Let’s Get Real with Jena Burris
Welcome to Let’s Get Real, the podcast for women who feel like they’re holding it all together on the outside… but falling apart on the inside.
If you’re exhausted from pretending, overwhelmed by the pressure to be everything for everyone, or unsure who you even are anymore—you’re not alone. And you’re not crazy.
Let’s Get Real is where we have honest conversations about the struggles most people avoid—healing emotional wounds, losing yourself in motherhood, rebuilding your identity, and learning how to live whole again.
I’m Jena Burris—wife, mom, and your host. With a background in marriage and family therapy, life coaching, and years spent navigating life behind the scenes of the NFL and Hollywood, I’m passionate about creating a space where real conversations lead to real healing.
Each week, you’ll hear real stories, practical tools, and the reminder that freedom is closer than you think. Because I believe that in order to heal, we have to get real.
New episodes every Tuesday. Real talk. Real tools. Real healing.
For speaking inquiries, brand partnerships, or workshop opportunities, visit www.jenaburris.com or email jena@jenaburris.com.
Let’s Get Real with Jena Burris
Rebuilding After Emotional Abuse: Finding Yourself Again with Julie Barth
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Free Resource for Moms
Feeling overwhelmed and like you’ve lost yourself in the chaos of motherhood?
You’re not alone. And you don’t have to keep feeling this way.
I created this FREE guide for you:
🎁 The Overwhelmed Mom’s Guide: 10 Small Changes to Start Feeling Like You Again
Simple, realistic shifts you can start making today without adding more to your plate.
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Ep 38 — Rebuilding After Emotional Abuse: Finding Yourself Again with Julie Barth
This episode is one of the most important conversations I’ve ever had on the podcast regarding emotional abuse.
So many women—maybe even you—know what it feels like to wake up one day and realize, I don’t even recognize myself anymore. Somewhere in the surviving, the caregiving, the giving up pieces of yourself to keep the peace, you lose your voice, your confidence, your clarity, and the parts of you that used to feel alive.
In this episode, I sat down with Julie Barth, a writer, mom of six, trauma survivor, and founder of the Colin James Barth Outreach. Julie has lived through more crisis and heartbreak than most people will experience in a lifetime—and she has rebuilt herself every single time.
Our conversation is honest, emotional, and full of truth that so many women need to hear.
💛 Julie’s Story Took My Breath Away
As she shared her journey, I found myself amazed by her strength and heart.
She spent nearly a decade in survival mode:
- raising a child with a significant medical condition
- traveling constantly for surgeries
- caregiving for her husband through terminal cancer
- raising six kids
- and somehow trying to keep life moving forward
When her husband passed, she didn’t have space to grieve. She was already numb, already on autopilot, already surviving.
That’s when she entered a new relationship—one that seemed freeing at first, but ultimately became emotionally and financially abusive.
Listening to her talk about ignoring red flags because she was desperate for relief… I know many women will see themselves in her story.
🧠 What Emotional Abuse Actually Feels Like
Julie said something that hit me deeply:
“Nothing makes sense anymore. You’re confused all the time.”
That’s the part of emotional abuse we rarely talk about—the slow unraveling of your reality.
You stop trusting your instincts.
You start doubting your sanity.
You rationalize what you’d never tolerate for someone else.
You shrink yourself smaller and smaller until you don’t recognize who you’ve become.
It’s not weakness.
It’s survival.
✨ If You’re in This Situation, Here’s What Julie Wants You to Know
These were her most powerful pieces of advice:
1. Commit fully.
2. Record yourself in your hardest moments.
Julie said:
“You forget the pain just like you forget childbirth.” Those videos remind you why you can’t go back.
3. Prepare in small, doable ways.
You don’t need a master plan.
You just need the next right step.
4. You will survive the messy middle.
And on the other side?
There is peace.
Connect With Julie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie_barth_author/?hl=en
P.S. If this episode resonates with you, please reach out. I truly want to hear your story. You can DM me on Instagram @jenaburris or email me at jena@jenaburris.com. Your voice matters — and I’m here for you.