Johnny Mitchell says parental alienation cost him years with his daughter, pushed his mental health to the edge, and left him fighting a family court system he felt powerless against.

In this episode of Raw Minds, Johnny opens up about divorce, custody battles, being blocked from contacting his daughter, alcohol addiction, two DUIs five days apart, a heart attack at 35, crushing legal debt, losing his parental rights, and the moment he was told his daughter would be adopted by her stepfather.

This conversation goes much deeper than family court.

Johnny talks about what happens to a father mentally when his identity as a parent is stripped away, why he turned to alcohol to numb the pain, what finally forced him to change, and how close he came to completely losing himself.

Erick also shares his own experiences with custody battles, separation from his daughter, mental health struggles, and the emotional reality many fathers never talk about.

Johnny and Erick make one thing clear. Parental alienation can happen to fathers or mothers. This conversation is about what happens when children become caught in adult conflict and the psychological damage that can follow.

Johnny also shares how reconnecting with his biological father helped him rebuild his life, why he has remained sober, and why he still believes his daughter may one day come back into his life.

GUEST

Johnny Mitchell

TikTok:
@therealJonathanMitchell

RAW MINDS PODCAST

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro
02:19 Johnny Mitchell joins Raw Minds
04:00 Who Johnny was before everything changed
07:25 Marriage breakdown and the beginning of alienation
14:00 The first major warning sign
23:23 Alcohol, depression and spiraling
28:17 Erick opens up about his own suicide attempt
35:40 Losing a best friend and the wake-up call
37:39 Heart attack at 35
43:02 Reconnecting with his daughter, then being blocked
46:26 Legal bills and financial collapse
50:01 Representing himself in family court
55:18 The ruling that changed everything
57:00 The woman Johnny says helped save his life
01:03:05 Reconnecting with his biological father
01:09:46 Supporting other alienated parents
01:15:26 Living with zero contact
01:18:35 The journal idea for his daughter
01:25:21 Six years until she turns 18
01:27:16 Johnny’s message to struggling parents

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 in Canada or the United States.

If this conversation hit you, share it. A father, mother, or family going through this may need to hear it.