74: Teri Busse on Life After… Tragedy: Sobriety, narcissistic abuse & her son Rylee's legacy

<p>Content warning: This episode discusses domestic violence and narcissistic abuse, alcohol addiction, murder, grief and depression. Please take care when listening, or skip this episode if it feels triggering.</p><p><br></p><p>What happens when you finally get sober, leave the relationship, and believe the hardest part is behind you, and then the police call looking for your son?</p><p><br></p><p>Teri Busse is a retired paramedic and fire officer, award-winning author, speaker, psychology student and the host of the 13 Days of Silence podcast.</p><p><br></p><p>After her husband was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2016, Teri numbed her grief with work and alcohol, then found herself trapped in a relationship with a narcissist. Just six months into her sobriety, her 21-year-old son Rylee was murdered, and what she has built since is nothing short of extraordinary.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, we chat about:</p><ul><li>How losing her husband left Teri raising young children alone, and why alcohol became the way she numbed the pain</li><li>The love bombing that had her selling her home and moving in with a narcissist within weeks</li><li>Hiding the abuse behind a &quot;Facebook happy&quot; smile, including the injury that ended her paramedic career</li><li>Getting sober, then learning her son Rylee had been murdered, and refusing to let alcohol take one more thing from her</li><li>Finding real love after narcissistic abuse, and how self-sabotage made that harder than anyone admits</li><li>Writing her award-winning books, becoming Classic Miss Colorado 2026, and founding the Rylee James Memorial Welding Scholarship</li><li>Why everyone deserves a digital footprint, and the podcast and free tools Teri has created so no griever feels alone</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Teri is proof that pain may become part of your story, but it does not have to define your future. She holds nothing back, from the drinking to the choices she isn&#39;t proud of, because she knows someone out there is sitting in the same shame and thinking they&#39;re the only one.</p><p><br></p><p>If you&#39;ve ever felt like a failure for not coping &quot;well enough&quot;, this conversation is a reminder that you&#39;re not alone, and that it is never too late to start again.</p><p><br></p><p>Connect with Teri:</p><ul><li>Website: <a href="https://teribusse.com">https://teribusse.com</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Connect with Cat:</p><ul><li>Join my mailing list: <a href="https://catlouisedunn.