The Tamsen Show

Narcissistic relationships, narcissistic behavior, emotional manipulation and relationship red flags can be incredibly difficult to recognize, especially when you're the one living them. In this solo episode, Tamsen Fadal shares the relationship lessons she learned the hard way after years of interviewing leading psychologists and reflecting on her own experiences.

She breaks down the subtle signs of narcissistic behavior, why so many smart, successful women get caught in these patterns, how gaslighting and blame-shifting slowly erode your confidence, and the practical tools she now uses to recognize emotionally healthy relationships.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- The relationship red flags Tamsen wishes she'd recognized sooner

- Why narcissistic behavior is often so difficult to spot

- How emotional manipulation makes you question yourself

- The difference between genuine apologies and blame-shifting

- Practical ways to rebuild self-trust and set healthier boundaries

If you've ever wondered, How did I not see it? This episode will help you understand why and how to trust yourself again.

If you liked this conversation, check this out: What I Wish I Knew at 35: 7 Hard Truths That Changed My Life

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Medical Disclaimer:

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or treatment options. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Tamsen Show.
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You may have never heard the term mother hunger, but you may know what it feels like.

It can show up as apologizing when you did nothing wrong, saying sorry to keep the peace, taking care of everyone else, choosing people who cannot fully show up, or feeling guilty for having needs.

In this episode, Tamsen sits down with therapist and bestselling author Kelly McDaniel to explore how the mother-daughter bond can shape the way we love, eat, grieve, and move through relationships.

Tamsen also shares her own experience of losing her mother at 20, becoming a caregiver while she was still a teenager, and realizing years later how that loss continued to shape her life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- What mother hunger is and how it can exist even when your mother was physically present.

- Why you may keep apologizing, overgiving, or choosing emotionally unavailable people.

- How grief, food, attachment, and relationship patterns can be connected.

- Why caring for an aging mother can bring up guilt, anger, and resentment.

- How to begin giving yourself the care, safety, and guidance you may have missed.

If you have ever wondered why you keep saying sorry, why you feel responsible for everyone, or why the same relationship patterns keep repeating, this conversation may help you understand what is underneath.

If you liked this conversation, check this out: What No One Tells You About Grief After Losing Your Mother

If you want a say on our upcoming guests, fill out ⁠this form

Stay connected with Tamsen:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Get ⁠Tamsen's newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ filled with free tools⁠ to living better, feeling stronger, and knowing you’re never alone

Get Tamsen’s NYT instant bestselling book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠How To Menopause⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠ from Tamsen

Watch all the episodes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The Tamsen Show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Check out Kelly's website

Get Kelly's book, Mother Hunger: How Adult Daughters Can Understand and Heal from Lost Nurturance, Protection, and Guidance

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Medical Disclaimer:

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or treatment options. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Tamsen Show.

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There are some lessons you only learn by living them. At 55, Tamsen has spent decades navigating career highs, heartbreak, toxic relationships, friendship shifts, and the unexpected challenges of midlife.

In this episode, she shares the advice she wishes someone had given her at 35: from overcoming negative self-talk and building self-confidence to learning to trust yourself, choose healthier relationships, and stop standing in your own way.

In just 20 minutes, Tamsen shares seven lessons every woman should hear, whether you’re in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond. From relationship red flags and people pleasing to healthy aging, perimenopause, and trusting yourself, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you make better decisions today and avoid learning these lessons the hard way.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- How to stop negative self-talk and build lasting self-confidence

- The signs you’ve outgrown a friendship

- How to recognize relationship red flags and choose the right partner

- Why trusting yourself is one of the most important skills you’ll ever build

- The hidden cost of apologizing for your feelings

- How to stop taking everything personally

- Why your body in midlife reflects the habits you build in your 30s

- What every woman should know about healthy aging

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clearer roadmap for navigating your next chapter with more confidence, stronger boundaries, healthier relationships, and the wisdom Tamsen spent decades learning the hard way.

If you liked this conversation, check this out: 5 Relationship Red Flags Even Smart Women Ignore

If you want a say on our upcoming guests, fill out ⁠this form

Stay connected with Tamsen:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Get ⁠Tamsen's newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ filled with free tools⁠ to living better, feeling stronger, and knowing you’re never alone

Get Tamsen’s NYT instant bestselling book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠How To Menopause⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠ from Tamsen

Watch all the episodes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Tamsen on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Tamsen Show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Tamsen on ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sponsors:

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Medical Disclaimer:

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or treatment options. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Tamsen Show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you've been wondering why perimenopause and menopause suddenly leave you feeling bloated, struggling with belly fat, or questioning everything you thought you knew about gut health and protein, this episode is for you.

Tamsen sits down with nutrition expert and bestselling author Cynthia Thurlow to break down what's really happening in your body and the simple changes that can make a big difference.

In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why gut health becomes so important during perimenopause and menopause
- What's really behind bloating, belly fat, and food sensitivities in midlife
- How much protein and fiber you actually need
- Whether GLP-1s, supplements, and gut testing are worth it
- The simple daily habits that can improve digestion, energy, and overall health

Whether you're just starting perimenopause or you've been in menopause for years, this conversation will help you better understand your body and feel more confident about what to do next.

If you liked this conversation, check this out: 5 Tools To FINALLY Lose The Belly Fat in Perimenopause

For everything mentioned in this episode, click this link

If you want a say on our upcoming guests, fill out ⁠this form

Stay connected with Tamsen:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Get ⁠Tamsen's newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ filled with free tools⁠ to living better, feeling stronger, and knowing you’re never alone

Get Tamsen’s NYT instant bestselling book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠How To Menopause⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠ from Tamsen

Watch all the episodes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Tamsen on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Tamsen Show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Tamsen on ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Cynthia on Instagram

Visit Cynthia's website

Get Cynthia's book, The Menopause Gut: Balance Your Microbiome to Reclaim Your Health in Midlife and Beyond

Sponsors:

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Book your first virtual visit today at https://joinmidi.com/tamsen!

Head over to https://Bombas.com/TAMSEN and use code TAMSEN for 20% off your first purchase!

Medical Disclaimer:

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or treatment options. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Tamsen Show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Toxic relationship red flags are easy to miss when you're the one living inside them. You can fix your sleep, dial in your protein, do every single thing right as you build your next chapter, and if you're coming home to a partner who quietly drains you, none of it works. Your body keeps the score.

This week Tamsen Fadal gets honest about a part of her life she kept quiet for years. Before the podcast she spent years as a matchmaker in New York, watching the same patterns play out across the table from hundreds of women. She's also lived these patterns herself, with controlling men, manipulative men, men who made her smaller. She walks you through five red flags she wants you to see clearly, the kind that hide in plain sight because we talk ourselves into calling a red flag pink.

Tamsen is not a therapist. She's a journalist who has lived this, and a former matchmaker who saw it all from the outside.

Inside the episode:

- Why the silent treatment isn't just annoying, and what it does to your nervous system over years

- The partner who can't be a fan of your growth, and the parallel inner life you build to survive it

- The single biggest predictor of divorce, according to one of the most respected relationship researchers

- How comments about your changing body slowly take you out of your own skin

- The control that hides inside "I'm just trying to help," and the one question that tells you which it is

Awareness is the first step to anything changing, and your next chapter depends on getting this one right.

If you liked this conversation, check this out: The Narcissist Decoder: How Smart Women Get Trapped in Emotional Abuse

If you want a say on our upcoming guests, fill out ⁠this form

Stay connected with Tamsen:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Get ⁠Tamsen's newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ filled with free tools⁠ to living better, feeling stronger, and knowing you’re never alone

Get Tamsen’s NYT instant bestselling book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠How To Menopause⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠ from Tamsen

Watch all the episodes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Tamsen on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Tamsen Show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Tamsen on ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sponsors:

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code TAMSEN at https://www.oneskin.co/TAMSEN #oneskinpod #ad

Medical Disclaimer:

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or treatment options. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Tamsen Show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices