Parent–child estrangement is becoming a quiet epidemic, and honestly, it’s happening far more often than most people realize. In this episode of the Peak Human Labs podcast, Dr. Sanjeev Goel sits down with Tania Khazaal, widely known as Tania the Herbalist, for a conversation that reshapes how we understand family estrangement, emotional health, and communication. Tania opens up about her journey of going no-contact with her mother and later rebuilding that relationship, revealing how unspoken hurts and generational patterns often surface as stress, fatigue, or physical illness.

We explore why nearly 30% of families experience estrangement, how “protect your peace” culture has unintentionally encouraged emotional avoidance, and why walking away rarely leads to real healing. Tania explains the impact of societal messages from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, the role of technology and social media in widening generational gaps, and the importance of the identity-formation window between ages 18 and 27, where many young adults decide whether to reconnect or pull further away.

Tania also discusses the emotional and psychological toll of parental alienation, offering grounded, compassionate strategies for biological parents and stepparents navigating blended families. Through nervous-system regulation, emotional awareness, open-ended questions, and calm communication, she outlines a practical path to rebuilding trust without overwhelm.

Whether you’re a parent worried about a distant child, someone navigating divorce or step-parenting, or a person carrying old hurts from childhood, this episode offers a hopeful and practical pathway back to connection and to yourself.

Our Guest: Annie Yatch

Tania Khazaal is a family-reconnection coach and emotional-healing guide who helps parents, adult children and blended families rebuild trust, bring peace back into relationships, and heal invisible emotional distance. Once the daughter who walked away, she learned the hard way how unresolved wounds and silent withdrawal can shape a life. Through her own journey of reconciling with her mother, Tania discovered the deeper link between emotional safety and relational health and made it her life’s work to share those discoveries.

Her signature frameworks ,  including The Repair Map, 100 Scripts & Prompts, and The Renewal Collective™ – provide step-by-step, grounded tools for reconnecting from calm rather than fear. With compassion, clarity and real-world experience, Tania empowers individuals and families to move from estrangement into renewal one courageous conversation at a time.

Key Takeaways

In This Episode:

Peak Human Labs

Dr. Sanjeev Goel

Tania Khazaal (Tania the Herbalist)