The Place She Could Be Herself Was at Work. Don't Let the Smile Fool You EP31

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What happens when your personal pain becomes invisible but starts leaking into every room you enter, even the boardroom? In this episode of Don't Let the Smile Fool You, we sit down with Ama Karikari to talk about the complexities many women face when dealing with emotional abuse like the silent treatment, especially when they're high-achieving professionals juggling work, ambition, and toxic relationships.Ama opens up about her fifteen-year journey, beginning with her honeymoon, when she first experienced the silent treatment from her husband—a pattern that would haunt her marriage and spill over into her professional and personal life. As a lawyer, consultant, and later a candidate for public office, she tried to compartmentalize her pain, showing up each day with a smile that concealed intense private struggles. We talk about how that energy drains your confidence, your ambition, and even your health.Through candid stories and sharp insights, Ama explains how the absence of true support at home doesn't just cause a loss, but might also erase achievements that could have been. She reflects on moments like running for office while feeling unsupported, and the toll of living with someone who weaponizes silence. We touch on the ripple effects—how children absorb this pain, how work suffers, and what it takes to finally say enough.Ama reveals the turning point: the moment it became clear that what she was enduring wasn’t a communication problem, but a pattern of covert abuse. She shares how naming the problem, moving from marriage counseling advice to the language of trauma and domestic violence, was key to her escape and healing. Now, after divorce, she's helping other women recognize these patterns in their own lives with her new workbook, Silenced to Soaring, and a supportive community.This conversation isn’t just about surviving abuse—it’s about reclaiming yourself, rebuilding your ambitions, and learning how to trust your instincts again. If you’re a woman grappling with the effects of a toxic relationship, wh