Life coach Iyanla Vanzant continued to dig deeper in Cynthia Bailey and her sister Malorie Bailey‘s family history and uncovered a toxic family pathology in the Bailey family.
Malorie is undergoing a nasty divorce with estranged husband Chris Massie after being married for 12 years. She said Massie, a veteran international leagues pro basketball player, refuses to contact her and she hasn’t spoken to her husband in five months.
In the midst of helping Malorie heal from her broken marriage on “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” Vanzant turned to Malorie and Cynthia’s mother Barbara to discover what Malorie learned about relationships and being a woman.
The matriarch admitted that she suffered from physical abuse at the hands of her father if she didn’t “pick enough cotton.” Barbara also said her husbands from prior marriages “were physically and mentally abusive.”
Vanzant made the connection from Barbara’s past relationships to Malorie’s present relationship and said Barbara played a part in Mal’s failed marriage.
“We end up creating and recreating the pathology of the family and until you break the cycle, you’re going to continue to do the same thing,” said Vanzant.
Fans chimed in on the emotional episode and said they could completely relate.
Malorie also explained during the episode she’s broken and is battling an identity crisis. She confessed how being in the shadow of her big sister Cynthia really affected her.
“We were so close and everybody would just compare us,” said Mal. “I feel like I had my life until I started the show.”