College drop-off brought a wave of emotion you weren’t fully prepared for. Now the house is quiet, the routines are gone, and you're left sitting in a new kind of stillness. The silence isn’t just around you, it’s inside, too.

If you’re like many empty nest moms, you’re feeling the weight of a major shift. The old parenting roles you knew so well don’t seem to fit anymore, and the new ones? Still unclear. You were their manager, their problem-solver, their steady hand. Now you're learning how to show up differently in a parenting stage where love has to stretch, not lead.

In this conversation, I open up about the raw truth of empty nest syndrome, the loss no one prepares you for and how I fumbled through that grief despite decades as a life coach. From letting go of control to reshaping the parenting dynamics with my adult kids, I share what it looked like to be cracked open by transition and still find something sacred on the other side.

We talk about the invisible shift in parenting a young adult, the pain of distance, and the surprising relief that came with loosening my grip. I walk through four communication rules that helped me reconnect and the humbling lesson of learning to simply listen instead of fix.

Here’s what we explored:

• Why parenting roles and identity often feel fused and how to begin separating the two
• The emotional toll of empty nest syndrome, letting go of control, and honoring grief without rushing healing
• 4 communication rules that support connection without overstepping
• How trusting the process can lead to growth in your relationship with your young adult and help you rediscover yourself
• Why this new parenting stage might be the invitation you’ve been waiting for to find purpose again

If you're standing in the doorway of a dorm room, or just starting to ask “now what?”, this episode is for you.

Here’s to finding purpose, even in the quiet.

Allison

Want to be a guest on the show? Apply to share your story.

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

Email: navigatingthelaunch@gmail.com