Today we’re stepping into a conversation that so many people carry quietly: estrangement. It’s a subject filled with complexity, grief, unanswered questions, and deeply human longing.

This episode was sparked by a recent Oprah conversation with mental-health professionals and families navigating estrangement, along with an article by Patty Slo Munson, LCPC, titled “Estrangement: The New Epidemic for Parents of Adult Children.” Both reveal a painful trend—more adult children are cutting contact without explanation, leaving parents in a fog of confusion and heartbreak.

In this episode, I open my heart and share my own experience.
For the past three years, I have been estranged from my adult son—a reality I never imagined. I talk through:

• the moment he told me he didn’t feel loved, despite my unwavering devotion
• the confusion and shock that came after I helped him and his wife during the birth of their baby
• the abrupt shift that led to silence, distance, and unanswered questions
• the pain of replaying years of parenting, searching for where things went wrong
• and the deep ache of loving someone so fiercely while being shut out of their life

I also share a second layer of this journey—my estrangement from my mom, and how that experience unfolded during the most fragile and painful season of my life.
It is honest, raw, and deeply vulnerable.

But this episode is not just about heartbreak. It is also about healing, self-love, and rebuilding from the inside out.

Over the last three years, I have walked through therapy, grief, self-reflection, and the painful but necessary decision to choose myself. I talk about:

• learning to stop begging for love
• recognizing emotional patterns that were harming me
• listening to my own inner voice for the first time
• rebuilding self-worth after years of shrinking
• creating a safer, stronger, more grounded version of myself

If you are navigating estrangement—whether from a parent, a child, or someone you love—please know you are not alone. This episode offers understanding, compassion, and hope for anyone who feels the ache of distance.

You deserve to feel loved, supported, and whole.
Your life is not over.
There is light ahead.

Thank you for being here with me today.
If this episode speaks to you, please like, subscribe, or share it with someone who might need comfort and connection.

At the bottom of this episode, you’ll find a short summary and additional resources

Episode Summary

In this deeply personal and vulnerable episode, our host examines a familiar yet rarely spoken truth: how easily we can lose ourselves inside a relationship. From the early excitement of online dating to the whirlwind romance, marriage, blended families, and silent sacrifices — this story unfolds as a powerful reminder of the consequences of abandoning your own needs for the sake of harmony.

The episode explores what happens when a partner prioritizes their family’s expectations over marital unity, when privacy dissolves, and when self-worth begins to erode. But woven through the heartbreak is a message of resilience, self-reclamation, and the slow, patient work of rebuilding a life that centers your own value.

Listeners will walk away with insight, affirmation, and an invitation to ask themselves the hard question: “What have I done for me lately?”

🔑 Key Topics Covered

• The silent act of “boxing yourself away” in relationships
• The evolution of dating from traditional encounters to online platforms
• How societal pressure to marry shapes dating choices
• Early stages of love: chemistry, compatibility, and fast-tracked relationships
• Red flags hidden beneath harmony
• The danger of becoming the “giver” who asks for nothing
• Family enmeshment and blurred boundaries
• The emotional consequences of having no privacy in a marriage
• Realizing when you’ve been taken for granted
• The moment a marriage shifts from partnership to misalignment
• Rebuilding after emotional depletion
• How tending to yourself becomes an act of survival
• The slow, courageous process of healing from the inside out

📝 Episode Highlights & Insights

• “We enter relationships and place ourselves on a shelf… hoping one day someone will notice we’re missing.”
• Meeting a partner online sparked a fast, passionate connection — but harmony without honesty eventually cracks.
• The honeymoon phase masked deeper issues: people-pleasing, self-abandonment, and unequal treatment within a blended family.
• As property was divided and decisions were made, discrepancies and favoritism surfaced.
• Speaking up about boundaries was met with silence, ridicule, and family allegiance — leaving the host emotionally isolated within her own marriage.
• Relearning how to breathe, move, and reclaim life became an act of courage.
• Self-care isn’t indulgence — it’s survival.
• Healing begins with the tiniest shuffle forward, not a leap.

❤️ Powerful Lesson of the Episode

Filling everyone else’s cup while leaving yours empty isn’t love — it’s self-erasure.
And the path back begins with one tiny act of care for yourself.

📌 Reflection Questions for Listeners

1. Have you ever silenced your own needs to keep peace in a relationship?
2. Do you share your truth, or do you avoid it to stay “easy to love”?
3. Are you filling your own cup, or only pouring into others?
4. What is one gentle thing you can do for yourself today?