Episodes

Send us a Text Message. Ever felt the sting of disappointment when your adult children don't quite live up to your dreams for them? Join us in a special rewind episode where we sit down with the insightful Jane Adams, PhD, author of "When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us." Jane unpacks the emotional rollercoaster that many parents experience, offering her personal story and expert advice for letting go and allowing children to grow into their unique identities. Her years as a social psychologist and...

Send us a Text Message. We are answering your questions! When our inbox fills with numerous questions on a particular topic from listeners, we know it's time for a dedicated podcast episode addressing those questions. However, not every query requires a full episode but each deserves an insightful answer. In this special installment, we've compiled questions from you—our listeners via email and social media—and provided answers that we hope will resonate with many. In this episode, we cover: B...

In this episode we talk to Francine Russo, Francine Russo, a renowned journalist and author of "Love After 50: How to Find It, Enjoy It, and Keep It." Francine shares her personal journey through widowhood and divorce, and the unique advantages of finding love later in life. She says new love in later years is the best love. Listen and find out why. Merging families in adulthood, also known as adult stepfamilies or later lifestyle families, can be challenging. Some say it can take up to five y...

We delve into the world of pregnancy and fertility challenges that our young adult children are facing. With couples taking longer to marry or start families, this has become a significant issue for young adults, and as parents, it’s crucial for us to understand the landscape. A listener reached out to request an exploration of this topic, so we invited Elizabeth King, a Certified Life Coach specializing in Fertility, Miscarriage, and New Mom Support, to join us. Elizabeth, a proud IVF warrior a...

What if simply engaging in thoughtful conversations could transform your understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community? In our latest episode of Bite Your Tongue, we celebrate Pride Month with the Emmy-nominated Matthew Rodriguez, the insightful host and executive producer of "It's Okay to Ask Questions." Through heartfelt narratives and candid discussions, we unravel the complexities surrounding pronoun respect, gender identity, and the often-overlooked struggles of intersex and transgender individu...

What happens when your sweet, funny, smart, enthusiastic child turns out to have a mental illness? Where do you go for help? Who do you turn to for advice? And what if those institutions and experts fail you and more importantly, fail your young adult? What happens when everywhere you look for help or support you come up disappointed and alone? In today’s episode we hear from a couple whose family, much like any of ours, has been turned upside down because of a drastic change in their son’s men...

This episode will defy nearly everything we've talked about over the past few years. Our guest Jeffrey Arnett, Ph.D is renowned for proposing coined the theory and term “emerging adult” in the early 2000’s. He characterizes this stage of life by exploration, instability, and boundless optimism. But when we talk about technology, sex, and societal patterns he outwardly rejects much of the current research and tells us why. We take a look at how things have changed since his original book in 20...

When we think of Mother's Day, we often envision breakfast in bed or a sweet card, but the truth is, the gifts that mothers cherish most are the bonds they share with their children, no matter their age. That is what we hear today from our guests. Mary Dell Harrington and Lisa Heffernan. They are the founders of Grown & Flown, the very popular website and social media stops. Together, we unpack the transition from managing a bustling household to adapting to an 'empty nest', and how this shift ...

This episode dives deep into resilience. We talk to a resilience expert and parenting coach about how to build resilience - in ourselves and our adult children. Why do we sometimes look at the bad and forget to remember and be grateful for the positive? Our guests explain that neuroscience tells us that we are programmed to look at the negative and much more difficult to remind ourselves of the positives. We discuss the process that involves building our resilience muscles, such as positivity,...

Maybe you've recently read these headlines in the New York Times or The Wall Street Journal. "Well Into Adulthood and Still Getting Money From Their Parents. Nearly 60% of parents provide financial help to their adult kids, a new study finds." WSJ "Parents Are Highly Involved in Their Adult Children’s Lives, and Fine With ItNew surveys show that today’s intensive parenting has benefits, not just risks, and most young adults seem happy with it, too." (NYT) What you didn't know is that these arti...

Do you have a favorite child? Maybe you think you don't but there are things you do or say that show something different. Today we delve into the much overlooked topic of sibling relationships. We speak with Fern Schumer Chapman author o the book Brothers, Sisters, Strangers. Siblings are the longest relationship we will have in our lives - and our children's. They share our history our family and our story. Chapman shares her personal life story that led her to write this book. We talk about ...

For today's episode we brought back Tony and Alyssa DiLorenzo to discuss their new book "The Secret to Breaking the Conflict Cycle in Your Marriage," and to share their wisdom on maintaining strong connections in all our relationships - and that means with our adult kids too! We talk about the need to actively engage in conflict resolution rather than avoiding or ignoring issues. (which most of us do!) By being intentional, individuals can identify the root causes of conflicts, understand thei...

Today we speak with the legendary Charles Fay, Ph.D who, with his father Jim Fay and Dr. Foster W. Cline founded Love and Logic. For many years parents have turned to Love and Logic for guidance for their young children. It is a trusted research-driven, whole child approach to child-rearing. And now - guess what? They are talking about how Love and Logic works for building healthy relationships with our young adult children! We talk about their new book coming out in March 2024 that includes a...

In today’s episode Denise and Kirsten chat with renowned matchmaker Rachel Greenwald. Do you ever worry your adult child will never find a partner? Do they spend too much time with their career rather than love? Do you feel like they are always picking the wrong person? Today we discuss whether parents should meddle in their adult child's dating life. Greenwald offers insights about if, when, and how to navigate this tricky issue that impacts the whole family. We dig deep into the changing datin...

Today we discuss the sometimes difficult, yet rewarding relationships between mothers and daughters. We speak with Pam Tronson, parenting couch with a special certification in mother/daughter relationships. The connection between a mother and daughter is one of the strongest and most important family relationships. Accepting that it can be difficult and messy is key to being able to navigate the highs and lows. Bound by love we are often disappointed when our adult relationships with our daugh...

We're thrilled to be joined by Julie Lythcott-Haims, the author of "How to Raise an Adult" and "Your Turn." As a former dean at Stanford University, Julie offers a unique lens to view the nuanced world of parenting, and the perils that lurk within the shadows of over-involvement. This captivating episode is a deep dive into the challenging world of raising children into responsible adults. Julie illuminatingly discusses the societal pressures that implore parents to hover, the pitfalls of over-...

We had a fantastic time chatting with the talented author and journalist, Jessica Grose, who helped us understand the intricate landscape of parenting today and how she fares as a young adult. We talk about how we can support our young adult children today. Her book, Screaming on the Inside, the Unsustainability of American Motherhood, is both an historical look at motherhood and a sounding alarm on the state of motherhood today. She acknowledges that one major change in society could make a big...

Today's episode we speak with the "Godmother of Silicon Valley," Esther Wojcicki. If you have not heard of her - you must listen to this episode. She is the author of the best selling book "How to Raise Successful People - Simple Lessons for Radical Results" She's as expert no doubt because she has raised three enormously successful daughters including Susan Wojcicki, who was the CEO of Youtube from 2014 to 2023. Janet Wojcicki, a professor of Pediatrics and Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and CEO of...

This is a not to be missed episode! We talk to Dr. Gene Beresin, Executive director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a full professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and senior educator in child and adolescent psychiatry at MGH His 40-years of experience working with youth and young adults has given him an enormous breath of knowledge. And, in addition to his professional life, he's learned quite a bit about building healthy relationsh...

Struggling with your adult kids? Are they about to cut you out of their lives or you just want to build a stronger relationship? We cover it all in this episode, where we speak with Dr. Joshua Coleman about two of his books: When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along Rules of Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict Dr. Coleman speaks with us about the shift in culture and parenting that has led to an alarming increase...

Today we speak with Kimberly Damon. Kim, a certified life coach who wears a multitude of hats. Kim discusses the importance of finding a lesson in everything, practicing self-reflection and embracing acceptance. These themes highlight the transformative power of personal growth and understanding in relationships, particularly between parents and their adult children. Kim shares her own journey of experiencing estrangement with her children and parents, which compelled her to seek solutions and...

On Mother’s Day On Mother's Day 2023, my daughter Catie sent me a link to a book and wrote, "the author and her mom would make great guests on your podcast." The book “What to Do When I’m Gone, A Mother’s Wisdom to her Daughter” sparked my interest. I ordered the book and loved it. I told my daughter I would love to do an episode with the authors of this book - as long as she was the guest co-host. She agreed. So here we are, two adult children and two mothers talking about death. We talk to ...

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Laurence Steinberg about his new book - You and Your Adult Child: How to Grow Together During Challenging Times. He brings us a whole new perspective. Touted as the first comprehensive guide for parents navigating the crucial decades of their children's lives, we explore everything so many issues. We delve into the complexities of the parent-adult child relationship and discuss the challenges and changes that come with this stage of life. Steinberg shares valuab...

It's June and that is typically wedding season. So we thought we'd combine our two wedding episodes into one BEST OF THE BEST. You will hear first from fAleigh Huston-Lyons, a therapist and coach at AisleTalk: Consultation & Therapy. A boutique practice devoted to helping brides and grooms cope with the stresses that arise during wedding planning and anticipation of marriage. From engagement and finances to the invite list and drama, Aleigh puts in all in perspective. Social media has taken a to...