Psychotherapist Dr. Nadine Macaluso (author of Run Like Hell and former spouse of the real “Wolf of Wall Street”) breaks down trauma bonds, how they form, why they’re so hard to leave, and how to heal.

She explains the cycle of love-bombing → mask-slip → intermittent abuse and the two essentials that keep you stuck: power imbalance and intermittent reinforcement. You’ll hear about gaslighting, cognitive dissonance, C-PTSD, and why many survivors make multiple attempts before they’re finally out.

Most importantly, Dr. Nae maps a path forward: no/minimal contact, an accountability ally, therapy with a clinician who understands narcissistic abuse, and a disciplined return to self through self-care, self-love, journaling, values, and boundaries. Healthy love, she says, is simple: quality of connection + space to be yourself. Peace over drama, always—and recovery is possible from the beginning, middle, or end of the bond.

You’ll learn

• Red flags: love-bombing, boundary-pushing, gaslighting, double standards, words ≠ actions.

• The psychology of a trauma bond and why it feels like addiction.

• How agreeable/conscientious traits can be exploited—and how to protect them.

• What C-PTSD looks like after relational trauma.

• Practical exit steps: plan for safety, no/minimal contact, and an accountability friend.

• Rebuilding: write a relational manifesto, honor your values, choose partners who give you space.

“You are what you negotiate—not a penny more.” Charity auction powerhouse and best-selling author Lydia Fenet (The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You; Claim Your Confidence) joins Jenna to talk confidence, sales, public speaking, and getting paid what you’re worth.

Lydia has raised $1B+ for nonprofits (including $33M in 4.5 hours at the Naples Winter Wine Festival) and shares the exact tools she uses on stage—and in salary talks.

You’ll learn

• The Strike Method: a simple pre-moment ritual + a locked opening line to flip nerves into control.

• How to reframe adrenaline (Springsteen style) and use it to energize your delivery.

• Storytelling that sells: widen the appeal, make it about them, and create community from the mic.

• Why “your company will pay the least it can”—and how to ask every year (with specifics).

• The money muscle: talk about pay, maximize 401(k) matches, and let compounding work for you.

• Negotiation moves that work: map the role you want, name your number, and be ready to walk.

• Showing up as you: ask kindly, clearly, and often—no bluster required.

• Fast-track your speaking chops: Toastmasters, improv, and saying “yes” to reps.

In short: practical, high-leverage tactics to own the room and own your worth.

Silence isn’t golden, it’s learned. And it’s costly. Communication expert and best-selling author Elaine Lin Hering (“Unlearning Silence”) explains why world-class feedback and negotiation tools still fail if our teams, relationships, and cultures quietly punish candor.

We unpack the hidden rules that keep people quiet: from mitigated speech (“Are you hungry?” when we mean “I’m hungry”) to the Babel hypothesis (we mistake talking a lot for leadership). Elaine shows how identity and power shape “best practices” (e.g., “be vulnerable” lands very differently for white men than it does for women and women of color), and offers practical redesigns so more voices can be heard.

You’ll learn

• How silence is taught at work, home, and in friendships—and when it actually makes sense.

• A simple clarity upgrade: say what you mean (and why we often don’t).

• The difference between real-time processors and post-processors—and how to structure meetings for both.

• Leadership moves that stop accidental silencing: state intent, reward candor, change the question (“What are the pros/cons?”), and build reply-all follow-ups after meetings.

• Ways to hold space across difference so vulnerability doesn’t backfire.

Actionable, empathetic, and sharp, this episode helps you speak your mind, unleash talent, and live more fully.

Hot flashes are only the headline. Triple-board-certified OB-GYN and hormone expert Dr. Anna Cabeca (The Girlfriend Doctor) lays out a practical, science-backed playbook for perimenopause and menopause—from the stealth signs (sudden weight gain, night sweats, hair loss, brain fog, low libido) to what actually helps.

We cover “clean up before you add” (detox your diet, products, and habits), Dr. Anna’s Keto-Green blueprint (earlier eating window + greens/ferments + feast days), cortisol/insulin control, and how to boost the most powerful hormone of all—oxytocin—with joy, connection, nature, and gratitude.

We also dig into the microbiome, vitamin D (hello sunrise, sometimes skip the sunglasses), sleep & melatonin, adaptogens (maca, turmeric, resveratrol), and the what/when of bioidentical hormones (test, don’t guess: progesterone, DHEA, estradiol/E3, compounding). Ages 35–50 are prime perimenopause—this is your Second Spring playbook.

You’ll learn

• The first move when symptoms start: detox, then decide (not pills first).

• Why earlier intermittent fasting beats late-night fasting for women.

• Simple ways to lower cortisol and raise oxytocin to ease symptoms.

• How food quality, ferments, and probiotics support estrogen metabolism.

• Smart testing (blood, urine, saliva) and when bioidenticals make sense.

• Sleep fixes: light timing, vitamin D, melatonin supports, and routines.

  
  

Note: For educational purposes only; talk to your clinician before making changes.

Journalist and author Janice Kaplan (The Genius of Women) unpacks how culture and expectations—not innate ability—shape who gets seen as “genius.”

She shares research showing that by age six many girls stop associating “really smart” with women, and even well-meaning parents set the bar lower (like building gentler crawling ramps for baby girls).

Kaplan challenges the subtle scripts, from The Little Mermaid “give up your voice for love” to emails padded with “just” and constant self-deprecation, that teach girls to be likable over visible.

She spotlights women who defied doubt (including a Nobel-winning chemist and a leading AI researcher) and urges us to claim expertise, get seen, and “see beyond gender” (“I’m a woman who directs—not a ‘woman director’”).

Practical fixes: stop softening everything, call out minimizing language, balance princess culture with STEM role models, and invite men to be active allies.

Key takeaways

• Genius is cultivated: confidence + exposure + expectations > “born this way.”

• Girls start absorbing “smart = male” messages around age six; parents/teachers can counter it.

• Visibility matters: extraordinary work must meet audience attention to change the world.

• Swap apologetic habits (“just,” “not an expert…”) for clear, owned expertise.

• Invite allies: correct “play like a girl”-type language and model higher expectations for girls.

Growth-mindset coach and workplace wellness consultant Lisa Petrocchi-Merriman explains how the “inner critic” is a hard-wired threat response in the brain (fight/flight/freeze/fawn) that shuts down the prefrontal cortex—right when you need clarity, creativity, and composure most (e.g., before big presentations). Instead of muscling through or “thinking positive,” she teaches evidence-based ways to interrupt the threat loop and regain focus fast.

What you’ll learn:

• Why the critic is loud: It’s your primitive brain trying (clumsily) to keep you safe from social risk, often recycling old shame or one-off comments from years ago.

• The cascade to watch for: Trigger → shock exclamation (“Oh no!”) → self-put-down → adrenaline surge (can linger 20–72 hrs) → rumination or shutdown.

• • Body tells: Shallow breath/holding breath, tense jaw/shoulders, furrowed brow, replaying scenarios—cues to intervene.

  
  

  What you’ll learn:

• • Diaphragmatic reset (3 rounds):Sit tall, feet grounded. Inhale through the nose 6 counts → hold 4 → slow straw-exhale 8–10 → brief pause → repeat x3.Results: calmer nervous system, prefrontal cortex back online, sharper focus.

  • Name & reframe: Briefly acknowledge the critic (“I know you’re trying to keep me safe; I’m in charge now.”). A touch of humor helps reduce its power.

  • Trigger mapping: List common triggers (ambiguous emails, perfection stakes, public speaking). Plan your breath reset + response in advance.

  • Somatic awareness: Notice early body signs and intervene before the spiral accelerates.

  • Daily practice builds a new pathway: Consistent use (even 2–3x/day) creates a habit so your default becomes “pause + breathe,” not “panic + bash.”

  • Positive reinforcement: Become your own coach—log small wins, literally pat yourself on the back. Over time this shifts attention toward progress and dampens the critic’s airtime.

    
    

  Bottom line: Your inner critic isn’t you—it’s an alarm. With a simple breathing protocol, trigger awareness, and kinder self-talk, you can switch from self-sabotage to steady performance, especially when the stakes are high.

What does it really take to go from a dorm-room idea to the world’s largest language solutions company? In this energizing conversation, Jenna sits down with Liz Elting, co-founder of TransPerfect, philanthropist, and author of Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business—to break down the mindset, systems, and day-to-day actions behind her billion-dollar success.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Bootstrapping over fundraising: Why Liz skipped venture capital, prioritized sales first, and treated revenue and profit as the only true validators.

• From $0 to $1M (the hardest leap): Tactics for landing the first clients, over-delivering on value, and turning one project into a durable relationship.

• Goals → actions → discipline: How daily, measurable activity goals (not vague wishes) create compounding results—and why writing and sharing goals matters.

• Build a sales engine, not a solo act: The difference between a great entrepreneur and a scalable company—and how Liz built a world-class, 600+ person sales org.

• Incentives that create owners: Comp plans that never sunset, entrepreneurial P&L ownership for teams, and celebrating wins to fuel a high-performance culture.

• Results > hours: Why managing to outcomes beats clock-watching—for productivity, morale, and leadership modeling.

• Leadership that scales: Hire for complementary strengths, succession-plan every role, and promote integrity + “own it” as non-negotiable values.

• Women, culture, and choice: Liz’s decision to build the culture she couldn’t find in finance—and how economic power becomes social and political power.

• Building while parenting: The honest realities of “guilt on steroids,” and practical fixes (backup plans, family leave, boundaries, and results-based management).

Liz’s story is equal parts playbook and pep talk, packed with concrete frameworks (goal setting, compensation design, sales process) and candid lessons learned. If you’re serious about scaling, without surrendering control, this episode is your blueprint.

What if the path to healing our planet also required us to heal ourselves—and our relationship with power, gender, and leadership?

In this episode of The Jenna Banks Show, Jenna welcomes Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers and author of Nature, Culture, and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership. Together, they explore how women’s leadership, climate justice, and cultural healing are deeply interconnected, and why embracing a more holistic, relational approach to power is essential for the future of our world.

In this conversation, you’ll discover:

• The origin of Bioneers and how it became a global movement for restoring people and the planet

• The difference between “pioneers” who conquer and “bioneers” who collaborate with nature

• How women’s leadership and reproductive rights are proven levers in combating climate change

• The legacy of historical trauma (like the Burning Times) and how epigenetics shows its impact across generations

• Why rituals are powerful tools for composting old beliefs, strengthening new patterns, and cultivating authentic leadership

• The importance of relational intelligence and co-creation in reshaping leadership for both women and men

• How rigid binaries around masculinity and femininity harm us all, and why leadership must draw from the full spectrum of human potential

• Why the future depends on men and women partnering as allies to create balance, justice, and sustainability

Nina also shares practical exercises from her book—like the practice of “composting” limiting beliefs—that help women reclaim leadership in their lives and communities. She and Jenna reflect on the urgency of personal healing as the foundation for collective change, reminding us that true transformation begins within.

If you care about women’s leadership, climate justice, or creating a more balanced world, this episode will leave you inspired to step into your own power and purpose.