
Carrying the Family: The Burden & Blessing of Daughtering with Dr. Allison Alford
From Brilliant Balance by Cherylanne Skolnicki
March 17, 2026 · 33 min
About this episode
Cherylanne Skolnicki discusses the complexities of 'daughtering' with Dr. Allison Alford, exploring the balance of obligation and autonomy in family roles.
Today, I'm joined by communication scholar and Baylor professor Dr. Allison Alford to shine a light on a topic that speaks directly to the heart of so many women—the often unseen work of "daughtering." If you're the steady anchor of your family, the go-to for remembering birthdays, managing sibling dynamics, and smoothing over tensions before anyone else even notices, this conversation is for you! Dr. Alford is the author of Good Daughtering and brings wisdom, empathy, and refreshing clarity to the subtle yet significant roles that many professional women carry as adult daughters, and the interplay of obligation and autonomy, devotion and depletion. She offers practical strategies to lighten your load, reclaim your agency, and reshape your definition of what it means to be "enough." You'll discover why recognizing your "daughtering" labor is both liberating and essential. This conversation offers a fresh perspective on modeling daughtering, so tune in for inspiration to purposely create a life with a more sustainable, joyful balance! Show Highlights: What does "daughtering" mean? [05:06] The doing, thinking, feeling, and being work of daughters. [06:34] Acknowledging the…
People in this episode
Host: Cherylanne
Guest: Dr Allison Alford
Topics covered
- daughtering
- family dynamics
- women's roles
- work-life balance
Keywords
- communication
- professional women
- agency
- sustainable balance
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Good Daughtering
Books & works: Carrying the Family: The Burden & Blessing of Daughtering
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