You Don't Stop Estrangement Just By Saying It's Bad: How To Actually Prevent Family Estrangement

03/25/25 • 25 min

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Ok, I go on a little rant in this one because I am so tired of people trying to remain totally neutral about family estrangement. Obviously estrangement is bad. It's not an ideal outcome. No one wants to experience it. And, sometimes it is the only choice. In this episode I cover:

how abuse is actually quite common in families
why saying estrangement is "bad" isn't going to solve anything
what we actually need to do to prevent estrangement in families

Join The Family Cyclebreakers Club: www.callinghome.co/join

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft

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how abuse is actually quite common in families
why saying estrangement is "bad" isn't going to solve anything
what we actually need to do to prevent estrangement in families

Join The Family Cyclebreakers Club: www.callinghome.co/join

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Previous Episode

Q&A: My MIL Crosses Every Boundary

Hi! Today I am sharing my three little epiphanies for the week about love is blind, estranged family members having mental health issues, and why some people will never get help when they're struggling. We also have 2 caller questions. #1 is deciding what kind of relationship she can have with her mother, #2 has a MIL who screams at her and crosses every boundary.

Join The Family Cyclebreakers Club: www.callinghome.co/join

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Next Episode

Q&A: I'm Estranged From My Parents and My Sister Has Cancer

This week, I'm sharing my three little epiphanies:

The show Long Bright River is a great representation of what it's like to love a family member in active addiction and the different paths we can take in a family. (More on that below)
Why I'm so tired of quotes like, "It's your parent's first time living too."
I saw this video about growing up in an "ask family" or a "guess family," and it's fascinating.

I also answer two caller questions. Caller 1 is estranged from her parents but wants to support her sister who has cancer. Caller 2 still feels really anxious around her family but wants to maintain a connection. This is a great episode about boundaries, difficult choices, and deciding if we can tolerate surface-level relationships.

Join The Family Cyclebreakers Club: www.callinghome.co/join

Whitney's Book Toxic Positivity.

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices