This week on Calling Home, Whitney speaks with therapist and author Nedra Tawwab on the concept of enmeshment in family relationships. They talk about what enmeshment is and what makes it different from a close family relationship. Nedra emphasizes the importance of setting healthy boundaries and respecting the autonomy of others, especially as children grow and become independent. She suggests that enmeshment can be addressed by gradually reducing contact to a comfortable level, asserting...

Whitney is answering more of your questions from the Calling Home voicemail line. The first caller is struggling with her spouse's lack of support for her decision to maintain no contact with her family, even in emergencies. The second caller, identified as the family scapegoat, is torn between cutting off contact with her family or trying to maintain a relationship for the sake of her own children.  Have a question for Whitney? Call Home at 866-225-5466.  Head over to cozyearth.com and use...

This week on Calling Home, Whitney discusses the topic of emotional incest, also known as covert incest. This form of emotional abuse occurs when a parent or primary caregiver treats their child like a romantic partner, relying on them for emotional support typically provided by a partner. Whitney will talk about when emotional incest often occurs and outline the three types: the romanticizing parent, the friendly parent, and the critical/abusive parent.  Have a question for Whitney? Call...

Today on the podcast we’re wrapping up May and our conversations about grandparent relationships by answering some listener questions on the topic. The first caller has concerns about her partner's parents, who may have been involved in or bystanders to childhood sexual abuse in their household. She’s worried how that will affect the relationship they have with any future children. The second caller, who has cut off contact with her parents, is wondering how to maintain a relationship with...

In this week’s episode of the Calling Home podcast, Whitney speaks with therapist and author Lindsay C. Gibson discusses the challenges of dealing with emotionally immature parents. They’ll discuss how emotional immaturity exists on a spectrum and can be influenced by various factors such as life stage and external circumstances. Lindsay will explain how adult children can express their feelings and set boundaries with their parents, rather than try to change them. Find Lindsay’s book Adult...

Today on the Calling Home podcast, Whitney answers more questions from listeners. The first caller discusses their decision to cut off contact with her abusive grandparents and now feeling guilty for doing so. Whitney will talk about why that is a normal response and strategies for moving past the guilt. The second caller shares their experience of growing up in a household lacking emotional maturity and how her parents struggled when she expressed views different from their own. Whitney...

In this episode of the Calling On Podcast, Whitney discusses the importance of setting boundaries with grandparents. She’ll explain why grandparents may struggle with boundaries due to generational differences, cultural beliefs, or a lack of respect for their adult children's parenting styles. If you’re struggling with these types of relationships, Whitney will give you strategies for clear communication, finding compromise, and explain how positive reinforcement can help establish and...

Today on the Calling Home podcast, Whitney is answering more of your questions. The first caller discusses a conflict with her sister, who has requested they attend family therapy before resuming communication. The second caller asks for advice on dealing with anger towards her sister, who has violated a boundary related to their abusive mother.  Have a question for Whitney? Call Home at 866-225-5466.  Click here to get “Toxic Positivity” on paperback.  Join Whitney’s Family Cycle Breakers...

This week on the Calling Home Podcast, Whitney will talk with therapist and author Sahaj Kaur Kohli. They’ll discuss the challenges of setting boundaries and maintaining healthy communication within multi-generational immigrant families. She highlights the pressure that immigrant parents often feel from their own parents, which can lead to rigid expectations and norms being passed down to their children. They will also talk about the importance of partners being on the same page when dealing...

Mother’s Day is this Sunday and it can be very triggering for many individuals for a variety of reasons. Today on the podcast, Whitney will answer calls from listeners who struggle with this holiday. The first caller shares her struggle with maintaining no contact with her mentally ill mother due to the pain she causes, asking for advice on how to handle Mother's Day approaching. The second caller, a childless woman, expresses her resentment towards her siblings for leaving her to celebrate...

In this episode of The Calling Home podcast, Whitney discusses the complex dynamics of grandparent relationships. She’ll talk about why grandchildren are not a 'do-over' for parents of adult children, and that grandparents should not view their role as a second chance at parenthood. This episode is primarily focused on grandparents who have a strained relationship with their adult children and why they need to repair that relationship in order to have a healthy one with their grandchildren....

Whitney is answering more of your questions. Today, she’ll talk to a listener that is struggling to understand her chaotic upbringing, which was marked by her parents' nasty divorce, her mother's substance abuse and mental health issues, and her father's absence. Whitney will talk about the importance of accepting and grieving these types of experiences. The second caller has questions on how to set boundaries within her culture, which is often seen as a foreign concept in her family.  Have...

This week on Calling Home, Whitney discusses the impact of unresolved childhood trauma with the host of the Adult Child Podcast, Andrea Ashley. Andrea shares her personal journey of growing up in a loving but dysfunctional family, dealing with addiction, and discovering the concept of "adult children" of alcoholics and dysfunctional families. They’ll also touch on the difficulty of moving forward without an apology from parents and the importance of inner child work in healing. Learn more...

Description:  In this episode of the Calling Home podcast, Whitney is answering more of your questions. The first caller is looking for advice on how to navigate a relationship with emotionally and physically distant parents. Then, our second caller wants to discuss a difficult relationship with her mother, who views her as an extension of herself.  Have a question for Whitney? Call Home at 866-225-5466.  Head over to cozyearth.com and use promo code "callinghome" for an exclusive 35%...

This week on the Calling Home Podcast, Whitney Goodman discusses how to grieve the apology you've never received from a parent. This apology may have never been received due to various reasons such as death, mental health issues, or refusal to acknowledge past wrongs. Whitney will talk about how to accept this reality and focus on healing yourself and why you may need to abandon the fantasy of an ideal parent-child relationship.  Head over to cozyearth.com and use promo code "callinghome"...

Whitney Goodman is answering more calls from the Calling Home voicemail. Today’s first call involves a listener who is involved in a multi-generational family business, that unfortunately has some toxic workplace behaviors. The second caller is asking for advice on handling a relationship with her fiance who struggles to understand why she has certain boundaries set with her parents. Have a question for Whitney? Call Home at 866-225-5466.  Join Whitney’s Family Cycle Breakers Club for...

In this episode of the Calling Home Podcast, Whitney Goodman interviews health and wellness influencer Kelly Uchima about her journey of reconciling with her father and breaking the pattern of dysfunction in her family. Kelly shares how she was the first in her family to recognize her father's narcissism and the negative impact it had on her mental health and relationships. She discusses the cultural practice of sweeping family issues under the rug to maintain the illusion of a perfect family...

Whitney is back to answer more questions from the Calling Home listener community. The first caller discusses her struggle with an adult sibling who hasn't done the same emotional healing work she has, causing her to absorb their emotional baggage. How does she separate herself from feeling their pain? The second caller asks about the impact of generational trauma, specifically relating to her father who is a Holocaust survivor. Have a question for Whitney? Call Home at 866-225-5466.  Visit...

This week on The Calling Home podcast Whitney will discuss Toxic Positivity in honor of the paperback release of her book on the topic. She’ll explain that toxic positivity is the act of dismissing or invalidating negative emotions in favor of a positive outlook, often leading to suppression of genuine feelings. This can be particularly harmful in family relationships, where it can create a surface-level connection and teach children to suppress their emotions.  Click here to get “Toxic...

Whitney Goodman is answering more calls from the Calling Home voicemail. Today’s first call involves a listener who is estranged from her mother but still in minimal contact with her father and his family, who is seeking reconciliation. The second listener is a divorcee who was very close with her family, but is now no-contact with them while her ex-husband is invited to family events. Have a question for Whitney? Call Home at 866-225-5466.  Join Whitney’s Family Cycle Breakers Club for...

This week on the Calling Home Podcast, Whitney Goodman speaks with therapist Abbey Williams. They discuss her estrangement from her mother due to the latter's use of the silent treatment as a form of discipline. Williams explains that this behavior, often driven by unprocessed trauma, emotional immaturity, shame, or a desire for control, can be as damaging as physical abuse. Despite the pain of estrangement, Williams has used her experience to better parent her own children and break the...

In this episode of The Calling Home podcast, host Whitney Goodman speaks with Darshita Raval, founder of Mindhappy, a wellness platform dedicated to bringing fulfillment back into everyday life. Darshita shares her journey of moving from India to America, climbing the corporate ladder, and then quitting to move back in with her parents and pursue her dream of building Mindhappy. She discusses the challenges she faced in navigating cultural expectations and maintaining a respectful...

In this episode of The Calling Home podcast, host Whitney Goodman discusses the challenges of blending families, particularly when the children are adults. Common issues in these situations include changes in family dynamics, financial disputes, and the addition of new family members. She’ll talk about the importance of patience, understanding, and clear communication during the blending process. Plus, why it is important to avoid putting adult children in the middle of disagreements or...

Whitney Goodman is answering more calls from the Calling Home voicemail. Today’s first call involves a listener who is struggling with undiagnosed ADHD and her mother's refusal to acknowledge it. The second caller is looking for advice on how to tell her estranged parents about her pregnancy.  Have a question for Whitney? Call Home at 866-225-5466.  Join Whitney’s Family Cycle Breakers Club for further support and discussion on family dynamics at CallingHome.co. Follow the Calling Home...

This week on the Calling Home podcast, Whitney interviews therapist Morgan Pommells about emotionally immature parents. They’ll discuss how these parents can have good intentions but become defensive when their adult children bring up past issues, leading to feelings of being unheard and causing relationship problems. Repair is possible at any age and they’ll talk about how parents can acknowledge and validate their child's experiences, even if they differ from their own memories.  Follow...