Show Notes
Bethany Joy Lenz, star of One Tree Hill and author of the new novel The Betrayal of Cora Wexford, spent years on TV every week while secretly living inside a cult.
She opens up about why becoming a mother gave her the reason to leave, why the leaving was survival and the real healing came after, and how being on set kept her grounded through it all.
Tamsen and Joy talk about why so many capable women end up doubting themselves, why psychological abuse behind closed doors is so rarely taken seriously, and how her new novel, set in 1888, mirrors so much of her real life.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- How a good thing can slowly turn into control
- Her rule now: "If you feel like something's weird, it's weird"
- The 1 question that reveals how someone really treats you, and the response to watch for
- How to trust your gut again after years of second-guessing yourself
- What her late ADHD diagnosis taught her about how hyperactivity shows up in women
If you liked this episode, listen to: The Narcissist Decoder: How Smart Women Get Trapped in Emotional Abuse
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