Beyond Survival - The Therapy Podcast with Katie McKenna
Episodes
Can I Trust Myself Again? (S5 Ep.9)
22 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I overreacting, or was that not okay?” — this episode is for you.For many survivors of narcissistic abuse, the qu...
Is it me – Am I The Problem? (S5 Ep.8)
15 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this solo episode, I dive deep into the fear so many people carry after narcissistic abuse: Is it me – Am I The problem? When you’ve spent yea...
ADHD: "I thought this was just who I am" - An Interview with Dr. Sarah Carthy
08 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
ADHD is something many people have heard of. You may know someone who has been diagnosed. You may already have a diagnosis, or maybe you’ve quietly ...
The Faces of Narcissism - An Interview with Dr. Rachna Buxani (S5 Ep.6
01 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Adult children of narcissists parents often struggle to name what happened to them.In this episode, I’m joined again by Dr. Rachna Buxani, and we’...
An Interview with Kristin Morgan (S5 Ep.5)
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Becoming a mother is often spoken about as a time of softness. A time where a mother is held, supported, celebrated. Where care naturally gathers arou...
Why Narcissistic Abuse is So Hard To Recognise (S5 Ep.4)
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When you’re raised by a narcissistic parent, the harm doesn’t come labelled as abuse. It comes wrapped in concern, protection, closeness, and sac...
Healthy Anger vs Narcissistic Rage
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There is such a thing as Healthy Anger — but if you grew up around narcissistic rage, that can feel hard to believe.In this solo episode, I untangle...
The Enabling Parent (S5 Ep.2)
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Anyone listening to an abusive parent in action can easily interpret the other parent’s silence as safety. Because they don’t join in, they can ap...
Sex & Intimacy - An Interview with Grace Alice OShea (S5 Ep.1)
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When you grow up in a narcissistic family, you don’t get the space to become yourself. Your wants are dismissed, your needs are overlooked, and your...
How do I support my siblings, without losing myself? (S4 Ep.10)
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When raised in a narcissistic system, sibling bonds can become both a lifeline and a source of deep emotional strain. In todays letter, we discuss th...
Golden Child vs Scapegoat (S4 Ep.9)
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week a listener describes what it was like to grow up largely invisible and also scapegoated, while their older sister held the role of the golde...
When is enough, enough? (S4 Ep.8)
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Did I do the right thing? Am I being unreasonable?This week we hear from a listener who grew up with a controlling father who monitored finances, beli...
People-Pleasing as Survival (S4 Ep7)
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re exploring The Fawn response through the experience of a listener who grew up in a home shaped by addiction, conflict and emot...
Am I Overreacting? Was It Really That Bad? (S4 Ep.6)
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you grew up with a parent who rewrote history, denied conversations that clearly happened and turned every attempt at repair into an explosion… t...
Does life get more peaceful when they die? (S4 Ep5)
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A listener writes in with a question that many people carry quietly (and can often feel ashamed for even thinking)Does life get more peaceful when the...
When abuse feels familiar (S4 Ep4)
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we hear from a 44-year-old listener whose role as “the strong one” began far too early. Raised in the 80s as the eldest of four c...
The Impact of a Critical Mother (S4 Ep3)
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we read a letter from a listener who has spent her life being criticised by her mother — called “stupid,” shamed about her body...
Fighting For My Truth (S4 Ep2)
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we hear from a listener who has navigated years of emotional turmoil within her blended family.After a life-threatening childbirth, sh...
The Cost of Emotional Safety (S4 Ep1)
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When you leave a narcissistic family system, the separation rarely ends with you. Often, it comes with a quiet guilt for the sibling left behind - and...
Perfectionism - An Interview with Claire Fealy
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Perfectionism can look like competence, control, or high standards, but what often hides underneath is a survival strategy.In this conversation, I’m...
An interview with Dr. Rachna Boxani-Mirpuri
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I’m joined by psychologist and author Dr Rachna Buxani, whose book Unseen: A Therapist’s Reflection on a Daughter’s Journey Thr...
An Interview with Dr. Natalie Fabert
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Natalie Faber to explore a question I often return to: What if a narcissistic family system operates like a cult?...
Why Do I React This Way? The Wounds & Their Roots
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I explore the trauma responses many of us developed just to survive childhood and why they still show up in our adult lives. I’ll ...
Narcissistic Parentification
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, I'm unpacking one of the most common yet misunderstood experiences for adult children of narcissistic abuse: Narcissistic Parentificat...
Instrumental Parentification (S3 Ep5)
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, I'm diving into Instrumental Parentification — a dynamic where a child becomes the household’s “mini Cinderella.” T...
Emotional Parentification (S3 Ep4)
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this solo episode, I’m diving into the topic of parentification — what it looks like, how to recognise it, and why naming your experience is th...
An Interview with Dr. Ken Adams (S3 Ep3)
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, we dive deep into the complex topic of enmeshment—what it is, how it forms, and what healthyfamily patterns actually look like...
An Interview with Dr. Christine M. Cocchiola (S3 Ep2)
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“I started this work at the age of 19. I was a child abuse advocate, a sexual abuse advocate, a domestic violence advocate, a therapist — and yet,...
People-Pleasing / Fawning (S3 Ep1)
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Solo Episode - This week on Beyond Survival – The Therapy Podcast, I’m unpacking the truth behind people pleasing. So often we think of it as a h...
How do I let go of all the rage? (S2 Ep10)
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week a listener asks a question: How do I let go of all the rage? After years of no contact with her abusive family, she’s exhausted by how mu...
Living on High Alert (S2 E9)
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, I read a letter from a listener who’s been no contact with her mother for two years - but still feels like she’s living with her shadow...
The Trap (S2 E8)
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Question - "I'm never going to find her easy but how do I regulate after exposure to her?"In this episode, we hear from a listener - an...
When a Mother Can’t Let Go (S2 E7)
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we read a powerful letter from a listener whoasks myself and Dr. Ruth Callaghan the question: "How do I decide whether or not to go no...
Learning to Trust Love (S2 Ep6)
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trigger Warning: Sexual AbuseQ "What I’m currently struggling with is this pattern I have where if there is a pause in our physical intimacy du...
Can she change? (S2 Ep5)
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
These weeks listener asks these 3 questionsIs it unrealistic to expect her to change?How do I get her voice out of my head that I’m in the wrong? H...
Responsibility, Triggers and Fears (S2 E4)
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do we learn to parent, or even reparent ourselves, if we never had a model of healthy parenting? In this week’s episode, we explore three power...
Is There Hope with My Enabling Parent? (S2 E3)
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s listener has worked hard to build a life where she feels confident, loved, and free to be herself. But when she begins to hold her bound...
Toxic Guilt: Why it still feels like my fault (S2 Ep2)
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Toxic guilt is that heavy, misplaced guilt that convinces us we’ve done something wrong, even when we haven’t. It’s one of the hardest legacies ...
The Fixer’s Trap (S2 Ep1)
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In series 2 of Beyond Survival – The Therapy Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Ruth Callaghan where we explore two powerful listener questions.First, how...
Ep.10- 'Breaking The Cycle' with Maggie Nick
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week I’m joined by Maggie Nick, a recovering burned-out overachiever, people-pleaser, perfectionist, pushover, and shape-shifting chameleon, wh...
Ep.9- What do I need?
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you grow up in a dysfunctional family system, you are conditioned to silence your needs to keep the peace, avoid conflict, or gain approval. Over...
Ep.8- Relentless Whispers
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this solo episode, I explore the relentless whispers of the inner critic - that constant, internal voice that undermines, judges, and shames. I del...
Ep.7- 'The Cult of Family' with Daniella Mestyanek Young
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Cult of Family explores the reality of growing up in a narcissistic system that demands silence, obedience, and self-erasure.In this episode, I si...
Ep.6- 'Never Enough' with Claire Fealy
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Exploring the Fear beneath Perfectionism and High AchievementIn this deep dive, Podcast Host & Mindset Coach Claire Fealy joins me to unpack the f...
Ep.5- Empathy Without Enmeshment
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you grew up in a narcissistic or emotionally chaotic household, chances are you were taught to feel for others, but not for yourself. In this epis...
Ep.4- The Invisible Wounds of Childhood
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this solo episode, I'm exploring the invisible wounds that form in childhood when you're raised in dysfunctional or narcissistic family s...
Ep.3- ‘External Control’ with Adele Martelle (Part 2)
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Control is everywhere, often disguised as protection, tradition or morality! This is part 2 with Adele Martelle, where we're unpacking the subtl...
Ep.2- 'How to Build Trust' with Adele Martelle (Part 1)
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do we lose touch with who we really are?This week I am delighted to be joined by Adele Martelle, who specialises in treating complex CPTSD and Rel...
Ep.1 - 'Coercive Control' with Ann Larkin
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this powerful episode I’m joined by Ann Larkin, CEO from Women's Aid Dundalk, to explore the insidious nature of coercive control in romanti...
Introduction
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode, I’m introducing Beyond Survival – The Therapy Podcast and sharing more about who this space is for and what you can expect ...