In Episode 65 of After the Quiet, I share the painful moment I was told I couldn’t attend a concert by my favourite artist because it was considered “frivolous” spending—only for that artist to pass away weeks later. What seemed like an argument about money was actually something much deeper: control over joy, independence, and self-worth.

This episode explores financial abuse, emotional manipulation, hidden bank accounts, guilt around spending, and the double standards that often exist in controlling relationships. While I was made to feel selfish for wanting one night for myself, thousands of dollars were quietly being spent elsewhere without question. It was never really about the concert—it was about control.