.png)
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
The Emotional Nexus of Parental Estrangement: Rejection
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of When Our Adult Children Walk Away, Dr. Steinkamp takes a gentle but honest look at one of the most painful aspects of estrangement: the deep sting of rejection.
When our adult child pulls away - slowly or suddenly - it can turn daily life upside down. The decision to step away can shake a parent’s identity, confidence, and every memory about the relationship. No matter where an estranged relationship with your adult child sits on the Continuum of Estrangement, the pain and confusion of rejection can be significant.
Listen in, and you’ll walk with Dr. Steinkamp through what rejection is and how it manifests as the emotional nexus of estrangement (e.g., disbelief, anger, and despair). Learn why emotions show up with such intensity in the face of rejection.
Listeners will hear and consider five survival strategies designed to help you name your loss, separate your identity from the estrangement, choose meaning over bitterness, and begin the gradual move into acceptance and transformation.
As you listen, you’ll be reminded that your grief speaks to the depth of your love—and that rejection does not define you. You are learning, growing, and reclaiming your voice one day at a time. Wherever you are on this journey, you are not alone.
Related Episodes
- The Unrest of Not Knowing: Letting Go of The Need for Certainty in Estrangement
- Respecting No-Contact: 8 Strategies to Find Strength in the Stillness
- 6 Mistakes Estranged Parents Make That Delay Re-Establishing Communication
- Rebuilding Trust: How Estranged Moms Can Reconnect- Episode 2
- It’s Not Just About the Past: Why Adult Kids Stop Talking to Dad
#WhenOurAdultChildrenWalkAway #EstrangementSupport #EstrangedAdultChild #ParentalEstrangement #EstrangementGrief #ParentalReconnection #AcceptingRejection #ParentalAdultChildRelationship #Fracturedfamily #FamilyEstrangement #ReconnectingWithMyChild #EstrangementCoach #FamilyEstrangementPodcast #NoContactfamily #EstrangementGrief #EstrangedParents #ParentalRejection
For more information, please visit
https://www.WhenOurAdultChildrenWalkAway.com
The stories, examples, reflections, and perspectives shared in this podcast are based on my professional work as an estrangement coach and my personal estrangement journey. Any examples, characters, or stories referenced are either drawn from my own lived experience or represent a composite of multiple real-life situations shared with me over time. The intention of this podcast is not to accuse, label, or defame any individual but to provide insight, validation, and support for those navigating the complexities of family estrangement. All opinions expressed are my own and are shared with you, the listener, from a place of healing and learning.