Breaking the Cycle of Fear, Obligation, and Guilt: Gwendoline’s Story [354]
Flying Free
Natalie Hoffman
5 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 18 November 2025
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ever wonder why you keep getting stuck in the same soul-sucking relational merry-go-round and can’t get off? Why you feel like you're starring in a never-ending soap opera you didn’t audition for, but somehow you’re the villain for wanting out?
I sat down with Gwendoline, a longtime member of Flying Free and Flying Higher, to talk about her epic butterfly transformation. We're talking cycles of chaos, religious gaslighting, and the sneaky little acronym that kept her trapped in marital misery: FOG (fear, obligation, guilt).
Key Takeaways:
- If it feels off, it probably is – Chaos, fights, and emotional whiplash aren’t just "normal marriage stuff." They're red flags.
- Your body knows before your brain does – Tight hips, tension, and dread? Not random. That’s trauma.
- Love isn’t a magical fix-all – You can love someone and still need to leave them.
- Track the truth – Emoji mood calendars and journaling helped Gwendoline see the pattern she was gaslit into ignoring.
- You are the rescuer – No knight in shining armor is coming. Just you, your big-girl panties, and God on a divine co-rescue mission.
- Leaving is hard, but worth it – Healing takes time, but the moment you step out, your real life begins.
Read the full show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here
Get a FREE chapter of Is It ME? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage, along with the companion workbook for that chapter, by going to flyingfreenow.com. I'll also send you the Freedom Letters. (Also free. 😉 )
Related Resources:
- Want to listen to more survivor stories? Check out “Military Marriage Abuse: Elizabeth’s Story” and “Out of the Poisoned Pond: Jennie’s Story.”
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey, beautiful butterflies. I have an important announcement to make before we get started on our episode today. |
| 0:05.4 | If you are someone who's been listening to the podcast for a while and you have maybe heard me talk about the flying free kaleidoscope and maybe it has intrigued you, |
| 0:13.9 | maybe you have thought or felt deep inside of yourself that you really wanted to do this work, that you were truly ready to make some major changes |
| 0:21.5 | in your life, even if it meant some upheaval in your belief systems, even if it meant feeling |
| 0:26.6 | uncomfortable, kind of the same way that I feel when I go to work out. I feel very uncomfortable |
| 0:31.9 | when it's done. I feel very uncomfortable when I'm working out. But my muscles have gotten stronger and stronger over the |
| 0:38.7 | past two years as I have consistently done this. Maybe you're ready to do this kind of workout for |
| 0:43.7 | yourself, spiritually, emotionally and psychologically. And if that sounds like you, I want to let you |
| 0:49.6 | know that we are offering a special trial offer this week only, starting on Black Friday and running through |
| 0:56.3 | Cyber Monday. Now, originally, I was not going to do this because we don't just send you to a checkout |
| 1:01.6 | page and have you purchase a product and go on your merry way. Getting into the flying free kaleidoscope |
| 1:06.6 | is somewhat of a process because we want our group to be safe and also our group is really special. |
| 1:12.5 | There is an application to complete. You need to sign a form and then you are sent to a registration |
| 1:18.2 | page where you can register once those first two things are completed. But even though it's a |
| 1:23.1 | process, I decided that I was still going to offer something special. So starting Friday through Cyber Monday, |
| 1:28.8 | we're going to offer a one week trial for a dollar. Now, I want to offer this for two reasons. |
| 1:34.9 | First of all, this coming weekend is typically about spending money on gizmos, gadgets, and other |
| 1:40.1 | things to celebrate the holidays. And yet, what is far more important than those things |
| 1:45.3 | is our own personal self-development and sanity. What is far more important is that we are |
| 1:51.1 | getting the education and the support that we need to navigate the difficulties that come |
| 1:56.1 | in an emotionally and spiritually abusive relationship, especially during the holiday season when things tend to |
| 2:02.9 | ramp up. And I want to make this as easy as possible for you to get some help. Now, the second reason |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Natalie Hoffman, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Natalie Hoffman and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.