Carrying the Family: The Burden & Blessing of Daughtering with Dr. Allison Alford

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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