Not all that glitters is gold; not all who leave are lost.
The youngest daughter of devout conservative Christians, Lauren is the favored golden child. Her parents’ doting is rivaled only by her devotion to them; with an absent brother and rebellious sister, she knows her mother and father need her to be perfect, and for their happiness—their approval, their love—perfection is a small price to pay.
Until it bankrupts her.
While Lauren and her husband follow their faith into the complexities of adoption, missionary work overseas, and a new understanding of systemic racism in America, her parents embrace Christian Nationalism. A chasm opens between herself and her loved ones, and her golden, perfect identity is lost. Can it be regained? Does she want it back. . . or will she don the mantel of scapegoat and leave her gilded cage forever?
This coming-of-age memoir honors the tender pain of anyone whose perfect world has crashed around them, revealing the fractures built into the frame from the beginning. In an era when conversation about family estrangement is at an all-time high, Golden Child: My Descent to Scapegoat and Rise to Freedom offers hope, wisdom, and empowerment to those fleeing a broken family system in search of healing, freedom, and peace.
New Release
Fall 2025
Golden Child
My Descent to Scapegoat
and Rise to Freedom
Not all that glitters is gold;
not all who leave are lost.
The youngest daughter of devout conservative Christians, Lauren is the favored golden child. Her parents’ doting is rivaled only by her devotion to them; with an absent brother and rebellious sister, she knows her mother and father need her to be perfect, and for their happiness—their approval, their love—perfection is a small price to pay.
Until it bankrupts her.
While Lauren and her husband follow their faith into the complexities of adoption, missionary work overseas, and a new understanding of systemic racism in America, her parents embrace Christian Nationalism. A chasm opens between herself and her loved ones, and her golden, perfect identity is lost. Can it be regained? Does she want it back . . . or will she don the mantel of scapegoat and leave her gilded cage forever?
This coming-of-age memoir honors the tender pain of anyone whose perfect world has crashed around them, revealing the fractures built into the frame from the beginning. In an era when conversation about family estrangement is at an all-time high, Golden Child: My Descent to Scapegoat and Rise to Freedom offers hope, wisdom, and empowerment to those fleeing a broken family system in search of healing, freedom, and peace.
This book is for you if you:
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Come from a dysfunctional family system
Regardless of the role you played in your family, the patterns and themes of dysfunction are often the same. Golden Child explores how these painful realities shape us on a deep level, sometimes leading to mental and physical health symptoms.
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Grew up in a high-control religion
High-control religions mirror dysfunctional family systems in uncanny ways. Children who grow up in these environments can experience significant negative outcomes that flow into their adult lives. There is so much rubble to sift through, and losses abound.
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Gave your heart to religion and were burned
So many of us lived out the radical faith that beckoned us only to find ourselves jaded, discarded and traumatized. Although we gave our all, shiny bows and happy endings were not what we got in return.
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Are considering walking away
Many of us are faced with an impossible decision: do I bury my truth to preserve my relationships and belonging, or do I risk banishment for the fragile hope of uncovering my authentic self?
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Are in a long-term relationship with grief
As we've become intimately aware, our grief isn't going anywhere. Instead of moving past it, we find a way to move forward with a new relationship that tends to the ever-glowing embers of a life that holds such profound loss.
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Are on a journey or redefining who you are
What is left after so much has been torn down? Life on the other side of such devastation requires radical exploration to discover who is our most authentic self and what we need to live a life of flourishing.
The Author
Lauren Smallcomb
Lauren Smallcomb is a certified Mind-Body Practitioner whose journey as a healer began at 20 when she became a registered nurse, dedicating a decade to caring for patients in the ER. She later expanded her expertise to become a birth doula and, eventually, a nutritional therapist. In 2020, after making the difficult decision to walk away from a dysfunctional family system, Lauren embarked on a transformative process of rebuilding her mind and body through brain retraining and trauma healing. This journey inspired her to become a certified Mind-Body Practitioner. Her newfound sense of empowerment prompted Lauren and her therapist husband to establish Flourish Therapy, with the intention of helping others heal and thrive after childhood trauma. Born and raised in upstate New York, they now make their home in Northern Thailand with their children, two dogs, and a cat. When not reading or writing, you will find Lauren visiting cafés with friends, watching a compelling series or soaking up the beauty of nature.
Endorsements:
Golden Child holds the sacred and the shattered side by side. Honest, beautifully written, and impossible to forget, it is the kind of memoir that lingers in your bones. It’s a book for every person who’s ever wondered if being “the good one” was slowly erasing them.
Lauren Cibene
Author of Tiger in a Lifeboat
As a person who works with people experiencing all types of trauma, I appreciated this exploration of what it's like to carry the burden of the golden child, and then the painful unraveling of that role. More than a just personal story, it’s a resonant reflection for anyone who has faced toxic family dynamics and the expensive cost of living true to their authentic self.
Sarah Trengove
Therapist
As a trauma therapist and someone who is also a "fallen" golden child, reading Lauren's words made me feel so seen and not alone. Lauren artfully shares the nuanced dynamics that play out in families as the golden child finds their own way and starts breaking generational cycles of self-neglect. Her brave and vulnerable prose will give you hope and courage to come home to yourself.
Laura Krause
Therapist
Golden Child Excerpts:
What Readers Say
About Golden Child:
Supportive Resources for the Low-to-No Contact Adult Child
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