The Strong One: Unpacking Eldest Daughter Syndrome
Cultivating H.E.R. Space: Uplifting Conversations for the Black Woman
iHeartPodcast
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 8 May 2026
⏱️ 74 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hey eldest sisters! This week, this one is for you. This week’s episode is a love song to the eldest daughters and granddaughters, the backbone of society, whose stories are often overlooked and ignored because their silent labor is the underpinning that keeps modern family life moving forward and families together. Dr. Dom and Terri share their experiences of being the eldest daughter and oldest sister in their immediate family and how it has shaped their worldviews and ways of being – for better or for worse.
While these experiences are not a monolith, there is enough evidence that this is a growing segment of the population that are expected to care for everyone around them at the expense of their own career growth and health. So what can you do if you find yourself in a position where there is an implicit expectation that you will be the strong one?
Tune in if you are fed up with that role so that you can build a solid toolkit to shift yourself back into the driver’s seat of your life. Lady, this particular journey takes time so pack your patience and carve out intentional time so you can make a realistic plan that works for you. Head over to the Cultivating H.E.R. Space shop to pick up a journal as your companion to unpack this deep work you’re doing and while you’re at it grab a latte mug to sip on something that will calm your nervous system (you’ll find out why this is important in the episode).
Wishing you lots of a love and lighter load on your plate, lady!
Quote of the Day:
"The eldest daughter is the prototypical parentified child. Who’s tucking her in? Who’s feeding her? Who’s nurturing her? Who’s taking care of her?”
– Dr. Mariel Buqué
This episode is brought to you by VB Health, supplements that work and Feeld, a dating app for the curious.
Check out Drive Boost for libido support. With daily use, many people report improvements within 1–2 weeks. Visit this link and use code HerSpace at checkout for 10% off: https://bit.ly/VBhealthherspace
Know what you’re looking for? Feeld has rolled out its “shared desires” feature, which immediately shows you what you have in common with someone else. Download Feeld on the App Store or Google Play.
Cultivating H.E.R. Space Sanctuary
Resources:
Get That Pitch Workshop: Turn your story and expertise into speaking gigs, media features, and collaborations, without a publicist. Visit GetThatPitch.com and Use code HERSPACE for a special listener discount.
Where to find us:
Twitter: @HERspacepodcast
Instagram: @herspacepodcast
Facebook: @herspacepodcast
Website: cultivatingherspace.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | On this week's episode of cultivating her space. |
| 0:04.8 | It just made me think about how sometimes we're praised for our trauma responses and it's called maturity, right? |
| 0:10.6 | Because it's the norm for us. |
| 0:11.6 | Like we're used to being responsible. |
| 0:13.2 | We're used to being the dependable one, the one that holds it all together. |
| 0:16.0 | And it's like, yeah, people say it as a compliment, but that's just my trauma response. |
| 0:20.1 | I'm just going into the pattern that I'm accustomed to, you know? |
| 0:25.9 | Hey, lady, have you ever felt like the world just doesn't get you? |
| 0:31.6 | Well, we do. |
| 0:34.2 | Welcome to cultivating her space, the podcast dedicated to uplifting and empowering women like you. |
| 0:41.0 | We're your host, Dr. Dominique Broussard, an educator and psychologist, and Terry Lomax, a techie and transformational speaker. |
| 0:49.7 | Join us every week for authentic conversations about everything from fibroids to fake friends as we create space for black women to just be. |
| 1:02.4 | Before we dive in, make sure you hit that follow button and leave us a quick five-star review. |
| 1:07.2 | Lady, we are black founded and black owned and your support will help us reach even more women like you. Now, we are black founded and black owned, and your support will help us reach even more |
| 1:12.2 | women like you. Now, let's get into this week's episode of Cultivating HerSpace. It's Dr. Dom here from |
| 1:21.6 | the Cultivating HerSpace podcast. Are you currently a resident of the state of California in contemplating starting your therapy journey? |
| 1:31.2 | Well, if so, please reach out to me at Dr. Dominique Broussar.com. |
| 1:37.4 | That's D-R-D-O-M-I-N-I-Q-U-E-R-O-U-S-O-U-S-S-A-R-D.com to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. |
| 1:52.5 | I look forward to hearing from you. |
| 1:54.9 | Our quote of the day, |
| 1:58.1 | The eldest daughter is the prototypical parenthified child. Who's tucking her in? Who's feeding her? |
| 2:07.6 | Who's nurturing her? Who's taking care of her? That quote comes to us today from Dr. Muriel Bouquet, who is also a psychologist and professor at Columbia University. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 1 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.