What happens when you are a teenager, your sibling starts to psychologically unravel, and no one explains what’s happening to you? In this shocking episode of the I See Glass Children podcast, Alicia sits down with Todd Richardson, an adult Glass Child whose older brother developed schizoaffective disorder during adolescence. What followed were years of psychosis, violence, chaos, fear, and isolation that shaped Todd’s understanding of safety, relationships, emotions, and himself. While his parents focused on his brother’s illness, Todd was left trying to make sense of a world that no longer f
What happens to a child when severe mental illness consumes their family—but no one notices the healthy child is disappearing too? In this deeply moving international episode of the I See Glass Children podcast, Alicia speaks with Rebekah, a 39-year-old adult glass child from Ireland who grew up alongside an older sister who experienced a severe psychotic break in her early teens and never fully recovered. Rebekah’s story is emblematic of the glass child experience and her sister’s illness became the center of family life. Doctors, hospitalizations, medications, psychiatric units, and crisis m
What if the very emotions you’ve spent your life trying to escape… are actually trying to help you? In this powerful and surprisingly freeing conversation, Alicia sits down with confidence coach Ada Undis—a woman who boldly says something most people have never heard before: “I love guilt and shame.” Ada UnDis Ada Undis is a certified Mastery Method Coach as well as a certified nutrition coach with expertise in emotional mastery, somatic work, breaking subconscious patterns and becoming unapologetically confident. You can reach Ada at: Website: www.fyhappy.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.co
In today’s episode, you are going to hear from Abby, a 26-year-old adult glass child from the United States who has chosen to remain anonymous so she can share her story honestly and without restriction. And this conversation is different. It is DIFFICULT. We are taking an unflinching look at special needs sibling domestic violence. This is a topic most choose to avoid. We are presenting Abby’s story without filters because it is representative of what has happened and is happening in some high-needs families around the globe. Abby grew up in a home where her younger brother struggled with bip
In today’s episode, we travel to Santiago, Chile to meet Constanza Varas Kahler, a 24-year-old adult glass child who is not only living this reality, but also researching it for her university thesis. Children’s mental health is the focal point of Constanza’s story. Constanza grew up as the youngest of three, with a middle sister who has Down syndrome and later developed epilepsy. From the outside, Constanza was the quiet, well-behaved, responsible one. On the inside, the weight of childhood trauma and parentification triggered exhaustion, hypervigilance, and caused her to slowly disappear und
How does Self-Compassion impact mental health? Especially in Glass Children? Today I am interviewing Dr. Cynthia Phelps, one of the world’s leading experts in self-compassion. Dr. Phelps is a Stanford Ambassador of Compassion, International Speaker, Certified Mindfulness Instructor, and Founder of InnerAlly, a trauma-Informed company building tools, courses, and mobile apps to improve mental wellness rooted in the science of self-compassion. She has extensive experience in learning and behavior change and has been developing mental health technologies since 2009. Her expertise is in helping pe
What happens to creators when they decide to dive into the dark and tell the hard stories about childhood trauma and mental health? In today’s episode, Alicia shares the deeply personal impact of creating this podcast and the ramifications it has had on her emotional well being, relationships, and mindset. She reveals the surprising feedback she has received, both positive and controversial, and gives us a glimpse of what is still to come in upcoming episodes. Welcome to the I See Glass Children podcast. Ready to join the movement? Here’s how you can help break the silence around glass childre
In this episode, we do something different and very important. This conversation is for parents. Three adult glass children come together in-studio to read and reflect on a list of do’s and don’ts for parents of children with special needs and disabilities. Their answers and reactions are not theories. These are lived experiences from adults who grew up alongside siblings with serious mental illness, cancer, intellectual disabilities. This episode is not about blaming parents. It is not about shaming families. It is about helping parents understand long term impact of growing up in a high need
Our interview with Emily Wyler, a 30-something adult glass child from the United States marks a turning point in Season 1. Emily gets raw and real about the cost of being the “good one.” At 4 years old her teachers turned against her instead of understanding the trauma or nearly losing her baby sister to multiple surgeries and how her parents punished her. As a teen you’ll hear how she finally found a safe haven, only to have it ripped from her by her parents. You’ll hear how her childhood trauma followed her into adulthood: perfectionism, dating people who mirrored chaos, a crushing fear of b
Part 2: In today’s episode, we welcome back Megan Rodriguez, MS, LPC, NCC — Licensed Professional Counselor and owner of Path to Joy Counseling in Corpus Christi, Texas — to go one level deeper. In Part 1, Megan helped us understand emotional invalidation and how it can lead to Complex PTSD. In this episode, we talk about what happens next: how those early experiences shape the way we attach, love, trust, and set boundaries in adulthood. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why do I always pick people who don’t choose me back?” or “Why do I work so hard in relationships?” or “Why do I freak out when some
Part 1 – Today’s episode is all about the glass child’s mental health; understanding how and why the glass child experience is so deeply impactful. We sit down with Megan Rodriguez, MS, LPC, NCC, a Licensed Professional Counselor and owner of Path to Joy Counseling in Corpus Christi, Texas. Megan specializes in helping children, adults, and families heal from trauma and rediscover their sense of self-worth. Together, in Part 1 of this 2-part interview, we explore the unseen impact of emotional invalidation and unpack what Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) really is—how it develops, how it manifests, and h
Meet Abigail Williams, a 43-year-old woman who grew up as the younger sibling to a brother with Down syndrome. From a young age, Abigail learned to make herself small. To not be a problem. To take care of everyone around her (especially her brother). To be perfect. She learned to tamp down her emotions. But what her family didn’t see…what no one saw, was that beneath the surface of the “good little girl,” Abigail was navigating a silent crisis: trying to figure out who she was as a person and what her worth was in the world. A gentle trigger warning: In this conversation, Abigail shares a chal
In today’s episode, you are going to hear the young voice of a 20-year old twin named Mae. (NOTE: She requested anonymity. Her name and her voice have been changed to protect her privacy.) Mae grew up in the Philippines and her story is one of emotional erosion—how her older sister’s illness and the way she was raised slowly chipped away at her sense of self, her safety, and her ability to cope. She was not only invisible to her family, but she started to become invisible to herself. Why? A gentle trigger warning: In this conversation, Mae shares about the unnamed pain that led her to suicidal
In today’s episode, we meet someone who’s become a quiet force in the movement to recognize and support glass children. She goes by the name Nope—not her real name, but the one she uses online to protect her privacy. And under that name, she created something remarkable. Nope is an adult glass child—and she’s the founder of the Glass Children SubReddit, the largest online community in the world dedicated to the glass child experience. https://www.reddit.com/r/GlassChildren Nope grew up in Belgium, is highly educated, and by all outward appearances, she’s successful. But behind that success is
“They call us glass children. We look fine on the outside. We perform, we excel, we behave. We look like we have no problems, but inside we’re cracking. We’re carrying trauma that no one ever thought to measure.” – Alicia Meneses Maples, Glass Child Advocate & Host Welcome to the I See Glass Children Podcast, where we illuminate the invisible siblings who grew up in high-needs families. Hosted by Alicia Meneses Maples, glass child advocate, speaker, and educator. This groundbreaking series gives voice to a hidden population that has been overlooked by families, professionals, and society for f
The I See Glass Children podcast illuminates the glass child experience so the world will see them, understand their story, and give them the life-changing help they need. Meet the Glass Children Founder and I See Glass Children Podcast Host Alicia Meneses Maples – Glass Child Advocate, Speaker, and Educator Alicia is an adult glass child who grew up in a high-needs family. Her TEDx talk set a global viral trend about glass children and brought worldwide attention to what has been called “the most devastating, unmet mental health crisis of our time.” You’ve seen Alicia on NBC, CNN, and in coun
