In this episode of Your Traitor Within, Jessica Anne Pressler sits down with Liz Spicer, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, a certified functional medicine practitioner, and a trauma-informed coach who helps women rebuild their lives after emotionally abusive relationships.
Liz spent twenty years in a marriage marked by emotional abuse before leaving at age fifty and beginning the difficult process of rediscovering herself. Together, Jessica and Liz explore the grief that follows leaving a long-term relationship, why healing often begins only after the relationship ends, and how the "Traitor Within" can keep survivors questioning themselves long after they've escaped the abuse.
The conversation examines the profound grief that accompanies divorce later in life. Jessica and Liz discuss mourning the future you imagined, the years you invested, your sense of identity, your changing body, your sexuality, and the version of yourself that slowly disappeared inside the relationship. They explain why grief is not a sign that leaving was the wrong decision—it is part of healing.
Liz courageously shares her own story of childhood sexual abuse, growing up feeling unseen, entering a marriage that repeated familiar emotional patterns, and eventually recognizing that what she believed was love was actually emotional abuse. Jessica and Liz discuss trauma bonds, love bombing, radical acceptance, cognitive dissonance, and the difficult realization that healing requires understanding both the narcissist and the parts of ourselves that kept us there.
They also explore what happens after leaving. Many survivors believe freedom should feel immediate, yet Liz explains that this is often when grief truly begins. Jessica emphasizes that healing is not simply understanding what happened to you—it is understanding why it felt familiar, why your Traitor Within protected the relationship, and how to build a life that no longer requires self-abandonment.
The episode also addresses parenting, breaking intergenerational trauma, rebuilding confidence after years of emotional abuse, nervous system healing, journaling, functional medicine, and learning to trust yourself again.
This conversation is a reminder that leaving is not the end of the journey. It is often where healing finally begins.
About Liz Spicer:
Liz Spicer holds degrees in Biology, Forensic Science, and Nursing Practice and is a certified functional medicine practitioner, certified RCT coach, and certified trauma-informed coach. After surviving a twenty-year emotionally abusive marriage, she now helps midlife women navigate the confusion, grief, and identity shifts that follow leaving long-term relationships. Her work combines medical knowledge, trauma education, nervous system healing, and lived experience to help women recognize that they are not broken—they are rebuilding.
Connect with Liz Spicer:
Instagram:
@midlifehealingjourney
Website:
www.midlifehealingjourney.com
Listen to Your Traitor Within:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-traitor-within/id1797804404
Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@JessicaAnnePressler
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