Social Media Engagement and Impact

Hey friends! In this episode, I’m getting real and reflecting on the power of community, healing, and how our shared stories show up in the most unexpected ways—especially on social media. I’ve been watching how my posts have resonated with thousands of you across the globe (still mind-blown about that), and I wanted to take a moment to share not just the response, but the deeper meaning behind it all.

I’m also reading a beautiful, soul-stirring message that perfectly captures my journey through narcissistic abuse and transformation. If you’ve ever questioned why that pain happened or what the purpose of it all was—this one’s for you. We talk about lessons, divine timing, and what it really means to move from victim to warrior. Plus, I share what’s next for me, the energy I’m feeling in this new chapter, and why I know, deep in my bones, that God is just getting started.

Episode Highlights:

[0:23] - Celebrating international listeners and reaching over 600K on social media
[1:00] - Reading posts that are resonating deeply with followers
[2:32] - A powerful message about God, narcissists, and finding your true self
[6:55] - Trusting that the chapter of suffering is over—and something bigger is beginning
[8:16] - Late-night comments, helping others, and still dealing with the ex
[9:51] - Remembering when healing felt impossible—and how far I’ve come
[11:14] - How a new environment changed everything and opened space for blessings
[12:13] - Hinting at exciting things ahead—just need a little more time to share

Links & Resources:

Be sure to follow, share, and leave a comment if this show resonates with you! Send me a message at podpage.com/themusicoflife to share your experiences, or to leave a comment. I'd love to feature it in a future episode.

Transcript

Caryn Portnoy: 0:02

Hi everyone, and welcome to the music of Life. I'm your host. Karen Portnoy, before I get into this episode, please comment, ask questions, share some of your experiences, and don't forget to subscribe. You I wanted to share some things about this podcast that I've been working on. So it turns out that I'm being listened to in five other countries, besides the US, which I'm really excited and proud of, and I'm really kind of blown away by that. I'm now reaching over 600,000 people on social media with my posts and comments. And I just wanted to read a couple, because I've been watching this trend of people who are reacting to my posts as well as commenting. But the reactions that I've been looking at, you know, liking, loving that care emoji thing also, and they're sharing my posts as well, so I'm watching that too. Here's one. It says, At the end of the day, your character speaks louder than any rumor ever could. If one person tries to paint you as someone you're not, while everyone else knows your heart, trust me, that says more about them than it does about you. People project their own battles onto others, but you don't have to carry that weight. Keep showing up as yourself, keep walking forward. Their fight isn't yours to fight. So on this one, there were 122 reactions, but 70 people shared it, which is pretty cool. Here's another one. You glow differently when no one's dusty ass undiagnosed son is stressing you out. Oh, boy, did I feel that. But 625 people reacted to that one, which was awesome. And then here's another one. If you survive narcissistic abuse, you overcome one of the toughest forms of psychological trauma, be kind to yourself. And 737 people reacted to that one. So clearly, people are resonating to the things that I'm posting, and I know I'm reaching the right audience here. So on that note, I found something that pretty much told my story, and I wanted to share this because of all the people that ask me about my healing journey and what I did and how I healed, and all these things, and I've said before that I've really just taken what has happened in any random scenario through my divorce. And I always, you know, as I'm praying and meditating and talking to God, I'm always asking what the lesson is. So this was a really good explanation of how that works. There was no author here, so I'm just going to read what what I read, and I hope this lands for a lot of people, because this is so true for me. Here goes God sent the narcissist to reveal your power. You didn't meet that narcissist by accident. That pain you went through, it wasn't meaningless. It was surgical, divine, intentional. Sometimes God allows the storm not to break you, but to break everything that was never meant to go with you that narcissist. They were a mirror, not to show you who they are, but to show you who you forgot you were. You see, narcissists come wearing masks, charming, confident, magnetic, but behind the smile is emptiness. Behind the flattery is control. Behind the promises is manipulation, and you, you were chosen for this battle, not because you were weak, but because you are strong, because God saw something in you that even you had forgotten, your resilience, your intuition, your worth. He didn't send the narcissist to destroy you. He sent them to expose the cracks, to shake you awake, to pull you from the illusions you were living in so he could rebuild you on truth. You kept asking God, why am I not enough for them? But God was whispering back, they were never meant to be enough for you. God used their betrayal to teach you boundaries. He used their silence to sharpen your voice. He used their chaos to anchor you in peace. He used their lies to deepen your hunger for truth. He used their discard to elevate your purpose. Because when a narcissist discards you, i. What they're really doing is clearing your path. They are removing themselves from a space they never had the capacity to honor, and in that emptiness, God steps in. God took what was meant for evil and turned it into your awakening. You rose up, you cried and still stood. You were gaslighted and still saw the truth. You were devalued, and still saw your value, and now, now you are no longer begging to be chosen, because you realize you are the one doing the choosing. The narcissist didn't break you, they revealed you. They awakened the version of you that was buried beneath people, pleasing, trauma, bonding and silent suffering. They made you look inward to God, to truth, to healing. And once you turned inward, you found something the narcissist never had peace, purpose and power. So if you're still hurting, I want you to know you didn't lose them. You found yourself. God used their rejection to redirect you toward healing, toward clarity, toward elevation. Now you walk not with bitterness but with wisdom, not with revenge, but with Revelation. Because when God lets a narcissist into your life. He's not punishing you, he's positioning you from victim to survivor to warrior to reborn. So rise up, let them go. Thank God for the lesson, and never look back. Your Destiny was never in the hands of a narcissist. It was always in the hands of God, and he's not finished with you yet. Wow, right? I definitely know and feel and trust that he is definitely not finished with me, yet, in fact, the opposite, I feel that he's just starting with me, like the chapter of my divorce and all the pain and all the suffering and all the lessons and growth and healing and all of that. That was a chapter, a phase, a cycle, whatever you want to call it, but you know, that kind of came to a close, and now it's about building and moving forward and living and being happy and all of that. So, you know, I've said a few times now that I'm at the beginning, I definitely feeling about the beginning of something big, and I feel it in my bones, and I know it's coming, and I just have to be patient and get out of my own way and just let God do what God does best. So anyway, so the purpose of reading some of those posts at the beginning is because I just want to tie together that what I just read about my journey, my healing, my story, obviously, I'm I'm tying it together with all of the people that are commenting on my posts and reacting and sharing and all of that, because, you know, it's resonating. These these groups are so powerful because so many people are telling the same stories and coming from the same perspectives and having the same fears and, and how do I get out of this, and how do I move forward, and how do I heal and, and, and it's just, I mean, sometimes I wake up at three in the morning and when I can't fall back to Sleep, I'm answering posts and I'm, you know, commenting on other things, and I just, it's like, I can't say enough to try and help people. I just That's all I want to do is just help people see the light and and help people to get unstuck from where they are. And I keep saying, If I can heal through this, and if I can do this, then anybody can. And it's so funny, because, you know, I I still have run ins with my ex, and I probably always will, because he just can't help himself. But I'm not going to talk about what what happened the other day, just because, like I said, we're still in litigation, and I don't want to talk about things while we still have an open court case. So let's just suffice it to say that there's, there's never any rest when it comes to his comments and the things that he says, to get a reaction from me that's hurtful, that's abusive. You know, all of that. It's just, it's relentless and and I expect it will never end. The good news is that I don't give a fuck anymore. You know, it's funny, because while I was in the midst of my divorce, and while I was in the midst of my healing journey, and. And once I moved out of the house, and I was on my own, continuing my healing, and then when I recently moved it's it's like it's become such a distant memory at this point. And I remember a good friend of mine said to me while I was in the thick of my divorce, and just, you know, never believing it was ever going to end. And she was like, one day it's going to be over, and one day you're going to move on. And I never believed her ever. And there were other friends that said the same thing. And it's just when you're in it like that, you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's just not until it's right in front of you and and I know I've said this earlier in this podcast, just, you know, I didn't believe it until we were at the signing table, you know, signing art, stipulation of settlement and then judgment of divorce, but it really feels so far away now. It's, it's almost like a lifetime ago, and I'm so happy and proud to be able to say that, because it's just a testament to all the work I've done. You know, I knew, once I stopped talking about my divorce on this podcast and then moved into my healing. I knew I would go back and refer to points in my divorce at some point, depending on what I was talking about. But you know, it feels like it was so long ago. And I don't know, I can't explain it, but you know, since I moved two months ago, I feel like my whole life has changed and and in the best way, in the best way possible. It's just, it's amazing how a change of environment really does make all the difference sometimes and clears the way for new blessings and new opportunities and new new things to come into your life. So I'm very grateful for all of that. And you know, to continue allowing God to show up in my life the way he was meant to. And again, I just have to keep getting out of my own way and letting him do what he needs to do in my life. And as things unfold and happen, I'm thrilled in anticipation to be able to share it all with you, but I just need a little bit more time before that happens. So a lot of exciting things though, so I'm anxiously awaiting the opportunity to tell you all about it. So that's a wrap for this episode. I'll see you next time. Thanks for listening. Please join me every Thursday for a new episode. You can reach my website at pod page.com/the, music of life. Feel free to leave your email address. You can also leave a voicemail and share any kinds of stories or experiences or anything that you'd like to talk about. I promise I will keep you anonymous, but I assure you that whatever experiences or stories you leave for me, you are not alone, and I would love to share that with other people who are also going through similar things. Thanks again for listening. I'll see you in the next episode. You you.