The Distant Parent
From CALLING HOME with Whitney Goodman, LMFT by Calling Home
April 28, 2026 · 18 min
About this episode
Whitney Goodman discusses the complexities of distant parent-child relationships and their emotional impact.
Some of the hardest parent relationships to name are the ones that look fine from the outside. Whitney breaks down the distant parent-child relationship - what defines it, what it feels like to grow up never quite being seen, and why trying harder to earn closeness often makes the distance widen. Whitney Goodman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the founder of Calling Home, a membership community that helps people navigate complex family dynamics and break harmful cycles. Have a question for Whitney? Send a voice memo or email to whitney@callinghome.co Join the Family Cyclebreakers Club: https://callinghome.co Follow Whitney on Instagram | sitwithwhit Follow Whitney on YouTube | @whitneygoodmanlmft Order Whitney's book, Toxic Positivity: https://sitwithwhit.com/toxic-positivity Sign up for updates on Whitney's new book: https://cmnyyv4kpyt.typeform.com/to/PHMzjy0o This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Whitney Goodman
Topics covered
- parent relationships
- distant parenting
- family dynamics
- mental health
- self improvement
Keywords
- distant parent
- parent-child relationship
- emotional distance
- family dynamics
- mental health
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Calling Home
Products: Toxic Positivity
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- He Was There But He Wasn't: The Emotionally Absent Father · June 2, 2026 · 26 min
- Estrangement vs. Distance | Why You're Pulling Away From Someone You Love · May 26, 2026 · 60 min
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