Beyond Survival - The Therapy Podcast with Katie McKenna

This Podcast is for anyone who grew up up in a dysfunctional or narcissistic family system and now finds themselves stuck in patterns of people-pleasing, anxiety or unhealthy relationships. Each episode offers real-world insight into trauma recovery, relationships, boundaries, nervous system healing and reconnecting to your true self. Whether your just starting your healing journey or looking to deepen it, you’re welcome here - just as you are

Beyond Survival - The Therapy Podcast with Katie McKenna is a health podcast hosted by Katie McKenna, with 62 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Katie McKenna hosts Beyond Survival - The Therapy Podcast with Katie McKenna, a health show with 62 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #2

  Why Do I Feel Responsible for Everyone Else? (S7 Ep.2)

  Aug 21, 202651 minS7

  Why saying no can feel selfish, even when you're exhausted from putting everyone else first. If you grew up with an emotionally immature, narcissistic, or emotionally abusive parent, you may have learned early that other people's needs come before your own . That learned sense of obligation can follow you into adulthood — shaping your relationships, parenting, boundaries and decisions. And obligation and guilt often go hand in hand: you feel you should do something, and when you consider saying no, your inner critic tells you you're selfish, difficult or letting someone down. In this episode, I explore people-pleasing, guilt, obligation and the fear of conflict , and why you may find yourself over-explaining, justifying your needs or taking responsibility for other people's feelings. Because having a need doesn't make you selfish. And saying no doesn't make you a bad person. Take The Quiz – What is Your Number? BEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #1

  The FOG: When Fear Follows You into Adulthood

  Aug 14, 202638 minS7

  For anyone who experienced a childhood in which emotional safely or physical safety weren't consistent, stable and predictable, Fear, Obligation and Guilt — will be the dominant emotions controlling their behaviour and decision making. In this episode, I focus on Fear and how The FOG keeps adult children stuck in survival mode, and why fight, flight, freeze and fawn becomes our automatic responses. I look at what happens when these survival responses are still running the show in your adult relationships — from shutting down in the middle of an argument, to lashing out, giving in, apologising when you don't need to, or putting everyone else's needs before your own. Most importantly, I look at how to recognise these patterns in real time , rather than only understanding them intellectually or seeing them once the moment has passed. Because the goal isn't simply to understand why you react the way you do. It's learning that you have a choice now. Take The Quiz – What is Your Number? BEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #8

  Am I Mad For Even Wanting to Try? (S6 Ep.8)

  Jul 24, 20261h 3mS6

  How do I build and maintain a boundaried relationship with narcissistic parents? Or am I mad for even wanting to try? This week, a listener asks: What happens when the parents who hurt you are finally trying — but still fall back into the same old patterns? After years of being parentified, emotionally manipulated, and punished whenever she tried to assert her independence – this weeks listener went no contact and it gave her the space she needed to heal. She's learned to regulate herself, break old patterns, and show up differently in her own relationships and as a parent. But now comes the hard part. Her parents went to family therapy for 9 months – and the picture is mixed. She can now see the manipulation as it happens, rather than weeks later. There are signs of genuine effort, but the old patterns still emerge when they feel challenged or don't get what they want. In this episode, Ruth and I explore the complexities of reconnecting after estrangement, how to distinguish genuine change from attempts to regain access, and what it means to maintain boundaries when someone is making an effort but still isn't able to fully take accountability. We also explore neurodivergence, intergenerational trauma, parentification, and the difficult question at the heart of this letter: How do I build and maintain a boundaried relationship with narcissistic parents that includes my children? Watch this episode on YouTube Take the 4-minute quiz and Find Out: "Are You Really Going From Zero to Ten?" Parenting Support – Join the next round of The CALM Method BEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #7

  Am I The Only One? (S6 Ep.7)

  Jul 17, 20261h 27mS6

  "I feel stupid for tolerating it for so long" This week's listener grew up in a narcissistic evangelical family where religion was used to justify fear, control and abuse. As the eldest child, she became a high-achiever, believing that self-sacrifice and obedience were the keys to love and acceptance. Decades later, after her sister disclosed childhood sexual abuse by their father, everything changed. Therapy, reporting her own abuse and finally leaving her own coercive and abusive marriage brought freedom—but also devastating loss when another sister chose to defend the perpetrator instead. Katie and Ruth explore why some siblings remain loyal to abusive parents. How narcissistic family systems operate like cults. And why so many survivors unknowingly repeat abusive patterns in adulthood. You're not alone — and this episode explains why. Watch 'Beyond Survival' on YouTube SERVE – My Lost Years At The Heart of Opus Dei – by Anne Marie Allen Uncultured – A memoir of growing up in a Cult – by Daniella Mestyanek Young MonteMader on Instagram - Platform on deconstructing Christian Nationalism Sign up to receive Parenting Support and get notified when Katie is running the next round of The CALM Method BEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #6

  Does Illness Change Everything?

  Jul 10, 202651 minS6

  When you finally find the strength to go no contact with abusive parents, it can feel like the hardest decision you'll ever make. But what when of those parents becomes seriously ill? This week we hear from a listener who spent decades trying to make sense of life with a covertly narcissistic mother and an enabling father before choosing to protect herself and her own family through estrangement. Over time, things have quietened, but the attempts to provoke contact have never fully stopped. And then a brief letter arrives revealing her father's diagnosis, bringing with it an unexpected wave of grief, guilt and emotional conflict. Together, Ruth and I explore one of the most painful questions adult children of narcissistic families face: Does a parent's illness change anything? Are boundaries possible? Can you hold compassion for someone's suffering while still protecting yourself from further harm? If you've ever questioned your decision to remain no contact, worried that illness means you "should" go back, or struggled with the guilt that can surface when an abusive parent becomes vulnerable, this episode offers understanding, validation, and a compassionate framework for navigating one of the most emotionally complex situations adult survivors can face. www.callaghancounselling.ie Sign up to receive Parenting Support and get notified when Katie is running the next round of The CALM Method BEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Beyond Survival - The Therapy Podcast with Katie McKenna. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.