S2.E6. Parentification: The Rage Behind the Responsibility

Anne and Alison talk with Nivida Chandra about parentification. She is the author of the viral Aeon piece, Parentification: When parents cast a child into the role of mediator, friend and carer, the wounds are profound. But recovery is possible. We talk about feeling like unemotional sociopaths, breaking out of our urchin shells, and exploring cultural differences between collectivist and individualist societies. Chandra helps us explore the nuance in boundaries and self-love.

Nivida Chandra is a psychologist and researcher, working with adult survivors of childhood emotional neglect. She is the founder of the mental health centre KindSpace and the founder-editor of The Shrinking Couch website, which publishes informational and experiential articles for those affected by mental health concerns. Her doctoral work was on parentification in urban India. She holds a PhD in psychology from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and was a Fulbright scholar to the Silver School of Social Work at New York University. She lives in New Delhi.

Show Notes:

Anne’s 70s TV-looking background (we discuss in the intro)

Alison Cebulla

Alison Cebulla, MPH, is a trauma science and psychological safety educator, founder of Tend Collective, and creator of Kind Warrior. She helps people quit sugar, heal emotional eating, and build resilience. Armed with a wildly expensive Master’s in Public Health from Boston University and a UC Berkeley degree in saving the planet, she’s worked in ecological nonprofits, Fair Trade advocacy, and trauma prevention.

She’s led workshops from Paris to NYC, written for HuffPost, and once got a crowd to reveal their deepest secrets to strangers. A trail-running, meditating, food-growing nomad, she’s been bouncing around Europe and beyond since 2023.

Kind Warrior started in 2012 as a “What if I stopped saying anything mean?” challenge and is now a hub for travel, personal growth, relationships, and resilience. Follow along, take a course, and let’s heal together.

https://kindwarrior.co
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S2.E7. Hot Buttered Tears: 2nd Annual Latchkey Holiday Episode

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S2.E5. Peace Begins at Home—F*cking Chat About It!