When is it Time to Accept That Your Parents Were Not Who You Needed Them to Be?
One of the harder truths of estrangement is coming to terms with the fact that your parent was not who you needed them to be and in many cases is not going to become that person. In this episode’s Q&A...
2 Jul 35min
When Your Family Doesn’t Know How to Listen (And Maybe You Don’t Either)
Did you ever feel like you’re in a conversation where the other person is just waiting for you to stop talking while they load up something to say? You can talk to members of your family every single ...
30 Jun 29min
The Parent Who Never Changes and the Parent Who Just Might
In this Q&A episode, Whitney answers two follow-up questions from her viral episode on parental curiosity. First, from a listener who wants to stay connected with an 81-year old father who has never o...
25 Jun 23min
Is Estrangement a Luxury for People with Money?
Is estrangement a privilege for the middle class and the rich? Whitney pushes back on the argument that cutting off family is something only wealthy people do, not because the critique is entirely wro...
23 Jun 30min
When You Love Your Family But Can't Keep Doing This
In this Q&A episode, Whitney answers two questions from people who love their families but are struggling with dynamics that aren't working. First, someone who spent their whole life as the family med...
18 Jun 28min
I Said I Was Sorry. What More Do You Want From Me?
You’ve heard that line before. And it didn’t make things better, did it? Many apologies are not good, and often they make things worse. Whitney breaks down why some people over-apologize while others ...
16 Jun 25min
Should I Explain Myself to Family I Cut Off?
Whitney answers two questions from people who have stepped back from a harmful family relationship, but are stuck in what comes next. First, a wife whose husband is facing a serious health issue and w...
11 Jun 31min
Are Adult Children Really Cutting Off Parents for Normal Mistakes?
When therapists say adult children are cutting off their parents for “normal parenting mistakes,” they're almost never specific about what that means. Whitney asked 300+ people to define a normal pare...
9 Jun 39min
