Caroline says she was a perfectionist as a child and she continued living life like this way into adulthood. A straight-A student, she worked as an airline stewardess travelling with British Airways as part as Tony Blair’s cabin crew.
But when her marriage fell apart Caroline says she found herself at rock bottom.
A single mum and 80 thousands pounds in debt she says she was suffering from anxiety and depression - and then her house was repossessed. She could only think how had she ended up here?
But slowly Caroline, through therapy, began to learn more about her marriage and patterns she hadn’t even questioned were actually abuse. The more she learned, the stronger she became. She rebuilt her own life into something bigger and better than she could ever have imagined and now she’s helping other women do the same.
Today Caroline works as a trauma therapist and author. Her podcast Narcissistic Abuse and Trauma Recovery has been download more than 3 million times. She has hundreds of thousands of followers across social media and her work is being featured on shows all over the world. In this conversation we discuss:
The difference between normal and ups and downs and when it becomes something else
The power that comes from recognising our own patterns
How Caroline believes we can all create lives we truly love and thrive - with the right help
What to do if you’re worried about yourself or someone else
Now, this might be a tougher conversation, but there are still lots of laughs and so much hope too. Caroline says she could never have imagined she could feel as happy as she does and she wants to help as many other women feel the same.
To learn more about Caroline's work you can find her here: https://carolinestrawson.com/
This is of course an educational episode - it is not a substitute for professional help. If you are worried about yourself or anyone you know the Samaritans are available here: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
To keep in touch with me and join my Next Chapter community - I'd love it if you did - you can find me here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/