S2 E2: Control, Survival, Freedom with Emily Armitage
“I remember standing on London Bridge and feeling like my arm was missing. Like it was as if a part of myself was not there.”
⚠️ Content warning: This episode includes discussion of coercive control and financial abuse. Emily shares her personal experience and perspective. Support details are below.
Our guest, Emily Armitage, is the CEO and founder of The Yorkshire Zen Company, Human Design business coach and strategist for six-figure female founders.
Emily knows what it’s like to not have financial control. When she was younger, she was in a relationship defined by coercive control — and money was a central tool of that control. In this episode, she shares how early family dynamics around money set unconscious patterns, how financial abuse can work in subtle and shifting ways, and what it took to rebuild her sense of autonomy.
We talk about:
- Growing up with an undercurrent of financial stress — and how the belief that “someone else is in charge of the money” can quietly shape what we accept in relationships
- How financial control can shift and adapt within a relationship — and why it’s often far more subtle than people expect
- Financial fawning — when handing over money isn’t a choice but a survival strategy, because saying no feels unsafe
- What freedom felt like when it finally came — and why it was overwhelming rather than liberating
- The link between autism and vulnerability to coercive relationships
- How entrepreneurship became a route back to financial autonomy — and why selling and visibility brought their own challenges
- Human Design as a tool for understanding your relationship with money and building a business that actually fits who you are
Emily also shares her perspective on what she wishes people understood about coercive control, and what we can all do to look out for the people around us.
About Emily:
Emily is the CEO and founder of The Yorkshire Zen Company and a human design business coach and strategist for six-figure female founders. She uses human design as a powerful business lens — helping women understand their energetic blueprint and build businesses that are sustainable and aligned.
Work with Emily: THE ROOM — quarterly CEO day retreats for women who are ready to unapologetically claim £100k+ in 2026 and 2027
Connect with Emily: Instagram: @emilyarmitage LinkedIn: Emily Armitage Website: emilyarmitage.co.uk
If you are affected by anything in this episode:
- National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (free, 24/7) — nationaldahelpline.org.uk
- Surviving Economic Abuse: 0808 196 8845 — survivingeconomicabuse.org
- Women’s Aid: womensaid.org.uk
- Victim Support: 08 08 16 89 111 — victimsupport.org.uk
- Galop (LGBTQ+ support): 0800 999 5428 — galop.org.uk
- National Autistic Society: autism.org.uk
- Mums in Need: https://www.mumsinneed.com/
- Men’s Advice Line: 0808 801 0327 — mensadviceline.org.uk
For further reading on neurodivergence/autism and coercive control: Douglas & Sedgewick, 2023, Autism; the National Federation of Women’s Institutes’ 2024 briefing on neurodiversity and violence; and Somerset Domestic Abuse Service’s guide on neurodiversity and domestic abuse.
Please note: In this episode, Emily shares her personal experience and perspective. No allegations are made against any named individual. This conversation is shared in the public interest to raise awareness of financial abuse and coercive control.
Connect with host Harriet Formby: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website
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