Family estrangement: Breaking ties, building community

Family estrangement: Breaking ties, building community

Author: Charts & Leisure November 20, 2024 Duration: 42:26

Description: In this episode of Unravelling, Mary Wilson speaks with Angel Cassin, CEO of Together Estranged, about the complex and often taboo topic of family estrangement. Angel shares her own journey of going no-contact with her mother, the stigma she encountered, and the community she found through Together Estranged. The conversation explores the spectrum of estrangement, the role of boundaries, and societal expectations around reconciliation. Angel sheds light on the diverse reasons behind estrangement, such as non-acceptance due to identity, conflicting values, or a history of abuse, and how these factors shape the experience of those affected. She also explores the power of chosen families and online communities in creating a sense of belonging and support for those who feel isolated.

Links

Website: https://www.togetherestranged.org/


About Estrangement: https://www.togetherestranged.org/copy-of-research-learning


Navigating Events Resource: https://www.togetherestranged.org/navigatingevents


Togetherness Series/Events page (where folks can sign up for our monthly meet): https://www.togetherestranged.org/event-list


Blog Series: https://www.togetherestranged.org/blog



Calling our listeners!
We want to hear from you! We're cooking up a special episode and need your voice in the mix. Have a question, thoughts on a past episode, or something happening in your life you’d love to explore through the lens of mental health? You can call, email, or send us a voice memo—and you just might hear yourself on a future episode of Unravelling. We’re excited to hear what’s on your mind!   


Leave a voicemail at 802-258-3763 (802-258-3POD)

Email or send a voice memo to unravel@brattlebororetreat.org




There’s a thread that connects our inner lives to the culture we live in, and Unravelling pulls on it to see what emerges. This isn’t a lecture series, but a conversation guided by therapist Kurt White and journalist Mary Wilson, who bring their distinct perspectives to every discussion. They explore how mental health is woven into everything from our daily fitness routines and societal pressures to the art we consume and the relationships we keep. In each episode, you’ll hear from experts who study the mind alongside individuals sharing their personal, lived experiences, creating a dialogue that feels both intellectually rigorous and deeply human. The aim is to move beyond simple definitions, examining how anxiety, resilience, joy, and struggle shape our collective reality. Produced by Charts & Leisure, this podcast provides a space for nuance, challenging the idea that our psychological worlds exist in a vacuum. It’s for anyone who has ever felt the tension between their private thoughts and the public world, offering not easy answers but a more textured understanding. By listening, you become part of a broader exploration into how compassion, for ourselves and our society, can actually be built from a place of genuine curiosity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Unravelling
Podcast Episodes
Soundtracks of the self: Protection and expression in (unsafe) spaces [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:45
In this episode of Unravelling, host Kurt speaks with Evelyn Lee, a music therapist based in Singapore, about how music can be a powerful tool for identity, healing, and connection, especially within the LGBTQ+ community…
Queering the self: Finding the space to show up as you are [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:32
In this episode of Unravelling, Kurt White sits down with poet, playwright, and social worker Britt Billmeyer-Finn to unpack the ideas and impact of queer theory. Far from being just an academic concept, queer theory is…
The space between us: Healing in groups across difference [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:25
In this episode of Unraveling, Mary Wilson talks with psychotherapist and group facilitator Donna Harris, LCSW, CGP, about the challenging work of healing across lines of difference. Donna explains that real connection i…
Group therapy: The room that reflects you back [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:14
What makes a therapy group more than just a room full of people? In this episode, group psychotherapist J. Scott Rutan, Ph.D. joins Kurt to explore the transformative power of group therapy. Drawing on Dr. Rutan's decade…
Creativity as a lifeline: Healing trauma through expression [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:38
In this episode of Unravelling, Mary sits down with Lane Gardner, musician, educator, and founder of Thread, a nonprofit using collaborative songwriting to help communities heal from trauma. Lane shares the story of a po…
Saying "yes" to our creative impulse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:42
In this episode of Unravelling, filmmaker and Occidental College professor Aleem Hossain joins host Kurt White for a wide-ranging conversation on the role creativity plays in both personal fulfillment and mental health.…
Finding the self online: Identity, algorithms, and the digital mirror [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:15
In this special crossover episode with Never Post, Unravelling host Kurt White joins writer and digital media expert Mike Rugnetta to explore how the internet shapes identity, self-perception, and mental health. From Tik…
AI-Generated empathy: Chatbots and the future of mental health [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:19
In this episode of Unravelling, host Mary Wilson is joined by Betsy Stade, research scientist and clinical psychologist at the Stanford Institute for Human Centered AI, to explore the profound ways AI is reshaping therap…