Choose Your Family: Healing By Creating The Community You Needed with Catalina Popoveniuc

Send us Fan MailWhat if the “normal” you were taught to accept was actually the harm you had to heal? Maria sits down with Catalina, a psychotherapist and survivor of narcissistic abuse, for a candid conversation about recognizing toxic patterns, choosing safety, and building the kind of community that helps people move from surviving to truly living. Catalina grew up under the weight of control and projection and later found herself repeating those dynamics in friendships, work, and love. The turning point came through learning—books that named the patterns, language that clarified the damage, and practices that made life feel safe again.We trace the steps from awareness to action: how to spot early red flags like love-bombing and shifting goalposts, how to set boundaries without apology, and why reducing contact can be an act of profound self-respect. Catalina shares the unexpected way she found her public voice in English before Romanian, revealing how context can unlock expression for survivors who were told to stay small. Along the way, Maria opens up about her own against-all-odds moments—sexual assault, cancer, and parenting through mental health crises—and how sharing that story created connection where shame once lived.At the heart of this conversation is Alive In Her, the global movement Catalina founded to offer what many of us needed: a village that validates, supports, and equips. It’s bigger than narcissism recovery; it’s about belonging, resilience, and choosing your family with intention. Expect practical tools for holiday triggers and difficult relatives, gentle scripts for hard conversations, and encouragement to create what you can’t find—whether that’s a Facebook group, a podcast, or the purple-covered memoir on your vision board. If you’re ready to replace isolation with community and guesswork with grounded steps, press play and join us. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show.Connect with Catalina:#AliveInHer Facebook GroupWebsite: https://catalinapopoveniuc.com/Facebook: Psychotherapist Cătălina Popoveniuc Support the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE