Get Wise to the Tricks and Traps of Toxic People: Avoiding Narcissists and Sociopaths in Your Life with Former Investigative Journalist and Divorce Coach, Amy Polacko #256

Susan Guthrie, Esq. is joined by Freedom Warrior and Divorce Coach Amy Polacko on this episode of The Divorce & Beyond podcast.  Together they discuss critical information you need to know about the dangers that exist as you look for love.

Amy Polacko is on a mission to teach women about the dangers of online dating and about the devastation toxic relationships can cause. The goal of this episode is to help listeners avoid toxic relationships, know the signs if you are in one, take steps to escape the toxicity and get to a place of healing.  Susan and Amy also discuss how to be your own investigative reporter when dating; including resources and strategies, you can use to research new potential partners and spot red flags.

Amy Polacko is a Freedom Warrior committed to helping women live life on their own terms during/after a toxic relationship or divorce. As a divorced single mom, she is passionate about coaching women one-on-one and founded the empowerment group Strong Savvy Women to provide support, inspiration, and guidance to single women. Amy is also an award-winning journalist who sheds light on women's issues including divorce, domestic abuse, coercive control, and singlehood.

Golden Nuggets from this episode include:

• There is a growing awareness of toxic personalities and relationships depicted in today’s media  
• Gaslighting: what it is and what it looks like in relationships
• Amy shares several red flags of a toxic relationship or personality 
• Distinguishing between love bombing versus someone trying their best 
• The importance of being your own investigative reporter when dating online
• Why boundary setting is an essential step in protecting yourself
• If you need some love bombing in your life, “Love bomb yourself.”  

This episode will help you avoid toxic people, use your intuition, and be your own pitbull investigative reporter in love and in life!

About this week's special guest: Amy Polacko

Amy Polacko is a Freedom Warrior - and is committed to helping women live life on their own terms during/after a toxic relationship or divorce. As a divorced single mom, she is passionate about coaching women one-on-one and founded the empowerment group Strong Savvy Women to provide support, inspiration, and guidance to single women. Amy is also an award-winning journalist who sheds light on women's issues including divorce, domestic abuse, coercive control, and singlehood. 

Her recent journalistic work has appeared in The Washington Post, Newsweek, NBC News THINK, and Ms. Magazine. After graduating from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Amy worked as a newspaper reporter for Newsday and was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team covering the TWA Flight 800 crash. She then transitioned to television journalism, working as a writer and producer in New York City. Amy was an award-winning on-air reporter in Fargo, ND, where she traveled to Kosovo for a series on the North Dakota National Guard, and in Philadelphia, where she covered the national D.C. Sniper story. She also headed up an investigative reporting unit in Albany, NY, where she uncovered consumer scams, crime, and government corruption as part of her I-Team Investigations -- one of which exposed a loophole in the state's sex offender registry. 

Amy has spoken publicly on women's issues, empowerment and entrepreneurship at Yale University, the Women's Forum in Ridgefield, CT, the Women's Center of Greater Danbury, CT, the Hayvn co-working space for women, the Believe Inspire Grow national empowerment organization for women, and many other groups both virtually and in person. 

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