At 14 or 15 years old, Celeste learned her parents’ marriage was unraveling.

Affairs.
Addiction.
Secrets.

Her siblings didn’t know.

But she did — because she was the oldest daughter.

And before long, she wasn’t just watching the marriage fall apart… she was managing it.

In this episode, Celeste shares what it was like to grow up as the “third parent” in a family where divorce was unthinkable — and what that responsibility did to her nervous system, her faith, and her ability to trust.

We talk about:

• Carrying secrets to protect the family’s image
• Panic attacks and anxiety that she didn’t know how to name
• The guilt of moving away and “leaving siblings in a burning building”
• Why even a “necessary” divorce still deeply wounds children
• And why dating now triggers intense anxiety

Celeste’s story is honest, raw, and hopeful. Because while you can survive being the third parent… At some point, you have to stop carrying everyone else.

If you were the responsible one…
If you feel guilty for wanting your own life…
If anxiety follows you into relationships…
Or if you’re afraid you’ll repeat your parents’ marriage…

This episode is for you.

Suicide Hotline: Call or Text 988 (English or Spanish)

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Get the Book or FREE chapters: It’s Not Your Fault

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Watch the Documentary: Kenny

Watch the Trailer: Kenny (3:31 min)

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We’re hosting a rare healing retreat for young adults from divorced or dysfunctional families May 1-3 in Malvern, PA, just outside Philadelphia. View details or sign up at RestoredMinistry.com/philly.

Questions? Email [email protected]

Recommend a Therapist

You’re rare: you found a therapist who massively helped you heal and grow.

Most people from broken families never get that. They want help but don’t know who to trust, so they stay stuck.

We’re changing that by building a small, trusted list of exceptional therapists. In this short episode, you’ll hear how you can help.

You don’t need to volunteer or donate. Just spend a few minutes recommending your therapist so someone like you can finally get the help they deserve.

Recommend a therapist here!

If you grew up in a broken or divorced family, struggling with confidence isn’t random.

Research has consistently shown that children of divorce are more likely to experience lower self-esteem, higher anxiety, and greater insecurity in relationships. When love feels unstable or conditional early on, it shapes how you handle pressure later in life.

You might:

• Overthink conversations
• Freeze in high-pressure moments
• Feel like you have to perform to be loved
• Or believe everyone else is just naturally more confident

In this episode, licensed psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant Dr. Nicole Gabana Chiesa breaks down what confidence actually is — and why it’s not personality.

We explore:

• The subtle belief that makes confidence collapse when you fail
• What’s happening in your brain when anxiety spikes
• Why hyper-focusing on yourself increases insecurity
• How to stop just listening to your thoughts — and start talking back
• And why confidence is built through imperfect reps, not feelings

If your family didn’t model emotional stability, healthy conflict, or secure love… this episode gives you a roadmap.

Confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build. And you can build it.

Visit Dr. Nicole’s Website

Book a FREE Consult: (904) 624-1331 or [email protected]

Get the Book or FREE chapters: It’s Not Your Fault

Get Dakota’s FREE Guide, The Biggest Fitness Mistakes to Avoid

Watch the Documentary: Kenny

Watch the Trailer: Kenny (3:31 min)

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If you grew up in a divorced or really dysfunctional family, this is for you.

I’m working on a new 6‑week program for people like us, but before we build anything, I want your honest input and advice. In this short episode, I’ll share the idea, who it’s for, and how you can help shape it.

It’s quick, and your feedback will directly impact whether this happens and what it looks like.

Listen in, check out the page where you can join the waitlist: https://hi.switchy.io/sY0h

What if your anxiety about money didn’t start in adulthood, but in your dysfunctional family during childhood?

Growing up with financial instability doesn’t just affect your bank account. It can train your nervous system to live in survival mode — forcing you to grow up too fast and quietly shaping how you date, marry, and handle responsibility.

In this episode, pediatric cardiac ICU physician Liz shares her story of financial chaos, parentification, and how that hyper-responsibility followed her into adulthood and marriage.

We cover:

• How money stress creates “parentified” kids
• Why responsibility can feel like survival
• How financial trauma affects relationships

If you grew up worrying about money, feel responsible for everyone, or struggle to rest — this episode is for you.

Share Your Story

Get the Book or FREE chapters: It’s Not Your Fault

Get Dakota’s FREE Guide, The Biggest Fitness Mistakes to Avoid

Watch the Documentary: Kenny

Watch the Trailer: Kenny (3:31 min)

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Dating today feels exhausting. Confusing. And for people from divorced or dysfunctional families, it can feel even heavier — because one wrong choice doesn’t just mean heartbreak… it can feel like repeating your parents’ story.

In this episode, Joey sits down with Emily Wilson, Catholic author and co-founder of Sacred Spark, to talk about the most important factor in building a healthy marriage: choosing the right person — and why modern dating culture makes that decision harder than ever.

Emily shares what she’s learned from helping nearly 20 couples get married through her viral matchmaking posts, why you can’t “analyze” your way into certainty, and how real discernment only happens when you actually meet people in real life.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why choosing who you marry matters more than anything else
• The fear of repeating your parents’ mistakes (and how to move past it)
• How real discernment happens through in-person dating
• A NEW way to meet high quality, virtuous people

If you’re single, want marriage, but feel anxious, stuck, or afraid of choosing wrong — this episode is for you.

Download Sacred Spark

FREE Video Series: Dating 101

Visit SacredSpark.app

Get the Book or FREE chapters: It’s Not Your Fault

Get Dakota’s FREE Guide, The Biggest Fitness Mistakes to Avoid

Watch the Documentary: Kenny

Watch the Trailer: Kenny (3:31 min)

Shownotes

Most people think screen time is a harmless habit. But what if it’s quietly training your brain against healing?

In this conversation, Christen Routh explains why doomscrolling feels like relief but often leaves you more anxious, more numb, and more alone. We talk about the real danger of screens, not just what they show you, but what they replace: real friendship, real presence, real growth. And we get practical about what to do instead, without going off-grid.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why screen overuse can mimic an addiction cycle and keep you stuck in escape mode
• How doomscrolling can increase loneliness through comparison and emotional crash
• How algorithms quietly shape your standards for love, friendship, and boundaries
• How to build a tech plan that makes your phone a tool again, not your master

Access the Family Digital Wellness Activity

Contact Christen

Get Dakota’s FREE Guide, The Biggest Fitness Mistakes to Avoid

Watch the Documentary: Kenny

Watch the Trailer: Kenny (3:31 min)

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Most people don’t have a knowledge problem when it comes to wellness. They have a consistency problem. You already know the basics, but when stress hits, you fall off and you start chasing the next hack, app, plan, podcast, or supplement.

In this episode, Brandon Hall (CatholicWell) explains why the real battle is willpower, how stress and trauma can train your brain to live on high alert, and why the most underrated wellness practice is going inward. Stillness, self-awareness, prayer, Scripture, and simple daily habits that actually stick.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Why you keep starting strong, then falling off
• How stress and trauma can rewire your brain, and how neuroplasticity means you can rewire it back
• Simple nervous system tools (like breathing) that calm you fast
• Why wellbeing is not just self-care, it’s self-gift and love

Visit CatholicWell.com

Get Dakota’s FREE Guide, The Biggest Fitness Mistakes to Avoid

Watch the Documentary: Kenny

Watch the Trailer: Kenny (3:31 min)

Kristen Holmes: Modern Society's Biggest Sleep Problem REVEALED | TUH #125

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In this episode, I’ll mentor three people LIVE through real-life situations that people like us from broken families face:

• A separated mom with adult kids asks: How do I support my kids through the fallout without pushing them, guilt-tripping them, or putting them in the middle?
• A man, wounded by his parents’ divorce and his struggles with alcoholism, asks: Is it actually worth digging up the past to heal, and can writing really help?
• A young woman, whose parents’ divorce has dragged on for five years, has moved back in with her mom, who overshares a lot. She asks: How do I set boundaries with my mom and navigate my relationship with my dad?

Ask a question anonymously on the show

Get Dakota’s FREE Guide, The Biggest Fitness Mistakes to Avoid

Get the Book or FREE chapters: It’s Not Your Fault

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