In 2015, I picked up a book, read the back cover and instantly it resonated with me. As a mom raising kids of my own, I knew how easy it was to slide into the role of the overprotective mama bear, wanting to shield my babies from any discomfort. But I also knew that doing that would come at a cost. Wanting to raise resilient, confident, independent adults who could function in the world on their own was always my intention but it wasn't going to be easy. I had to be strong. And in fact for many of the years, I was raising my children on my own.

When I read, How to Raise an Adult, it reinforced a concern that I was already having about the impact helicopter parenting was having on their children, and their young adults. I knew in my gut this parenting style was going to create problems down the line. In all fairness to parents who adopted this approach, the cultural message was made very clear; a good parent did everything for their child. But where did that leave kids, when their parents weren't around? Who was fighting their battles, rescuing them from school yard bullies, solving their problems? It made me uncomfortable to think that if I did that for my kids, I was leaving them without armour, and that was not what I wanted for them.

The book went on to become a New York Times bestseller, and the author did a Ted Talk called Raising Successful Kids Without Overparenting that has now been viewed over 8.2 million times. You can only imagine how deeply meaningful this episode is for me and how honored I am to have Julie Lythcott-Haims as my guest on LAUNCH .

In addition to "How to Raise an Adult", Julie is also the author of "Your Turn: How to Be an Adult" and "Real American", a critically acclaimed, award-winning memoir. Julie's work spans writing, speaking, teaching, mentoring, and activism.

This conversation felt less like an interview and more like a heartfelt discussion between two people who care deeply about helping parents who are living with their young adults. We talked about what's happening in the home, the challenges parents are facing, the issues that young adults are dealing with, and what it actually takes for a family of adults to truly enjoy living together.

Sometimes the hardest part about having virtual interviews is that I never get to give my guests a hug after we've talked about suc

💻 Shari's Parenting Course is now OPEN for REGISTRATION! “Journey to Independence: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Guiding and Launching Your Adult Child.”

For more information and where to sign up, visit: https://parentingfx.com/parentingcourse

🎉 Just Released!

Understanding Boundaries: 25 Ready-to-Use Boundary-Setting Statements The Every Parent Needs

CLICK HERE if you Want to Discover the Secret to Finally Getting Your Adult Child to Listen & Respect You!

It's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it that will make the BIGGEST impact.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you want to know if your adult child is struggling with Failure to Launch? Grab the FREE Failure to Launch Checklist here:

🗣️One-on-One Consultations are available. Click here!

Email me if you have any questions at: Shari@ParentingFX.com

🎙️Remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you never miss an episode.

Shari can be found on Instagram & TikTok Search @sharijonaslifefx

YouTube has all of the interviews available to watch! C...

If your adult child is uninterested in trying anything, won't apply for jobs, avoids challenges, and is perfectly content having you do everything for them, this episode explains why and what you can do to help. And is it ever easy!

Discover the one psychological factor that determines whether young adults move forward or stay stuck, plus the specific things parents need to STOP doing and START doing to help their adults build confidence.

It’s short but impactful!

Thank you for listening.

Please remember to hit the subscribe.

💻 Shari's Parenting Course is now OPEN for REGISTRATION! “Journey to Independence: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Guiding and Launching Your Adult Child.”

For more information and where to sign up, visit: https://parentingfx.com/parentingcourse

🎉 Just Released!

Understanding Boundaries: 25 Ready-to-Use Boundary-Setting Statements The Every Parent Needs

CLICK HERE if you Want to Discover the Secret to Finally Getting Your Adult Child to Listen & Respect You!

It's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it that will make the BIGGEST impact.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you want to know if your adult child is struggling with Failure to Launch? Grab the FREE Failure to Launch Checklist here:

🗣️One-on-One Consultations are available. Click here!

Email me if you have any questions at: Shari@ParentingFX.com

🎙️Remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you never miss an episode.

Shari can be found on Instagram & TikTok Search @sharijonaslifefx

YouTube has all of the interviews available to watch! C...

Today I’m joined by Susan Raphael, an addiction and mental health clinician in private practice for over 20 years. Susan works closely with individuals, parents, and families navigating substance abuse, mental health challenges, and recovery.

In this conversation, Susan shares her own personal story of addiction and recovery, bringing a powerful and honest perspective to the work she does with families every day.

This episode is for any parent living with an adult child who is struggling with addiction and mental health issues, and feeling afraid, overwhelmed, and unsure how to talk about moving forward. We discuss the importance of connection, self-care, the levers of influence (love that) and where responsibility truly belongs when it comes to managing addiction and mental health.

You can't have a conversation about parenting adult children, struggling and still living at home, without talking about boundaries, why they matter, and how setting clear limits is the only way to meaningful change, not just for your adult child, but for the entire family.

The 25 Boundary Setting Statements that I've created are here: https://parentingfx.com/boundaries

Remember to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode, please share this episode with another parent who needs to hear it.

As always, thank you for listening.

About my guest Susan Raphael, ICADC, CACCF, :

Addiction and mental health clinician, founder and principal of Sustainable Recovery Counseling Services in Toronto.

Susan is the author of What’s Wrong with My Teen? Finding Answers to Addiction and Family Crisis is available everywhere books are sold www.whatswrongwithmyteen.com

Connect with Susan: @sustainable__recovery | www.sustainablerecovery.ca

Website: www.sustainablerecovery.ca

💻 Shari's Parenting Course is now OPEN for REGISTRATION! “Journey to Independence: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Guiding and Launching Your Adult Child.”

For more information and where to sign up, visit: https://parentingfx.com/parentingcourse

🎉 Just Released!

Understanding Boundaries: 25 Ready-to-Use Boundary-Setting Statements The Every Parent Needs

CLICK HERE if you Want to Discover the Secret to Finally Getting Your Adult Child to Listen & Respect You!

It's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it that will make the BIGGEST impact.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you want to know if your adult child is struggling with Failure to Launch? Grab the FREE Failure to Launch Checklist here:

🗣️One-on-One Consultations are available. Click here!

Email me if you have any questions at: Shari@ParentingFX.com

🎙️Remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you never miss an episode.

Shari can be found on Instagram & TikTok Search @sharijonaslifefx

YouTube has all of the interviews available to watch! C...

Parenting an adult child who is struggling is an emotional rollercoaster.

In your wildest dreams you never thought raising a young adult would be this challenging. In your mind, you thought it would be so different. Yet here you are. And it's not just your adult child you want to help, but your relationship, how you communicate, how you connect and how work together to grow.

With over 20 years of experience in the field of psychology including a PhD in Clinical Psychology, my guest today is Dr. Anna Levy-Warren. Anna is the founder and CEO of Organizational Tutors, a nationwide network of experts who help students and adults overcome executive functioning challenges and diverse learning profiles. She's the co-founder of Dwellness, which provides in-home and in person therapy and she also leads STEEL Advising, where she provides executive functioning and leadership training to executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals. In her New York City-based private practice, Anna specializes in working with parents, couples, and families navigating high-conflict situations, ADHD, learning disabilities and emotional dysregulation.

But here's what makes today's conversation so powerful: Anna isn't just speaking as an expert; she's also a parent who has walked this path herself. She knows firsthand the frustration, the guilt, and oftentimes, the helplessness that comes with having a strong-willed child with their own executive functioning challenges.

In today's episode, Anna shares concrete, actionable steps that will help you strengthen your relationship with your young adult and help them move forward.

To contact Dr. Anna Levy-Warren: https://www.annalevywarrenphd.com/

Please remember to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode and share this with someone who needs to hear it.

As always, thank you for listening!

Sidenote - did you count how many times I said “love it”? I did. 12x, maybe less.

💻 Shari's Parenting Course is now OPEN for REGISTRATION! “Journey to Independence: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Guiding and Launching Your Adult Child.”

For more information and where to sign up, visit: https://parentingfx.com/parentingcourse

🎉 Just Released!

Understanding Boundaries: 25 Ready-to-Use Boundary-Setting Statements The Every Parent Needs

CLICK HERE if you Want to Discover the Secret to Finally Getting Your Adult Child to Listen & Respect You!

It's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it that will make the BIGGEST impact.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you want to know if your adult child is struggling with Failure to Launch? Grab the FREE Failure to Launch Checklist here:

🗣️One-on-One Consultations are available. Click here!

Email me if you have any questions at: Shari@ParentingFX.com

🎙️Remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you never miss an episode.

Shari can be found on Instagram & TikTok Search @sharijonaslifefx

YouTube has all of the interviews available to watch! C...

In this episode of LAUNCH, I sit down with Neal Solomon, Registered Social Worker, for one of the most honest conversations that parents of young adults need to hear.

We talk openly about the real pain points parents are living in, the hard truths and why so many families feel stuck despite good intentions. We dig into what is actually going on with today’s youth, where responsibility and boundaries fit into the picture, and how fear, guilt, and over-accommodation quietly keep everyone stuck.

Most importantly, this conversation provides clarity, direction, and hope.

The bottom line is, parents still have agency. Their voice matters more than they realize. What they choose to say, what they choose to stop doing, and how they can show up moving forward can change the direction of their adult child’s life.

If you are ready for truth bombs, tough love, honest insight, and a way forward, this episode is for you.

Discussed in this episode were these tools:

The Living Together Guide is available here: https://parentingfx.com/product-details/product/livingtogetherguide

Understand Boundaries: includes 25 Ready-to-Use Boundary Setting Settings That Every Parent Needs is here - https://parentingfx.com/boundaries

Remember to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode and please share this podcast with another parent who needs to here it.

As always, thank you for listening!

About my guest: Neal Solomon, BA., BEd, MSW, RSW

Neal has been in private practice for over 20 years. His therapeutic work focuses on mental health, anxiety, anger-management, learning difficulties, relationship issues, addictions, separation & divorce as well as grief and bereavement. He uses CBT, a Strength-Based Approach & Attachment Theory.

Contact - https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/neal-solomon-thornhill-on/1433769

💻 Shari's Parenting Course is now OPEN for REGISTRATION! “Journey to Independence: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Guiding and Launching Your Adult Child.”

For more information and where to sign up, visit: https://parentingfx.com/parentingcourse

🎉 Just Released!

Understanding Boundaries: 25 Ready-to-Use Boundary-Setting Statements The Every Parent Needs

CLICK HERE if you Want to Discover the Secret to Finally Getting Your Adult Child to Listen & Respect You!

It's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it that will make the BIGGEST impact.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you want to know if your adult child is struggling with Failure to Launch? Grab the FREE Failure to Launch Checklist here:

🗣️One-on-One Consultations are available. Click here!

Email me if you have any questions at: Shari@ParentingFX.com

🎙️Remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you never miss an episode.

Shari can be found on Instagram & TikTok Search @sharijonaslifefx

YouTube has all of the interviews available to watch! C...

When adult children struggle to handle stress, responsibility, or uncertainty, parents want to know how to help them. But what if the most powerful influence isn’t what parents say or do for their adult children, but how they manage themselves?

In this episode of LAUNCH, I’m joined by Dr. Kate Lund, licensed clinical psychologist, resilience expert, TEDx speaker and best-selling author, for a conversation that shifts the focus where it belongs. We talk how adult children learn resilience by watching how their parents handle pressure, uncertainty, and discomfort, importance of being optimized and an excellent suggestion that anyone can start doing right away.

In her book Step Away, Kate Lund explores how resilience is built not through control, protection, or constant involvement, but through how parents manage their own stress, emotions, and reactions. The book challenges parents to step away from overfunctioning, emotional reactivity, and the urge to fix, and instead focus on strengthening their own capacity to tolerate discomfort, uncertainty, and imperfection.

Step Away emphasizes that children of all ages can learn resilience by watching how their parents respond to stress, setbacks, and pressure. By learning to regulate themselves, parents model the very skills their children need to develop, including coping, problem-solving, and emotional flexibility.

Dr. Kate’s book offers a framework for staying emotionally available and supportive, while stepping back from patterns that unintentionally weaken resilience and independence.

Remember to hit the follow button and please share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

As always, thank you for listening!

💻 Shari's Parenting Course is now OPEN for REGISTRATION! “Journey to Independence: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Guiding and Launching Your Adult Child.”

For more information and where to sign up, visit: https://parentingfx.com/parentingcourse

🎉 Just Released!

Understanding Boundaries: 25 Ready-to-Use Boundary-Setting Statements The Every Parent Needs

CLICK HERE if you Want to Discover the Secret to Finally Getting Your Adult Child to Listen & Respect You!

It's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it that will make the BIGGEST impact.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you want to know if your adult child is struggling with Failure to Launch? Grab the FREE Failure to Launch Checklist here:

🗣️One-on-One Consultations are available. Click here!

Email me if you have any questions at: Shari@ParentingFX.com

🎙️Remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you never miss an episode.

Shari can be found on Instagram & TikTok Search @sharijonaslifefx

YouTube has all of the interviews available to watch! C...

Do you want to know why you can't set boundaries without coming across as controlling, bossy or even disappointed? It's because with every attempt, it sounds like you're trying to tell them what to do, which drives them nuts, so you've given up. The problem is that most parents confuse boundaries with rules or threats and that's exactly why they don't work. But I have the solution.

If you've tried setting boundaries with your adult children only to be ignored, dismissed, or met with pushback, this episode is exactly what you've been searching for.

I'll explain why your boundaries aren't working, what message you're sending when you don't uphold them, and how to shift from avoiding conflict at all costs to using peaceful statements to express what you value, which will make the most transformational impact, not just on you and your relationship but on your adult child's future.

If you want the exact language to use, so the words you choose bring you the respect and the results you want, my new mini booklet "Understanding Boundaries," which includes 25 guilt-free boundary-setting statements that every parents needs, is now available.

www.parentingfx.com/boundaries

Please remember to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode, and share this with another parent who needs to hear it.

As always, thank you for listening!

💻 Shari's Parenting Course is now OPEN for REGISTRATION! “Journey to Independence: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Guiding and Launching Your Adult Child.”

For more information and where to sign up, visit: https://parentingfx.com/parentingcourse

🎉 Just Released!

Understanding Boundaries: 25 Ready-to-Use Boundary-Setting Statements The Every Parent Needs

CLICK HERE if you Want to Discover the Secret to Finally Getting Your Adult Child to Listen & Respect You!

It's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it that will make the BIGGEST impact.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you want to know if your adult child is struggling with Failure to Launch? Grab the FREE Failure to Launch Checklist here:

🗣️One-on-One Consultations are available. Click here!

Email me if you have any questions at: Shari@ParentingFX.com

🎙️Remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you never miss an episode.

Shari can be found on Instagram & TikTok Search @sharijonaslifefx

YouTube has all of the interviews available to watch! C...

If your adult child says, "I'm an adult, you can't tell me what to do" while living rent-free under your roof, doing absolutely nothing with their life, and expecting you to take care of everything – this episode might be exactly what you need.

This deeply flawed and delusional statement gets thrown in the faces of kind-hearted parents who feel powerless to respond without triggering days of silent treatments.

Let’s be honest. Adulthood is not something you declare because you're over 18. It's something you demonstrate through responsibility, contribution, self-management along with having life skills, life experiences, and emotional maturity.

If you're tired of walking on eggshells in your own home, if you want to reclaim your confidence and finally set the record straight so your adult child never says “I’m an adult you can’t tell me what to do” until the day they finally are – this episode gives you the exact words you need.

It's time to level up your parenting and help your adult child move toward real independence.

P.S For anyone interested in having the exact script, check the transcript section of the podcast you’re listening to. If you can’t find it, email Shari@ParentingFx.com, type the word SCRIPT in the subject, and the word-for-word script will be sent to your inbox.

Remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you never miss an episode and please share this with someone who needs to hear it.

Thank you for listening!

💻 Shari's Parenting Course is now OPEN for REGISTRATION! “Journey to Independence: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Guiding and Launching Your Adult Child.”

For more information and where to sign up, visit: https://parentingfx.com/parentingcourse

🎉 Just Released!

Understanding Boundaries: 25 Ready-to-Use Boundary-Setting Statements The Every Parent Needs

CLICK HERE if you Want to Discover the Secret to Finally Getting Your Adult Child to Listen & Respect You!

It's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it that will make the BIGGEST impact.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you want to know if your adult child is struggling with Failure to Launch? Grab the FREE Failure to Launch Checklist here:

🗣️One-on-One Consultations are available. Click here!

Email me if you have any questions at: Shari@ParentingFX.com

🎙️Remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you never miss an episode.

Shari can be found on Instagram & TikTok Search @sharijonaslifefx

YouTube has all of the interviews available to watch! C...