Widowed with 4 Kids, Then Trapped by a Narcissist

In this episode, I sit down with Julie Barth, who lost her husband to stage four pancreatic cancer when her four children were still young — the youngest was just six months old. While she was still deep in grief, she met a man who seemed like a fresh start. He wasn't. He was a narcissist who spent years isolating her from her family and friends, manipulating her, stalking her, emotionally abusing her, and threatening to kill her.Julie shares how she went from being a widow surrounded by community to a woman who had been moved across the country, cut off from everyone she knew, and convinced that she was crazy. We talk about how he used her grief against her, why she stayed as long as she did, the financial abuse that kept her trapped, how he sabotaged every attempt she made to build a life for herself, and the moment she realized she had to get out. We also get into the savior complex — how he presented himself as the man who was saving this poor widow and her kids while behind closed doors he was destroying them.Julie is now divorced and doing nonprofit work helping other women facing crisis, caregiving burnout, and economic abuse. If you've ever been in a relationship where someone used your pain against you, if you've been gaslit into thinking you were the problem, or if you're a widow or someone going through loss and you're worried about being vulnerable to the wrong person, this conversation is one you need to hear.Julie’s Website & Art for Charity: juliebarthauthor.comNational Domestic Violence Hotline: thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFESupport Services for Financial Abuse: nnedv.orgNew episodes every Thursday.💌 Business inquiries: [email protected]