This moves into territory where discomfort quietly crosses into danger.

I share what unfolded in a relationship built on misplaced trust and long-standing familiarity. A man who had been part of my life since childhood. Someone who knew my history, my vulnerabilities, and how to present himself as safe.

What followed was manipulation that hid in plain sight. Lies that unravelled slowly. Financial deceit. Boundary violations that escalated into stalking. And the disorientating experience of realising that the person causing harm was doing so deliberately and repeatedly.

I talk about how trust can be exploited when it’s earned early and never re-examined. How patterns repeat, not because we’re naïve, but because we’re conditioned to minimise discomfort until it becomes something far more serious.

This episode also explores the strange aftermath. Conversations with people who came after me. Stories that mirrored my own. And the unexpected moment of closure that arrived years later in the form of an apology I never anticipated, but deeply needed.

This isn’t about blame or shock value. It’s about recognising the line between something feeling wrong and something being dangerous. About understanding how manipulation works. And about reclaiming your narrative once the truth is finally clear.

For entrepreneurs, creatives, and leaders, I also reflect on why personal stories, when shared with intention, can become powerful assets rather than private burdens.

This is the part where survival turns into understanding.

About Sandra:

Sandra ten Hoope is a Sales & Story Strategist and corporate attorney. Drawing from her own experiences with three challenging relationships, she empowers professional women to rewrite their personal narratives. In her 2020 book, Do Not Try HIM at Home, Sandra reveals the duality of her life—successfully closing multi-million-pound deals while living in fear at home. The book struck a chord with countless women who saw their own struggles reflected in her story, offering them comfort and a sense of community.

Many entrepreneurs among her readers reached out, eager to understand how their personal stories could enhance their business growth. Sandra's answer was clear: personal experiences, no matter how difficult, are invaluable assets. As a Certified Business Strategist and Master Persuader, she created the Stop Waffling, Start Selling podcast, helping business owners harness the power of their unique stories. This storytelling approach personalizes brands and draws in clients, with Sandra advocating for strategic sharing, even in small doses, to make a powerful impact.

I sat down with Cindy Hunting for a conversation about building a business that works in the real world, not just on paper.

Cindy started her career as an assistant and went on to found her own company in the compliance sector five years ago. Today, she works closely with both candidates and companies, providing compliance and intermediary services that go far beyond matching profiles to roles.

What stood out in this conversation was Cindy’s deep respect for the human side of her work. She talked openly about why relationships matter more than checklists, and how understanding people properly leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.

We also spoke about the realities of balancing business growth with family life, and how that juggle shapes the way you lead, decide, and prioritise. Cindy shared her perspective on the rise of AI in recruitment and compliance, where it helps, where it falls short, and why it can never replace human judgement and trust.

This episode is a reminder that even in highly regulated, process-driven industries, connection still matters. Listening still matters. And building a business that feels human is not a weakness, it’s a strength.

If you care about doing work well, treating people properly, and navigating change without losing yourself in the process, this conversation will resonate.

About Cindy:

A positive and always cheerful personality, Cindy Hunting, after 21+ years of experience, decided to take the plunge and do what she's good at and what she enjoys: providing high-quality legal advice and connecting people.

She discovered her entrepreneurial qualities while working tirelessly for her employers and career. Her ever-curious and positive attitude allowed her to regularly engage in substantive, but above all, practical, discussions with managers and/or management. The goal was always: how could things be improved for everyone within the company, but also for the company itself? This means she always manages to find a suitable solution not only as a Compliance Professional but also as a mediator. For her former employers, she has also always been a valuable resource and utilized her network to fill vacancies or assign advisors to clients, for example.

As an ambitious young person, she began her career in retail. There, she quickly demonstrated initiative and perseverance. After more than five years, she also applied these qualities to financial and legal services. Her work experience with various small and large companies, diverse sectors, and positions, along with her higher professional education (HBO) law degree, has allowed her to further develop her skills and personality. This allows her to seamlessly handle situations and provide advice. Throughout her career, she has seen and learned a g

About Sandra:

Sandra ten Hoope is a Sales & Story Strategist and corporate attorney. Drawing from her own experiences with three challenging relationships, she empowers professional women to rewrite their personal narratives. In her 2020 book, Do Not Try HIM at Home, Sandra reveals the duality of her life—successfully closing multi-million-pound deals while living in fear at home. The book struck a chord with countless women who saw their own struggles reflected in her story, offering them comfort and a sense of community.

Many entrepreneurs among her readers reached out, eager to understand how their personal stories could enhance their business growth. Sandra's answer was clear: personal experiences, no matter how difficult, are invaluable assets. As a Certified Business Strategist and Master Persuader, she created the Stop Waffling, Start Selling podcast, helping business owners harness the power of their unique stories. This storytelling approach personalizes brands and draws in clients, with Sandra advocating for strategic sharing, even in small doses, to make a powerful impact.

The comments brushed off as harmless.
The behaviour explained by sympathy.
The quiet voice inside that knows something is wrong, long before the evidence appears.

In this episode, I share what unfolded as my relationship began to bleed into friendships, family dynamics, and my sense of self. How dishonesty didn’t arrive loudly, but drip by drip. How betrayal rarely looks dramatic at first. And how trust, once fractured, is often repaired by denial rather than truth.

I talk about the times I ignored my own instincts. The times I chose belief over evidence. And the moment everything unravelled when I walked into my own home and found the truth waiting there.

This is not a story about blame.
It’s a story about conditioning.
About how capable, intelligent women are taught to doubt themselves before they doubt others.

This episode is for anyone who has ever minimised their own discomfort, defended behaviour that didn’t sit right, or stayed longer than they should have because leaving felt harder than enduring.

It’s about learning to recognise when empathy becomes self-abandonment. And why rebuilding trust starts with turning it back towards yourself.

This is about the cost of not listening when your body already knows!

About Sandra:

Sandra ten Hoope is a Sales & Story Strategist and corporate attorney. Drawing from her own experiences with three challenging relationships, she empowers professional women to rewrite their personal narratives. In her 2020 book, Do Not Try HIM at Home, Sandra reveals the duality of her life—successfully closing multi-million-pound deals while living in fear at home. The book struck a chord with countless women who saw their own struggles reflected in her story, offering them comfort and a sense of community.

Many entrepreneurs among her readers reached out, eager to understand how their personal stories could enhance their business growth. Sandra's answer was clear: personal experiences, no matter how difficult, are invaluable assets. As a Certified Business Strategist and Master Persuader, she created the Stop Waffling, Start Selling podcast, helping business owners harness the power of their unique stories. This storytelling approach personalizes brands and draws in clients, with Sandra advocating for strategic sharing, even in small doses, to make a powerful impact.