CORE Relationship Recovery

11/13/2025

MYTH BUSTING - Exposing Blocks to Betrayal Recovery

In this practical episode of Ask The Betrayed, Sharon and Rae tackle some of the most common and destructive myths that keep betrayed partners trapped in confusion, guilt, and fear after infidelity.

From “This pain will last forever” to “If I can keep them from acting out, I’ll be safe” they dismantle the cultural and emotional myths that block healing—and replace them with compassionate, reality-based truths.

In This Episode You’ll Learn that:

✅ Healing from betrayal requires truth, not perfection.

✅ Repair happens through consistency, not control.

✅ You can love your family and protect your peace.

✅ Hope isn’t naïve—it's a survival skill.

✅ How to parent through betrayal trauma recovery

✅ When to seek help

✅ How to recognize the lies that keep you stuck in fear and self-blame.

Whether you’re early in your healing or well into your rebuilding journey, this conversation offers hope, insight, and practical strategies for moving forward with clarity and strength.

In this powerful and practical episode of Ask The Betrayed, Sharon and Rae tackle some of the most common and destructive myths that keep betrayed partners t...

11/05/2025

How do you heal one of the most deceptive forces blocking recovery after infidelity — secret intrigue?

What begins as seeming curiosity or emotional “buzz” moments can quietly evolve into a pattern that sabotages integrity, intimacy, and repair.

This episode of Ask the Unfaithful breaks down how to recognize it, stop it, and build the emotional and relational resilience that real recovery requires.

In this powerful episode of Ask The Unfaithful, James and Sam take an unflinching look at how to heal one of the most deceptive forces blocking recovery afte...

10/29/2025

BIG FAT LIES WE TELL OURSELVES IN BETRAYAL RECOVERY

In this powerful episode ( #12) of Ask the Betrayed, Sharon and Rae expose the Big Fat Lies that keep betrayed partners trapped in pain and confusion after infidelity. From the cultural myths of “Good things happen to good people” to the heartbreaking belief that “Once a cheater, always a cheater,” this conversation dismantles the false stories that sabotage healing.

Together, they share real-life examples and clinical insights on:

✅ Why we cling to lies like “If I were better, this wouldn’t have happened.”
✅ How shame, denial, and comparison keep you emotionally stuck.
✅ Why believing “People can’t change” blocks recovery for both partners.
✅ How endurance and “being strong” can actually become a trauma response.
✅ What genuine healing looks like when truth replaces self-blame.

You’ll also hear deeply personal reflections—from Sharon’s story of objectification and “CEO-style” relationships to Rae’s raw honesty about the panic, comparison, and self-loss that betrayal creates.

This episode is a compassionate reminder that your pain matters, your boundaries are sacred, and your healing is possible.

💬 Key Takeaways:

• Betrayal trauma thrives on false narratives—healing begins when you stop believing them.
• You didn’t cause the betrayal.
• Strength isn’t pretending you’re fine—it’s choosing truth over survival mode.
• You can believe in change without abandoning your safety.

💡 Listen if you’re ready to:

✔ Break free from self-blame

✔ Challenge the myths that keep you small

✔ Reclaim your voice and your truth after infidelity

In this powerful episode of Ask the Betrayed, Sharon and Rae expose the Big Fat Lies that keep betrayed partners trapped in pain and confusion after infideli...

10/23/2025

What if the greatest threat to your recovery after infidelity isn’t what you think it is?

In episode 55 of Ask The Unfaithful, "INTRIGUE: The Silent Saboteur of Healing and Connection After Infidelity", James and Sam unpack how "intrigue" quietly destroys connection, fuels secrecy, and sabotages healing long before an affair - or any kind of sexual or emotionally intimate acting out - ever begins.

You’ll learn how seemingly insignificant, subtle thoughts and behaviors can become powerful dopamine loops that reinforce shame, self-betrayal, and emotional disconnection. This honest conversation exposes how intrigue starts, why it feels so intoxicating, and what it does to both the unfaithful and betrayed partner.

Whether you’re the unfaithful seeking to rebuild integrity or the betrayed trying to understand why recovery feels so hard and why things feel "off" even though your unfaithful partner is "doing all the right things" for recovery, this episode brings clarity and compassion - and, with that, hope.

👉 Topics we cover:

✅ What intrigue really means—and why it’s so dangerous in recovery
✅ How micro-moments of attention or curiosity can evolve into obsession
✅ The role of validation, fantasy, and secrecy in ongoing betrayal patterns
✅ How intrigue affects the betrayed partner’s sense of safety and trust
✅ Why “naming it to tame it” is essential for lasting healing
✅ How to begin breaking the intrigue cycle and rebuild authentic intimacy

What if the greatest threat to your recovery after infidelity isn’t what you think it is? In this episode of Ask The Unfaithful, James and Sam unpack how "in...

10/15/2025

Spot the 7 Traps That Stop Infidelity Recovery In Its Tracks

When infidelity shatters a relationship, recovery doesn’t fail because of one event—it stops because of the traps that keep couples' relational recovery stuck.

In this powerful episode 11 of Ask The Betrayed, Sharon and Rae expose the seven relational pitfalls that derail healing after betrayal.

They share raw personal stories, real client examples, and the emotional truth behind why so many couples can’t move forward—even when they want to.

Whether you’re the betrayed partner trying to make sense of the chaos, or the unfaithful partner trying to rebuild trust, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and a roadmap to relational recovery.

💬 You’ll Learn:

✅ Why blame and resentment destroy recovery after infidelity

✅ How unfaithful partners unknowingly prolong their betrayed partner’s trauma

✅ The truth about shame, defensiveness, and emotional abandonment

✅ How to recognize when you’re sabotaging your own healing

✅ Practical steps for rebuilding relational trust and accountability

If you’re ready to stop the cycle of pain and finally start healing—together—this episode will change how you see recovery after betrayal.

When infidelity shatters a relationship, recovery doesn’t fail because of one event—it stops because of the traps that keep couples' relational recovery stuc...

10/08/2025

What Are The Consequences of People Pleasing For the Unfaithful?

“Healing begins when we choose authenticity over approval and prioritize the love that truly matters.”

In this episode of Ask the Unfaithful, James and Sam reveal how people pleasing critically affects the Unfaithful and the steps to stopping it and living a new life where energy is focused on relationship repair and growth.

👉 If you’re an unfaithful partner, this conversation will help you see how people pleasing isn’t harmless. It drains your energy, blurs your identity, disrupts recovery and arrests trust rebuilding by de-prioritizing your betrayed partner.

You’ll discover:

✅ Why people pleasing is a survival tactic rooted in the need for validation stemming from shame and fear of rejection.
✅ How it leads to loss of identity, burnout, anxiety, and disconnection.
✅ How it disrupts your own recovery by not only deprioritizing your partner but yourself.
✅ The hidden ways it blocks rebuilding trust and relational safety.
✅ Practical steps to set boundaries, rebuild authenticity, and stop the cycle.
✅ How to shift from seeking external validation to practicing self-validation.

💡 Key takeaway: When you choose to stop people-pleasing, you are actively choosing authenticity, humility, and accountability over approval.

“Healing begins when we choose authenticity over approval and prioritize the love that truly matters.”In this episode of Ask the Unfaithful, James and Sam re...

10/02/2025

FROM SILENCE TO STRENGTH: FINDING YOUR VOICE AFTER INFIDELITY

Have you ever felt like no matter how loudly you speak, your unfaithful partner still doesn’t hear you? In this episode of Ask the Betrayed, Sharon and Rae explore what it means for betrayed partners to find their voice after infidelity.

In Episode 10 of Ask The Betrayed, Sharon and Rae talk about how Betrayal trauma often silences partners. Years of being dismissed, gaslit, or ignored leave many questioning whether their truth even matters. Healing begins when you learn to reclaim your voice, set boundaries, and trust your own reality again.

They address:

✅ Why betrayed partners often feel silenced or talked out of their truth

✅ The difference between just “being heard” and actually being understood

✅ How to use your voice in healthy, empowering ways during recovery

✅ Common pitfalls (like overexplaining, begging, or shutting down)

✅ Tools to build confidence, self-trust, and effective boundaries

Have you ever felt like no matter how loudly you speak, your unfaithful partner still doesn’t hear you? In this episode of Ask the Betrayed, Sharon and Rae e...

09/17/2025

IS THE UNFAITHFUL REALLY SORRY OR JUST SORRY THEY GOT CAUGHT?

Are they truly sorry—or just sorry they got caught? In this powerful episode of Ask the Betrayed, Sharon and Rae unpack one of the most pressing questions betrayed partners ask after infidelity. Together, they explore how to recognize genuine remorse versus surface-level regret and why that distinction matters for recovery.

✅ The difference between remorse (healing-focused) and regret (self-focused resentment).

✅ How betrayed partners can sense the difference between “I’m sorry for what I did to you” and “I’m sorry I feel bad.”

✅ Why understanding betrayal trauma is essential for the unfaithful to rebuild trust.

✅ The role of transparency and living amends in proving change over time.

✅ Practical examples of what real accountability and empathy look like in daily life.

Are they truly sorry—or just sorry they got caught? In this powerful episode of Ask the Betrayed, Sharon and Rae unpack one of the most pressing questions be...

09/11/2025

HOW DOES THE UNFAITHFUL'S (BETRAYER'S) DISTORTED THINKING DESTROY HOPE FOR A COUPLE RECOVERING FROM BETRAYAL?

Stinking Thinking is more than just negative self-talk—it’s the distorted, automatic thought patterns that block empathy, sabotage trust, and keep both the u...

09/04/2025

In this week’s episode of Ask the Betrayed, I share about the priceless gift I once receiced from my beloved BBFF (translation = Best BRITISH Friend Forever) Catherine Etherington, Director of Recovery for Naked Truth Project.

How blessed am I to have such incredible colleagues who know me, love me and support me in such vulnerable moments?!

Podcast episode: https://youtu.be/V2Z6AKD-TM8?si=Iu6ogn8HNofKB0Eq

09/03/2025

Are you a Betrayed Partner who's feeling stuck after betrayal?

Here's what to do.

Feeling stuck after betrayal? You’re not alone. In this episode of Ask the Betrayed, we unpack what it really means to feel “stuck” in your healing journey—w...

08/27/2025

Ask The Unfaithful Episode 52 - ENTITLEMENT IN THE UNFAITHFUL: From Demanding to Devotion

Entitlement is the silent killer of recovery after infidelity.

When an unfaithful partner comes from a position of entitlement, it poisons trust, sabotages healing, and deepens betrayal trauma. In this episode of Ask The Unfaithful, we unpack how adult entitlement shows up in the unfaithful partner, why it destroys safety and trust, and what it takes to break free from it.

👉 For betrayed partners: You’ll hear why entitlement makes you feel invisible, invalidated, and unsafe—and why your pain is real and justified.

👉 For unfaithful partners: You’ll learn how entitlement fuels continued betrayal trauma, how to spot it in your own thinking, and the steps needed to move from “deserve and demand” to “determined devotion.”

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The hidden ways entitlement rationalizes betrayal

• How entitlement hurts the Betrayed Partner

• How entitlement in the Unfaithful actually hurts the Unfaithful Partner (!)

• What drives selfishness, shame, and minimization

• Why entitlement blocks empathy and real accountability

• Steps to dismantle entitlement and rebuild relational integrity

Whether you are the betrayed partner searching for clarity or the unfaithful partner ready to change, this episode helps you recognize entitlement. For the Unfaithful, it will give you the tools to replace entitlement with humility, empathy, and growth - and relational repair.

Entitlement is the silent killer of recovery after infidelity.When an unfaithful partner comes from a position of entitlement, it poisons trust, sabotages he...