Heal in 10: How to Build Healthier Boundaries In Relationships (& Actually Keep Them!)

Heal Squad x Maria Menounos

Maria Menounos, Heal Squad

Self-improvement, Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Education

4.6 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 28 September 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Hey, Heal Squad! We are joined by the real life ex-wife of the Wolf of Wall Street, Dr. Nadine Macaluso, and in this quick Heal in 10, she explains how trauma bonds form, why “high-functioning neurotics” often get stuck in toxic relationships, and how adaptive survival strategies from childhood like (people-pleasing or compartmentalizing) can end up keeping us trapped as adults. She also shares the truth about coercive control: it’s not always visible, but it works by belittling, micromanaging, threatening, and breaking someone down until they lose their sense of self. And here’s the empowering part, Dr. Nadine gives us the tools to start unwinding these patterns, from learning to say “no” to finally trusting that gut feeling we so often ignore. PLUS, we get into the science behind intuition, including the vagus nerve and how your body actually warns you of danger before your mind catches up. If you’ve ever felt “crazy” in a relationship or questioned your own instincts, this episode will remind you: your body knows the truth… tune in! -- HEAL SQUAD SOCIALS IG: https://www.instagram.com/healsquad/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@healsquadxmaria HEAL SQUAD RESOURCES: Heal Squad Website:https://www.healsquad.com/ Heal Squad x Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HealSquad/membership Maria Menounos Website: https://www.mariamenounos.com My Curated Macy’s Page: Shop My Macy’s Storefront Prenuvo: Prenuvo.com/MARIA for $300 off EMR-Tek Red Light: https://emr-tek.com/discount/Maria30 for 30% off Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/ Briotech: https://shopbriotech.com/ Use Code: HEALSQUAD for 20% off Join In-Person Heal Retreat Waitlist! https://mariamenounos.myflodesk.com/heal-retreat-waitlist GUEST RESOURCES: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealdrnadine/?hl=en Website: https://drnae.com/ Download the First Chapter of Dr. Nae’s new book: https://heal.drnae.com/giveaway-book-a?utm_campaign=bf&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_keyword=book Book mentioned in the episode: https://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Love-Psychopaths-Relationships/dp/0984172807 ABOUT MARIA MENOUNOS: Emmy Award-winning journalist, TV personality, actress, 2x NYT best-selling author, former pro-wrestler and brain tumor survivor, Maria Menounos’ passion is to see others heal and to get better in all areas of life. ABOUT HEAL SQUAD x MARIA MENOUNOS: A daily digital talk-show that brings you the world's leading healers, experts, and celebrities to share groundbreaking secrets and tips to getting better in all areas of life. DISCLAIMER: This Podcast and all related content (published or distributed by or on behalf of Maria Menounos or http://Mariamenounos.com and http://healsquad.com) is for informational purposes only and may include information that is general in nature and that is not specific to you. Any information or opinions provided by guest experts or hosts featured within website or on Company’s Podcast are their own; not those of Maria Menounos or the Company. Accordingly, Maria Menounos and the Company cannot be responsible for any results or consequences or actions you may take based on such information or opinions. This podcast is presented for exploratory purposes only. Published content is not intended to be used for preventing, diagnosing, or treating a specific illness. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health-care emergency, please contact a qualified health care professional for treatment.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Fall is my favorite season, friends. I love breaking out all my cozy fashion pieces. I love seeing what's on trend, too, and trying to include one or two pieces to make my fall wardrobe feel up to date and chic without getting a whole new wardrobe. So here are the trends I am loving this year. Lots of burgundy, anything burgundy, a little fringe, some suede, a big gold statement
0:22.6	earring, and Macy's fall fashion guide has it all so you can pick your trending pieces too.
0:28.0	Check it all out at Macy's.com.
0:32.8	I'm on a journey to heal and get better in all areas of life, and I want to do it with you.
0:38.4	Welcome to Heel Squad by Maria Menunz, where we improve and heal all parts of our lives, most importantly,
0:44.3	our health. Heal Squad by Maria Menuno's, your life improvement series starts now.
0:50.5	What's a high functioning neurotic? I've never heard of that. You know, a high functioning neurotic is a person that, you know, has a conscience, has a moral compass to return to, right? But, you know, maybe needs to, maybe as a people pleaser, maybe as avoidance, you know, has basic defenses that we all have in life to survive life that allowed us to adapt and survive.
1:14.5	But we're not, see, this is what I say, a pathological person is they will use harm,
1:19.0	exploit, and betray you to get their needs met for money, power, pleasure, and status.
1:24.4	That's not my motivation.
1:26.8	It's not how I motivate in life, but I do get anxiety.
1:31.8	I do feel grief. I do sometimes feel frozen, right? But I'm reflective and I can work past
1:39.3	those things. Pathological people are not reflective and they can't have insight. That's hence why they don't change.
1:47.2	Ooh, you said a word that I've been hearing a lot lately and it's adaptive.
1:54.0	Yes.
1:54.6	Do you think about that? Because I know you know a lot about that.
1:58.2	Yeah. So when we're younger and we're growing up in our family of origin,
2:03.5	nobody I've met has had perfect parents, myself included. My children are 30 and 32. My daughter's a
2:10.1	therapist. They're both in therapy. Okay. Nobody people get neglected. People get abused.
2:17.1	Parents have their own imperfections. And what happens
2:19.9	when you grow up in that family of origin system, you have to figure out adapted behaviors
2:27.8	to survive that system. They end up becoming too rigid and out of balance as adults, and then we have to undo them because we don't need them anymore.
	...

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