You think a vacation will give you a break, but with a narcissist, it often becomes something else entirely.

In this episode, I’m talking about what it’s really like to travel with a narcissist. I’ve seen it over and over again, what should be a time to relax turns into a carefully orchestrated setup for control, intimidation, and emotional exhaustion. If you’ve ever come home from a trip feeling more anxious, confused, or even physically sick, you’re not imagining it.

I walk through the subtle ways narcissistic abuse shows up while traveling like taking you somewhere they know you’ll hate, “forgetting” something important, or isolating you from your support system. These things might seem small on their own, but together, they create an environment that’s anything but safe.

I also share strategies you can use if you feel stuck saying yes to the trip. What can you do to feel more in control? How do you protect your energy when you’re trapped on a flight, stuck in a car, or stranded in a hotel? And most importantly, how do you start seeing the pattern for what it is?

If vacations have ever felt more like punishment than peace, this episode will help you understand why and give you a few tools to take with you, no matter where you go.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Why Travel with a Narcissist Feels So Different

03:04 Narcissistic Tactics and Control During Vacations

08:02 Real Examples of Manipulation on Trips

16:27 How Abuse Shows Up at the Airport and in Transit

22:01 On-Vacation Behavior: Control, Coercion, and Isolation

28:02 The Aftermath: Post-Trip Anxiety and Physical Illness

32:32 Long-Term Impact on How You Experience Travel

35:46 Strategies to Protect Yourself While Traveling

42:07 Grounding Techniques and Internal Boundaries

This marks our 50th podcast episode and to celebrate we are doing a special giveaway for our listeners!! I’ll be giving away my two workbooks, Find Your Calm and Find Good Habits, AND a Mindfully Messy hoodie to ONE lucky winner!

To enter, leave a review of Next Up: Narcissism AND head over to my Instagram @dr.z_psychologist and comment “Happy50” on my celebrating 50 post. Entries close May 1, 2025 11:59pm. The winner will be announced and contacted May 2nd.

Links

Connect with Dr. Z: https://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/

https://www.zgrouptherapy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dr.z_psychologist/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.z_psychologist

https://www.youtube.com/@DrJaimeZuckerman

Get my FREE breathing exercise here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/newsletter

Register for my on demand virtual courses here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/workshops

Order my workbooks! *Find Your Calm / Find Good Habits* http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/books

Shop my new Mindfully Messy hoodie here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/apparel

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Starting over doesn’t always feel bold. Most of the time, it looks like picking up something familiar, like a book, a journal, or a forgotten dream, and doing it simply to feel like yourself again.

In this episode, I’m joined by Zibby Owens, an author, podcast host, and the founder of Zibby Media, who shares what it looked like to rebuild her life after divorce. At 40, with four young kids and weekends suddenly quiet, she didn’t launch into some grand reinvention. She started writing again. And then she kept going.

We talk about what happens when the life you’ve built no longer fits and how to begin again when everything feels uncertain. Zibby opens up about grief, rejection, single parenthood, and the slow return to her own identity. She shares how structure helped her move forward, how creativity gave her something to hold onto, and how including her kids in her work helped her feel more connected as both a parent and a person.

If you’re in a season of starting over, or even thinking about it, I think you’ll find this conversation both grounding and encouraging. Zibby’s story is a reminder that you don’t need to have it all figured out to begin. You just need one small step in the direction of who you are.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

04:05 Restarting Life After Divorce at 40

07:04 How Zibby Built a Media Career from Scratch

08:10 Living with Urgency and Purpose

12:08 Coping with Co-Parenting Grief

15:09 The Power of Small, Consistent Steps

17:04 Structure, Routine, and Mental Health

18:08 Reclaiming Identity After Motherhood

19:04 Involving Kids in Career and Purpose

23:35 Advice for Women Facing Divorce

Links

Connect with Zibby Owens:

https://www.instagram.com/zibbyowens/

zibbymedia.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/totally-booked-with-zibby/id1366633318

Connect with Dr. Z: https://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/

https://www.zgrouptherapy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dr.z_psychologist/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.z_psychologist

https://www.youtube.com/@DrJaimeZuckerman

Get my FREE breathing exercise here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/newsletter

Register for my on demand virtual courses here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/workshops

Order my workbooks! *Find Your Calm / Find Good Habits* http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/books

Shop my new Mindfully Messy hoodie here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/apparel

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

A car ride with a narcissist can quickly shift from routine to one of the most dangerous and controlling dynamics in the relationship.

In this episode, I’m talking about something I see all the time in my work: how narcissists use driving as a form of coercive control. The car becomes more than just a way to get from one place to another. It becomes a tool for power, manipulation, and fear. If you’ve ever felt anxious, unsafe, or completely stuck during what should be a simple drive, you’re not imagining it.

I share the patterns I hear from clients again and again: partners making them late on purpose, driving recklessly, refusing to hand over the keys, or locking the doors to prevent them from getting out. These aren’t accidents. These are tactics.

I also walk through real strategies you can use if you’re in this kind of situation. Things like not revealing how important an event is, finding alternate transportation when possible, and staying emotionally neutral when you’re being baited. They’re small steps, but they can help you take back a sense of control when everything else feels chaotic.

If any of this sounds familiar, I hope this episode helps you name it, and start finding ways to protect your time, your energy, and your autonomy.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

02:32 Significance of Driving in Narcissistic Abuse

04:00 Control and Independence in Driving

06:08 Ownership and Control of the Car

10:23 Reckless Driving to Instill Fear

12:22 Creating Fear and Providing Safety

15:06 Verbal and Physical Abuse in the Car

19:55 Limiting Access to a Car

21:21 Identifying Patterns of Abuse

22:53 Strategies to Regain Control

25:56 Concrete Behaviors to Counter Manipulation

Links

Connect with Dr. Z: https://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/

https://www.zgrouptherapy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dr.z_psychologist/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.z_psychologist

https://www.youtube.com/@DrJaimeZuckerman

Get my FREE breathing exercise here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/newsletter

Register for my on demand virtual courses here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/workshops

Order my workbooks! *Find Your Calm / Find Good Habits* http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/books

Shop my new Mindfully Messy hoodie here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/apparel

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm