Episode 69: Until She Believed in Herself, the Cycle of Abuse continued

Alexandra taps into being raised with a strict parenting style, where she experienced emotional and psychological abuse, sharing her mother's parenting style mirrored her grandfather's style of parenting that Alexandra's mother experienced. She left her life in France to come to Canada to live a new life and pursue her dreams and goals. Soon after she met the father of her child, she participated in a toxic relationship for several years and experienced emotional, physical, and financial abuse. Alexandra expresses the abuse she endured in adulthood was parallel to her childhood experience. She thought this is what she deserved and admits at the same time she was blinded in what she believed to be love. Police and child services were involved, and she did seek solace at women's shelters. Alexandra shares she returned to the relationship even when she didn't want to due to severe financial constraints. Alexandra's mental health was impacted to the extent she had no love to give herself, she lacked confidence, she would end up putting herself down, and didn't take care of herself emotionally or physically. The more toxicity she experienced in her relationship, the more distant she became from her friendships and decreased her interactions with family, resulting in bottling up all her emotions. Eventually she put up her own boundaries and started to make clearer choices that were good for both her and her son. She explained that when she found her inner strength and started to use her voice, it got loud, and she would no longer hold back. Her key message to the listeners is that: believe in yourself and know that you can do great things; you can have success; believe that you deserve better and more; believe that you are worthy of love, life and success – it can all be yours; search for resources, they are out there.