In this episode of The Leader’s Journey Podcast, Trisha and Jim sit down with coach and educator Dawn Bird to explore the deep emotional and spiritual transformation that can come through Family of Origin work. Through vulnerable storytelling and honest reflection, Dawn shares how doing this work helped her uncover grief, reshape her understanding of her family, and show up differently in every area of her life—from her marriage and parenting to her leadership and coaching. This conversation is a rich, compassionate look at how healing the past creates new freedom in the present—and new hope for the future.
Dawn Bird is a professional coach, facilitator and educator with 9 years of experience in non-profit, business, and healthcare settings. Dawn has an M.A. in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Counseling. Dawn has been involved in Faithwalking for 11 years, first as a participant and then as a coach and facilitator. Through Faithwalking, she was introduced to Bowen Family Systems theory which has been particularly helpful in her own journey of transformation and in her work with others as well. Dawn has done extensive Family of Origin work and enjoys leading others through that process as individuals and in groups. She also has training in Internal Family Systems. Dawn lives with her husband, Bill Bird, in northwest Illinois. They have 3 adult children. Dawn enjoys reading, learning, live theatre, and working out on her Peloton.
Conversation Overview
- Starting the Work
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What It Looks Like
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Emotional Differentiation in Action
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Patterns We Inherit
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Siblings & New Conversations
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Grief and Healing
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Showing Up Differently
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Coaching & Accountability
Books
Growing Yourself Up – Jenny Brown
Everything Isn’t Terrible – Kathleen Smith
The Fangirl Life – Kathleen Smith
The Ties That Bind – Peter Steinke
Tools & Courses
Genogram – a tool for mapping multigenerational family patterns
Faithwalking – a spiritual and emotional formation process
Going Home Again – a Family of Origin course led by Dawn (available after completing the 6 Faithwalking modules)