What happens when your mother chooses a religion over you, and then suddenly decides she wants back in your life?

In this unapologetically raw episode of Pissy But Pretty, Emily opens up about the gut-punch moment her estranged mother, a devout Jehovah’s Witness, tried to reconnect after 23 years of silence. What unfolds is a brutally honest look at religious trauma, manipulation disguised as forgiveness, and the lifelong scars of conditional love.

This isn’t a redemption story, it’s a reckoning.

What You’ll Learn

• How religious systems manipulate guilt and emotional obedience under the guise of forgiveness
• The emotional toll of disfellowshipping and what it means to be exiled from your own family
• How narcissistic parents weaponize silence, gifts, and “God’s will” to control adult children
• The fine line between protecting yourself and seeking closure
• Why humor, therapy, and community are survival tools for breaking free from religious and familial conditioning

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 – The chaos begins: Live from Wisconsin, aging, and no-sleeve confessions
• 03:10 – Emily shares her story of being disfellowshipped by the Jehovah’s Witnesses
• 07:48 – The shocking “knock on the door” from her mom’s old friend
• 13:30 – Manipulation wrapped in an apology: decoding the text from “Mom”
• 19:22 – Narcissism, religion, and guilt: why “be patient with me” is emotional bait
• 25:05 – Therapy, triggers, and the fear of reopening old wounds
• 32:11 – Sisterhood, shared trauma, and the power of being seen
• 39:10 – Silence as a boundary versus silence as punishment

Meet the Hosts:

Heather and Emily—two middle-aged women who’ve lived a thousand messy lives, bring brutal honesty, dark humor, and hard-won wisdom to the mic. They’re not preaching; they’re purging.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Preparing vs. Protecting Paradox – The difference between raising from fear and preparing from love
• The Manipulation Playbook – Guilt, Gaslight, and “God Told Me To” as tools of control
• Silence as Power – How withholding response becomes an act of resistance against narcissistic behavior

Closing Insight or CTA

“Silence isn’t the silent treatment, it’s a boundary.”

This episode will hit home for anyone recovering from toxic families, high-control religions, or narcissistic manipulation. Listen, laugh, cry, and remember: healing doesn’t mean inviting the pain back in.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Follow us on Facebook