Reframing Me - Self-Development & Parenting Teens for Midlife Moms

Your kids are growing up - but so are you. Reframing Me is the podcast for moms of teens ready to reframe family, identity, and self-development in midlife.

Parenting teens is hard -and parenting while rediscovering yourself in midlife can feel even harder. Reframing Me is the parenting podcast for moms raising teenagers who are also navigating the transition out of hands-on motherhood, identity shifts, and the search for balance, fulfillment, and self-development.

Hosted by Dr. Jennifer Brubaker, a Communication Studies professor, mom of three teens, and intrapersonal communication expert, each episode blends family communication strategies, honest conversations about parenting teens, and self-reflection tools to help moms strengthen family relationships while rediscovering who they are as women.

Together we’ll talk about the issues moms face but don’t always say out loud: changing family dynamics, feeling invisible, letting go of control, and creating new purpose. Through research, theory, and compassionate conversation, you’ll find support, strategies, and a sense of community in this season of parenting and personal growth.

Join the Reframing Me community to connect with other midlife moms, share your stories, and reframe how you see yourself, your family, and your future.

Send emails to jen@reframing-me.com; or on socials: Reframing Me on FacebookAND join the Facebook group Reframing Me: The Podcast Community; @reframingme on Instagram; Reframing Me on YouTube @reframingme on TikTok

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Reframing Me - Self-Development & Parenting Teens for Midlife Moms

The Odyssey: "You're Only as Happy as Your Unhappiest Child"

March 13, 2026 • Episode 261

0:00 | 36:45

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This week I found myself thinking about something a lot of parents probably feel but don’t always say out loud.

Two of my kids had tough weeks. Nothing catastrophic, but enough that I spent hours talking things through with them, listening, trying to help them make sense of it. And during a text conversation with my cousin, she said something that stuck with me.

“You’re only as happy as your unhappiest child.”

That feels very true. When your kids are hurting, it’s almost impossible not to feel it too. But is there’s another way to think about it?

Because as our kids grow up, there are more and more things we can’t fix for them. We can’t control the outcome of the game, the job interview, the friendship, the opportunity they were hoping for. And part of parenting older kids is learning how to support them through disappointment without carrying all of that weight ourselves.

In this episode, I talk about that shift in parenting and how our role changes as our kids navigate their own paths. I also share an exercise called the Odyssey Plan that can help both parents and kids zoom out and see life as a series of possible paths rather than one moment that defines everything.

If you’ve ever felt the emotional weight of watching your kids struggle and wishing you could fix it for them, this conversation is for you.

Make sure to find me on socials @ReframingMe on TikTok and IG and follow along with my 50 days til 50 series. Also, 'Twas the Night Before Move-In makes an excellent keepsake for graduation season - and now, the Campus Series is rolling out!! Check it out on Amazon

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