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PODCAST

Adult Child of Dysfunction

“Child of Dysfunction” is your guide into the world of resilience and healing. Hosted by Tammy Vincent, the adult child of two alcoholic parents, this podcast delves deep into the experiences of growing up in a chaotic and dysfunctional environment, facing childhood neglect, abuse, and trauma while overcoming adversity. With personal insights and expert interviews, we explore the challenges and triumphs of adults who grew up in these toxic environments, and healed. We Learn how to navigate these

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All Episodes

13:43

E 382: Tammys Takes #51 Is This Really Me—or Who I...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/10/11

How much of your personality is really you—and how much of it developed because of what your family needed you to be?Maybe you're the responsible one, the helper, the peacekeeper, the high achiever, or the person who never needs anything. Maybe you've always described yourself as independent, easygoing, or a people-pleaser.But have you ever stopped and asked:Is that actually who I am—or is that who I learned to be?In this Tammy’s Takes, inspired by my conversation with Margaret Eastman Smith, we're

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44:20

E 381: The Past Is Still Present: Generational...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/10/10

How much of who you are is actually you—and how much was handed to you by your family, your culture, your religion, and generations that came before you?In this episode of the Adult Child of Dysfunction Podcast, I sit down with author, historian, and educator Margaret Eastman Smith for a fascinating conversation about generational trauma, family history, identity, belonging, and what happens when you finally begin questioning the life you were taught you were supposed to live.Margaret spent nearly

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14:29

E 380 : Tammys Takes #50 Why Your Emotional Triggers...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/10/07

Have you ever had a relatively small situation create a surprisingly big emotional reaction?Someone doesn’t text you back. Your partner’s tone changes. Someone seems irritated. You feel left out, criticized, or unappreciated—and suddenly your mind is creating an entire story about what it means.If you grew up in a dysfunctional or unpredictable family, there may be a reason those moments feel so intense.In this Tammy’s Takes, I’m following up on my conversation with Meagan DeMatteo and going deeper

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43:25

E 379: Why Adult Children React Instead of Respond |...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/10/06

What does emotional sobriety mean for adult children of alcoholics and dysfunctional families? If childhood trauma taught you to stay on guard, people please, expect disappointment, overreact to triggers, or constantly prepare for what might go wrong, you may still be reacting to life through survival patterns you learned years ago.In Part Two of my conversation with Meagan DeMatteo, author of Emotionally Sober and Unimaginably Good, we go deeper into what happens when childhood dysfunction follows

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12:19

E 378: Tammys Takes #49: When Your Nervous System...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/10/03

Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, Why didn't I say something? I knew exactly what I wanted to say—why couldn't I say it?Maybe someone crossed a boundary and you froze. Maybe you automatically said, “It's fine,” even though it wasn't. Maybe someone asked what you wanted and you immediately said, “I don't care.” Then, 20 minutes later, when you were safely by yourself, all the words finally came.That doesn't necessarily mean you don't have a voice.Your nervous system may have

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38:34

E 377: Silence Was My First Language: Breaking the...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/10/02

What happens when silence becomes your first survival skill?Rich Dunning spent much of his childhood learning that staying quiet could keep him safe. Growing up surrounded by violence, poverty, instability, food insecurity and addiction, Rich learned how to survive long before he ever had the chance to simply be a child.At just seven years old, alcohol entered his life. By 16, Rich was homeless, secretly sleeping in an abandoned train station while continuing to attend school, play baseball and

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15:13

E 376: Tammys Takes #48: Your Brain Keeps Rehearsing...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/27

Do you rehearse conversations before they happen, anticipate how someone will react, or find yourself worrying about problems that don't even exist yet?For many adult children of dysfunctional families, overthinking and catastrophizing aren't just bad habits. They can be old survival patterns.In my conversation with Chris Wasco, we talked about what she calls “recycled thoughts”—replaying past experiences and using them to prepare ourselves for what might happen next.And it made me think about how

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35:55

E 375: Did Childhood Trauma Teach You to Stop...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/26

What happens when you grow up learning not to trust what you see, feel, or know?In this episode of the Adult Child of Dysfunction Podcast, I sit down with Chris Wasko, energy healer, spiritual counselor, psychic medium, creator of Spicy Old Souls, and author of An Old Soul's Journey: A Guide to Inner Child Healing and Conscious Evolution.Chris shares her experience growing up with narcissistic and abusive parents and eventually making the incredibly difficult decision to walk away. She describes how

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09:29

E 374: Tammys #47: What Is Your Behavior Trying to...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/22

Why do we keep doing things we know aren't helping us?Maybe you drink to relax.Maybe you reach for food when you're not hungry.Maybe you disappear into your phone.Maybe you procrastinate, overwork, people please, isolate, shop, shut down, or stay so busy that you never have to sit with what you're feeling.Then comes the judgment:“Why do I keep doing this?”“Why can't I just stop?”“What is wrong with me?”But what if that's the wrong question?In my conversation with Colleen Clifford, author of Life

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51:06

E 373: Binge Drinking, Childhood Pain & the Story...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/21

Binge drinking, gray area drinking, childhood pain, shame, and the hidden reasons we reach for alcohol with Life Beyond the Binge author Colleen Clifford.You don't drink every day. You don't drink alone. You can go weeks without alcohol. So you couldn't possibly have a drinking problem... right?In this episode of the Adult Child of Dysfunction Podcast, I sit down with Colleen Clifford, author of Life Beyond the Binge: A Commercial Fisherwoman's Journey Home, for an honest conversation about binge

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11:38

E 372: Tammys Takes #46: When Did You Stop Trusting...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/17

Have you ever had something you desperately wanted to say... but stopped yourself?Maybe someone hurt your feelings and you immediately thought:“I'm probably overreacting.”Maybe you wanted to say no, but heard yourself say yes.Maybe you knew something didn't feel right, but talked yourself out of it.Or maybe you've spent so much of your life worrying about what everyone else thinks, feels, wants, and needs that you're no longer sure what you want.For many adult children of dysfunctional families,

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41:54

E 371: You Are More Than Your Diagnosis: BPD,...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/16

What happens when a diagnosis finally gives you an explanation for why you've struggled—but then starts becoming another label you carry?In this jpowerful episode, I sit down with Dene Dubois, for an incredibly open conversation about borderline personality disorder, childhood trauma, abandonment, trust, shame, relationships, and what it means to take your personal power back.Dene shares his experience growing up in a deeply dysfunctional home with a mother struggling with bipolar disorder and a

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10:20

E 370: Tammy's Takes #45: What If They Misunderstand...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/12

Have you ever set a boundary... and then immediately felt the need to explain it?And then explain your explanation?Maybe you soften what you said, send another text, replay the conversation for hours, or start wondering whether you did something wrong.For many adult children of dysfunctional families, being misunderstood doesn’t just feel uncomfortable. It can feel unsafe.In this week’s Tammy’s Takes, I build on one powerful idea from my conversation with Nima Rahmany:“Learn how to expand your

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40:33

E 369: Becoming Trigger Proof/ Guest Nima Rahmany

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/11

Why do some relationships feel safe while others leave you anxious, overwhelmed, or constantly questioning yourself? The answer may have less to do with your partner—and far more to do with the attachment patterns your nervous system learned in childhood.In this episode of the Adult Child of Dysfunction Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Nima Rahmany, creator of the Becoming Trigger Proof® methodology, to explore how unresolved attachment wounds continue to influence our adult relationships, emotional

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07:23

E 368: Tammy's Takes #44: Did Childhood Trauma Become...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/07

Have you ever stopped to wonder if the person you think you are... is actually the person you had to become to survive?In this week's Tammy's Takes, I'm reflecting on one of the most thought-provoking ideas from my conversation with author Megan DeMatteo, and taking it one step further. As adult children, many of us spend years believing that our people-pleasing, perfectionism, anxiety, hypervigilance, or difficulty trusting others is simply part of our personality. But what if those behaviors

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34:51

E 367: Inner Child Healing with Megan DeMatteo

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/06

Have you ever wondered why it's so hard to know who you really are after growing up in a dysfunctional family? Why setting boundaries feels uncomfortable, emotions feel overwhelming, or you find yourself living from survival instead of authenticity?In this episode of the Adult Child of Dysfunction Podcast, I sit down with writer and author Megan DeMatteo to explore the healing power of journaling, inner child work, and learning to reconnect with the parts of ourselves that had to adapt just to

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14:02

E 366: Tammys Takes #43: Healing Isn't A Race

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/02

Have you ever listened to a podcast, read a book, or had a conversation that unexpectedly left you feeling anxious, emotional, or overwhelmed? Maybe your first thought was, "Why am I still getting triggered?" or "Shouldn't I be further along by now?"If so, this week's Tammy's Takes is for you.Inspired by my conversation with Rachel, I wanted to remind you of something we often forget: healing isn't a competition, and your nervous system sets the pace. Every person's journey is different, and

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32:22

E 365: You Can Heal After Trauma: PTSD,...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/09/01

What if healing from trauma isn't about becoming the person you were before it happened, but learning to understand and have compassion for the person you are today?In this episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, I sit down with Rachel Buckmaster for an honest conversation about living with PTSD and what healing has actually looked like for her.Rachel was diagnosed with PTSD at 18 and has spent years working through her experiences with therapy, self-awareness, and more recently EMDR.But this

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10:27

E 364: Tammys Takes #42: Trauma Isn't the Event—It's...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/08/28

Have you ever caught yourself wondering, "Was my childhood really that bad?" Maybe you've compared your experiences to others and convinced yourself that because someone else had it worse, your struggles today shouldn't matter.But what if that's the wrong question?In this week's Tammy's Takes, I'm reflecting on one of the most powerful moments from my conversation with trauma specialist Stacey Uhrig, who said, "Trauma isn't the event... it's the aftermath. It's the impact of what happened." That

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50:56

E 363: You Don't Need "Big Trauma" to Be Traumatized...

Adult Child of Dysfunction ·

2026/08/27

What if your childhood trauma didn't look like trauma?Many adult children grow up believing they "didn't have it that bad." Yet they still struggle with anxiety, people-pleasing, perfectionism, low self-worth, and feeling like they have to earn love.In this episode of the Adult Child of Dysfunction Podcast, Tammy Vincent sits down with Certified Trauma Care Practitioner Stacey Uhrig to explore why behavior always makes sense and why trauma isn't defined by the event—it's defined by the lasting

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