STRANGE ORPHANCommon sense advice for the mildly traumatized

Exhausted by lunatics. Now rebuilding a self, one story at a time. Join host Laura Steinel every week on the “strange” of estrangement.
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STRANGE ORPHANCommon sense advice for the mildly traumatized

UNCOVER WHAT IS KEEPING YOU STUCK

Strange Orphan is a podcast about the strange, exhausting, and ultimately empowering work of rebuilding a self after de-centering family. Not all of us were handed normal blueprints for doing life. Some of us were handed wine-stained ransom notes. 

Each week Laura brings her signature humor, warmth, and personal experience to topics like boundaries, self-worth, personal power, identity, mental health, faith, and finding your compass again after narcissistic abuse and enmeshment. Consider Strange Orphan your new “survival guide” for moving on from the past. 

Cutting loose
Cutting loose
Narcissistic family dynamics, and how to know when to go. Skipping Thanksgiving is a start.
Boundaries
Boundaries
You finally chose yourself. Congratulations, nobody sent a card.
Fawning
Fawning
Being the nicest person in the room is an exhausting trap. Take your power and energy back towards yourself.
Rebuilding a self
Rebuilding a self
Just a heads up, healing can trigger an identity crisis. Your "false self” might start rotting off in work meetings.
Trauma Bonds
Trauma Bonds
Romantic relationships will feel like emotional Chinese finger traps you can’t get out of. If it’s a hot stove, don’t touch it!

Latest Episodes

Catch up on the latest episodes
False Selfie

False Selfie

Identity collapse, the false self, identity void after foundational erosion, all these terms are explored today on...
STEP INTO YOUR POWER

STEP INTO YOUR POWER

This episode Laura delves into the murky terrain of getting back into a place of true inner power, and agency after...
WIP: DISCERNMENT

WIP: DISCERNMENT

Hey everyone! This week Laura responds to a Dear Orphan email about how to employ discernment in dating when we're...
You can't bring an ice pick to a water park

You can't bring an ice pick to a water park

This episode Laura gets personal with a recent setback, and talks from experience on how to move forward when...
Meet Laura

Meet Laura

“I like to think of this podcast like Martha Stewart’s jail poncho. Yes, we’ve been handed an unfortunate circumstance, but we’re weaving it into something charming and helpful. Heck, we’re putting tassels on it!” - Laura

Laura is an actor, writer, film director, speaker, and now podcaster, who is doing the work of rebuilding a self and sharing the journey with all of you. Consider her your big sister, taking the hits and trying to digest them into something wise and worthwhile for you. Advice you can take with you, and probably just ignore anyway, but that’s okay!

Listener reviews

Visage du Lait

strangely touching

Strange Orphan is the Joe Rogan Experience of estrangement podcasting. smart, funny, lyrical and touching.

mindlabx

Amazing

Laura is super insightful and hilarious and this will help a lot of people, it helped me

Podlove18!

Important and engaging

A timely topic today given the rise of estrangement and a worthwhile listen regardless of personal experience. Laura brings humanity and humor to an otherwise heartbreaking topic and is creating a needed community around this issue.

OfeliaLovesPigs

Great topic/engaging host

Bravo

Get in touch

Want to be on the pod? Have a story, a question, or a complicated family? Tell Laura.