Hope when there was none

About Hope when there was none

After leaving a toxic relationship over a decade ago I embraced a journey to share my story and help others that are healing from emotional traumas, learn about self-care, and find empowerment to re-invent themselves. Here you will hear about the journey of courageous Survivors and many experts that share a passion for helping and inspiring others to awaken the beauty of life without abuse. Thanks for tuning in! I hope your day is filled with blessings, magic, and miracles!

Publisher

Melinda Kunst

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 May 2021

Latest episode

16 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

534 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Hoovering: When They Try to Pull You Back In

   Today's episode is not about vacuums I promise! I'm diving into something called, "Hoovering". It's when a person sucks you back into a relationship or into contact. This is used many times if you have left that relationship or set boundaries. It can look like a promise to change, getting counseling, coming clean, or finding religion. They may try to woo you back with gifts, flowers, or reminding you of loving past memories. They may recruit family and friends into the mix by sharing how much they changed and if they can help get you back. Promises are not the same as sustained change. Time will prove if they have changed. As an example: Are they doing what they said they would? Such as going to therapy? Involved in church? Stopped drinking/drugs? Gotten a stable job? What can you do? Take time to think, seek support, and consider what has actually happened over the course of the relationship. Remind yourself why you created distance in the first place. Talk with a domestic violence advocate or licensed counselor for advice and/or creating a safety plan. I know it may be hard but love, history, and hope do not erase the importance of your safety. Stay safe and God bless, Mel Find help and info here- National Domestic Violence Hotline- ⁠⁠https://www.thehotline.org/⁠⁠ Safe Horizon- ⁠⁠https://www.safehorizon.org/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.domesticshelters.org/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://internationalwomenshouse.org/get-help⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.domesticshelters.org/resources/national-global-organizations/international-organizations Sexual Assault Hotline- ⁠⁠https://www.rainn.org/⁠⁠ Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services (ADWAS) provides advocacy services for Deaf and DeafBlind survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. ⁠⁠http://www.adwas.org/⁠⁠ Suicide prevention- ⁠⁠https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/⁠⁠ Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

2. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Gray Rock: What It Is, When It May Help, and When It Can Be Dangerous

   The idea is that your responses are as exciting as a dull rock. Your tears, your reactions, screams, or when you throw things this gives your abuser fuel. Don't give them what they want that is your energy. They crave your reactions. You channel boring, non-nonchalant, or canned responses. When possible go “No contact” keep a paper trail, do your correspondence in writing instead of face-to-face. Use little to no emotion when responding. The ultimate answer for this is to leave. If this is between friends, family, or workplace consider finding an exit strategy that may include physically leaving the situation, holiday gathering, or the relationship. To successfully "grey rock," you must constantly suppress your genuine thoughts, feelings, and personality. Over time, forcing yourself to act numb can spill over into your healthy relationships. Pretending to be a blank slate is incredibly draining and can cause severe burnout, anxiety, or depression. • Out of frustration, the person may temporarily escalate their behavior. • They might resort to louder screaming, harsher insults, smear campaigns, or manufactured crises to shatter your neutral facade. Grey rocking does not fix the underlying toxic behavior; it merely creates an emotional shield. Continually grey rocking permanently locks the relationship in a state of superficial, distant communication. Experts note that grey rocking is not safe or suitable when physical abuse or severe danger is present; in those situations, you need a safety plan or professional help. Find help and info here- National Domestic Violence Hotline- ⁠⁠https://www.thehotline.org/⁠⁠ Safe Horizon- ⁠⁠https://www.safehorizon.org/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.domesticshelters.org/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://internationalwomenshouse.org/get-help⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.domesticshelters.org/resources/national-global-organizations/international-organizations Sexual Assault Hotline- ⁠⁠https://www.rainn.org/⁠⁠ Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services (ADWAS) provides advocacy services for Deaf and DeafBlind survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. ⁠⁠http://www.adwas.org/⁠⁠ Suicide prevention- ⁠⁠https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/⁠⁠ Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

3. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Flying Monkeys: When Other People Become Part of the Abuse

   Sorry for the giggle in today's episode. Flying Monkeys... For real! They do exist and not the Wizard of Oz kind but where people in our circle share information with the abuser. There is nothing cute about this. You may wonder who you should trust and everyone looks suspicious. It could be the person only heard one side or it could be the person may not care about hearing your side. They may spread your private information or misinformation. Regardless we can't know what their intentions are and I encourage you not to put too much time on figuring that out. Instead, learn how to protect your peace. This might look like going no contact with certain people, locking down your social media by only allowing friends to see your profile. People may see the charming side of the abuser but not the one that is negative behind closed doors. Does this sound like anyone you know? Stay safe and God bless, Mel Find help and info here- National Domestic Violence Hotline- ⁠⁠https://www.thehotline.org/⁠⁠ Safe Horizon- ⁠⁠https://www.safehorizon.org/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.domesticshelters.org/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://internationalwomenshouse.org/get-help⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.domesticshelters.org/resources/national-global-organizations/international-organizations Sexual Assault Hotline- ⁠⁠https://www.rainn.org/⁠⁠ Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services (ADWAS) provides advocacy services for Deaf and DeafBlind survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. ⁠⁠http://www.adwas.org/⁠⁠ Suicide prevention- ⁠⁠https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/⁠⁠ Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

4.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 52 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

91

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

31