Adult Child of Dysfunction

Sleep isn't a luxury.

It's the foundation of your mental health, emotional resilience, physical healing, and nervous system regulation.

In this powerful episode, Tammy sits down with Tim Thomas, creator of the Breathwork in Bed app and a former military veteran who transformed his own struggle with chronic insomnia into a mission to help others sleep naturally.

After losing six years of his life to prescription sleep medications, Tim discovered something that changed everything: the incredible power of intentional breathing.

Today, his breathwork techniques have helped veterans, first responders, trauma survivors...

What if your thoughts are not always telling you the truth?

For many adult children of dysfunction, anxious thoughts do not just feel like thoughts. They feel like warnings. They feel like facts. They feel like instructions we have to follow in order to stay safe.

“They are mad at me.”

“I am going to mess this up.”

“I need to fix this.”

“I should stay quiet.”

“I am too much.”

“I am not enough.”

In this Tammy’s Takes episode, Tammy teaches a simple, practical tool y...

What if healing is not about getting rid of painful thoughts, fixing every feeling, or becoming a completely different person?

In this powerful episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy Vincent sits down with Dr. Elisabeth Morray, licensed psychologist, acceptance and commitment therapy expert, and VP of Clinical at Alma.

Dr. Morray introduces the concept of psychological flexibility—the ability to experience difficult thoughts, emotions, memories, and life circumstances without allowing them to control your choices, identity, or future.

For adult children of dysfunction, this conversation is especially important. When you grew up ad...

Why does a simple text message, a difficult conversation, or a little bit of criticism sometimes feel so overwhelming?

The answer may surprise you.

In this episode of Tammy's Takes, Tammy introduces her powerful Trigger-to-Truth Method—a simple but transformative tool designed to help you identify emotional triggers, uncover the fears hiding beneath them, and recognize when your past is influencing your present.

As adult children of dysfunction, many of us learned survival strategies that once protected us but now create anxiety, people-pleasing, overthinking, perfectionism, and emotional reactivity.

The problem isn't al...

What happens when the survival skills that protected you as a child begin holding you back as an adult?

In this powerful episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy sits down with author, poet, and memoirist Sarah Hanson to discuss growing up in a dysfunctional family, the hidden impact of emotional abuse, and the lifelong journey of reclaiming your authentic self.

Sarah shares her experience of becoming the family peacekeeper, learning to navigate a volatile parent, and eventually realizing that healing required grieving the family she wished she had while accepting the reality of the...

What if anxiety isn't the problem?

What if people-pleasing isn't the problem?

What if overthinking isn't the problem?

What if they're all messengers?

In this powerful Tammy's Takes episode, Tammy explores one of the most important lessons from her conversation with voice coach Barbara McAfee: the emotions, needs, and experiences we suppress don't simply disappear—they often find another way to be heard.

Growing up in dysfunctional homes teaches many of us that having a voice isn't safe. We learn to stay quiet, avoid conflict, suppress emotions, and prioritize ev...

What happens when it isn't safe to speak?

For many adult children of dysfunction, silence became a survival strategy long before they ever realized it. Whether it was fear, criticism, neglect, abuse, or simply growing up in a home where emotions weren't welcome, many learned to suppress their voice in order to stay safe.

In this powerful conversation, Tammy sits down with voice coach, author, speaker, and performer Barbara McAfee to explore the profound connection between our voice, our nervous system, our self-expression, and our healing journey.

Barbara shares her own story of...

What if you're not stuck?

What if you're grieving?

In this powerful follow-up to my conversation with John Kammer of Guardian AIngels, we're diving into a truth that many people never consider: grief doesn't only happen when someone dies.

We grieve lost relationships, lost opportunities, lost dreams, lost health, childhoods we never had, and versions of ourselves we thought we'd become.

The problem is that many people don't recognize grief when they see it. Instead, they call it anxiety. Burnout. Exhaustion. Overwhelm. Feeling stuck.

In this episode, I share...

What if healing from grief didn't mean letting go?

In this powerful episode, Tammy sits down with John Kammer, founder of Guardian AIngels, an innovative AI-powered grief support platform designed to help people process loss through guided reflection, journaling, and meaningful conversations.

After losing three of his closest friends, including one to suicide, John found himself carrying years of unresolved grief, guilt, and unanswered questions. What began as a simple idea eventually evolved into Guardian AIngels—a platform created to help people navigate grief in a compassionate, structured, and supportive way.

Together, Tammy an...

Why do we keep doing things we know aren't good for us?

Why do we keep overreacting, people pleasing, overthinking, numbing out, procrastinating, or sabotaging our own success—even when we know better?

In this Tammy's Takes episode, Tammy builds on her recent conversation with Kathryn Eipl, founder of EIPL Healing and creator of the Neuro Resonance Method, to explore one of the biggest misconceptions about healing.

The problem often isn't a lack of knowledge.

The problem is a nervous system that still feels unsafe.

Tammy explains why awareness al...

What if the struggles you're experiencing aren't character flaws—but nervous system patterns that were created long before you knew they existed?

In this powerful episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy sits down with Kathryn Eipl, founder of EIPL Healing and creator of the Neuro-Resonance Method, to explore the connection between emotional patterns, nervous system regulation, self-sabotage, and healing.

Together, they discuss why so many people stay stuck in survival mode, how our words shape our emotional reality, and why true healing requires us to pay attention to both the mind and the body.

In this episode of Tammy's Takes, Tammy explores one of the most important lessons from her recent conversation with Kaylin Peete of the Family Online Safety Institute: the real issue isn't technology—it's connection.

As parents, caregivers, educators, and mentors, many of us worry about social media, screen time, AI, and online safety. But beneath those concerns lies a deeper question:

Do our children feel safe enough to talk to us?

Tammy shares five practical ways to create the kind of emotional safety that encourages honest conversations, builds trust, and strengthens relationships—both onli...

How do we keep kids safe online without creating fear, shame, or disconnection?

In this important conversation, Tammy sits down with Kaylin Peete, Program Specialist at the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) and former educator, to discuss the growing challenges families face in today's digital world.

From social media and online gaming to AI chatbots and screen time, technology is shaping how children learn, connect, and develop their sense of identity. But while many parents worry about what their children are doing online, Kaylin explains that the real solution isn't stricter rules—it's stronger relationships.

In this episode of Tammy's Takes, Tammy explores one of the most powerful lessons from her recent conversation with women's health expert Kirsten Karchmer:

What if your symptoms aren't the problem?

What if they're the message?

Too often we treat anxiety, overwhelm, emotional reactions, self-doubt, and chronic stress as things to eliminate. But what if your body is actually trying to communicate something important?

Drawing from her work in trauma-informed coaching, nervous system regulation, and emotional healing, Tammy introduces her 4-Step BODY Method—a simple framework for understanding triggers, identifying old pa...

Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally exhausted?

In this episode of Tammy’s Takes, Tammy pulls powerful lessons from her conversation with Kym Coco and shares five practical ways to start moving forward when life feels heavy, uncertain, or completely overwhelming.

Whether you’re navigating grief, anxiety, burnout, childhood trauma, nervous system dysregulation, life transitions, or just feeling emotionally stuck, this episode will help you stop spiraling and start taking tiny steps toward healing.

Because healing does not happen in giant leaps.

Healing happens in tiny pivots.

In this epis...

How do you rebuild yourself after loss, grief, anxiety, or a major life transition?

In this deeply meaningful episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy sits down with author, speaker, yoga teacher, and founder of Swagtail Yoga, Kym Coco, to explore how movement, mindfulness, breathwork, and nervous system regulation can help us heal.

After experiencing profound loss following her husband’s illness and passing, Kym shares how sports, golf, yoga, structure, and simple daily practices helped her regain confidence, reconnect with herself, and move forward with purpose.

Together, Tammy and Kym discuss:

...

What if infertility isn't simply a hormone problem?

In this eye-opening episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy sits down with fertility expert, healthcare innovator, and Conceivable founder Kirsten Karchmer to explore the hidden factors that impact fertility, reproductive health, and overall wellness.

After helping more than 10,000 women in clinical practice, Kirsten discovered that many women struggling to conceive were being told they had "unexplained infertility" while deeper root causes were being overlooked. Together, Tammy and Kirsten dive into the powerful connection between stress, nervous system dysregulation, childhood trauma, energy depletion, inflammation, and reproductive health.<...

Why do so many adult children of dysfunction struggle to trust themselves?

In this episode of Tammy’s Takes, Tammy pulls from her powerful conversation with therapist Kara Lissy to unpack one of the biggest hidden wounds of growing up in dysfunction: losing trust in yourself.

If you grew up around addiction, emotional neglect, criticism, unpredictability, narcissism, or chaos, you may have learned to second guess yourself, overthink decisions, people please, and ignore your own needs in order to survive.

But here’s the truth: you are not broken. You were conditioned.

Ta...

What happens when childhood dysfunction follows you into adulthood?

In this deeply healing episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy sits down with licensed therapist and ACOA specialist Kara Lissy to unpack the lasting effects of growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home.

Together, they explore childhood trauma, nervous system dysregulation, people pleasing, grief, shame, perfectionism, emotional neglect, boundaries, and what healing actually looks like as an adult child of dysfunction.

If you've ever struggled with anxiety, hypervigilance, relationship issues, emotional triggers, or feeling “not enough,” this episode will help you understand why...

Are you functioning but not really feeling?

If you grew up in dysfunction, emotional neglect, addiction, chaos, criticism, or unpredictability, emotional numbness may have become a survival response.

In this episode of Tammy’s Takes, Tammy Vincent follows up on her conversation with Megan Margherio to explore why adult children of dysfunction often feel disconnected from themselves, struggle with nervous system dysregulation, and stay stuck in survival mode long after childhood ends.

Tammy breaks down:

✔ Emotional numbness and childhood trauma

✔ Nervous system healing and regulation

✔ Why peace and safe...

What happens after survival?

If you grew up in dysfunction, emotional neglect, abuse, addiction, or chaos, chances are you learned how to survive. But what happens when survival mode becomes emotional numbness? What happens when you no longer feel the pain… but you also can’t fully feel the joy?

In this deeply powerful and validating conversation, Tammy sits down with trauma-informed embodiment coach, speaker, and author Megan Margherio to talk about healing trauma through the body, reconnecting with safety, and learning how to feel alive again.

Together, they unpack how childhood dysfunction shap...

In this powerful Tammy’s Takes episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy Vincent expands on her conversation with Irin Rubin, founder of Mama Zen, to explore a difficult but important truth:

Your child may not actually be the trigger… your nervous system is.

If you’ve ever found yourself snapping, yelling, shutting down, feeling overstimulated, or wondering:

“Why am I reacting this strongly?”

This episode is for you.

Tammy dives into how childhood dysfunction, emotional neglect, trauma, and growing up in chaotic environments shape the nervous system and influence...

In this powerful episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy Vincent sits down with Irin Rubin, Founder and CEO of Mama Zen, a global mental wellness platform helping parents regulate anxiety, emotional overwhelm, and parenting triggers through nervous system support and emotional regulation tools. Inspired by her own motherhood struggles, Erin created Mama Zen as a practical solution that is now being used in over 45 countries.

Together, Tammy and Erin explore the hidden roots of parenting triggers, nervous system dysregulation, childhood trauma, emotional overwhelm, and why so many parents react in ways they never intended. They unpack...

In this powerful Tammy’s Takes episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy Vincent expands on her conversation with Lori Montre and explores one of the biggest frustrations in healing: Why do we keep repeating the same patterns even when we know where they come from?

If you’ve ever thought:

“I know why I do this… so why can’t I stop?”

This episode is for you.

Tammy dives into why awareness alone does not heal trauma patterns, and how nervous system regulation—not just mindset—plays a critical role in changing beha...

In this deeply healing episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy sits down with Lori Montre, trauma-informed coach, former corporate lawyer, and author of You’re Not the Problem, for a powerful conversation about childhood trauma, nervous system regulation, emotional eating, people-pleasing, hypervigilance, and healing the patterns that keep us stuck.

Lori shares her personal story of surviving childhood sexual abuse, growing up feeling like a burden, and turning to food as emotional comfort and protection. Together, Tammy and Lori unpack how trauma — whether “big T” or “little t” — shapes the way we see ourselves, the world, and relationsh...

In this heartfelt Tammy’s Takes episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy expands on a powerful concept from her conversation with child advocate and trauma-informed clinician Paula Yost: sometimes healing doesn’t begin with perfect circumstances—it begins with one safe person.

Tammy explores how childhood dysfunction shapes the nervous system and why so many adults struggle with anxiety, people-pleasing, emotional overwhelm, overthinking, and relationship challenges later in life. Through a trauma-informed lens, she explains the powerful role of co-regulation—the way safe relationships help calm and retrain the nervous system—and why many adult children of dysfunc...

In this powerful episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy Vincent sits down with attorney, licensed mental health clinician, child advocate, and author Paula Yost to explore the complex intersection of trauma, foster care, mental health, and advocacy. Paula shares her unique perspective as both a legal professional and trauma-informed clinician, bringing deep compassion and real-world insight into what children in foster care truly need to heal.

Together, Tammy and Paula unpack the realities of childhood trauma, the lasting impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and why many foster children struggle with trust, regulation, and connection. Paula...

Why do you keep repeating the same patterns… even when you know exactly where they come from?

In this powerful Tammy’s Take, Tammy Vincent breaks down one of the most misunderstood parts of healing: awareness.

Because awareness is not just understanding your childhood or knowing why you react the way you do. Real healing begins when you can catch the pattern while it’s happening.

If you’ve ever thought:

In this episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy Vincent sits down with trauma-informed therapist Scott Stolarick to explore the true complexity of trauma—and how it impacts both victims and those who cause harm.

With over 30 years of clinical experience, Scott brings a rare and powerful perspective, having worked on both sides of trauma in the correctional system and private practice. Together, Tammy and Scott unpack how trauma is not defined by the event itself, but by how it is experienced and processed—and how unresolved trauma can quietly shape behaviors, relationships, and patterns throughout life.

What if the patterns you struggle with today… aren’t who you are?

In this episode of Tammy’s Takes, Tammy builds on her powerful conversation with David Latour to explore how growing up in dysfunction shapes your behaviors, beliefs, and identity—but doesn’t have to define your future.

If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “this is just who I am,” whether it’s anxiety, reactivity, overthinking, or difficulty trusting others, this episode will help you understand where those patterns come from—and how to start changing them.

Tammy breaks down the difference betwe...

In this powerful episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy Vincent sits down with David La Torre, author of the upcoming memoir Soda, to explore what it was really like growing up in a household shaped by addiction, secrecy, and survival.

David shares raw and deeply personal stories from his childhood in suburban America, where cocaine use and chaos hid behind what looked like a “normal” life. From being a parentified child to navigating fear, shame, and isolation, his experiences highlight the emotional toll addiction takes on families—especially children.

Together, Tammy and David unpack the lo...

In this Tammy’s Takes follow-up to her conversation with relationship coach Karen Spetz, Tammy Vincent dives deeper into one of the most confusing emotional spaces in relationships — feeling “not unhappy… but not happy either.”

This episode explores why so many women find themselves stuck in relationships that feel calm but disconnected, and how nervous system patterns from childhood can keep us choosing safety over true alignment. Tammy breaks down the difference between the absence of conflict and the presence of connection, and why simply “not fighting” doesn’t always mean a relationship is healthy or fulfilling.

Building on...

In this episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy Vincent sits down with relationship coach Karen Spetz to explore one of the most emotionally complex questions many women face: “Should I stay or should I go?”

Karen specializes in helping women navigate this crossroads, especially during seasons of personal growth, identity shifts, and midlife transitions. Together, Tammy and Karen unpack why this question is coming up more than ever, and how evolving self-awareness, changing societal norms, and emotional needs can create a disconnect in long-term relationships.

They discuss the difference between simply coexisting and experiencing true...

What if the reason you keep falling back into the same patterns… isn’t a lack of discipline?

In this episode of Tammy’s Takes, Tammy breaks down one of the biggest misconceptions in personal growth—and why trying to “just be more disciplined” is actually keeping you stuck.

Building off her conversation with therapist Jennifer Schrappe, Tammy explains how behaviors like emotional eating, overthinking, avoidance, and procrastination aren’t failures—they’re attempts to meet an unmet need.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything “right” but still can’t seem to change certain hab...

What if success isn’t the answer… but part of what’s keeping you stuck?

In this powerful episode of the Adult Child of Dysfunction Podcast, I sit down with therapist and Chrysalis Enterprises founder Jennifer Schrappe to explore the hidden connection between external success, food addiction, and unresolved emotional pain.

From the outside, Jennifer had everything together—but behind the scenes, she was struggling with compulsive overeating, shame, and the weight of unprocessed trauma. In this conversation, she shares her personal journey of recovery and what it really takes to break free from addictive patterns...

What if you’re not actually self-sabotaging?

In this episode of Tammy’s Takes, we break down one of the most misunderstood patterns in personal growth—and it might completely change the way you see yourself.

Building off this week’s conversation with hypnotherapist Peter McLaughlin, Tammy dives into the truth about self-sabotage and why it’s not a sign that something is wrong with you… but a sign that your subconscious mind is trying to protect you.

If you’ve ever found yourself pulling back right when things are going well, overthinking, procrastinatin...

What if your biggest struggles aren’t something to “fix”… but something to understand?

In this powerful episode of the Adult Child of Dysfunction Podcast, I sit down with certified hypnotherapist and life coach Peter McLaughlin to explore the deep connection between trauma, the subconscious mind, and the patterns that quietly run your life.

After being diagnosed with both Lyme disease and leukemia in the same day, Peter’s life took a dramatic turn—one that led him into a profound journey of healing, self-discovery, and understanding the mind-body-spirit connection.

Together, we break down how pas...

What if your anxiety, overthinking, and emotional patterns aren’t the problem… but the result of a nervous system that learned to survive?

In this episode of Tammy’s Takes, Tammy builds on her powerful conversation with Dr. Tracy Hutchinson to break down 5 key signs your nervous system may still be stuck in survival mode due to childhood trauma, emotional invalidation, or high-conflict environments.

If you constantly feel on edge, overanalyze people’s behavior, struggle to trust calm, or question yourself, this episode will help you understand why—and more importantly, what to do about it.

...

In this episode Tammy sits down with Dr. Tracy Hutchinson—author, professor, and psychotherapist specializing in narcissistic abuse and family trauma recovery—to explore the lasting impact of high-conflict parenting.

If you’ve ever struggled with self-worth, emotional regulation, or feeling unseen in your relationships, this conversation will help you understand why.

Dr. Hutchinson breaks down what it really means to grow up with a high-conflict parent—highlighting the difference between occasional dysfunction and chronic emotional instability—and how these patterns shape the way you think, feel, and relate to others as an adult.

In this...

In this episode of Tammy’s Takes, Tammy breaks down one of the biggest misconceptions in personal growth:

👉 you don’t have a motivation problem… you have a belief problem.

Following her conversation with Mo Choice, Tammy dives into the deeper reason so many people feel stuck, inconsistent, or unable to follow through—even when they know exactly what they “should” be doing.

Because the truth is…

👉 you will always act in alignment with what you believe is true.

And many of those beliefs were formed years ago as survival strategies—...