It’s All Your Fault: High Conflict People
TruStory FM
Hosted by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. and Megan Hunter, MBA, It’s All Your Fault! High Conflict People explores the five types of people who can ruin your life—people with high conflict personalities and how they weave themselves into our lives in romance, at work, next door, at school, places of worship, and just about everywhere, causing chaos, exhaustion, and dread for everyone else.
They are the most difficult of difficult people — some would say they’re toxic. Without them, tv shows, movies, and the news would be boring, but who wants to live that way in your own life!
Have you ever wanted to know what drives them to act this way?
In the It’s All Your Fault podcast, we’ll take you behind the scenes to understand what’s happening in the brain and illuminates why we pick HCPs as life partners, why we hire them, and how we can handle interactions and relationships with them. We break down everything you ever wanted to know about people with the 5 high conflict personality types: narcissistic, borderline, histrionic, antisocial/sociopath, and paranoid.
And we’ll give you tips on how to spot them and how to deal with them.
They are the most difficult of difficult people — some would say they’re toxic. Without them, tv shows, movies, and the news would be boring, but who wants to live that way in your own life!
Have you ever wanted to know what drives them to act this way?
In the It’s All Your Fault podcast, we’ll take you behind the scenes to understand what’s happening in the brain and illuminates why we pick HCPs as life partners, why we hire them, and how we can handle interactions and relationships with them. We break down everything you ever wanted to know about people with the 5 high conflict personality types: narcissistic, borderline, histrionic, antisocial/sociopath, and paranoid.
And we’ll give you tips on how to spot them and how to deal with them.
Episodes
Mentioned books
13 snips
Mar 19, 2026 • 29min
Passive Aggressive Behavior: Is It High Conflict?
They unpack passive aggressive behavior as aggression with built-in deniability. They explain how it shows up at home and in the workplace with real examples. They cover ways to confront it, enforce consequences, and withdraw support when patterns persist. They also explore when avoidance masks fear and how to stay confident and emotionally unshaken.
9 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 31min
Conflict Creators: Why Drama Gets Into Our Heads
They investigate why conflict-driven personalities and secret-reveal promises hook our brains. They explore how drama, negativity, and belonging fuel ongoing attention. They unpack persuasive delivery, negative advocates, and community reinforcement. They suggest strategies like testing multiple theories, checking sources, and cautious use of AI to challenge beliefs.
Mar 5, 2026 • 40min
High Conflict Behavior at Work Part 2 with Michael Lomax
Michael Lomax, a workplace dispute resolution practitioner and senior trainer, shares practical leadership tools for handling disruptive behavior. He explains BIFF for written responses. He outlines ways to redirect derailers in meetings. He describes using EAR to manage chronic complainers and what builds a conflict-competent culture.
Feb 26, 2026 • 39min
High Conflict Behavior at Work with Michael Lomax
Michael Lomax, a workplace mediator with 25+ years resolving disputes, explains why high conflict behavior is rising at work. He discusses how trauma and stress show up, why leaders get emotionally hooked, and practical moves like the "calm before think" strategy, handling inflammatory team emails, and when one conversation won’t fix recurring patterns.
9 snips
Feb 19, 2026 • 34min
Setting Boundaries in High Conflict Situations
Practical answers to setting firm visiting schedules and consequences with intrusive neighbors. Ways to soften limits using empathy for sensitive people. How to document hostile co-parent messages and use brief, informative replies. Strategies for protecting yourself at work and with adult children while offering help and enforcing deadlines.
10 snips
Feb 12, 2026 • 36min
Can High Conflict Relationships Ever Become Truly Mutual? Setting Realistic Expectations and Boundaries
They debate whether communication skills and boundary setting can turn one-sided, high-conflict relationships into truly mutual partnerships. They explore why one person often does all the work and how personality patterns limit change. Practical options like targeted therapy, realistic expectations, SLIC limits-plus-consequences, and when to consider staying or leaving are highlighted.
10 snips
Feb 5, 2026 • 31min
Beyond No-Contact: High Conflict Skills for Family Relationships
They explore why parent-child estrangement is rising and which societal shifts are driving it. They discuss how weaker conflict skills, smaller families, mobility, and social media fuel family breakups. They compare individualistic and communal cultures and when boundaries cross into total cutoff. They look at ripple effects across generations and when reconciliation remains possible.
Jan 29, 2026 • 48min
SLIC Solutions for Limits: How to Set Boundaries That Actually Work (with Ekaterina Ricci)
Ekaterina Ricci, conflict resolution expert and mediator, co-author of SLIC Solutions for Conflict. She explains the two-and-a-half steps for limits: set clear boundaries, impose consequences, and use selective empathy. They discuss when empathy backfires, how to prepare and practice enforcement, social media’s effect on boundaries, and the five checks for fair consequences.
Jan 22, 2026 • 46min
Self-Compassion and DBT: How New Treatment Approaches Transform BPD Recovery with Amanda Smith
In this insightful conversation, Amanda Smith, a licensed clinical social worker and DBT therapist with nearly two decades of experience, discusses her new book on self-compassion for those with borderline personality disorder traits. Amanda emphasizes how integrating self-compassion into treatment enhances recovery and emotional regulation. She highlights the importance of understanding and addressing core BPD symptoms, the role of families in supporting loved ones, and shares transformative recovery stories that inspire hope.
Jan 15, 2026 • 39min
Worth Repeating: Protecting Elderly Loved Ones from High Conflict Manipulation
Bill and Megan dive into the troubling rise of high-conflict behaviors targeting the elderly. They highlight the vulnerability of seniors facing isolation and financial exploitation by manipulative individuals. The hosts explore the impact of loneliness and loss, emphasizing warning signs like caregiver isolation. Practical strategies are offered, including asking direct questions and maintaining regular visits. The conversation also covers the importance of community connection and setting boundaries to protect vulnerable loved ones.
