Sonia Rodriguez on Betrayal Trauma, Why Women Override Their Own Intuition

What happens when a psychotherapist and women's life transition coach who has lived through her own relational trauma decides that the most powerful thing she can do with that pain is build a platform, write in thirteen anthologies, launch a nonprofit to help women leave toxic relationships, and spend her career helping other women recognize the difference between a partner who lost interest and a partner who was lying to their face for years? In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Sonia Rodriguez, founder of Transition to Wellness, about why so many women override their own intuition even when something has felt off for a long time — often because they haven't found the physical evidence yet, or because they are being told they are crazy, jealous, or controlling by the very person they are trying to trust. Sonia explains the difference between heartbreak and betrayal trauma, why betrayal trauma is one of the most challenging forms of trauma anyone can experience because it causes you to question everything you believed was real, and why emotional pain shows up so profoundly in the body — in sleep, in appetite, in shoulder tension, in stomach issues — because the mind and body are not separate systems. They also discuss why there is no timeline for healing and why rushing someone through it is the worst possible thing to do, what self abandonment actually looks like in someone who doesn't recognize it — constantly giving up what you need to stay in a relationship — how the concept of self leadership shifts that dynamic by building non-negotiables, why love bombing is the reason so many women end up asking what happened to the person they fell in love with, what attachment style theory explains about why people repeatedly choose the same kinds of partners, and what the one thing is that any woman can do today before she ever books a session to start shifting things. Sonia Rodriguez is a psychotherapist, women's life transition coach, author, speaker, and founder of Transition to Wellness, serving women navigating relational trauma, toxic relationships, and major life transitions. Connect with Sonia Rodriguez: transition2wellness.com Instagram: @transition.to.wellness LinkedIn: Sonia Rodriguez She Wins Women's Network: shewinsWomensnetwork.com She Rises Studios: sherisestudio.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Sonia Rodriguez 00:34 Who Sonia is and what Transition to Wellness actually does 01:00 I feel like I'm going crazy — the anger, obsessive checking, and intrusive thoughts — is this a trauma response 01:20 The power of intuition and why something feels off before the evidence appears 02:20 Why women talk themselves out of what they already know — and the role gaslighting plays 03:19 Are women uniquely different from men in how they navigate these situations 03:57 The difference between heartbreak and betrayal trauma — and why betrayal is on another level entirely 05:40 My body is falling apart — why emotional betrayal shows up so physically 06:03 The mind-body connection — The Body Keeps the Score and releasing trauma from the body 06:59 People telling you to just get over it — and why there is no timeline for healing 07:20 Triggers that appear years later even when the healing work has been done 08:48 The first real clinical step forward — not take care of yourself, but the actual first step 09:37 What clinical therapy with integrative wellness and spiritual practices actually looks like 10:43 What a typical session looks like — anger, sadness, relief, and the small goals that matter 12:04 Thirteen anthologies on Amazon and a book coming out this year on turning pain into purpose 13:07 How her own relational trauma became the foundation of her coaching, nonprofit, and community work 14:07 Why some women seem to go from one toxic relationship to another — and how to break that cycle 14:58 Love bombing — what it is, how it hooks people, and why the glimmers keep them stuck 16:00 Attachment patterns rooted in childhood dynamics — and why you keep choosing the same partner 17:08 Attachment styles explained — anxious versus avoidant and why that pairing creates so much suffering 18:56 What if you fall in love with someone you shouldn't — and how to decide what you're willing to give up 19:18 Self abandonment — giving up what you need to stay in a relationship 20:37 You can't fix people — what you can do instead 21:50 From self abandonment to self leadership — recognizing your non-negotiables 23:38 Who her clients are — ages 13 to 68, primarily middle-aged women navigating life transitions 24:19 What betrayal trauma after 43 years of marriage would actually feel like 26:32 Is it possible to recover from anything — and yes couples do choose to repair and rebuild #SoniaRodriguez #TransitionToWellness #TrustcastShow #BetrayalTrauma #WomensHealing #RelationalTrauma #AttachmentStyle #ToxicRelationships #SelfLeadership #WomensLifeCoach