19 – Words That Held Me Reading Other Places from The Book of Healing.35:20 – Final reflections Your worth is untouched by someone else’s choice to leave.
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008- The Power of Words
Send us a textWords can lift us to heights we never thought possible, or they can shatter us into pieces we never imagined. In this episode of Beyond Words, Najwa Zebian explores the immense power of language—how it shapes our identity, fuels our growth, or erodes our spirit. Through vivid analogies of mirrors and walls, safe havens and storms, band-aids and knives, Najwa reveals how the words we give and receive can either nurture or destroy us. This episode is a reminder to choose words with intention—and to surround yourself with people whose words help you rise.Timestamps & Show Notes0:00 – IntroductionWords have the power to build or destroyReflection on how other people’s words have impacted you1:00 – The Energy of Words“I love you” vs. “I hate you”How words fuel or deplete your energyPersonal reflections on how words can set the tone for your entire day2:50 – Words as ElevatorsWords can lift you to new levels or drag you into darknessSilence has power, but words can fertilize growth or poison it5:20 – The Environment of WordsThe people and words you surround yourself with matter deeplyRepetition of harmful words can numb but also destroy your sense of self7:20 – Silence as NeglectChoosing not to speak when someone opens up can wound them furtherThe absence of empathy can feel like fuel to the fire9:15 – Mirrors vs. WallsWords can be a mirror that reflects and validatesOr they can be a wall that offers nothing and deepens painExamples of neglect when joy or pain isn’t mirrored back13:40 – Safe Havens vs. StormsWords can calm a tornado of self-blame or fuel the chaosCreating safety with empathy and presenceChoosing to be a safe haven even in silence19:00 – Band-aids vs. KnivesWords as healing ointment or as sharp blades that worsen woundsThe impact of words on emotional injuries23:00 – Dimming Your LightWhen people demand you be a smaller version of yourselfThe cost of silencing your voice to be accepted27:00 – Cutting the StringsChoosing to cut off people whose words devalue youRefusing to grant access to those who only seek to bring you down30:00 – Spinning vs. ClarityWords can stop someone’s spiraling thoughts or intensify confusionAbusers thrive on keeping you in confusion33:00 – Echoes vs. SilenceWords can amplify and validate someone’s voiceOr they can silence and erase a person’s sense of value36:30 – Final ReflectionsFive reminders: words can be mirrors, safe havens, band-aids, clarity, and echoesNajwa’s call to reflect on one word that comes to mind when you think of the power of words
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007- How to Make Someone Realize They’re Losing You
Send us a textIn this deeply reflective episode of Beyond Words, Najwa explores the longing so many of us feel when someone we love starts slipping away. What do we do when our instinct is to try harder only to lose ourselves in the process? Najwa unpacks the myths about “being the prize,” why begging for recognition only hurts us more, and how true courage sometimes looks like letting go, step by step.Through personal reflections, hard truths, and poetic wisdom, she reminds us: your value doesn’t depend on whether someone else sees it.Show Notes & Timestamps0:00 – Introduction: What it means when someone begins to slip away 1:45 – The exhausting responsibility of trying harder than 100% 3:09 – Breaking yourself to fix what you didn’t break 4:26 – Relationships that require you to disappear are not for you 5:00 – The wrong belief that “relationships are supposed to be hard” 6:15 – Don’t audition for love: they are not the prize, your quality of life is 7:23 – Mila’s sweet cameo during recording 🐾 8:00 – Vulnerability isn’t desperation—it’s courage 9:32 – “Let them lose you” — stop forcing recognition of your worth 11:13 – Why attention after you pull away is ego, not love 12:08 – The truth of being a giver and what happens when you’re told to shrink 14:38 – Love Island reflection: when openness is unfairly labeled “too much” 16:06 – Shallow vs. deep love: why only going “in the shallow end” will never fulfill you 18:01 – If you’re only offered a tiny corner of their life, it’s not enough 23:52 – Courage isn’t always a leap—it’s the daily steps away 25:17 – Stop trying to make them regret losing you. Their choice is theirs, not yours. 26:07 – A poem from The Nectar of Pain: I will not wait for you to regret losing me 27:55 – Your worth is like gold: it remains whether or not others see it 29:11 – The right person will see all of you and feel lucky they found you 31:09 – Closing: Come home to yourself—your value is not up for negotiation.Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, and leave a rating or review if Najwa’s words resonated with you.
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006- Stop Wanting the Love of Someone Who Doesn't Want You
Send us a textSo many of us carry the belief that we have to earn love. That if we change who we are, give more of ourselves, or abandon our own needs, then maybe, just maybe, someone will finally choose us. But true love isn’t an audition.In this powerful episode of Beyond Words, we explore what it means to stop chasing after the bare minimum. Together, we’ll look at why we cling to those who only offer us crumbs of attention, and how to shift toward a love that meets us where we are: whole, worthy, and enough.If you’ve ever found yourself asking: Why don’t they love me the way I love them? Why do I have to prove myself just to be seen? this conversation is for you.You’ll be reminded:Why abandoning yourself for love is never true love.How to recognize when you’re living on crumbs instead of the feast you deserve.That you don’t need to beg for love that was promised. The right person will see your worth without conditions.Stop auditioning for people’s lives. Stop surviving on scraps. You are worthy of a love that stays, grows, and lets you rest safely in it.Timestamps & Show Notes:0:00 – Introduction Why so many of us grow up believing love must be earned, and how that belief drives us to self-abandonment.2:45 – The Illusion of Earning Love The cycle of chasing crumbs of affection and mistaking them for a feast.6:30 – The Cost of Auditioning The exhaustion and heartache of performing to be chosen, and why it never leads to real security.10:15 – What Real Love Is (and Isn’t) A reflection on conditional love versus love that sees your essence without demands.15:00 – Reclaiming Your Worth Steps to move away from scarcity and toward embodying worthiness.19:20 – Closing Reflections An affirmation to stop auditioning for people’s lives — and rest in the truth that you are already enough.
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005- How to Move On After Betrayal
Send us a textWhat do you do when the life you were building with someone turns out to be an illusion? When the love you believed in crumbles in an instant. And all that’s left is dust?This episode is for the moments after the betrayal. For when your heart is shattered but you're being told to "just move on." For when you’re still carrying the weight of dreams that will never happen. And wondering why you're the one left with all the pain.Najwa walks you through the reality of betrayal. Not just the event, but the after. The instability. The shame. The self-blame. The hiding. And most importantly… the healing.If you’ve ever questioned your worth because someone lied to you, cheated on you, or shattered your trust, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.Timestamps & Show Notes:0:00 — She thought she built a castle with someone. In one moment, it turned to dust. 1:00 — What betrayal really takes from you — and why pretending you’re fine won’t help 3:00 — Why we become avoidant after betrayal (and why it makes sense) 5:00 — The story of Jana and Kenny: When everything you believed crumbles 8:00 — You’re not weak for feeling the pain. You’re human. 10:00 — Stop surrounding yourself with people who shame you for still hurting 13:00 — Walking on unstable ground and blaming yourself for not being steady 17:00 — What true friendship and support looks like after betrayal 20:00 — You were saved by their inability to be who they claimed they were 22:00 — Stop blaming yourself for being “too much.” You were just too much for the wrong person. 27:00 — Betrayal isn’t your responsibility to fix — even if it shattered everything 31:00 — Why love without visibility isn’t love — it’s invisibility 36:00 — Stop trying to fix what was never yours to fix 40:00 — The real way through: feel it, honor it, and reclaim your worth 42:00 — A final reflection: write down 3 things you now know to be true about yourself
Ireland