Bite Your Tongue: The Podcast

What does it really mean to be a “good daughter”? For many women, it means remembering birthdays, making the phone calls, planning the holidays, buying the gifts, checking on aging parents, keeping siblings connected—and carrying an enormous amount of emotional and mental work that nobody else sees. Dr. Alison Alford , author of Good Daughtering: The Work You've Always Done, the Credit You&ap...

How do you set boundaries with an adult child struggling with addiction when every limit feels frightening—and potentially dangerous? In this episode, a listener describes the painful cycle her family has been living through: addiction, crisis, promises, hope and then another setback. She loves her adult child and wants to do everything possible to keep them safe. But she is also exhausted, fright...

If you've listened to Bite Your Tongue for a while, you may remember this conversation with friendship expert Shasta Nelson . I'm bringing it back because when I listened to it again, I realized just how much is packed into this episode. Yes, we talk about friendship—but we also talk about something at the very heart of this podcast: How do we build a healthier, more adult relationship w...

If you've ever stared at your phone wondering whether to send that text, this episode is for you.  Sometimes the silence lasts longer than you want.  Sometimes you feel them pushing away. That's why this episode of Straight from the Listener Line: Real Questions, Real Answers , tackles one of the most emotionally difficult dilemmas parents face. If your adult child isn't reaching ou...

This is an episode re-run and one that is still so relevant and needs a re-listen. It seems actually that it is even more relevant today.  Parent's are still asking Parents are still asking, "How do I stay close to my adult child without pushing them away?" Francine Toder's answer isn't another communication technique—it's something much harder: look at yourself first...

When an adult child moves back home once, many parents see it as temporary. But what happens when it becomes a pattern? In this episode of Straight from the Listener Line: Real Questions, Real Answers , Denise is joined by psychotherapist Joe Nucci to answer a listener's heartfelt question about her adult son, who has returned home five different times. Together they explore the difficult bal...

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,...

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...

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 accommoda...

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 belie...

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 po...

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 —...

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...

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...

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 th...

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...

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 Rel...

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 F CK Them Kids*. Leave your name and email. Family estrangement has gone mainstream — from Oprah to headlines about celebrity families — and the narrative is almost...

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 b...

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 too...

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...

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 adva...

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 eith...

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 questio...

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...