The Golden Child Effect: Breaking Free from Roles That Keep You Small

What happens when the "good daughter" wakes up to the truth?

In this week's Surviving Roots episode, Cari Fund sits down with Lauren Smallcomb — certified mind-body practitioner, trauma survivor, and author of Golden Child: My Descent to Scapegoat and Rise to Freedom.

Lauren shares her journey from being the adored "golden child" in a rigid, religious family to becoming the scapegoat when faith, politics, and identity collided. Together, Cari and Lauren explore what it means to break free from high-control systems, redefine forgiveness, and rebuild a life rooted in freedom, grief, and authenticity.

You'll hear:
✨ The painful shift from golden child to scapegoat
✨ How patriarchy and religion shaped her silence
✨ Why acceptance (not forgiveness) is where healing begins
✨ What parenting looks like after breaking generational cycles

Grab Golden Child wherever books are sold and follow Lauren's work at @flourish_therapy and @goldenchildbook.

🎧 Listen to Surviving Roots Podcast on all major platforms — and don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with someone who's healing from a family that couldn't hold their truth.

Follow Cari Fund at @cari.fund on Istagram.