Beyond The High Road of Parental Alienation

In Episode 99 of Beyond the High Road Podcast, Shelby delivers significant insights on how cognitive distortions magnify the fears surrounding parental alienation. Shelby provides an update on her upcoming course aimed for early October, inviting listeners to contribute their preferences for either self-study or group coaching. She emphasizes the life-changing effects of her methods and encourages...

In episode 98 of Beyond the High Road with Shelby Milford, Shelby explores the cognitive distortions that can unwittingly drive a wedge between parents and their children. She discusses key distortions such as excessive positivity, emotional reasoning, and micromanaging, and their impact on alienated parents. Shelby also shares strategies for overcoming these mental habits to foster a healthier re...

In Episode 97 of Beyond the High Road Podcast, Shelby Milford delves deep into the challenges and emotional struggle that come with parental alienation. She reflects on past experiences, including court battles and the stresses of proving her worth as a mother. Shelby shares insights from Mark Manson on finding purpose by understanding what you are willing to struggle for. Through personal anecdot...

IT’LL ALL COME TOGETHER BY THE END OF THE EPISODE & THE TITLE WILL MAKE SENSE Having said that, the topics covered to get you there are: Understanding Procrastination & Embracing The Struggle to Create Purpose 
 In episode 96 of the Beyond the High Road podcast, Shelby Milford explores the intertwined topics of procrastination and creating a PURPOSE MINDSET as it relates to your relationship with...

Story Alchemy: Transforming Our Inner Narratives In episode 95 of the Beyond The High Road podcast, Shelby Milford discusses the impact of the stories we tell ourselves and how they influence our happiness. She emphasizes the importance of re-evaluating and reframing these narratives to improve our interactions and mental well-being. Shelby shares examples from her clients to illustrate how holdin...

In episode 94 of the Beyond the High Road podcast, host Shelby Milford discusses her insights and lessons learned from a tumultuous weekend and delves into the common traits among alienated parents and their potential links to childhood trauma stemming from the roles played by their own parent(s). She explores the possibility that many alienated parents might have experienced trauma as a result of...

In episode 93 of the Beyond the High Road podcast, Shelby Milford celebrates approaching the 100-episode milestone while working on a 'best of' collection. Shelby discusses the importance of physical exercise and nutrition in managing the prolonged freeze response and nervous system dysregulation experienced by many alienated parents. She shares personal anecdotes about reconnecting with physical...

From Freeze to Freedom: From The Journal of an Alienated Parent In Episode 92 of the Beyond the High Road Podcast, Shelby Milford takes a deep dive into her personal struggles and triumphs during a bleak period of parental alienation. Sharing raw excerpts from her journal, Shelby revisits moments of heartache, confusion, and eventual self-realization. She relives a poignant school event with her d...

Break Free from Stagnancy: Activate Purpose and Overcome Fear In episode 91 of 'Beyond the High Road' with Shelby Milford, Shelby discusses the importance of overcoming the feeling of being stuck and finding purpose. She emphasizes the necessity of breaking out of survival mode by taking proactive steps, even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain. By sharing personal experiences and pra...

Coping with Functional Freeze as an Alienated Parent In episode 90 of Beyond the High Road Podcast, Shelby Milford shares her personal experiences and insights about functional freeze, especially in the context of being an alienated parent. She discusses the symptoms of functional freeze, how the condition can often be mistaken for depression, and the physiological responses involved. Shelby also...

In episode 89 of Beyond the High Road Podcast, Shelby Milford addresses the emotional turmoil faced by parents experiencing alienation from their children. Shelby discusses common feelings of exhaustion, rejection, and the desire to 'cut ties,' urging listeners to reframe these emotions and view their situation with a more objective and compassionate lens. She stresses the importance of re...

⚡️Zing, Zing, ZING, yall. This one may be long, but I barely came up for air. If you’re ready for a 50 minute episode that’s chock full of tips, tricks — and yes, ZINGERS — to move you from a place of lack to a place of abundance THIS IS IT⚡️ . ………..In this episode of the 'Beyond the High Road' podcast, host Shelby Milford focuses on breaking free from a lack mindset and generational patterns of...

In episode 87 of Beyond the High Road Podcast, host Shelby Milford discusses overcoming mental barriers and focusing on solutions rather than problems, inspired by a recent challenge she faced while shopping for her daughter's birthday card. Shelby emphasizes the importance of personal perspective in addressing adversity, particularly in the context of parental alienation. Through quotes from...

In episode 86 of the Beyond the High Road podcast, Shelby Milford delves into an unexplored yet ubiquitous topic: handling shitty days and the difficult choices they present, especially while living apart from your beloved children.  She opens up about her own experiences, including the complexities of her relationship with her daughter and father, especially around her birthday. Shelby shares ins...

In episode 85 of the Beyond the High Road podcast, host Shelby Milford discusses the challenges of feeling scrutinized and misunderstood, a topic inspired by her personal experiences and conversations with fellow alienated moms. She reflects on her own journey, starting from a point of feeling misunderstood to focusing on personal resilience in the face of criticism. Shelby highlights two influent...

This is a recording from the Facebook Live on Friday when we had a little story time! I thought y'all would benefit from it too. In the episode, I share a memory from a dark period of time for me (Mother's Day 2017), and then tie it together with this week's theme. I hope you love it. ♥️

In episode 84 of the Beyond the High Road podcast, host Shelby Milford discusses the challenges and emotions surrounding family-oriented holidays like Mother's Day and Father's Day, especially for target parents of alienation. Shelby shares personal anecdotes about the significance of these holidays and the memories associated with them, reflecting on how such times can be particularly dif...

The dreaded deed of forgiveness: the original ”F” word, to an alienated parent.   In this episode, Shelby shares insights on the pivotal role of forgiveness in healing from  the pain parental alienation.  She discusses the efficacy of family systems therapy over reunification therapy, drawing from advice received from a former attorney. The episode delves into the complexities of forgiveness, incl...

I remember the first time I heard about reunification therapy... I thought, " OMG, FINALLY! There is a reasonable action to counter to all the damage that has been done! " . I was thrilled by the notion that maybe, just maybe , my case would begin to turn around. After a little research (and a lot of legwork), I was able to have a judge order the therapy for my daughter and me. I was sur...

Do you feel chained to the painful memories of your custody situation? Like youre obligated to tell and re-tell the same old stories about the same old incidents in order to make sense of WHY this has all happened?   Even if you made a deciosjojn to drop it and move on, do you find yourself feeling blocked or stuck as a result of the power your ex holds over your life?  I did.  I was TERRIFIED of...

Do You Self-Erase? I believe that the people and experiences we attract into our lives are a direct reflection of how we think & feel about ourselves on the inside … We can only connect with the same level of energy that we are putting out… you know?   Continuing on from last week, I truly believe that.. due to our individual histories, we already learned to be comfortable with denying ourselv...

Ever notice that, when caught in the clutches of a stressful moment, how you freak out and do exactly the opposite of: what you really want to do what is in your best interest , and/or what supports your goals and dreams ? Like, in the moment, you know what you want longterm, but you just can't seem to stop yourself from choosing the unhealthy option , even tho you know its ultimately going to...

If you've been down the research rabbit hole of alienation's long-term effects on children, you're well aware of the toll it could take on their cognitive development .  Similarly (tho your brain may have been fully developed when your children were born), parents like us  also  experience a dulling of our critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills ; which makes it more challengi...

We spend our lives running, trying to circumnavigate situations that seem scary . It starts in school... we don't want to feel rejection . Hurt. We shudder at the idea of being made a fool or taken advantage of. Instead, we hide ourselves away, build up all these walls in effort to avoid emotional pain .  Then, when the alienation begins... seemingly overnight, we feel an influx of negative em...

We, as parents experiencing alienation, know isolation. We know lonely. Heck... it's right there in the two word term! When alienation begins, it doesn't only affect your role in your child's life -- in fact, the predicament we've found ourselves in affects so many other relationships. Until recently, your children were intertwined with your entire life! So it makes sense that you...