AJ had a normal life as a college student-athlete. But one night, a violent car accident left AJ paralyzed from the waist down. 

What started as 15 minutes of hell has transformed into what he calls “The best thing that’s happened to me.” 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The detailed story of the accident and the unexplainable emotions he experienced in the minutes after the accident

• The two things that helped him cope and beat feeling like a perpetual victim

• What AJ said to the driver of the vehicle and the miracles and transformations that have resulted from his injury

  
  

If you’ve endured trauma, a horrible injury, or you’re just going through an intense season of suffering, this episode is for you.

Follow AJ:

• Instagram

• TikTok

• YouTube

• Email: [email protected]

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

View Restored’s Resources

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At the root of our culture’s many problems is the breakdown of marriages and families. My guest shares sobering statistics, such as that “there are 31% less marriages annually now than in the year 2000” and there are “65% less marriages now than in the year 1970.” 

He says this is hugely contributing to the loneliness crisis today. Thankfully, there is a cure, which we discuss in this episode, plus:

• How the lonelinest group of people at church aren’t the old

• Encouragement for young people from broken families who fear love and marriage

• What a healthy relationship looks like and how to build it, including the 5 stages of healthy relationships

  
  

If you’ve been affected by the breakdown of marriages and families, this episode is for you.

Buy JP’s Book: The Church's Strategic Move to Save Faith and Family in America

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

View Restored’s Resources

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Growing up, Dr. Gerry experienced deep turmoil at home. His father was abusive, and his parents’ marriage was full of conflict. When they eventually divorced, he felt like he lost both parents. Feeling alone, he became highly independent. 

Thankfully, he found healing, and today he helps others heal as a therapist. In this episode, we discuss:

• How Internal Family Systems (IFS) and “parts work” can help you heal emotional wounds and improve your relationships.

• The way our parts interact with our significant other—and how to avoid choosing a spouse from a wounded part of you.

• What a mother wound is and how it affects you

• How movies like Inside Out, Encanto, and even Avengers’ movies illustrate “parts work” and the healing journey.

  
  

If you have perhaps sustained a mother wound or want to heal using Internal Family Systems, this episode is for you.

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

Buy Dr. Gerry’s Book: Litanies of the Heart: Relieving Post-Traumatic Stress and Calming Anxiety through Healing Our Parts

View Dr. Gerry’s Team or schedule a FREE 15 min consult

Visit Souls & Hearts

View Restored’s Resources

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So many of us from divorced or broken families fear repeating our parents' mistakes. 

If you want to avoid that, one of the keys is building virtue. 

But what is virtue? How do you build it? And what virtues might you acquire?

My guest today wrote Superhabits, an amazing new book on virtue. He answers those questions, plus:

• How to override the unconscious bad habits we inherited in our families
• One habit that could save your marriage before it starts and what virtues to look for in a potential spouse
• Why virtue, not just therapy, is the key to healing family wounds

If you’re struggling with bad habits or you want to build good habits, this episode is for you.

View Restored's Resources

Buy Book Super Habits by Dr. Andrew Abela

Grow Virtue app 

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After a relapse into alcoholism, Ben’s mom left him, his family, and the country for years when he was just 5 years old. When she returned, he struggled in his relationship with her but placed proper boundaries and found some resolution. But his mom’s death in Ben’s late 20s brought new pain. 

In this episode, you’ll hear his wild story, plus:

• The resolution he experienced with his mom and an unexpected tactic that’s helped him heal after his mom’s death
• The place of justice, mercy, and blame after your parents’ divorce
• How he was skeptical of marriage and what taught him that a good family is possible

If you’re struggle in your relationship with mom or a parent died without you resolving things with them, this episode is for you.

View Restored’s Resources

Share Your Story

Get Dakota’s FREE guide: The Biggest Fitness Mistakes to Avoid

Email Ben: [email protected]

Support Ben

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Has your parents’ divorce or broken family brought pain into your life? Do you fear repeating the cycle of dysfunction or divorce?

You’re not alone—millions face these often unspoken struggles: hidden wounds, emotional problems, broken relationships, and destructive habits. Thankfully, you’re not destined to repeat your family’s dysfunction. 

In this episode, you’ll hear a breakout talk from the SEEK25 conference where you’ll discover the two keys to breaking that cycle and learn actionable tips to build healthy relationships.

About the Speaker:

Endorsed by Jason Evert and Dr. Bob Schuchts, Joey Pontarelli has spoken across the U.S. and internationally.

He is the author of the book “It’s Not Your Fault” and hosts the podcast, “Restored: Helping Children of Divorce,” which has helped thousands of young people.

He has been a guest on EWTN’s TV and radio shows, Dr. Bob Schuchts’s “Restore the Glory” podcast, Jason Evert’s “Lust is Boring” podcast, and Relevant Radio’s “The Drew Mariani Show.”

Joey is married to Brigid, and they love life with their two kids, Lucy and John Paul.

Get the Resources

Book a Talk

Schedule a Meeting with Restored’s Team

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At age 5, Dylan’s parents divorced. Visitation brought challenges, but he learned to appreciate the time it gave him with his dad, who really helped him grow. From that, he learned that good can come from broken situations.

In today’s episodes, we also discuss topics like:

• How we need father figures, ideally our dads, in order to become men, find our strength, and learn what to do with it
• The challenges and blessing of a stepfamily
• How your value isn’t measured by your performance or exterior qualities

If you’re from a blended family, you’ve questioned your value, you’ve felt unwanted, or you’re missing a father figure in your life, this episode is for you.

Visit Dylan’s website, RadicalLoveCommunity.com

Follow Dylan on Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook

Buy the Book: God's Little Kiddo

View Restored’s Resources

Share Your Story

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The hardest part of your parents’ divorce or family breakdown is seeing the people you love suffer. 

That was true for my guest today who happens to be my older brother, Anthony: Watching our siblings struggle was the hardest part for him.

In this episode, you’ll hear us compare stories about our parents’ divorce from our perspectives as siblings, plus:

• How Anthony had a sense of, “This is not how things ought to be” and a little about how a family ought to be.
• How he was automatically made the man of the house when he shouldn’t have been and the effects of that.
• How healing is not a one-size-fits-all, the imperfections of certain types of therapy, and a new healing method that’s been effective for him.
• To parents listening: Tips on discussing your divorce with your children without oversharing.

If your parents are divorced or struggling in their marriage and watching your siblings suffer has been hard for you, this episode is especially for you.

Dakota Lane Fitness: Schedule a FREE Consult

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

Share Your Story

View Restored’s Resources

To request Anthony’s email address, email [email protected]

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So many of us from broken families end up dating or marrying someone from an intact family. But that presents challenges, which we discuss in this episode with an amazing married couple where one spouse comes from a broken family and the other is from an intact family. We also discuss questions like:

• What did you fear about marriage? Maggie opens up about her fear of someone cheating on her.
• How have you handled conflict and how has marriage brought you joy?
• How do you choose the right person who won’t change after the wedding?

If you’re from a broken family dating or marrying someone from an intact family, or vice versa, this episode is for you.

Get Paul J. Kim’s Course: A Catholic Guide to Adulting

Get 10% off with the code: RESTORED. If the code doesn’t work, please reach out to Paul’s team at pjkmusic.com.

Dakota Lane Fitness: Schedule a FREE Consult

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

View Restored’s Resource

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

Shownotes

If you come from a divorced or broken family, this show is for you. We help you heal your brokenness, navigate the challenges, and build healthy relationships, so you can break that cycle and build a better life. In this episode, you'll hear highlight clips from the podcast in 2024.

If you’re new to the podcast, this is the perfect way to sample our content and learn how it will help you. If you’re a longtime listener, this is the perfect episode to share with someone you know who needs to hear it.

View Restored’s Resources

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

Get the Guide: 5 Tips to Navigate the Holidays in a Broken Family

Episodes featured:

• #115: The Antidote to a Life of Emptiness | Dr. Andrew & Sarah Swafford
• #120: Freedom You Never Tasted But Always Wanted | Jake Khym, MA
• #121: A Cure for Feeling Needy or Helpless | Margaret Vasquez
• #123: What I Wish Never Happened, I Am The Most Grateful For | Jack Beers
• #126: Former Porn Actress: Over 90% of People in Porn are from Broken Families | Bree Solstad
• #130: An Exercise to Heal | Dr. Peter Malinoski
• #132: Why Your Wounds & Subconscious Are Ruling Your Life | Dr. Gregory Bottaro
• #136: Relationship Advice for Young People from Broken Families | Jackie & Bobby Angel

Shownotes