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When Our Adult Children Walk Away
My story. Reflecting my experiences, observations and perspective - in my words.
In the early spring of 2019, under the influence of her gatekeeper-partner, in the heart of the global pandemic. After several years of trying to sort through our differences, my (young) adult daughter made the heartbreaking choice to cut all communication with our family.
My name is Dr. Janet Steinkamp, and the reason for this podcast is simple. During the long, dark hours of my isolation and desperation, I decided to use my formal training and professional experience to help people struggling to understand how to strengthen their communication styles and interpersonal behavior to rebuild a fracturing relationship. I pivoted from decades of work in medical education and communication to work with families.
I now coach people, both parents and adult children, through the dark days, isolation, and pain of estrangement from their parent or adult child. We work to find hope and look toward the future, to grow despite and because of their estrangement, and find strategies that help them prepare to strengthen and rebuild their fractured relationship.
When you are ready to walk through the hot coals of self-reflection toward self-discovery - to prepare for repair - I'm here to walk alongside you.
I can't promise reconnection, I can and will help you find clarity, purpose and strength as you prepare for opportunities to establish respectful, trusting communication.
When Our Adult Children Walk Away
Latest Episodes
After Hours from Virtual Office Hours on May 24th, 2026 - Why aren't' they responding? (Audio Only)
Are you an estranged parent who finds themselves asking the same question over and over... "Why isn’t my message landing the way I intend?" Or, "Why isn't (adult child) responding?"In this first After Hours Series episode, Dr. Janet Stei...
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Is Social Media Making Estrangement Worse? What the Research Actually Says
Welcome back to When Our Adult Children Walk Away, a podcast dedicated to one of the most painful, and one of the least talked-about, experiences a family can go through: estrangement. I'm Dr. Janet Steinkamp. No guilt. No shame. No blame. ...
When It Was Us Part 3; The Way Back (audio only)
In Part 3 of the three-part series, When It Was Us, Dr. Janet Steinkamp and her daughter Brianna step into the sacred, complicated territory so many families long to understand: what actually happens when an estranged adult child comes...
When It Was Us — Episode 2: The Silence (audio only)
What happens in the years right before an adult child walks away — and what does the silence that follows actually feel like, from both sides? In Part Two of When It Was Us, Dr. Janet Steinkamp and her daughter Brianna go i...
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When It Was Us - Episode 1: How We Got Here (audio only)
What does estrangement actually look like before it happens? In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Janet Steinkamp does something she has never done before — she opens up about her own estrangement, inviting her daughter Brianna to join her for ...
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Fan Mail
Good day, I enjoyed your podcast on estranged adult children. My daughter cut me off when I would not co sign a mortgage. She then started berating me over text telling me I was a disappointment and disgusting to her. I feel abused by her and stopped contacting her. I have three grandchildren she has now cut me off from too. The only way I can see my grandchildren is to go to their games or public events. Am I best to stay completely away from her and my grandchildren and just hope they come back? Thank you
Succasunna, New Jersey