The Golden Child Effect: Breaking Free from Roles That Keep You Small

Why You Feel Lonely Even When You're Surrounded by People — Dr. Sylvia Kalicinski on Lonely AF

You can be in a room full of people, successful, loved — and still feel completely alone. In this episode, host Cari Fund sits down with trauma-informed therapist Dr. Sylvia Kalicinski, host of The Dr. Sylvia K Show and author of the brand-new book Lonely AF: A Therapist's No BS Guide to Feeling Less Alone. Sylvia opens up about losing her mother at age two, growing up as the golden child of a narcissistic father, and the unprocessed grief she didn't recognize until adulthood. Together, she and Cari explore why emotional loneliness has nothing to do with how many people are around you, how generational trauma gets passed down through our nervous systems, and what it really takes to stop wearing the mask and come home to yourself. Sylvia also walks us through her five-step HEART method — Honor your emotions, Explore your family patterns, Acknowledge your pain points, Rewrite your narrative, and Turn within — and guides a grounding exercise you can do anywhere, anytime, for free. This is a conversation about cycle breaking, the mother wound, narcissistic family dynamics, and the freedom that comes when you finally choose your own story. 📖 Get Lonely AF by Dr. Sylvia Kalicinski: https://amzn.to/4b3SdLV [https://amzn.to/4b3SdLV] Connect with Dr. Sylvia: @drsylviak Follow the podcast: @survivingrootspod Follow Cari Fund: @cari.fund 🌱 Free estrangement guide: www.cari.fund [http://www.cari.fund]

No Contact With Toxic Family: How to Heal & Reclaim Yourself — Dr. Sherrie Campbell, "You Are Home"

What if going no contact was never the choice — what if it was simply the moment you stopped your own abuse? Licensed psychologist Dr. Sherrie Campbell returns to Surviving Roots for her third visit — and this is hands-down our most powerful (and yes, most fun) conversation yet. Dr. Sherrie is one of the nation's leading voices on estrangement, toxic family, and cycle breaking, and her new book You Are Home is the healing manual so many of us never had. In this episode, Cari and Dr. Sherrie go deep on what it really means to heal from family trauma — using the unforgettable metaphor of a house, from the basement where we store the pain that was never ours to carry, all the way up to the top floor where we finally get to dream. It's heart-opening and heartbreaking in the very best way. We talk about: • Why "you didn't go no contact — you stopped your abuse" reframes everything • Emotional homelessness and what it feels like day to day • Separating what was done to you from who you actually are • Why "no contact" isn't cancel culture — and why it isn't a trend • Reclaiming your inner child and learning self-love when you were never taught it • "Self-integration": the stage after estrangement nobody talks about • Setting boundaries from strength instead of guilt Whether you're on your first step or your millionth, this conversation will meet you exactly where you are. 📖 Grab Dr. Sherrie's new book You Are Home on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Sa3YK5 [https://amzn.to/3Sa3YK5] 💛 Follow Dr. Sherrie: @dr.sherrie 🎙️ Follow the show: @survivingrootspod ✨ Follow Cari: @cari.fund Free estrangement guide: www.cari.fund [http://www.cari.fund]

When Life Shakes You to the Core: Grief, Motherhood & Choosing Joy — Dara Levan on Shaken to the Core

What if the worst thing that ever happened to you became the thing that finally woke you up? In this episode of Surviving Roots, Cari Fund welcomes back author, speaker, and Every Soul Has a Story podcast host Dara Levan to talk about her new novel, Shaken to the Core — a deeply human story about grief, marriage, identity, and what we do with the time we have left. Dara opens up about the sudden loss that inspired the book, why "showing up" matters more than knowing the right thing to say, and the belief that bodies die but souls don't. She and Cari get into how grief is so often misunderstood, why she stopped "deifying the dead," what it really takes to choose joy (not toxic positivity), and how motherhood and mothering can transcend biology. Along the way they talk honestly about marriage that survives the hard seasons, estrangement, chosen family, and refusing to pretend everything's fine. Whether you're grieving, healing, or just trying to live with no regrets, this conversation is a reminder that you can choose your own path — even when you think you can't. Dara's new novel, Shaken to the Core, is out now. 🎧 Topics: grief, sudden loss, motherhood, marriage, identity, choosing joy, legacy, estrangement, chosen family, healing, living with no regrets. ✨ Connect: Follow Cari: @cari.fund | www.cari.fund Follow Dara: @dara.levan | Every Soul Has a Story podcast 📖 Buy the book, Shaken to the Core: https://amzn.to/3Qdwnyl [https://amzn.to/3Qdwnyl] 📓 Grab my FREE guide: www.cari.fund [https://www.cari.fund] 📓 $9 Estrangement Survival Mini Guide: https://cari-fund.myshopify.com/ [https://cari-fund.myshopify.com/]

Why Anxiety Means You're Disconnected From Yourself — Genny Rumancik on The Wisdom of Feeling

What if anxiety isn't a flaw to fix, but a signal you've stopped listening to yourself? In this episode of Surviving Roots, Cari Fund sits down with mental health educator and author Genny Rumancik — founder of The EQ School and the voice behind a 170,000-strong community — to unpack what emotional intelligence actually looks like in real life. They get into the moment at a Portland airport that changed how Genny understood conflict, the "eldest daughter" wound and the cost of holding everything for everyone, why self-awareness is a daily practice and not a personality trait, and how to set boundaries from a grounded place instead of a reactive one. Genny also shares why the goal isn't to make hard feelings disappear as fast as possible — it's to learn to be present with them so they can move through you. Whether you're on your first step or your millionth, this conversation is a permission slip to slow down and come home to yourself. Genny's debut book, The Wisdom of Feeling: Finding Clarity, Courage, and Connection Through Emotional Intelligence (Tarcher), is out now. 🎧 Topics: emotional intelligence, self-awareness, anxiety, boundaries, the mother wound, eldest daughter syndrome, breaking generational cycles, nervous system regulation, healing. ✨ Connect: Follow Cari: @cari.fund | www.cari.fund Follow Genny: @theeqschool | theeqschool.co 📖 Buy the book, The Wisdom of Feeling: https://amzn.to/4fP7W4H [https://amzn.to/4fP7W4H] 📓 Grab my FREE guide: www.cari.fund [https://www.cari.fund] 📓 $9 Estrangement Survival Mini Guide: https://cari-fund.myshopify.com/ [https://cari-fund.myshopify.com/]

From Surviving to Free: Motherhood at 20, DV Recovery, Self-Forgiveness, and Reinvention

What if your "glow up" isn't a makeover… it's freedom? In this episode of Surviving Roots, Cari Fund sits down with Michelle Fairburn—mother of two, creator, and living proof that rebuilding a life doesn't happen overnight (and doesn't need to look polished to be powerful). Michelle became a mom at 20, navigated profound loss and a mother wound, and later survived a fast-moving relationship that turned abusive after marriage. Together, Cari and Michelle unpack the real behind-the-scenes of healing: self-forgiveness, faith, identity, parenting while evolving, and what it takes to break cycles without pretending it's "easy." In this episode, we talk about: * Becoming a mom at 20—and why her kids were planned. * The "mother wound," abandonment, grief, and missing pieces you can't Google. * How love-bombing can look like a fairy tale… until it doesn't. * Red flags: moving too fast, isolation, jealousy, identity erasure ("my wife"). * Self-forgiveness as the moment you finally unlock your life. * Faith as a turning point (and the difference between healing and pretending). * Parenting with grace: not bashing dads, letting kids see truth for themselves. * Creating content with her daughter as a business: impact + income. * Handling trolls (and what happens when someone comes for your kid). Michelle's story is honest, funny, raw, and deeply human—and it'll leave you thinking about what "freedom" really means. Find Michelle: @michellefairburn (on all platforms) Find Cari: @cari.fund If this episode hits home, share it with a friend—and don't forget to follow, rate, and review. Check out my Estrangment Survival Mini-Guide [https://cari-fund.myshopify.com/]