In this deeply personal episode of Your Traitor Within, Jessica Anne Pressler sits down with her longtime friend Margaret Josephs for an honest conversation about how childhood conditioning quietly shapes adult relationships — and how learning to recognize that internal “traitor” voice can change everything.
Margaret reflects on growing up parentified, learning early to normalize chaos, over-responsibility, and emotional self-silencing. She shares how those early survival patterns followed her into adulthood, influencing the red flags she excused, the control she tolerated, and the guilt that kept her staying longer than she should have. What looks like strength from the outside often felt like quiet self-betrayal on the inside.
Together, Jessica and Margaret unpack how the Traitor Within isn’t a villain — it’s a coping mechanism that once helped her survive. But when left unexamined, that same voice can keep us stuck in relationships that require us to shrink, justify, or “put up and shut up.” Margaret speaks candidly about therapy, boundaries, safety, motherhood, and the moment she realized she could no longer live a life that denied who she truly was.
This episode is a powerful exploration of parentification, trauma bonding, emotional control, and the long road from survival to self-trust — told with honesty, humor, and compassion.
Margaret Josephs is an entrepreneur, author, fashion designer, and television personality best known for The Real Housewives of New Jersey. She is the founder of Macbeth Collection, co-founder of the mocktail brand Soirée, and the author of Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget.
Beyond television and business, Margaret is a devoted mother and wife, and a long-standing advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, children battling cancer, and causes centered on women’s empowerment, independence, and self-worth. Known for her candor, compassion, and resilience, she consistently uses her platform to support community, philanthropy, and conversations around growth, healing, and reinvention at every stage of life.
Follow Margaret Josephs:
@therealmargaretjosephs
Follow Soirée:
@drinksoiree
