Beyond Words with Najwa Zebian 009- When Someone Walks Away in a Hurtful Way
When someone walks away from you in the most painful and blindsiding way—through betrayal, broken promises, or abandonment—it can feel like your whole world collapses. In this episode of Beyond Words, Najwa gently guides you through the shock, denial, and grief of endings you didn’t choose, and shows you how to begin reclaiming yourself piece by piece.
Through powerful metaphors and deeply human reflections, Najwa reminds you that someone’s choice to leave says nothing about your worth. This episode is for anyone who has ever been left to carry the weight of broken promises and wondered how to rise again.
Show Notes & Timestamps
0:00 – Introduction
When someone walks away in a hurtful or unexpected way—betrayal, cheating, or abandonment.
1:12 – The shock of endings
Facing the denial and devastation when someone leaves suddenly.
2:55 – Allowing yourself to feel
Why you shouldn’t push away the shock or minimize the pain.
4:42 – Therapy lesson
Looking the truth directly in the eyes instead of turning away from it.
7:06 – Life isn’t fair
Why fairness and character don’t always align in relationships.
9:11 – Watering your own grass
A powerful metaphor on self-investment versus pouring everything into someone else.
12:10 – Who’s really the “bad guy” in walking away
Reframing walking away from something harmful as an act of self-heroism, not betrayal.
15:17 – Breaking the victim loop
Challenging the story that everyone always abandons you.
17:01 – Hope in the right places
Why hope placed in a toxic relationship can still exist—and how to replant it in fertile soil.
20:02 – Moving on doesn’t mean rushing
Healing means moving into self-love, not into another relationship.
21:00 – Don’t close the door on yourself
How not to let someone else’s abandonment teach you to abandon yourself.
22:28 – A visualization exercise
Learning to put down the weight you’ve been carrying.
23:14 – The grocery store story
A reminder about receiving help and recognizing who pays attention to your struggles.
25:08 – Who really sees your pain
Choosing the people who notice your suffering and step in to help.
29:16 – A blessing in disguise
Why someone leaving can be a gift for every future version of you.
30:07 – Words That Found Me
Taylor Swift’s My Tears Ricochet and the imagery of “jewels” as metaphors for what people take from us.
34:19 – Words That Held Me
Reading Other Places from The Book of Healing.
35:20 – Final reflections
Your worth is untouched by someone else’s choice to leave.