Living The Third Way
Family is complicated.
Even the people we love most can hurt us... and we can hurt them.
Sometimes it feels like the only way to protect yourself is to either run away from it all — or stuff everything down and pretend you’re fine.
We get it. Because we’ve lived it.
We’re Shae and Adrian Misiak — Catholic mentors and mental health professionals — doing the hard and beautiful work of healing family wounds while raising a family of our own.
If you’ve ever felt stuck between cutting off a parent to survive,
or staying quiet to keep the peace… we’re here to tell you: there’s another way.
And this podcast explores what that actually looks like.
Here are some of the themes you’ll hear us talk about:
- the messy reality of family life
- navigating difficult relationships with integrity
- forgiveness that doesn’t ask you to forget the past
- grief that doesn’t require you to shut down love
- where and how God is working in the places that feel most broken
These episodes will meet you where you are and walk with you toward where God is inviting you to go.
You'll find honest conversations about becoming whole in real time, as we learn to love with both courage and compassion.
If you’re trying to build a healthier family than the one you came from,
or if you simply want to stop carrying all of this alone…
put us in your earbuds and listen along.
Walk with us as we explore what it takes to live the Third Way —
where joy is found, right alongside the hard and holy work of healing.
Living The Third Way
Why We're Launching on All Saints Day: Communion, Community, and the Work of Healing
We launched on All Saints Day because we want the saints’ intercession over this work—and because their lives show us what integrated, grace-filled healing looks like. In this first conversation, we unpack the Communion of Saints, what healthy community is meant to give us (love, belonging, formation), and why so many of us feel isolated in a culture of dis-integration—often beginning in the family, the “cell of society.” We name the pain without getting stuck in blame. Adrian shares a personal story, and together we explore how owning our woundedness—rather than fixing, minimizing, or avoiding it—opens real relationship with one another and with those who’ve gone before us.
What we cover
- Why All Saints Day matters for this podcast and our mission
- A simple, lived explanation of the Communion of Saints
- Community as a human necessity (beyond basic needs: love & belonging)
- How cultural disintegration shows up first in families—and what that means
- Moving from victimhood to responsibility without self-shame
- Adrian’s personal example of taking ownership and choosing repair
- How acknowledging wounds becomes the doorway to deep communion
- Closing intercessory prayer asking a few saints who’ve shaped our story to pray with us
Three takeaways
- You’re made for communion. Isolation isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s contrary to who you are.
- Naming the wound is not failure. It’s the start of healing and real connection.
- Responsibility is freedom. Refusing blame narratives gives you the power to love with integrity.
Try this this week
- Name one pattern in your family story without judgment.
- Ask a favorite saint to intercede for you specifically in that place.
- Take one small step of responsibility (a boundary, an apology, a request for help).
Resources & links
- Our website: adrianandshae.com
- Say hello or send questions/feedback: hello@adrianandshae.com
Support the show
If this episode served you, please rate, review, and share the podcast with a friend who needs hope before the holidays. Your support helps others find this work.