Family Troubles with Dr. Joshua Coleman

Family Troubles with Dr. Joshua Coleman is a podcast dedicated to exploring and understanding the intricate dynamics of family life through a multifaceted lens. Hosted by Dr. Joshua Coleman, a seasoned psychologist with decades of experience, this show dives deep into the complexities of modern familial relationships, along with transformative strategies to foster healthier connections and mend broken bonds. Each episode will tackle a broad range of topics affecting families today - from estranged relationships and family conflict, to the latest research and evolving societal pressures. Discussions will be intellectually stimulating, offering a 360-degree view of the strains on family life through interviews with leading academics, psychologists, sociologists and historians. If you’ve ever asked: • Why do adult relationships with parents fall apart? • When is estrangement appropriate? • Is reconciling and healing after estrangement possi

Family Troubles with Dr. Joshua Coleman is a society podcast hosted by Joshua Coleman, with 20 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Joshua Coleman hosts Family Troubles with Dr. Joshua Coleman, a society show with 20 episodes published.

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  Episode #21

  Dr. Galit Atlas: Understanding Childhood Wounds

  Sep 28, 202652 min

  In this episode of Family Troubles, I sit down with internationally renowned psychoanalyst and author Dr. Galit Atlas to talk about her new book, Come Closer: Childhood Wounds, Adult Love, and the Secrets of Emotional Intimacy. Dr. Atlas explores how the survival strategies we developed as children can become patterns we unconsciously repeat in our adult relationships and why understanding those patterns can help us create deeper, healthier connections. We talk about the six childhood wounds Dr. Atlas identifies in her book, including the frightened, melancholic, ashamed, invisible, guilty, and chosen child. We explore why guilt can give us an illusion of control, why we’re often drawn back to familiar, even painful, relationship dynamics, and how parents and adult children can become caught in cycles of responsibility, guilt, and difficulty separating. Most importantly, we discuss how healing requires moving beyond blame, mourning what we cannot change, and recognizing the agency we have as adults to build more fulfilling relationships. Listen for more on: • How childhood survival strategies become patterns in our adult relationships • Why guilt and self-blame can protect us from feelings of helplessness • How the familiar can draw us back to painful relationship dynamics • Why closeness can feel both deeply desired and frightening • How parents can help adult children separate without burdening them with guilt • Why understanding childhood wounds doesn’t require turning parents into villains • How mourning, self-awareness, and learning to repair conflict can create greater emotional intimacy Tune into this episode of Family Troubles for a hopeful and illuminating conversation with Dr. Atlas about childhood wounds, guilt, family estrangement, emotional inheritance, and adult love and how understanding the child we once were can help us take responsibility for the relationships we want to create today. Guest Links: Website Read Her New Book: Come Closer Instagram Substack Dr. Joshua Coleman’s Links: Website: http://www.drjoshuacoleman.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.josh.coleman Substack: https://substack.com/@joshuacolemanphd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJoshColeman/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoshuacoleman/?trk=opento_sprofile_topcard Twitter X: https://x.com/drjcoleman Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc-olRqS_o2xJlkpxWEEErg

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  Episode #19

  Billy Eichner: Before Becoming "Billy on the Street"

  Aug 18, 202631 min

  In this episode of Family Troubles, I sit down with Emmy-nominated comedian, actor, writer, and Billy on the Street creator Billy Eichner to talk about his parents, coming out, grief, creativity, resilience, and the lasting power of unconditional love. His new audio memoir, Billy on Billy , reflects on his childhood, his long road to success, and the parents he credits with helping him become fully himself. Billy shares how his parents gave him the freedom to pursue his dreams without shame, even when they had fears and struggles of their own. We also talk about his coming-out story, the small moments of acceptance he still remembers decades later, and why a parent’s encouragement can become an emotional safety net that lasts a lifetime. Listen for more on: • Why Billy believes his success came because of, rather than in spite of, his parents • How raising a child without shame can build confidence, self-respect, and resilience • Billy’s moving and funny story about coming out to his parents at age 20 • Why the small things parents say and do can stay with children for decades • How his parents chose encouragement over projecting their own fears or disappointments • The childhood storytelling contest that became an unforgettable example of his father’s support • Why believing in who your child is can shape the person they become Tune into this episode of Family Troubles for a warm, funny, and moving conversation with Billy Eichner about parenting, identity, grief, acceptance, and the extraordinary impact of letting a child know they are loved for exactly who they are. Guest Links: Billy on Billy: An Audio Memoir Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billyeichner/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@billyeichner?lang=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/billyonthestreettv Dr. Joshua Coleman’s Links: Website: http://www.drjoshuacoleman.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.josh.coleman Substack: https://substack.com/@joshuacolemanphd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJoshColeman/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoshuacoleman/?trk=opento_sprofile_topcard Twitter X: https://x.com/drjcoleman Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc-olRqS_o2xJlkpxWEEErg

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  Episode #18

  Does Wealth Make It Harder for Parents of Adult Children? Managing Director and Head of the Merrill Center for Family Wealth, Valerie Galinskaya

  Aug 11, 20261 hourS1

  In this episode of Family Troubles, I sit down with Valerie Galinskaya, Managing Director and Head of the Merrill Center for Family Wealth, to talk about wealth, inheritance, adult children, family communication, and the emotional complexity that can come with financial planning. Valerie and her team work with families navigating some of life’s most important financial decisions, but as she explains in this conversation, wealth is rarely just about money. It can amplify trust, uncertainty, resentment, gratitude, guilt, entitlement, and family conflict. And for parents of adult children, conversations about inheritance, gifting, fairness, and future planning can quickly become emotionally charged. We talk about why so many parents avoid discussing money with their adult children, what happens when expectations are unclear, and why disclosure does not have to be all or nothing. Valerie offers a helpful way to think about financial conversations as a “dimmer switch” rather than a light switch, where families can begin with purpose and structure before jumping straight into numbers. Listen for more on: • Why wealth can amplify existing family dynamics • The biggest misconceptions about inherited wealth and family happiness • Why many parents feel anxious about discussing money with adult children • How unclear expectations can create resentment, anxiety, or conflict • Why communication and prepared heirs matter so much in family wealth planning • The difference between disclosure and understanding • Why parents may need to clarify whether adult children have a voice or a vote • How families can think about fairness, equality, and equity differently • Why cutting a child out of an inheritance can have lasting emotional consequences • How wealth can shape identity, guilt, purpose, and family relationships Tune into this episode of Family Troubles for a thoughtful conversation about wealth, adult children, inheritance, communication, and how families can make clearer, more compassionate decisions around money. Guest links: Website: https://www.pbig.ml.com/ Dr. Joshua Coleman’s Links: Website: http://www.drjoshuacoleman.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.josh.coleman Substack: https://substack.com/@joshuacolemanphd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJoshColeman/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoshuacoleman/?trk=opento_sprofile_topcard Twitter X: https://x.com/drjcoleman Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc-olRqS_o2xJlkpxWEEErg

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  Episode #18

  Why Modern Marriage and Family Feels So Hard: Historian Stephanie Coontz Explains

  Aug 4, 202647 minS1

  In this episode of Family Troubles, I sit down with Stephanie Coontz, Director of Research and Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families and emeritus faculty of History and Family Studies at The Evergreen State College. Stephanie is one of the most influential historians of marriage, gender, and family life, and her work has helped reshape how we understand the myths and realities of family across history. Stephanie and I talk about her latest book, For Better and Worse: The Complicated Past and Challenging Future of Marriage, and why modern relationships can feel so difficult despite the fact that many people now have higher hopes for love, equality, and emotional connection than ever before. We discuss nostalgia, the myth of the “traditional family,” the pressures facing modern marriages, and why so much of today’s family conflict may be tied to larger social and economic forces. Stephanie offers a powerful way of thinking about family estrangement as a kind of “referred pain,” where people may blame parents, partners, or family members for distress that is also being shaped by broader cultural and economic instability. Listen for more on: • Why nostalgia for the past can be both comforting and misleading • What people often get wrong about the 1950s family • How economic insecurity and inequality affect marriage and family life • Why modern couples may have higher expectations, but less support • How social and economic pressure can show up as family conflict • Why family estrangement may sometimes reflect “referred pain” from larger cultural forces • What the “trad wife” movement reveals about gender, work, and nostalgia • How ideas about masculinity, femininity, and emotional expression have changed over time • Why the history of marriage is more complicated than the myths we inherit • How understanding family history can help us think more clearly about modern relationships Tune into this episode of Family Troubles for a fascinating conversation about marriage, family history, gender roles, economic pressure, and why the challenges facing today’s families are rarely as simple as personal failure. Guest links: Website: https://www.stephaniecoontz.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniecoontzauthor Dr. Joshua Coleman’s Links: Website: http://www.drjoshuacoleman.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.josh.coleman Substack: https://substack.com/@joshuacolemanphd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJoshColeman/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoshuacoleman/?trk=opento_sprofile_topcard Twitter X: https://x.com/drjcoleman Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc-olRqS_o2xJlkpxWEEErg

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  Episode #16

  What's It Like for the Child Who Isn't Estranged When the Other Is? With Celia Flinn

  Jul 28, 202641 min

  In this episode of Family Troubles, I sit down with Celia Flinn, a school-based therapist in the Bay Area who brings both clinical insight and lived experience to the topic of sibling estrangement. Celia shares what happened when her sibling became estranged from her parents, how that changed her role in the family, and what it felt like to become the child who stayed. We talk about the often overlooked impact of estrangement on siblings. When one child cuts off contact, the sibling who remains can become the middleman, the emotional support, the “good child,” or the person expected to hold the family together. Celia describes the loneliness of that position, the pressure it can create, and the complicated grief of loving both the parents who are in pain and the sibling who has pulled away. Celia also shares the concept of the “glass child,” a term often used for siblings of children with serious medical or developmental needs, but one that can also apply in estrangement. It is the feeling of being present, but looked through, while the family’s emotional attention is focused on the person who is absent. Listen for more on: • How sibling estrangement affects the child who remains connected to the family • What it feels like to become the middleman between estranged family members • The pressure of being the “good kid” or the child who stays • Why siblings may feel both loyalty and resentment during family estrangement • How the “glass child” experience can show up in estranged families • Why parents may unintentionally overlook the pain of the child who is still present • The importance of boundaries when a sibling relationship becomes one-sided • Why communication requires both sharing your truth and tolerating someone else’s • How therapists can help or hurt when they encourage cutoff without exploring repair • Why slowing down, managing emotions, and listening can make reconnection more possible Tune into this episode of Family Troubles for a thoughtful conversation about sibling estrangement, family roles, communication, and the quiet pain carried by the child who stays. Dr. Joshua Coleman’s Links: Website: http://www.drjoshuacoleman.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.josh.coleman Substack: https://substack.com/@joshuacolemanphd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJoshColeman/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoshuacoleman/?trk=opento_sprofile_topcard Twitter X: https://x.com/drjcoleman Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc-olRqS_o2xJlkpxWEEErg

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