Christmas can feel unbearable when you're estranged from your adult child or spending another holiday without them. In this episode, Kim shares an honest, hope-filled message for moms navigating the hardest season. You'll discover why your worth isn't tied to your child's presence, how to stop comparing your pain to everyone else's highlight reel, and practical ways to create meaning during the holidays. Through uplifting scripture and real talk, you'll learn that light can shine even in your...
Are you stuck in the same painful thoughts about your relationship with your adult child? In this episode, we talk about something that might surprise you—how we sometimes become attached to our own suffering. Not because we want to hurt, but because the pain feels familiar. We explore why our minds cling to beliefs that keep us stuck, how desire can become a source of ongoing pain, and why we confuse our painful stories with our identity. Drawing wisdom from James 1:2-4, we discover how to l...
In this heartfelt episode, Kim sits down with Karen Carlson, author of the Amazon bestselling book "Peacefully Parenting Adult Children." Karen shares her powerful PEACE framework that helps mothers navigate the shifting dynamics with their grown kids. Together, they explore why perfection doesn't exist in family relationships and how asking simple questions can transform connections. Karen opens up about her own experience caring for her granddaughter during deployment and the wisdom she gai...
Do you ever feel like anxiety has taken over your relationship with your grown children? Maybe you're trying so hard to keep everything perfect that you're pushing them away instead. In this powerful conversation with Dr. Robyn Graham, we explore how your nervous system might be stuck in survival mode—and how that affects every interaction with your kids. Robyn shares her own journey from being a perfectionist people-pleaser to finding peace through neuroscience and faith. You'll discover why...
Are you exhausted from walking on eggshells around your adult child? Do their choices, beliefs, or lifestyle feel like a personal rejection of everything you taught them? In this transformative episode, Kim shares a biblical framework that's helping hundreds of moms find peace even when they disagree with their grown children's choices. Discover why most conflicts with adult children are actually about "disputable matters" and learn the powerful "two circles" concept that clarifies exactly wh...
In episode 125 of the Midlife Worthy Moms Podcast, host and coach Kim addresses a common self-sabotaging behavior among moms—looking through social media during the holidays. She explains how this habit intensifies feelings of loneliness, insecurity, and regret, and offers insights on redirecting energy towards healthier coping mechanisms. Kim emphasizes the importance of internal healing and setting a positive mindset based on Colossians 3, urging listeners to avoid temporary validation from...
In this powerful follow-up to Episode 123, Kim welcomes author and mom Ruth Walton back to share her deeply personal journey through the eight stages of grief and estrangement. With one unforgettable analogy—a glass filled with mud—Ruth paints a vivid picture of what emotional healing truly looks like when life feels messy and full. Together, she and Kim explore how letting go, writing laments, and trusting God’s timing can lead to unexpected breakthroughs and renewed hope. This episode will ...
In this heartfelt conversation, Kim sits down with author and advocate Ruth Walton, who endured 14 years of estrangement from her son before finding peace, purpose, and faith through the journey. Ruth opens up about the painful breaking points, the role her faith played in sustaining her, and the quiet ways God met her in the waiting. From walking through the devastation of divorce to rediscovering her worth as a mother and daughter of God, Ruth’s story offers both honesty and hope for moms n...
Do you ever catch yourself spiraling into negative thoughts about your relationship with your grown child? You're not alone, and those thoughts might not even be true. In this episode, we're diving into cognitive distortions—those sneaky mental filters that twist reality and make everything feel worse than it actually is. I'll walk you through the most common thinking traps that affect moms of adult children, show you where these patterns come from, and give you practical ways to break free. ...
Have you caught yourself wishing your adult child would just call more while your own phone sits right next to you? Or hoping they'd understand what you're going through while you're not sure what their experience is? In this episode, we're exploring a powerful truth: the very qualities we long to see in our relationships must first bloom in our own hearts and actions. Join me as we dive into modeling behaviors, from character foundations like honesty and vulnerability to practical actions li...
Join me for Episode 120 of the Midlife Worthy Moms. Today is a short episode on what we might learn from Charlie Kirk's work as a parent of adult children. Grab Your Free Course and Motivational Book: The Parent's Repair Kit and How to Use the L.O.V.E. M.E.N.D.S. Framework https://www.midlifediscoveries.com/LOVE Visit the website at: https://www.midlifediscoveries.com/
Does your love for your adult child come with conditions? Do you find yourself keeping score of phone calls, visits, and holiday choices? In this transformative episode, Kim explores the difference between natural love (which expects something in return) and supernatural love (which seeks only the good of the other person). You'll discover why the love you think you're showing might actually be conditional, and how shifting to supernatural love can free you from the emotional rollercoaster of...
Feeling judged because your adult child has chosen distance? You're not alone. In this raw and honest episode, Kim addresses the painful stigma surrounding low and no contact relationships with grown children. From judgmental comments at the grocery store to family members who don't understand, the shame and isolation can feel overwhelming. But you don't have to carry this burden alone. Kim shares four practical steps to protect your heart while navigating others' opinions: leaning into faith...
Feeling replaced by your adult child's spouse? Struggling to connect with your grown kids? In this eye-opening episode, Kim shares the biblical truth behind the golden rule and how it can transform your family relationships. Drawing from Luke 6:31-33, she reveals why loving first - even when it's hard - is the key to the connection you're craving. Kim gets vulnerable about her own struggles with her son-in-law and shares the practical strategies that changed everything. You'll discover how to...
Are you caught in a loop of telling the same painful story about your adult child? Maybe it's about the birthday they forgot, the holidays they skip, or the calls they don't return. In this powerful episode, Kim reveals why our brains are wired to retell our stories and how this natural response might actually be keeping you stuck in pain and pushing your grown child further away. You'll discover the difference between processing and ruminating, learn why every retelling reinforces negative e...
What happens when a mom who helps others heal from estrangement has experienced it from both sides? In this deeply personal episode, Kim shares her raw and honest story of estrangement - both as a daughter who left home at 14 and as a mom whose adult children pulled away. From heated arguments that led to years of silence, to watching her own kids disappear after joining the Marines, Kim reveals the painful patterns that repeated across generations. She opens up about becoming a "desperate vi...
Every mom facing estrangement knows this feeling. You want to reach out to your grown child, but fear keeps you frozen. In this episode, we explore the difference between healthy fear that protects us and unhealthy fear that keeps us stuck. Discover the simple brain science behind why a difficult conversation with your child can feel as dangerous as facing a wild animal. Learn to identify the seven specific fears that sabotage your relationship attempts, from vulnerability to abandonmen...
Family estrangement has reached epidemic levels in America, with 27% of families affected. If you're a mom struggling to connect with your adult child, this episode reveals the shocking statistics behind what feels like your private pain. Kim shares research-backed insights about reconciliation rates, gender patterns in estrangement, and the connection between rising therapy rates and family division. More importantly, she offers biblical wisdom and practical steps toward healing. Discover wh...
What happens when therapy makes things worse instead of better? In part two of my conversation with Nick, we dive deep into the messy middle of our relationship - the years when everything felt broken. Nick opens up about encountering a therapist who wanted to blame everything on "mom" and why he walked away. We talk honestly about in-law dynamics, the chaos of trying to fit into a family that wasn't ours, and how I went silent when I should have spoken up. But this isn't just about the hard ...
What happens when your firstborn - your first love - becomes a stranger? In this raw, honest conversation, I sit down with my son Nick to talk about the moments that nearly broke our relationship and the journey that brought us back together. Nick shares stories you've never heard before - from childhood struggles in Boston to finding his way in rural Nebraska, from Marine Corps bootcamp during 9/11 to navigating divorce as a father. But this isn't just his story. It's about the painful years...