Shows / Breaking Cycles with Maria
Breaking Cycles with Maria
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…
Episodes
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 36: Your Experience Is Not Everyone's Diagnosis: Who Made You the Villain?
When did we start diagnosing everyone around us based on social media checklists? Narcissism, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), toxic relationships…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 35: Expectations — When Your Way Becomes the Only Right Way
Have you ever felt disappointed because someone didn't behave the way you expected? Or found yourself constantly trying to meet someone else's expectations…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 34: Four People, Four Attachment Styles: When a Family Keeps Missing Each Other
What happens when four people in the same family love each other—but each one reaches for safety differently? In this episode of Breaking Cycles with Maria, I…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 33: When Helping Becomes Control
When does helping someone stop being support and start becoming control? In this episode of Breaking Cycles with Maria, I’m looking at something that can be…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 32: Love Bombing or Just Intense? Why We Need to Stop Diagnosing Every Strong Connection
Someone texts you every morning, wants to see you constantly, brings flowers, gives compliments, and seems completely taken with you. Today, we’re quick to…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 31: Why Knowing Better Doesn’t Mean Doing Better — The Cycle Breaker Method™
In this episode of Breaking Cycles with Maria, Maria Shkreli, LMHC introduces the Cycle Breaker Method™, a practical framework for understanding how everyday…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 30: Maria & Madge: The Fixer’s Trap — When Control Becomes Comfort
In this episode of Breaking Cycles with Maria, Maria and Madge explore a question many people quietly struggle with: Why do some of us feel responsible for…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 29: Maria & Madge: Picking Up Where We Left Off
Life got busy, schedules filled up, and before we knew it, another conversation was waiting to happen. In this episode, Madge and I reconnect and pick up where…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 28: The Narcissistic Mother Blueprint Part 3 — Mother–Son Dynamics, Loyalty, and Emotional Enmeshment
In Part 3 of the Narcissistic Mother Blueprint Series, Maria Shkreli, LMHC, explores the often misunderstood mother–son dynamic and how emotional loyalty…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 27: Part 2 of the Narcissistic Mother Blueprint Series
Part 2 — Mother–Daughter Dynamics | Narcissistic Mother Blueprint Series This episode is Part 2 of the Narcissistic Mother Blueprint Series on Breaking Up with…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 26: Part 1 of the Narcissistic Mother Blueprint Series
In this episode of Breaking Up with Toxicity, Maria Shkreli, LMHC, begins the Narcissistic Mother Blueprint Series, a multi-part series exploring how…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 25: When Healing Feels Like Grief: The Part No One Warns You About
When Healing Feels Like Grief: The Part No One Warns You About Healing is supposed to feel empowering… right? So why does it sometimes feel lonely, heavy, or…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 24: Not Everyone Is a Narcissist: Personality Traits Are Not Diagnoses
Narcissist. Borderline. Toxic. But here’s the problem—personality traits are being confused with personality disorders, and that confusion is costing people…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 23: Social Media Has Created a New Kind of Abuse
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…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 22: Pulled Apart: How Parental Alienation Breaks Families
Parental alienation is one of the most misunderstood and emotionally charged dynamics in family systems—and when it’s oversimplified, it can cause real harm…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 21: Estrangement: Healing, Harm — or Something In Between?
Estrangement isn’t just “cutting people off.” It can be protection… and it can also be avoidance disguised as healing. In this episode, Maria Shkreli, LMHC…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 20: They’re Not Defiant — They’re Insecure (Parents, You’re Missing the Signs)
What if the behavior you’re calling defiance isn’t defiance at all? In this episode of Breaking Up With Toxicity, licensed mental health counselor Maria…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 19: When Empathy Meets Attachment: Why You Misread People Even When You Think You Understand Them
Ever wonder why your partner’s “help” feels cold… why their silence triggers panic… or why you keep having the same arguments even when you both mean well? In…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 18: Attachment Styles: The Silent Saboteurs — How They Screw Up Your Relationships (and How They Can Save Them)
Your reactions aren’t random — they’re wired. Your fears aren’t “too much” — they’re patterns. And your relationship struggles aren’t failures — they’re…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 17: You Think You’re Empathetic… But You’re Probably Not: The Three Empathies You Never Learned
Most people walk around proudly believing they’re “empathetic.” But here’s the truth: you probably only have **one** of the three empathies — and the…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 16: It’s Not Your Anger — It’s Your Relationship With It
Anger isn’t the problem — it’s how we use it. In this raw and eye-opening episode, Maria Shkreli, LMHC, breaks down anger, the three faces of toxic rage —…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 15: When the Narcissist Is a Woman: The Silent Storm No One Talks About
We talk endlessly about narcissistic men — but what happens when the narcissist is a woman? In this episode, Maria Shkreli, LMHC, breaks down why narcissistic…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 14: Stop Chasing the Insanity: You Can’t Fix Every Problem
In this raw and unapologetically honest episode, Maria Shkreli, LMHC, breaks down why you keep trying to fix everyone’s problems — and why it’s driving you…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 13: Maria & Madge: Reconnecting – Episode 2: Let’s Talk About Our Forgiveness and Understanding
Last week, we started closing the 19-year gap in our friendship. The conversation went deep—maybe a little off track—but it took us exactly where we needed to…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 12: Reconnecting Chapters: Maria & Madge – 19 Years Apart. One Dinner. Endless Stories.
After 19 years on separate paths, lifelong friends Maria and Madge finally reconnected in late August. What was meant to be a simple dinner turned into…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 11: Rosa’s Story: Healing, Patterns, and Parenting Through Depression
Rosa came to talk about her adult child’s depression — but what unfolded was way bigger. The deeper we went, the more it became clear: her own upbringing…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 10: The Comeback: It’s a Reset.
I’m back — returning with clarity, reflection, and a renewed sense of purpose. After over a year away, navigating a life-changing health journey, I’m here, I’m…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 9: John Participates in the “bubble challenge.” I can tell your attachment style and irrational thought pattern
In today's show, Maria continued her talk with John as he embarks on his personal journey of self-discovery; he finds himself at a crossroads, questioning the…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 8: A Man's Journey Discovering Authenticity; Boundaries, Enmeshed Families, Breaking Traditional Family Cycles - Part 2
In today's show, Maria continues her talk with John, and they discussed thoughts about the previous episode. John stated he was “stuck” for a week because he…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 7: A Man's Perspective: Dating Apps, Social Media, Breaking Traditional Family Cycles - Part 1
In today's show, Maria talks with John about what it’s like to use dating apps, social media's impact on people's expectations, and how double standards have…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 6: Aspects of Borderline Personality Disorder, Part 2: Men, women, children, and misdiagnoses in men
In today's show, Maria picks up from Episode 5 and provides a breakdown comparison discussion on the often overlooked aspects of borderline personality…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 5: Toxic People Versus Toxic Behaviors: Are We All Toxic? - Part 1
Maria will be diving into the topic of toxic people and unhealthy toxic behaviors in the dynamics of relationships. In her exploration of the "toxic person,"…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 4: Breaking the Mold, Finding Authenticity, and Addressing Mental Abuse
In a heartfelt conversation, Diana and Lena delve into the intricate dynamics of traditional gender roles and the relentless pursuit of authenticity. As they…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 3: Roles and Expectations: Diana and Lena Unravel the Layers
Diana and Lena talk about how past and present roles and expectations have played out in their lives. They also discuss the ability of individuals to evolve…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 2: Growing up Albanian in America
Maria speaks with Diana and Leana about what it was like growing up as 1st generation Albanian in America. Maria opens the discussion with the women and…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 1: I am ready to learn about myself and those around me.
Welcome to the first episode of Breaking Up with Toxicity. Maria talks about the podcast goals and how we will learn about the layers and roles that make you…
- Breaking Cycles with Maria
Welcome to Breaking Up With Toxicity
Hi everyone! My name is Maria Shkreli, and I am a licensed mental health therapist and author. I specialize in personality disorders and other various…