Restored: Helping Children of Divorce

Episodi

• Why Affairs Happen, and How to Build a Faithful Marriage | Doug Hinderer : #176 02.06.2026 57min

  When a parent cheats, it doesn’t just wound the marriage. It can wound the children too. For many young people from broken families, infidelity creates a terrifying fear: What if I get cheated on too? Or worse, what if I become the one who cheats? In this episode, Joey talks with marriage and family therapist Doug Hinderer about how affairs happen, why betrayal damages a child’s ability to trust, and how young people from broken families can avoid repeating their parents’ mistakes. They discu...
• Her Dad Cheated, Her Family Broke, But She Broke the Cycle | Autumn: #175 19.05.2026 47min

  When your family breaks apart, anger makes sense. But if it has nowhere to go, it can turn into bitterness, depression, addiction, relationship fear, and despair. In this episode, Autumn shares how her parents’ divorce, her father’s infidelity, generational dysfunction, and sexual abuse shaped the way she saw men, love, marriage, God, and herself. She opens up about the rage she carried, her struggle with pornography addiction, suicidal thoughts, and the fear that she was doomed to repeat her...
• How To Avoid Falling In Love With A Jerk | Dr. John Van Epp: #174 07.05.2026 53min

  What if the person you fall for isn’t just a choice, but a pattern? Most people think love is about chemistry, attraction, or finding “the one.” But according to today’s guest, the heart alone is not enough. If you come from a divorced or dysfunctional family, your wounds can shape who you trust, who you’re attracted to, and what feels “normal” in a relationship. Without realizing it, you might be drawn to someone familiar, not because they’re good for you, but because they feel like the past...
• When Not to Listen to Your Parents About Love | 3 Callers from Broken Families #173 23.04.2026 40min

  In this episode, I mentor three people LIVE through the problems they’re facing in their broken families: One caller asks how to deal with a dad who avoids the reality of his divorce, and whether it’s his place to confront him or let that battle go.Another asks a question people are afraid to say out loud: Can I actually heal? And if so, how does healing really happen?And finally, a young woman opens up about starting her first relationship while watching her divorced parents repeat unhealthy...
• You’re the Third Parent: How to Break Free Without Hurting Your Siblings | Celeste: #172 07.04.2026 1h 33min

  At 14 or 15 years old, Celeste learned her parents’ marriage was unraveling. Affairs. Addiction. Secrets. Her siblings didn’t know. But she did — because she was the oldest daughter. And before long, she wasn’t just watching the marriage fall apart… she was managing it. In this episode, Celeste shares what it was like to grow up as the “third parent” in a family where divorce was unthinkable — and what that responsibility did to her nervous system, her faith, and her ability to trust. We talk...
• You’re Invited: A Healing Retreat May 1-3 in Philadelphia 06.04.2026 3min

  We’re hosting a rare healing retreat for young adults from divorced or dysfunctional families May 1-3 in Malvern, PA, just outside Philadelphia. View details or sign up at RestoredMinistry.com/philly. Questions? Email JordanaM@restoredministry.com
• Recommend Your Therapist to Our Community 31.03.2026 1min

  Recommend a Therapist You’re rare: you found a therapist who massively helped you heal and grow. Most people from broken families never get that. They want help but don’t know who to trust, so they stay stuck. We’re changing that by building a small, trusted list of exceptional therapists. In this short episode, you’ll hear how you can help. You don’t need to volunteer or donate. Just spend a few minutes recommending your therapist so someone like you can finally get the help they deserve. Re...
• Low Confidence? Here’s How to Build It | Dr. Nicole Gabana Chiesa: #171 24.03.2026 1h 13min

  If you grew up in a broken or divorced family, struggling with confidence isn’t random. Research has consistently shown that children of divorce are more likely to experience lower self-esteem, higher anxiety, and greater insecurity in relationships. When love feels unstable or conditional early on, it shapes how you handle pressure later in life. You might: Overthink conversationsFreeze in high-pressure momentsFeel like you have to perform to be lovedOr believe everyone else is just naturall...
• Your Advice Needed: A NEW Solution for People from Broken Families 11.03.2026 1min

  If you grew up in a divorced or really dysfunctional family, this is for you. I’m working on a new 6‑week program for people like us, but before we build anything, I want your honest input and advice. In this short episode, I’ll share the idea, who it’s for, and how you can help shape it. It’s quick, and your feedback will directly impact whether this happens and what it looks like. Listen in, check out the page where you can join the waitlist: https://hi.switchy.io/sY0h
• Money Stress in a Broken Family Forces You to Grow Up | Liz: #170 11.03.2026 1h 3min

  What if your anxiety about money didn’t start in adulthood, but in your dysfunctional family during childhood? Growing up with financial instability doesn’t just affect your bank account. It can train your nervous system to live in survival mode — forcing you to grow up too fast and quietly shaping how you date, marry, and handle responsibility. In this episode, pediatric cardiac ICU physician Liz shares her story of financial chaos, parentification, and how that hyper-responsibility followed...
• Dating is a Mess: A NEW Way to Meet High Quality, Virtuous People | Emily Wilson Hussem: #169 24.02.2026 46min

  Dating today feels exhausting. Confusing. And for people from divorced or dysfunctional families, it can feel even heavier — because one wrong choice doesn’t just mean heartbreak… it can feel like repeating your parents’ story. In this episode, Joey sits down with Emily Wilson, Catholic author and co-founder of Sacred Spark, to talk about the most important factor in building a healthy marriage: choosing the right person — and why modern dating culture makes that decision harder than ever. Em...
• Your Phone Might Be Blocking Your Healing (Here’s the Plan) | Christen Routh: #168 10.02.2026 52min

  Most people think screen time is a harmless habit. But what if it’s quietly training your brain against healing? In this conversation, Christen Routh explains why doomscrolling feels like relief but often leaves you more anxious, more numb, and more alone. We talk about the real danger of screens, not just what they show you, but what they replace: real friendship, real presence, real growth. And we get practical about what to do instead, without going off-grid. In this episode, we cover: Why...
• Why You’re Not Healthier: The Real Fix Nobody Talks About | Brandon Hall: #167 27.01.2026 57min

  Most people don’t have a knowledge problem when it comes to wellness. They have a consistency problem. You already know the basics, but when stress hits, you fall off and you start chasing the next hack, app, plan, podcast, or supplement. In this episode, Brandon Hall (CatholicWell) explains why the real battle is willpower, how stress and trauma can train your brain to live on high alert, and why the most underrated wellness practice is going inward. Stillness, self-awareness, prayer, Script...
• “My Mom Overshares and Relies on Me Too Much. What Do I Do?” | Live Call In: #166 13.01.2026 41min

  In this episode, I’ll mentor three people LIVE through real-life situations that people like us from broken families face: A separated mom with adult kids asks: How do I support my kids through the fallout without pushing them, guilt-tripping them, or putting them in the middle?A man, wounded by his parents’ divorce and his struggles with alcoholism, asks: Is it actually worth digging up the past to heal, and can writing really help?A young woman, whose parents’ divorce has dragged on for fiv...
• How to Heal the Physical Cost of Your Parents’ Divorce | Dakota Lane: #165 07.01.2026 59min

  You might be “over” your parents’ divorce. But your body might not be. If you grew up in a divorced or dysfunctional home, chronic stress can get stored in your nervous system — quietly shaping your sleep, energy, digestion, hormones, and mental health years later. In this episode, I talk with Dakota Lane about how stress doesn’t just affect your emotions. It can literally rewire your body and keep you stuck in survival mode long after the chaos ends. In this conversation, we cover: Why your ...
• Best of 2025 | Restored Podcast Highlights: #164 26.12.2025 28min

  If you come from a divorced or dysfunctional family, this show is for you. We mentor you through the pain and help you heal, so you can avoid repeating your family’s dysfunction and instead build strong, healthy relationships. In this episode, you'll hear highlight clips from the podcast in 2025. If you’re new to the podcast, welcome! This is the perfect way to sample the podcast and learn how it will help you. If you’re a longtime listener, this is the perfect episode to share with som...
• How to Heal Your Nervous System Impacted by Your Parents' Divorce | Sr. Mary Stephen: #163 04.12.2025 1h

  Growing up with divorced parents or a dysfunctional family does not just shape your childhood. It shapes your nervous system. Many young people from broken homes live with chronic anxiety, shutdown, emotional overwhelm, or conflict avoidance without ever knowing why. In this episode, Sr. Mary Stephen explains how childhood chaos trains your brain and body to stay on high alert and how to finally regulate your emotions instead of feeling controlled by them. You will learn simple, practical t...
• The Bible’s Messiest Families & What They Reveal About Yours | Deacon Ryan Budd: #162 21.11.2025 37min

  So many young people from divorced or dysfunctional families assume their story is unique — or worse, that they’re destined to repeat the same patterns. But the truth is, family brokenness is far more common than anyone talks about. And God has been dealing with messy family dynamics since the beginning of time. In this episode, Deacon Ryan Budd, who served as Dr. Scott Hahn’s research assistant, reveals how the Bible is full of families just as complicated, chaotic, and wounded as ours. He e...
• His Parents Divorce Led Him to Alcoholism: Here's How He Broke Free | Scott Weeman: #161 06.11.2025 1h 6min

  What if your parents’ divorce, or the chaos you grew up in, didn’t just hurt you emotionally but actually wired you to seek relief through addiction? This might explain why you feel unsafe for no reason, why you keep numbing out when life gets hard, or why you crave control but end up stuck in the same self-destructive cycles. In this episode, we explore the deep connection between addiction and family dysfunction, especially how growing up in a chaotic or broken home can make substances, scr...
• The Mentor Who Became the Father I Never Had | Brandon Allaman: #160 24.10.2025 55min

  When your parents divorce, you almost always miss out on the mentorship and guidance that parents are meant to give their children about life, relationships, and so much more. Without that kind of guidance, you feel lost, alone, and stuck - unsure what to do about it all. But that’s where a mentor can be incredibly helpful and even healing. In this episode, we dive into the power of mentorship: why it’s essential if you grew up without one or both parents, how to find the right mentor,...