The 'Wolf of Wall Street's' ex-wife is a therapist, and she's using details of their marriage to get people talking about abusive relationships on TikTok

• Dr. Nadine Macaluso was married to Jordan Belfort, aka "The Wolf of Wall Street," from 1991-1998.
• Macaluso, played by Margo Robbie in the film, now uses TikTok to share lessons from her abusive marriage.
• Macaluso earned a Ph.D. in counseling and uses the platform to educate others about domestic abuse.

Dr. Nadine Macaluso, a 54-year-old family therapist and somatic psychologist, is sharing details of her seven-year marriage to "The Wolf of Wall Street," Jordan Belfort, with her TikTok followers.

Now that the couple's children are grown and "fully functioning adults," Macaluso says she's finally ready to talk about her experience — and uses it as an entry point for teaching people about trauma bonding and domestic abuse.

Belfort's abuse of Macaluso is well-documented in Belfort's book and Martin Scorcese's film adaptation of his story. Both recount the moment in which Belfort kicks Macaluso down a flight of stairs. As Macaluso told Insider: "Jordan and I were in an unhealthy relationship that resulted in domestic violence."

"My ex-husband exploited our life in the way he wanted to," Macaluso continued. "And I'm using that engine to help people — to empower them, and teach them, and to break the stigma of mental health."

On the app, Macaluso's videos range from clips of "The Wolf of Wall Street" used to explain gaslighting and signs she wished she hadn't ignored in her relationship with Belfort to sharing what it was like to meet Margot Robbie (Robbie played Macaluso in Martin Scorcese's "Wolf of Wall Street" film) so Robbie could nail her thick Brooklyn accent.

Macaluso, now living in Florida, says she's telling her story because "education about toxic relationships is how you become free of them."

She often uses examples from her time with Belfort to illustrate common domestic abuse patterns, like the time Belfort "love-bombed" her by filling her 800-sq.-ft. apartment with flowers.

Macaluso says she only felt comfortable leaving the 7-year marriage once Belfort was arrested and required to wear an ankle bracelet — so she "knew he could not harm me." A year and a half after leaving, she met her current husband of 22 years, John Macaluso.

Macaluso credits therapy with helping her survive her first marriage. Years later, while meditating, Macaluso says she realized she wanted to become a therapist to "be of service" to others. At age 39, the same year Belfort's book "The Wolf of Wall Street" was published, she enrolled in Pacifica Graduate Institute and earned her master's in counseling psychology.

Macaluso, who now has a Ph.D. in somatic and depth psychology, has spent the last five years writing a book on trauma bonds, and says that making meaning out of our suffering helps people to heal. Her TikTok is about "helping women leave abusive relationships," as her bio reads. But you could say she's also turned her own exceedingly public suffering into something meaningful: widely accessible educational tools on abusive relationships.

She says she doesn't mind the negative comments compared to the "99% positive" feedback.

"I'm a 54-year-old woman, and I've been to hell and back," she says. "They can project all over me and say what they want. It doesn't faze me."

For her, the good far outweighs the bad.

"Every single day," Macaluso says, "I get emails and DMS and texts from women saying, 'you have no idea how much you've helped me.'"

Jordan Belfort did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

If you or someone you know is in need of support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233).

For tips on all things internet, email mleighton@insider.com.