Episode 57 - When Silence Becomes a Weapon and How You Take Your Voice Back | Business Therapy™

The silent treatment is a form of abuse, even when it never raises its voice.

In this episode, I sit down with author and empowerment coach Ama Karikari for a raw and powerful conversation about chronic silent treatment, a form of emotional abuse that many people have experienced but often struggle to name.

Ama shares her personal story, from studying at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton, to working as Senior Counsel at Citigroup, while navigating a 15-year marriage where silence was used as a tool of control. Together, we explore what chronic silent treatment actually is, why it activates the same regions of the brain as physical pain and how it can impact a child's nervous system and development.

We also discuss the difference between chosen silence and imposed silence, what it means to reclaim your voice after years of suppression and why Ama now believes the silent treatment dynamic she experienced may have been connected to her son's neurodivergence diagnosis.

One of the most important themes we unpack is the impact unresolved pain has on leadership and business. The energy you suppress at home does not stay at home. It influences how you lead, how you show up in your business and what you believe is possible for yourself.

This episode covers:

✅ What chronic silent treatment is and how to recognize it

✅ Why silence can cause more psychological damage than verbal conflict

✅ The connection between home environments and childhood neurodivergence

✅ The difference between control and "loss of control" in abusive dynamics

✅ How to become a cycle breaker instead of a cycle continuer

✅ Why healing in community matters