Interview with Ashtyn: Survival in a dysfunctional home

Survival in a Dysfunctional Home unpacks Ashtyn’s powerful and heart-rending journey growing up inside a family system marked by addiction, emotional instability, and generational dysfunction.
With a father consumed by alcoholism and a mother deeply codependent, often dissociative, shut down, and unable to function, Ashtyn was forced into a parental role far too early. She became the emotional and practical caregiver not only for her biological younger brother, but also for her younger adoptive brother, who depended on her for stability and protection.

While other children were learning, playing, and being nurtured, Ashtyn was cooking, comforting, problem-solving, and carrying responsibilities that shaped her entire sense of self. In this candid episode, she opens up about the trauma of being “the strong one,” the survival patterns her body learned, and what it truly feels like to break out of dysfunction and step into healing.

Her story will resonate with anyone who grew up raising siblings, managing chaotic households, or trying to survive the emotional fallout of adults who were never emotionally present.

Content Warning: Addiction, childhood trauma, emotional neglect, parentification.

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