Season 2 Episode 3 Breaking Free: Reclaiming Your Worth from Toxic Cycles

Ever felt stuck in a cycle of toxic relationships and wondered how to break free? Join me, Daniel "Thabudd" Nelson, as I share my personal journey through emotional manipulation and covert narcissism, not just in romantic relationships, but with friends, family, and colleagues. In this episode, I explore how these toxic dynamics can lead to destructive habits like substance abuse—and how I found a way out.

Through heartfelt stories and research-backed insights, you’ll discover actionable steps to reclaim your self-worth, set strong boundaries, and pave the way to a future of strength and resilience. This episode is all about transformation and self-empowerment: rewriting your story, living in the present, and confronting life’s challenges with confidence.

If you're ready to choose yourself and step into a life of empowerment and lasting change, tune in for inspiration and practical tools to break free from toxic cycles.

Chapters

• 0:00 Breaking Free from Toxicity
• 4:46 Taking Back Control
• 7:56 Embracing Your Freedom

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello and welcome to Absolutely Focused Radio Podcast. I'm your host, daniel the Bud Nelson, and today I'm not just talking to you, I'm sharing with you from personal experience. What I'm about to discuss is something I've lived through. This episode is about breaking free. Breaking free from toxic relationships, emotional manipulation and the generational cycles that have kept us trapped. This is more than just words. This is about real change. If you've ever found yourself using alcohol or any other vice to numb the pain of a relationship that's draining you, this message is for you.

Speaker 1: 0:45

I felt the emotional weight of being in relationships, whether it's a partner, a family member, a friend or even a boss. What is an undercurrent of control and manipulation? Covid narcissism, a form of manipulation that's subtle but deeply damaging, can make you doubt your own worth. It makes you question everything from your abilities to your rights to happiness. You're left feeling guilty, confused and emotionally exhausted. In those moments of pain, many of us turn to alcohol or other means to cope, to numb the confusion and dull the hurt. You tell yourself it's just a drink to relax, but deep down you know it's an escape. I know this because I've been there. I've walked that path. Okay, here's the thing.

Speaker 1: 1:42

We often think covert narcissists as romantic partners, but they're everywhere. It could be a friend who always takes but never gives back. It could be a boss who smiles in your face but constantly undermines your hard work. It could even be a family member who plays the victim so well that you're constantly trying to make up for things that were not your fault. Let me share some hard truths with you. Studies show that approximately one in five employees experience workplace bullying, with narcissistic behavior often driving those statistics.

Speaker 1: 2:21

Narcissists use emotional manipulation to maintain control, and in workplaces this can be especially damaging to your mental health. In relationships, whether it's a partner or family member, covid narcissism is harder to detect, but the emotional toll is the same. Emotional manipulation, especially subtle forms like gaslighting, erodes your sense of self over time. Alcohol consumption is often intertwined with these experiences, especially when it's used as a coping mechanism. Research indicates that people in a toxic or abusive relationship are more likely to develop patterns of substance abuse, using alcohol or drugs to escape emotional pain.

Speaker 1: 3:15

But here's the most important thing I want you to hear today you are not defined by the way people treat you. You are not defined by your boss's undermining remarks, your friend's guilt trips or your partner's manipulation, and you are certainly not defined by the drinks you've turned to when things got too hard. Let me say it again you are more than that. This is about breaking the cycle, whether it's the cycle of toxic relationships or the generational cycle of drinking to cope. We all know someone who used alcohol to deal with the pressures of life, maybe even our own parents, our grandparents. I've seen firsthand how that cycle can repeat, how it becomes ingrained, passed down from one generation to the next. But it doesn't have to be this way. You can break that cycle.

Speaker 1: 4:21

It starts with self-reflection. Ask yourself why am I drinking? Why am I allowing these people to control how I feel? Once you've confronted that truth, you can start to take back control. Set boundaries with people who manipulate you, whether it's your boss, your friend or a family member. You are not obligated to absorb their emotional toxicity. Be a better listener to yourself. Pay attention to your own needs, your own emotions.

Speaker 1: 5:05

Too often we're so caught up in taking care of others or managing their expectations that we forget about our own well-being. Seek support if you need it. Therapy, friends who truly care and support groups are powerful tools for healing. You don't have to go through this alone for healing. You don't have to go through this alone. One of the hardest things to do is to admit that the people closest to us, whether it's family or friends, may not have our best interests at heart. That's a painful truth, but once you accept it, you can take action. You can break free from the emotional hold on you and, yes, you can break free from the need to numb yourself with alcohol or any other vice.

Speaker 1: 5:54

I'm not here to preach to you about how to live your life. I'm here to remind you that you have the strength to live it on your own terms. We're not just talking about breaking free from a single toxic relationship. We're talking about breaking a pattern that might have existed in your family for generations. We're talking about choosing something better for yourself and, if you have children, for them. They're watching. They see how you cope with stress, how how you handle manipulation, how you treat yourself.

Speaker 1: 6:30

Break the cycle, not just for you, but for them. When you decide to reclaim your worth, to stop drinking, to escape, to walk away from people who belittle you, you're not just making a change, you're creating a legacy of strength and resilience. So what's next for you? It starts today. Choose yourself, set those boundaries, take control of your narrative and if alcohol has been your escape, it's time to find healthier ways to cope. You are more than your struggles. You are more than your pain. You are more than what anyone else says about you. Will it be easy? No, but nothing worth having ever comes easy. It's about your freedom Freedom from toxic relationships, freedom from unhealthy coping mechanisms and freedom to live the life you deserve. This isn't just talk. This is first-hand experience. I've been there, I've walked this road and I'm telling you From one person who's lived it To another. You can rise above. So I leave you with this question Will you choose you today? Will you break the cycle? Thank you for listening. Stay awesome and blessed. My name is Daniel, the Bud Nelson, and remember.

Speaker 2: 8:17

You deserve to live free. The fight, picking up the pieces, got my mind on a goal rising from the ashes taking back control. I'm rewriting my story, turning the page. Choose you. It's time to stand tall. Break these walls. I won't fear your call. With each step, I reclaim my throne no more hiding. I'm finally home. One word's worth chains. I can stand tall. Break these walls. I won't fear your call. With each step, I reclaim my throne no more hiding. I'm finally home. Your words were chains, like a thief in the night, told me I was nothing, but I'm ready for the fight. Picking up the pieces got my mind on a go Rising from the ashes, taking back control. I'm ready for the fight. Picking up the pieces got my mind on a call rising from the ashes, taking back control. Break these walls. I won't fear your call. With each step, I reclaim my throne no more hiding. I'm finally home. Your words, words were chains. Like a thief in the night Told me I was nothing, but I'm ready for the fight. Picking up the pieces got my mind on a goal Rising from the ashes, taking back control. I'm rewriting my story, turning the page. Tell me I was nothing, but I'm ready for the fight. Picking up the pieces got my mind on a goal Rising from the ashes, taking back control. I'm rewriting my story, turning the page. Don't want change. I'm living in the page. No more change. I'm living in the now. I'm living in the page. No more change. I'm living in the now. I'm living in the now. I'm no more change. I choose you. It's time to stand tall. Break these walls. I won't fear your call.

Speaker 2: 10:25

With each step, I reclaim my throne. No more hiding. I finally hold on. I choose me. This is my last vow. No more chains. I'm living in the now. No more chains. I'm living in the now. No more chains. I'm living in the now. I'm re in the now. I'm rewriting my story. Turning the page Told me it was nothing, but I'm ready for the fight. Picking up the pieces got my mind on the goal Rising from the ashes, taking back control. I'm rewriting my story, turning the page. No more chains. I'm living in the page. No more chains. I'm living in the now. I'm living in the now. I know more change. I'm living in the now. I'm living in the now. I know more change.