What if the person who hurt you most was the one everyone protected?In this episode of The Liberation Effect, Emily speaks with Helen about the long shadow of sibling abuse, and the emotional cost of growing up in a family that denied her reality. She shares how her mother’s repeated refusal to acknowledge what happened left her isolated, gaslit, and cast as the source of the problem.Together, they explore the deep confusion of being harmed and then blamed for it, the long road to rebuilding self-trust, and the clarity that comes with naming what was never allowed to be named. Emily speaks with honesty and conviction about her choice to remain no contact, her decision not to forgive, and the freedom that comes from choosing herself after years of being erased.Grow, connect and thrive with a free 7-day trial of The Hub: https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/To be on the show please apply here: https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application
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1:13:27
11. Why Does My Daughter Trigger Me?
What if the way you parent reveals the parts of you that are still hurting?In this episode, Lucy explores the uncomfortable truth that she finds her daughter more triggering than her son, even when they display the same behaviours. What unfolds is a powerful, emotionally honest conversation about the legacy of childhood rejection, and how easily unhealed wounds can echo through the next generation.Helen helps Lucy trace the roots of her inner critic, the shame she carries around being “too much,” and the fear of what it would mean to truly honour her younger self. From family dynamics that blamed her for others’ behaviour to the belief that love must be earned through perfection, Lucy brings humour, clarity and real insight to a story that will feel painfully familiar for many.Grow, connect and thrive with a free 7-day trial of The Hub: https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/To be on the show please apply here: https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application
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1:08:20
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10. How Do I Know Who I Am Without Her?
What if being the good child meant being the forgotten one?In this episode, Charlotte joins Helen to explore the long shadow of emotional neglect, people-pleasing, and being cast as the family scapegoat. As a child, Charlotte learned to stay quiet, meet expectations, and avoid conflict. But underneath the surface was a deep loneliness, a constant pressure to be easy, and a silence that cost her a sense of self.Together, they unpack how roles like “good girl” or “too much” get assigned to children without their consent, and how those labels can shape your entire identity. Charlotte shares the pain of being punished for setting boundaries, the grief of realising her parents never truly protected her, and the courage it takes to finally trust your own voice.This is a conversation about survival, clarity, and the moment you decide to stop carrying a story that was never yours.Grow, connect and thrive with a free 7-day trial of The Hub: https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/To be on the show please apply here: https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application
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8. How Can My Own Mother Abandon Me?
What if everything you thought was real… wasn’t?In this episode of The Liberation Effect, Helen is joined by Emma, who’s facing the grief of being discarded by her narcissistic mother - not because she walked away, but because she finally said no.Now in her fifties and newly separated, Emma is navigating the disorienting fallout of a lifetime spent performing for love, questioning every memory, and grieving the identity she was never allowed to form. Together, she and Helen unpack what happens when your childhood starts to unravel in adulthood, and how hard it is to trust yourself when you've spent your whole life being told who to be.Grow, connect and thrive with a free 7-day trial of The Hub: https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/To be on the show please apply here: https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application
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1:36:01
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1:36:01
7. What Can I Do to Make Her Love Me?
What if understanding it won’t make it hurt less?In this episode of The Liberation Effect, Helen is joined by Megan, who’s gone no contact with her parents but is still being pulled back in through guilt, shame, and flying monkey messages. Now pregnant again, Megan finds herself circling old patterns of self-doubt and wondering if she really was the problem all along.What unfolds is a conversation about grief, survival, and the desperate need to make sense of the senseless. Together, Helen and Megan explore how the urge to understand - to explain, justify, or find a reason - can sometimes be a trauma response in itself. Because if we can figure it out, maybe we can fix it. And if we can fix it, maybe we weren’t really abandoned at all.Trigger warning: this episode involves discussions about child loss and bereavement.Grow, connect and thrive with a free 7-day trial of The Hub: https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/To be on the show please apply here: https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application
Each week Helen invites a guest to explore a problem they’re facing and works through it with them; peeling back the layers to understand what’s happening and offering ways to move forward and make changes to resolve the issue.
Whether it’s coping with narcissistic parents; going no contact; parenting ADHD or Autistic children; parenting after trauma; or their own ADHD or Autism; Helen helps the listener untangle the parts that keeps them stuck.
To access Helen’s community focused on healing, learning and support, visit https://liberationacademy.co.uk/the-hub/
Ireland