Hi there! I am Mags, the author of The Ugly Duckling Diary. I have decided to read you my book!  Want to read along (or ahead)? Get your copy of The Ugly Duckling Diary on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ugly-Duckling-Diary-Understanding-Overcoming-ebook/dp/B0B8DW599D/

Hi there! I am Mags, the author of The Ugly Duckling Diary. I have decided to read you my book!  Want to read along (or ahead)? Get your copy of The Ugly Duckling Diary on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ugly-Duckling-Diary-Understanding-Overcoming-ebook/dp/B0B8DW599D/

Hi there! I am Mags, the author of The Ugly Duckling Diary. I have decided to read you my book!  Want to read along (or ahead)? Get your copy of The Ugly Duckling Diary on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ugly-Duckling-Diary-Understanding-Overcoming-ebook/dp/B0B8DW599D/

Hi there! I am Mags, the author of The Ugly Duckling Diary. I have decided to read you my book!  Want to read along (or ahead)? Get your copy of The Ugly Duckling Diary on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ugly-Duckling-Diary-Understanding-Overcoming-ebook/dp/B0B8DW599D/

Hi there! I am Mags, one of the original co-founders of SwanWaters and the author or The Ugly Duckling Diary. I have decided to read you my book! Subscribe to have the first chapter delivered to your feed next week! Want to read along (or ahead)? Get your copy of The Ugly Duckling Diary on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ugly-Duckling-Diary-Understanding-Overcoming-ebook/dp/B0B8DW599D/

In this podcast from 26 August 2015, we delve into the concept of the Identified Patient. The term is used in family therapy to describe the situation where one family member is labelled as "the problem child", and has all of the family issues projected onto them. The identified patient is also often the person that looks for external help or shows the first outwardly signs of inner-turmoil. Stephen Bach and Mags (under her previous screen name Monkey) look at this phenomenon from their own experiences and discuss how a similar situation can occur in other toxic settings too.

Resiliency Essentials: Resiliency is our ability to deal with BIG Stuff. We create more successful outcomes the more resilient we are, despite the obstacles and heartaches we all face in life. Originally recorded in June 2016 As survivors of abuse, we sometimes feel we have to beat a lot of odds... I know that sometimes we feel so overwhelmed by life's circumstances that to the rational mind seem marginal, that we want to just give up. Because the prospect of even those small hurdles makes us remember the huge task of healing that lies in front of us. It makes us feel that we will never be able to deal with life's big stuff, the complications that every life knows and every person has to face. Develop resilience and be brave. There are days when it is very discouraging. You have to develop personal resilience to environmental things that come along. If you let every single environmental challenge knock you off your game, it's going to be very, very hard. Renee James In today's podcast, I speak with Michael Ballard about resilience. How we can train ourselves to become more resilient, and how those skills will help take the edges of the big and small issues we face on our path. About Michael Ballard: Michael is an author, speaker, trainer, and consultant. He travels the world helping people learn how to add more resilience into their lives at home, work and community. Michael specialises in helping people, families, organisations and communities learn how to thrive with resiliency. Resilience is a process, a set of key assets, skills and beliefs that can change our lives. Resiliency can change the quality of our journey and often the quality of the outcomes. Connect with Michael on Twitter and Facebook or check his website www.ResiliencyforLife.com for more information.  Resources: Michael asked to make these resources available to help you with your resilience journey. Resiliency Essentials - Resiliency is our ability to deal with BIG Stuff. We create more successful outcomes the more resilient we are, despite the obstacles and heartaches we all face in life. Turmoil Breathing - Turmoil breathing is a process and skill set for staying calm and clearheaded during very challenging situations. More breathing/meditative resources by Michael are available here. Self-Leadership Skills Model - Phase 1 | Phase 2

In today's episode I respond to a quote I found recently:  “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.”  Dale Carnegie  - Fear and insecurity can freeze us into place  - Fear will not go away by staring at it  - You can start with the smallest possible steps  - Being successful at the small steps starts building your confidence

I recorded this 30-minute podcast a few years ago. In it, I share my own story of becoming conscious of the abusive situation I was in, and how that lead me to cut all contact with my family.  Want to learn more about escaping an abusive situation? Check out this free Healing Academy module: https://swanwaters.com/preparing-escape-abuse/

This podcast was originally recorded in 2015. This is part 2 of 2. Being a parent is never an easy thing to do, and co-parenting after a divorce is even harder. But co-parenting with a toxic person? It is probably impossible... Still, there are ways in which you can make the best of an extremely difficult situation. Aubrey Cole and Stephen, who we first met in their podcast about toxic romance, share their experiences. They highlight some of the challenges co-parenting with a toxic ex and give hand-holds on how to meet these challenges.