(Ep. 43) What relationships look like on the other side of The Compassion Method

What if getting healthier quietly changes every friendship you have — including the ones you thought were solid?In this episode of Triggered & True, Laura Duncan and co-host Brian Freise turn from the intimate relationships they've covered before — spouse, kids — to the ones just a step removed: friends and extended family. As students in Laura's school kept noticing, life looks different "post-Compassion Method," and this conversation explores why and how to navigate it without falling into the trendy trap of simply labeling everyone else toxic.Laura and Brian dig into what happens when you stop relating from your triggered self: if you used to keep friends by fawning — constantly making everyone else okay — and you stop, the people used to that version of you can get triggered by the change. They look honestly at how many "friendships" were really codependence, why healing lets you set boundaries without cutting people off, and a genuinely challenging reframe: a person behaving badly isn't a towering villain but someone small in that moment, reacting from their child brain. The freeing turn is being okay in any relationship — whether that means going to the holiday gathering in peace, or being okay not going — because you no longer need anyone to change for you to be yourself. The goal in every relationship: their behavior matters, but they matter more.In this episode: 🔹 Why your healing can trigger people used to the "old you" — especially if you used to fawn 🔹 When a "friendship" was really codependence — and how to tell the difference 🔹 Boundaries without cutting people off — a nuanced take on the "toxic people" trend 🔹 Seeing a difficult person as small, not as a villain — reacting from their child brain 🔹 Being okay with going to the gathering — and being okay with not going📩 Get your free Weekly Dose of Compassion — two short notes in your inbox every week. One to speak over yourself. One from Laura: https://www.lauraduncan.com/pl/2148814868🔗 Learn more: https://triggeredandtrue.comhttps://lauraduncan.com