Episode 115: Melanie Shankle on Becoming What You Didn’t Have

Episode 115: Melanie Shankle on Becoming What You Didn’t Have

From The GoodHard Story Podcast by Katherine Wolf

January 20, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 115

About this episode

Katherine Wolf interviews Melanie Shankle about the complexities of parenting and healing from generational wounds.

Parenting dynamics are complicated, to say the very least. Every mother and father will leave wounds on their children, no matter how carefully (or carelessly) they parent. Today I’m sitting down with Melanie Shankle, who was generous enough to share about the wounds left by her mother as well as the healing she’s found in raising a daughter of her own. Through her bestselling books and hilarious podcast, Melanie has shared her life with us for nearly two decades—from the frivolous and fun stuff to the hard and the heavy stuff. Her most recent book, Here Be Dragons, was one of the best books I’ve read in the last year. In true Melanie fashion, this conversation about aging well, relating to young adult kids, and breaking generational cycles is as heavy as it is light. I think you’ll enjoy every minute. Show Notes: What we mentioned: Here Be Dragons: Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma by Melanie Shankle - https://a.co/d/0giagu3 Sparkly Green Earrings: Catching the Light at Every Turn by Melanie Shankle - https://a.co/d/0TMFnLl Songs for the Anxious Heart - https://open.spotify.com/album/6mA22vsD5MvgUPCEPKgjBg?si=vHtRb743RuGHJQKLvAkK0w…

People in this episode

Host: Katherine Wolf

Guest: Melanie Shankle

Topics covered

  • parenting
  • generational trauma
  • motherhood
  • healing
  • relationships
  • aging

Keywords

  • parenting dynamics
  • generational cycles
  • mother-daughter relationship
  • healing
  • Melanie Shankle
  • Here Be Dragons
  • Christianity

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Here Be Dragons, Sparkly Green Earrings, Songs for the Anxious Heart

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