Family estrangement happens to half of American families, but it’s still shrouded in silence and stigma. In this special series devoted to widening our circle of empathy for people who often feel marginalized or misunderstood, watch this important episode featuring Dr. Becca Bland, founder of Stand Alone, a UK-based non-profit dedicated to supporting adults who are estranged from their families.
After making the difficult decision to go no-contact with her own parents, she wrote a story about her experience (published in 2012 by The Guardian) that went viral. Today, she is a Family Estrangement Specialist committed to supporting others navigating the complexities of broken family relationships.
Together, we discuss:
Why family estrangement is on the rise
The emotional, practical, and systemic challenges of family estrangement
Strategies for parents to build empathy and safety in relationships
Support resources for people experiencing estrangement
If you want to understand the growing family estrangement trend, or feel less alone if you’ve decided to cut ties, Becca’s story will help you.
00:00 Preview
01:16 Introduction
02:49 About Dr. Becca Bland
04:48 Becca’s backstory
08:41 Why do people judge broken familial relationships?
14:16 Insights from Becca’s research on estranged families
16:38 How policymakers can better support the estranged community
21:02 Inside the Prison Pilot: estrangement support for incarcerated men
25:16 What is the biggest parenting mistake that leads to estrangement?
28:03 TikTok’s #NoContactFamily trend
34:18 Why Becca stepped out of the limelight
38:05 The power of somatic practices in processing trauma
40:24 Discussing Becca Bland’s book, Running
42:48 Extending empathy to those experiencing estrangement (children and parents)
47:39 Dr. Becca Bland’s Purposeful Empathy Story
CONNECT WITH ANITA
✩ Email purposefulempathy@gmail.com
✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com
✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA
✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/
✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram
✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast
✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.social
CONNECT WITH BECCA
✩ Website https://www.beccabland.com
✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-becca-bland/
SHOW NOTES
✩ Stand Alone https://www.standalone.org.uk
✩ Becca’s Opinion Piece https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/15/becca-bland-estranged-parents
✩ Running https://www.amazon.com/Running-Dr-Becca-Bland/dp/B0B14J7LPL
Video edited by Jad Misri, Green Horizon Studio