If you were the kid who held it all together—the one who comforted your parent, kept your sibling safe, made things feel normal when they absolutely weren’t—this episode is for you.

In the first episode of our Parentification 101 mini-series, I sit down with therapist and author Whitney Goodman to talk about what it really means to be a parentified child—and why it so often falls on the eldest daughter.

We talk about the invisible labor kids take on in families affected by addiction and dysfunction. The emotional weight. The unspoken expectations. The way that "being the responsible one" can follow us into adulthood—shaping our relationships, our sense of self, and our deepest fears.

I share what it felt like to be the second mom in my family: the pressure to fix, to manage, to make everything okay—even when I was barely holding it together myself.

This conversation might stir up things you’ve kept buried for a long time. But naming it is how we start to loosen its grip.

Because once we see the role we were never meant to play, we can finally choose a different one.

🎯 This episode will help you understand:

• What parentification actually is—and how to spot it in your story

• The difference between emotional and logistical parentification

• • Why eldest daughters so often carry this invisible burden
  • How it shows up in adulthood as perfectionism, anxiety, people-pleasing
  • And how to begin setting boundaries, letting go of guilt, and honoring the child in you who never got to just be a kid

• 
  

  📘 Free sibling e-book: 6 actions to help you navigate a sibling’s substance use journey.

  Download here: https://www.forloveofrecovery.com/e-book

  
  

  🤝 Join our sibling support community: A private group for siblings navigating a loved one’s addiction.

  Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1001711494318102⁠

  • Share your story

  • Connect with siblings who get it

  • Access tools, support, and ongoing conversation

• 
  

• Follow us on social for more sibling stories and tools:

  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forloveofrecovery/

• • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forloveofrecovery
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561542956095
    

• 🎙 More from this episode

• • Listen to our Family Dynamics 101 episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5dVDA080Dx8SjrDR0Wx5GK

  • Download Whitney’s parentification workbook: https://callinghome.co/topics/the-parentified-child-workbook

  
  More from Whitney's work:

  • Calling Home podcast: https://callinghome.co/blog/listen-to-the-calling-home-podcast
  • About Whitney: https://sitwithwhit.com

Brock Bevell takes us inside his journey—from working as an undercover cop to battling opioid addiction, and ultimately, to becoming a recovery advocate for the Mesa, AZ community.

After a career-ending injury and medical retirement, Brock didn’t just lose his job—he lost his identity. He opens up about the mental health spiral that followed, his doctor’s flawed belief that cops are somehow immune to addiction, and the devastating moment he realized he had become the very person he judged while on the job..

This isn’t a story about rock bottom—it’s a story about what happens next.

Today, Brock leads street-level outreach through The Fentanyl Project, connecting with people deep in addiction, whether they’re ready for change or not. He speaks candidly about the emotional pain that drives substance use, the broken systems that keep people stuck, the evolving fentanyl crisis, and the hope that recovery is always possible—even if the timing isn’t perfect.

This episode may help you:

• See the connection between identity loss, pain and substance use

• Understand why fentanyl is so hard to walk away from

• Learn what actually helps people change

• Discover four key areas that support long-term recovery

  
  

Download our FREE, sibling e-book: ⁠6 actions to help navigate a sibling’s substance use journey⁠

Join our sibling-focused community: ⁠Siblings For Love of Recovery⁠

Connect with FLOR: ⁠Instagram ⁠and ⁠TikTok⁠

Episode resources:

• • ⁠The Fentanyl Project
  • About Brock Bevell: https://brockbevell.org/ ⁠
    

You've probably heard the myths: that offering housing, food, or money to someone struggling with addiction just “enables” them. That people using suboxone or methadone aren’t ready to make a “real change.” But what if those ideas are not only wrong—but harmful?

In this episode, harm reduction advocate and person in recovery Sarah Laurel dismantles the most persistent misconceptions about harm reduction and addiction, and what it means to truly show up for someone you love. She helps us rethink how harm reduction can not only save lives—but relationships too.

Sarah shares her journey through substance use and recovery, the unwavering support of her mother, and the complicated but evolving bond she shares with her siblings. She speaks candidly about choosing abstinence (recognizing it's not for everyone), why practicing harm reduction still requires boundaries, and how the most compassionate path forward often begins with meeting people exactly where they are.

Sarah also shares how she and the Savage Sisters are saving lives every day in Philadelphia—supporting people who’ve survived overdose and helping families take meaningful action, whether or not their loved ones live with them.

If you’ve ever wrestled with questions like “Am I enabling?”, wondered what harm reduction really looks like in practice, or struggled to balance love with boundaries—this episode is for you. Sarah’s story will help you unpack the nuance, explore the many forms harm reduction can take, and empower you to make choices rooted in compassion, clarity, and your own values.

This episode may help you:

• Understand how providing housing, MAT, food and compassion helps save lives

• Discover the spectrum of harm reduction practices families can practice

• Balance love and boundaries while staying true to your values

Download our FREE, sibling e-book: 6 actions to help navigate a sibling’s substance use journey

Join our sibling-focused community: Siblings For Love of Recovery

Connect with FLOR: Instagram and TikTok

Episode resources:

• Savage Sisters

• What is Harm Reduction?

• Safe Use Hotlines: Safe Spot and Never Use Alone