Midlife with Brooke29 Sep 2025

Episode 20: Five Secrets to Strong Bonds With Adult Children-A conversation with Brooke Oniki

Parenting doesn’t end when your kids become adults—but the rules change. In this heartfelt episode of Midlife with Brooke, certified life coach Brooke Oniki shares her personal journey of learning to parent adult children with love, respect, and faith.

Interviewed by fellow coach Sara Payne, Brooke opens up about her own transition into the empty nest years, the pain of letting go, and the joy of creating new, healthy connections with her grown children. She shares five powerful secrets that will help you strengthen your bond with your adult kids without control, guilt, or fear.

You’ll learn:

Why having “your own stuff” (purpose, passions, interests) matters for healthy connection
How to check in with your motivations before reaching out
The difference between listening to fix and listening to understand
How to receive feedback from your kids with curiosity instead of defensiveness
Why believing in your children’s ability to figure life out is one of the greatest gifts you can give them

Brooke also shares personal stories of moments when she wanted to push her agenda—but instead chose trust, listening, and respect, leading to deeper connection and mutual confidence.

Reflection Prompts:

Do I have passions, projects, or callings outside of my kids that bring me fulfillment?
When I reach out, am I motivated by love or by insecurity?
How do I respond when my kids share feedback that stings?
Where can I show more belief in my adult child’s capacity to grow?

✨ Free Resource from Brooke Oniki:

Watch Brooke’s free video workshop on How to Stop Having a Manual for Your Kids—a step-by-step guide to letting go of rigid expectations and creating more peace in your relationships. Available at www.brookeoniki.com

✨ Bonus for Listeners:

Brooke also recorded two bonus private podcast episodes just for women in midlife:

Menopause Explained with Nurse Practitioner Gretchen Fors
Enjoying Sex in Midlife with Certified Sex Coach Julie Merrill

Get instant access here: Get the Bonus Episodes

✨ Want personal support?

Schedule a free one-on-one coaching session with Brooke here: Book Your Call

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(78)

Did I Fail? When Your Adult Child Leaves the Church

Your child has stepped away from church. Maybe they’ve been pretty vocal about it. And the question creeps in: Did I fail? Did all that effort mean nothing?In this episode, Brooke answers that questio...

9 Nov 22min

Helping Your Adult Children Feel Safe to Share

This week is a little different. I’m sharing an interview I did with Heather Rackham on the Latter-Day Life Coaches podcast, all about building stronger relationships with our adult children.While pre...

3 Nov 45min

The Compassion Hack That Changes How You See People

When someone we love does something that frustrates or hurts us, it's easy to jump to the worst meaning. Why would they say that? Why don't they appreciate me? Why do they feel that way about the chur...

26 Okt 18min

The Thing You Keep Saying You'll Do Someday

Back in high school, Brooke tried out for the drill team and never once practiced the toe touch at the end of the routine. That moment became a lesson she's carried for years: so often we say "I'll do...

19 Okt 18min

What is My Part?

Show NotesWhen our kids are little, we carry everything. Their jackets, their snacks, their backpacks. We even let them wipe wet hands on our pants. But as they grow, our part gets smaller, and that's...

12 Okt 20min

Drop by Drop, Day by Day

What if you only need to gather enough for today?After attending the Restore Conference with my friend Kristen Rutter, I've been thinking about manna. In Exodus 16, the Lord provided bread from heaven...

5 Okt 22min

How to be Less Fearful

What if fear only exists in the future? When the thing we're afraid of actually shows up, it stops being a fear and becomes a problem to be solved. And you've solved every problem that has come your w...

28 Sep 31min

Scarcity vs. Abundance: A Mindset You Can Practice

Today I'm talking about a topic I bring up with clients all the time: scarcity versus abundance. We live in a world that tells us there's not enough, not enough time, money, love, recognition. But I'v...

21 Sep 28min