In this deeply personal episode, I share my own journey through the challenges of parenting a son struggling with anger and substance abuse.

In this crossover episode with People Who Suffer, Andrew McKee interviews me for a change and I’ll walk you through the first signs of my son’s struggles and how my emotions became entangled with his; when he was angry, I was angry. When he was upset, I was upset.

The situation escalated when my son confessed his substance use, disappeared emotionally and physically, and began skipping school, missing 60 days in one semester.

I know it sounds familiar to many of you when I say that shame overwhelmed me, causing me to shut down as a person and a mother, plagued by thoughts of what I should have done differently. I feared we had lost him. As parents, we were consumed by shame and tried to keep our struggles a secret.

Getting our son into wilderness was a decision that I firmly believe saved my son's life, leading to an incredible shift in my perspective and also many more ups and downs.

When I realized my own part in my son’s, family’s and my own struggles, and I started working on myself, it completely changed everything. It changes me, it changed my son, and it changed our family.

Now, years later, I can truly say my sons have a completely different mom emotionally. Have a listen to my personal story which I hope will benefit all of you.

In this episode on how I went from a struggling parent to a parent coach, we discuss:

• My personal story from being a struggling mom of a struggling teen, all the way to being a parent coach;
• The first signs of our son struggling with anger and substance use;
• The shame and guilt I felt as a mom of a struggling teen;
• How we learned about wilderness and got our son in;
• The epiphany needed to change our lives;
• The moment that felt like the beginning of the rest of my life;
• And so much more!

Need support?

🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!

🤍Influence lasting change in yourself and your struggling teen with my private coaching or parent group program specifically created for parents of struggling teens.

Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

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