Episodes

Some conversations are worth revisiting. As we prepared to re-release this conversation with therapist Rachel Haack, I listened to it again for the first time in several years. I thought I knew exactly what Rachel was going to say. After all, I was the one asking the questions. But that's the gift of listening again. Sometimes the conversation hasn't changed at all—you have. This time, Rachel's insights on defensiveness, curiosity, perfection, and the evolving relationship between parents and...

This is our first in a series of our new shorter segments called: Straight from the Listener Line – Real Questions. Real Answers. In this new series, we take one real listener question and bring in an expert to help us think it through honestly, thoughtfully, and with real-life experience behind it. Today’s episode tackles a topic many grandparents quietly struggle with: “What happens when you’re trying your best to help… but it still feels like you can’t do anything right?” A listener shares...

This week we're revisiting one of our most talked-about episodes. Clinical psychologist and bestselling author of the book Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Dr. Lindsay Gibson joins us discuss emotional maturity, self-awareness, and why we need to play the long game. Many parents struggle with the feeling that they are constantly being asked to listen, validate, and accommodate their adult children while their own feelings go unheard. Dr. Gibson offers a differ...

In our first short form episode -- Straight From the Listener Line episode -- we welcome back psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein to answer a heartfelt listener question. A mother shares her struggle after watching her once-close relationship with her son change following his marriage. She feels increasingly pushed aside and wonders how to navigate the growing distance, particularly when she believes her daughter-in-law no longer values a relationship with her husband's family. We discusses: W...

For this episode of Bite Your Tongue, we’re doing something quite a bit different. This is the last episode of Season 7, and today it’s just me. Me — and excerpts from one of my all-time favorite podcasts, This American Life with Ira Glass. For those who may not know Ira’s work, he is the groundbreaking creator and host of This American Life, whose storytelling helped redefine public radio and podcasting. A recipient of the Peabody, Pulitzer, and Edward R. Murrow Awards, Ira is widely conside...

Weddings, Family Tension, and Modern Etiquette Episode Description: If there is one life event that can bring together love, joy, tradition, money, and family tension all at once, it is a wedding. In this episode of Bite Your Tongue, Denise talks with Lizzie Post — co-president of the Emily Post Institute, co-host of the Awesome Etiquette podcast, and great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post — about how weddings have changed and why they still create so many emotional landmines for ...

Are you helping your adult child… or accidentally holding them back? Many parents quietly support their adult children financially — paying rent, helping with debt, or covering emergencies. But when does helping become enabling? In this episode, Denise talks with financial psychologist Dr. Brad Klontz about the emotional and psychological forces behind the “Bank of Mom and Dad.” Dr. Brad tells it like it is and doesn't hold back. He's says the right things - but sometimes they are hard ...

Do you lie awake at night running through every possible “what if” about your adult child? What if they make the wrong choice? What if they don’t land on their feet? Should I call? Should I say something? Should I bite my tongue? In this episode of Bite Your Tongue, Denise welcomes back psychologist and parent coach Jeffrey Bernstein, author of Freeing Your Child from Overthinking, to unpack the difference between anxiety and overthinking — and why that distinction matters so much in relation...

Family estrangement is one of the most painful and least discussed challenges parents face today. In this deeply personal and controversial episode, Denise speaks with journalist, entrepreneur, and author Laura Wellington, known online as Doormat Mom No More. After raising five children as a widowed mother, Laura found herself unexpectedly cut off by one of her adult daughters—an experience that left her heartbroken and searching for answers. She tried desperately to find other parents who we...

Are you a grandparent? If so, listen to this episode. Boundaries, burnout, and big feelings—grand parenting can be a joy and a minefield at the same time. We invited Dee Dee Moore, founder of More Than Grand, to help us navigate the messy middle: when “free” childcare starts costing a family its energy, when in-law dynamics get prickly, and when love needs the guardrails of a clear agreement to thrive. We start with a listener story about an eager grandmother who slid from helping to shoulderi...

This episode is for mothers walking on eggshells. For daughters who feel judged. For families who love each other deeply but don’t know how to stop hurting each other. In this powerful episode of Bite Your Tongue, Denise Gorant speaks with Leslie Glass and her daughter Lindsey Glass about the hardest—and most hopeful—parts of the mother-daughter relationship. Co-authors of The Mother-Daughter Relationship Makeover and its companion workbook, Leslie and Lindsey share their deeply personal jour...

This is a controversial episode — and we want to hear from you. 📞 Bite Your Tongue Phone Line: (719) 347-1106 Call and share your thoughts, questions, or experiences. 🎁 FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY: The first caller will receive a free copy of FCK Them Kids*. Leave your name and email. Family estrangement has gone mainstream — from Oprah to headlines about celebrity families — and the narrative is almost always the same: parents are to blame. But what if that story isn’t complete? In this emotionally c...

Send us your feedback here: biteyourtonguepodcast@gmail.com or give us a ring at 719-347-1106. Tell us what is on your mind. Now on to today's episode: What if the hardest part of parenting adult children isn’t knowing what to do—but knowing when to stop? In this episode of Bite Your Tongue, Denise sits down with licensed therapist and author Joanna Hardis to unpack her counterintuitive but powerful philosophy: doing nothing can be one of the most supportive things a parent does. Joanna intr...

Send us your feedback here: biteyourtonguepodcast@gmail.com or give us a ring at 719-347-1106. Tell us what is on your mind. On to today's episode: Happy New Year. We’re kicking off a new season with a best-of compilation of expert advice from 2025, focused on one thing: building healthier relationships with adult children. This episode brings together the most effective, field-tested tools from last season’s most impactful conversations—practical shifts in language, mindset, and boundaries tha...

Send us a text Ready to upgrade your relationship with your grown kids without losing yourself in the process? We sit down with clinical psychologist and author Dr. Francine Toder author of the amazing book: "Your Kids are Grown: Parenting 2.O." We unpack Parenting 2.0—the shift from managing to relating, from control to connection. If you’ve felt that knot in your stomach after a call, questioned whether your help is actually helpful, or wondered how to be close without be...

Send us a text We know this isn’t our usual topic about building healthy relationships with adult children—but when we met Joe Dooley, we knew we had to share his story. Even if this episode helps just one person—it’s worth it. In honor of No Shave November, we’re taking a short detour to talk about prostate cancer—a subject that affects millions of families, often quietly. Joe, a 65-year-old living with advanced-stage prostate cancer, opens up about his journey from diagnosis to remiss...

Send us a text The holidays are upon us. It's time to dig deep. Catherine Hickem, founder of Parenting Adult Children Today (PACT). Catherine shares a hopeful, practical roadmap for parents who want less tension and more trust—especially as the holidays bring everyone under one roof. We dig into why adult children often act different around their parents and how expectations, tone, and boundaries can either smother or strengthen the relationship. We discuss: • the hidden cost of...

Send us a text We sit down with "therapist to the millennials" Tess Brigham to unpack why the 20s feel overwhelming, how parents can ease anxiety without enabling, and what healthy support looks like in a world of constant comparison and blurred work boundaries. We also share a step‑by‑step plan for tapering financial help and end with three clear takeaways to guide tough conversations. • why questions beat lectures when adult kids call in crisis • social media’s role in comparis...

Send us a text Please follow us on social media - FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM -- we are building our brand and need your support! On to today's episode: The first hug goes to your adult child. That simple shift sets the tone for everything that follows—and it’s the heartbeat of our conversation with Donne Davis, founder of the Gaga Sisterhood, who’s spent two decades helping grandparents build steady, loving connections without overstepping. We dive into the messy, modern realities of grand...

Send us a text What if the words you use to show love are the very ones your adult child hears as judgment? That tension—care that lands as critique—drives so many family conflicts, and Deborah Tannen gives us the language map to change it. We sit down with the Georgetown linguist and bestselling author to explore conversational style, meta-messages, and the subtle ways timing, tone, and turn‑taking shape intimacy at home. Tannen shares vivid stories—from “Do you like your hair that lo...

Send us a text Relationship and Friendship expert Shasta Nelson shares powerful insights on transforming parent-adult child relationships and building meaningful connections throughout life. Emphasizing her Friendship Triangle framework of positivity, consistency, and vulnerability. 1. The Triangle of Healthy Relationships : Shasta introduces a powerful framework for understanding relationships, which consists of three essential components: positivity, consistency, and vul...

Send us a text Have you ever sent an impulsive text when feeling rejected by your adult child? That desperate "What did I do wrong?" message that you later regretted? You're not alone. The relationship between parents and their adult children exists on a delicate continuum—from deep connection to painful estrangement and everything in between. Dr. Rachel Glick, relationship specialist and author of "A Soulful Marriage," joins us to unpack the complex dynamics of parent-adult child relationsh...

Send us a text This is one funny episode. Today we interview Susan Engel, a professor of psychology at Williams College and the author of the New York Times Article: When They're Grown, The Real Pain Begins. Joining Denise as co-host is a dear friend Val Haller. Val is the mother of four boys, very similar to the ages of Susan's boys when she wrote this article, so she is our perfect co-host. Susan takes us through her journey when she wrote the a...

Send us a text Growing up doesn't end at 18—it's just beginning. Dr. Sara Klein, Vice President for Student Affairs at Stevens Institute of Technology, delivers a powerful message about the college transition that resonates far beyond freshman year: parents need to back off. After decades of helicopter parenting from preschool through high school, many parents struggle to step back when their children enter college. We've become accustomed to tracking every aspect of our children's lives—fr...