Real Talk with Lisa Sonni: Relationships Uncensored

Lisa Sonni
  • 4.6 (20)
  • RELATIONSHIPS

This is the podcast your abuser doesn’t want you to hear.  Hosted by relationship coach and abuse recovery educator Lisa Sonni, Real Talk pulls back the curtain on toxic and abusive dynamics, romantic relationships, familial, and friendships. This is the raw truth no one else is saying out loud. No sugarcoating. No “just leave” advice.  Just real stories, real insight, and real talk—so you can finally feel seen, not silenced. 

  1. 1D AGO

    How The Manosphere Is Teaching Men to Abuse with Rafael Gomez | S3EP9

    The Manosphere isn’t “just podcasts.” It’s a curriculum teaching men how to destabilize, dominate, and call it leadership. If you’ve ever sat across from a man who suddenly started talking about “alpha” energy, final decision-making power, or how you “owe” him sex… you’re not imagining the shift.  Something changed…and it likely wasn’t you. In this conversation, Lisa sits down with Rafael Gomez, host of Women on Men, to expose how red pill ideology repackages abuse as masculinity. They unpack negging, withdrawal as control, sexual entitlement, and the quiet conditioning that teaches men to see relationships as power struggles instead of partnerships. Rafael shares what he’s seeing firsthand: men being fed insecurity, calling it strength, and sabotaging their own relationships in the process. Together, Lisa and Rafael are naming the systems hurting everyone — including the men trapped inside them. Real masculinity is integrity, emotional maturity, and the courage to build something equal. When we tell the truth about what’s happening, we stop internalizing it. And that’s where your power comes back. Support the show This is the podcast they don't want you listening to. 👉 Find me at strongerthanbefore.ca Book A Session with Lisa Follow on IG: @_stronger_than_before_coach Watch on YouTube: Stronger Than Before Get My Books Here Want to pitch a topic or guest to me? Click here. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, share it with someone who needs the truth — and remember: You’re stronger than they ever wanted you to believe.

    50 min

  2. FEB 24

    He’s Not Immature, He’s Abusive: Why Narcissists Don’t “Grow Out of It” with Dr. Les Carter | S3E08

    Most women don’t stay because they’re naïve. They stay because they believe he’s just immature. He’s still growing. He’ll change. He just needs insight. But what if he understands exactly what he’s doing? Lisa sits down with Dr. Les Carter of Surviving Narcissism to dismantle one of the most dangerous myths survivors cling to: that abusiveness is just immaturity. They unpack the difference between someone who lacks skills and someone who lacks conscience, the role of power, the allergy to accountability, and the DARVO spiral.  You know that smugness that shows up when they’ve successfully baited you into reacting? Dr. Carter explains why true maturity requires self-examination, and why narcissistic individuals rarely sustain change.  Insight isn’t the same as transformation. Window dressing isn’t growth.  If you’ve spent years explaining, rationalizing, and over-functioning in hopes he’d finally “get it,” this conversation may be the clarity you’ve been avoiding (and the freedom you’ve needed). Support the show This is the podcast they don't want you listening to. 👉 Find me at strongerthanbefore.ca Book A Session with Lisa Follow on IG: @_stronger_than_before_coach Watch on YouTube: Stronger Than Before Get My Books Here Want to pitch a topic or guest to me? Click here. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, share it with someone who needs the truth — and remember: You’re stronger than they ever wanted you to believe.

    43 min

  3. FEB 17

    How Stay-at-Home Wives Get Trapped in Financial & Emotional Abuse with Lisa Carr | S3E7

    “Everybody’s a feminist… until a woman chooses to be a tradwife.” That line gets thrown around like it ends the conversation. It doesn’t. It starts it. Not all stay-at-home moms are oppressed. Not all traditional marriages are abusive. But when a woman gives up financial independence in a system built on patriarchal entitlement, the risk shifts, and pretending it doesn’t is how women get trapped. Lisa sits down with Lisa from The Audaci-Tea Podcast to untangle the difference between choice and conditioning. They unpack the unpaid labor of motherhood, the myth that “he’ll take care of you,” weaponized incompetence, and why men call staying home a “privilege” they rarely volunteer to take themselves. They talk about the motherhood penalty, financial control, emotional neglect, and the reality that many women leave marriages worse off than when they entered them — even after years of sacrifice. This isn’t an attack on motherhood. It’s a reality check about power. When your labor isn’t valued, compensated, or protected, that’s vulnerability. Go in with your eyes open. Support the show This is the podcast they don't want you listening to. 👉 Find me at strongerthanbefore.ca Book A Session with Lisa Follow on IG: @_stronger_than_before_coach Watch on YouTube: Stronger Than Before Get My Books Here Want to pitch a topic or guest to me? Click here. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, share it with someone who needs the truth — and remember: You’re stronger than they ever wanted you to believe.

    49 min

  4. FEB 10

    Weaponized Incompetence Isn’t an Accident | w/ Laura Danger S3E6

    You’re not “bad at asking for help.” You’re exhausted from carrying everything and being told it’s your fault. In this conversation, Lisa sits down with author and creator Laura Danger to name what so many women are living with but struggling to explain: weaponized incompetence. Not the harmless “oops, I forgot,” but the pattern of strategic failing, defensiveness, and avoidance that forces women to overcompensate emotionally, mentally, and physically.  Together, they break down how pretending not to know, asking for lists, and doing things poorly on purpose aren’t misunderstandings but rather power moves. Laura explains how this behavior shows up in caregiving, household labor, and relationships, and why it often crosses the line from unfair to abusive. This episode exposes why women’s “reactions” get framed as the problem, why men still benefit even in unhappy marriages, and why the burden always lands back on her to manage, explain, soften, and tolerate. If you’ve ever felt crazy for being furious about dishes, laundry, or childcare, this conversation will help you see the bigger truth. Weaponized incompetence isn’t about chores. It’s about who gets to opt out and who pays for that choice. Support the show This is the podcast they don't want you listening to. 👉 Find me at strongerthanbefore.ca Book A Session with Lisa Follow on IG: @_stronger_than_before_coach Watch on YouTube: Stronger Than Before Get My Books Here Want to pitch a topic or guest to me? Click here. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, share it with someone who needs the truth — and remember: You’re stronger than they ever wanted you to believe.

    41 min

  5. FEB 3

    Why You Didn’t Know It Was Abuse w/ Chelli Pumphrey | S3E5

    “If it was really abuse, you would’ve left.”      That lie has kept countless women silent and blamed for something that was never their fault.   Psychological abuse is designed to confuse you. In this conversation, Lisa sits down with trauma therapist and survivor Chelli Pumphrey to expose why so many women don’t recognize abuse while they’re in it.   Together, they unpack attachment theory, personality “super traits,” and how empathy, loyalty, optimism, and a belief in repair get weaponized against women who would never intentionally harm another person. Chelli shares her own story, even as a trained therapist, and names the shame that comes with realizing you were manipulated anyway.  This episode dismantles the myth that abuse only happens to “certain kinds” of women. It explains why secure, capable, emotionally intelligent women are often targeted, and why staying isn’t a failure of strength, but the result of exploitation by design.  If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How did I not see it?” - this conversation will finally make it make sense. Here are two helpful resources to support your next steps:  1. Personality.co Test  2. She Rises Collective: A trauma informed healing community where women reclaim their voices, rebuild their confidence, and rise together, surrounded by women who truly get it. Co-led by Lisa Sonni and Chelli Pumphrey. Support the show This is the podcast they don't want you listening to. 👉 Find me at strongerthanbefore.ca Book A Session with Lisa Follow on IG: @_stronger_than_before_coach Watch on YouTube: Stronger Than Before Get My Books Here Want to pitch a topic or guest to me? Click here. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, share it with someone who needs the truth — and remember: You’re stronger than they ever wanted you to believe.

    44 min

  6. JAN 27

    Men, Accountability, and the Myth That Women Are the Problem with Lex | S3E4

    You’re not “too sensitive.” You’re reacting to a system that teaches men entitlement and then calls women dramatic for pushing back. If accountability feels like a constant uphill battle in your relationships, there’s a reason. In this conversation, Lisa sits down with Lex, a psychotherapist and male creator who’s willing to say the quiet part out loud. Together, they dismantle the myth that women “don’t take accountability” and name what’s actually happening underneath the defensiveness, blame-shifting, and emotional shutdown so many women are navigating.  Lex shares how unpacking his own internalized misogyny changed the way he understands relationships, power, and responsibility,  and why men centering themselves in conversations about harm is part of the problem, not the solution. This conversation weaves together patriarchy, emotional suppression, entitlement, and why abuse thrives where accountability is avoided. If you’ve ever been told you “provoked” mistreatment, carried the emotional labor for two people, or felt like your pain was dismissed as an attack, this conversation will help you see the truth clearly.  Accountability isn’t cruelty. It’s the bare minimum. Support the show This is the podcast they don't want you listening to. 👉 Find me at strongerthanbefore.ca Book A Session with Lisa Follow on IG: @_stronger_than_before_coach Watch on YouTube: Stronger Than Before Get My Books Here Want to pitch a topic or guest to me? Click here. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, share it with someone who needs the truth — and remember: You’re stronger than they ever wanted you to believe.

    49 min

  7. JAN 20

    The Truth Behind the “Perfect Marriage” with Sarah White | S3E3

    From the outside, it looks like a happy marriage: smiling photos, family dinners, and church events. Inside the house, it is a completely different story. Lisa is joined by survivor turned coach Sarah White for an honest conversation about the quiet, hidden abuse that lives behind the image of the “good relationship.” Together, they unpack why so many women stay silent, protect the man hurting them, and convince themselves that what is happening is not really abuse. Sarah shares how emotional abuse, sexual coercion, gaslighting, and chronic confusion slowly eroded her health, her self trust, and her sense of safety. They talk about the pressure to perform happiness, especially inside religious communities, and the fear of being judged for leaving a marriage that looks perfect from the outside. This episode explores the toll emotional abuse takes on the body, why confusion is a warning sign, and how kindness and cruelty can exist in the same relationship. Lisa names the moment many survivors resist but eventually face: He knows he is hurting you, and waiting for him to understand only keeps you trapped. If you have ever cried alone after family gatherings, questioned your reality, or wondered why your body feels constantly on edge, this conversation will help you see the truth without shame. You are not betraying anyone by choosing yourself, you are finally telling the truth. Reach Sarah White Instagram: @echosofherbravery or @sarahjeanettteeeWeb: www.echosofherbravery.com Email: coachsarahwhite@gmail.com Support the show This is the podcast they don't want you listening to. 👉 Find me at strongerthanbefore.ca Book A Session with Lisa Follow on IG: @_stronger_than_before_coach Watch on YouTube: Stronger Than Before Get My Books Here Want to pitch a topic or guest to me? Click here. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, share it with someone who needs the truth — and remember: You’re stronger than they ever wanted you to believe.

    42 min

  8. JAN 13

    He Knows, He Just Doesn’t Care. The Truth About Abuse and “Communication” w Aishia Grevenberg | S3E2

    If you have ever thought, “I just need him to understand”, the truth is, he already does. Lisa is joined by therapist and survivor Aishia Grevenberg for a raw, no-nonsense conversation about why abusive men do not change through communication, therapy, or better explanations. Together, they dismantle the comforting myth that he is confused, emotionally unaware, or just needs you to say it differently. They explore why abusive men communicate just fine at work, with friends, and in public, yet suddenly “don’t understand” when you express pain. Why couples therapy often makes things worse. Why explaining, proving, and defending yourself keeps you stuck. And why abuse is not a communication issue, but a power issue rooted in entitlement and control. Aishia breaks down how men use emotional reactions as fuel, how calm becomes your exit instead of your weapon, and why waiting for an epiphany is not the same as change. Lisa weaves in lived experience, naming the moment many survivors finally see the truth. He heard you, he understood you, and he chose to keep hurting you. Freedom begins when you stop explaining and start listening to what his behavior has been telling you all along. Support the show This is the podcast they don't want you listening to. 👉 Find me at strongerthanbefore.ca Book A Session with Lisa Follow on IG: @_stronger_than_before_coach Watch on YouTube: Stronger Than Before Get My Books Here Want to pitch a topic or guest to me? Click here. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe, share it with someone who needs the truth — and remember: You’re stronger than they ever wanted you to believe.

    45 min
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4.6
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

This is the podcast your abuser doesn’t want you to hear.  Hosted by relationship coach and abuse recovery educator Lisa Sonni, Real Talk pulls back the curtain on toxic and abusive dynamics, romantic relationships, familial, and friendships. This is the raw truth no one else is saying out loud. No sugarcoating. No “just leave” advice.  Just real stories, real insight, and real talk—so you can finally feel seen, not silenced. 

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