Bite Your Tongue: The Podcast

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 accommodate their adult children while their own feelings go unheard. Dr. Gibson offers a differ...

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 podcasting. A recipient of the Peabody, Pulitzer, and Edward R. Murrow Awards, Ira is widely conside...

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 like it is and doesn't hold back. He's says the right things - but sometimes they are hard ...

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 the difference between anxiety and overthinking — and why that distinction matters so much in relation...

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 Relationship Makeover and its companion workbook, Leslie and Lindsey share their deeply personal jour...

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 but powerful philosophy: doing nothing can be one of the most supportive things a parent does....

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 whether your help is actually helpful, or wondered how to be close without being intrusive, ...

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 either smother or strengthen the relationship. We discuss: • the hidden cost of parental expec...

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 connections without overstepping. We dive into the messy, modern realities of grand-parenting—new ...

Relationship and Friendship expert Shasta Nelson shares powerful insights on transforming parent-adult child relationships and building meaningful connections throughout life. Emphasizing her Friendship Triangle framework of positivity, consistency, and vulnerability. 1. The Triangle of Healthy Relationships : Shasta introduces a powerful framework for understanding relationships, which consists of three essential components: positivity, consistency, and vulnerability. To ...

This is one funny episode. Today we interview Susan Engel, a professor of psychology at Williams College and the author of the New York Times Article: When They're Grown, The Real Pain Begins. Joining Denise as co-host is a dear friend Val Haller. Val is the mother of four boys, very similar to the ages of Susan's boys when she wrote this article, so she is our perfect co-host. Susan takes us through her journey when she wrote the article in 2012 ...

Dr. Lawrence Steinberg sheds light on the evolving relationship between parents and their adult children in today's challenging economic landscape, offering practical advice on when to speak up and when to bite your tongue. He explains how the elongation of adolescence and unprecedented financial pressures have transformed traditional parent-child dynamics. • Housing costs have risen five times faster than salaries, creating barriers to independence for young adults • Living with parents is ...

Pride Month gives us the perfect opportunity to expand our understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially for those of us navigating relationships with our adult children. This heartfelt conversation with Emmy-nominated Matthew Rodriguez, host and executive producer of "It's Okay to Ask Questions," offers exactly what many parents need—permission to learn without judgment. Rodriguez creates a safe space for curiosity, admitting that even as a gay man himself, he once struggled to unders...