{"podcast":{"title":"Breaking Cycles with Maria","slug":"breaking-up-with-toxicity-6618238","podcast_index_feed_id":6618238,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/breaking-up-with-toxicity/","website_url":"https://breaking-up-with-toxicity.captivate.fm","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/3512fb13-808d-4756-9a00-8262d9c3f321/0F96017D-754B-41B8-A7DA-8CFAACE1CD0A-1-1-4.png","author":"Maria Shkreli","episode_count":30,"summary":"Breaking Cycles with Maria is an honest and relatable podcast about relationships, emotional patterns, self-awareness, anxiety, attachment, dysfunctional dynamics, and the things we normalize without even realizing it. Hosted by Maria Shkreli, LMHC, author of Breaking Cycles and Breaking Up with Toxicity, the podcast explores the messy, complicated, and very human side of life — from unhealthy relationship patterns and family dynamics to workplace stress, life transitions, emotional reactions, and the cycles that quietly shape us. Some episodes are educational. Some are conversational. Some may challenge the way you see yourself, your relationships, or the people around you. Because the truth is… we all have patterns. Some help us grow. Some quietly keep us stuck. Through real conversations, psychological insight, personal reflection, and a little bit of spice, Maria helps listeners better understand the patterns they repeat, the emotional experiences they normalize, and how to navigate life with greater awareness, clarity, and emotional health. No perfection. No pretending. Just real conversations about life, relationships, and breaking unhealthy cycles.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-06T02:20:47.981511+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-up-with-toxicity-6618238"},"episode":{"title":"EP 23: Social Media Has Created a New Kind of Abuse","slug":"ep-23-social-media-has-created-a-new-kind-of-abuse","published_at":"2026-01-22T13:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-up-with-toxicity-6618238/ep-23-social-media-has-created-a-new-kind-of-abuse","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-up-with-toxicity-6618238","url":"https://breaking-up-with-toxicity.captivate.fm","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/c8447a73-44c8-4989-a5eb-fa1aeb2343a2.mp3","summary":"What actually qualifies as abuse? When does abuse become domestic violence? And how did social media turn these life-saving terms into weapons of confusion? In this episode of Breaking Up with Toxicity , Maria Shkreli, LMHC breaks down the critical differences between dysfunction, toxicity, abuse, and domestic violence —and explains why misusing these terms can cause real harm. As a society, we’ve evolved. Behaviors that were once normalized—like yelling, explosive tempers, and emotional volatility—are now being questioned. That progress matters. But somewhere along the way, context and nuance were replaced with certainty and fear . Today, social media, influencers, and non-professionals are shaping how people understand abuse—often without training, assessment, or accountability. Complex mental-health and safety issues are reduced to viral sound bites, leading people to label discomfort as danger and conflict as violence. In this episode, Maria also challenges a harder truth: Social media has created a new kind of abuse—one rooted in misinformation, fear-based advice, and unqualified authority. When people are told what to think instead of how to think, autonomy erodes, discernment disappears, and real victims are drowned out. You’ll learn: What domestic violence actually is—and what it isn’t How abuse and domestic violence are related but not the same Why DV does not require physical violence to exist How insecurity and low self-esteem can look like DV without coercive control How online misinformation creates psychological harm Why precision and context are essential when safety is involved This conversation isn’t about minimizing harm. It’s about protecting the meaning of words meant to save lives. Because when everything is called abuse, no one is safe . Disclaime…","meta_description":"What actually qualifies as abuse? When does abuse become domestic violence? And how did social media turn these life-saving terms into weapons of confusio…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":732,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/breaking-up-with-toxicity-6618238/episodes/ep-23-social-media-has-created-a-new-kind-of-abuse/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-up-with-toxicity-6618238/ep-23-social-media-has-created-a-new-kind-of-abuse.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}