Episode #254 | David Johnson | When All Else Fails, Blame Your Mother episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 5, 2025 · 50 MIN

Episode #254 | David Johnson | When All Else Fails, Blame Your Mother

from American Real · host Roger L. Brooks

📚  GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED - Learn more about getting your book published or becoming a bestselling author: https://www.officialrogerbrooks.com/publishing ⌨️ Visit our website: americanrealpublishing.com 🔴 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/2zVQDLO - How do you explore what it means to grow up in the shadows of trauma? To carry the weight of rejection and to somehow find a way through it all. Not just with scars, but with strength. That's the journey we're stepping into today. In this episode, we'll talk about post-traumatic stress syndrome, homophobia, family dysfunction, domestic violence, and the fragile but essential roads toward forgiveness and reconciliation. But this just isn't a story about pain. It's also about survival, storytelling, and the power of laughter to keep us sane. And it begins with a book. In 1978, the late Barbara Johnson, a bestselling Christian author, published a book called “Where Does a Mother Go to Resign?” Then later, the publisher changed the name to “When Your Child Breaks Your Heart.” A heartfelt but one sided account of her grief after her son came out as gay. That book touched the hearts of many, but it also told only half the story. Now, decades later, David Johnson, her son, is sharing the other half. David is an author, survivor, cinema therapist and behavior modification psychotherapist. His new book, “When All Else Fails, Blame Your Mother,” is a powerful and personal response to the narrative his mother left behind. It's an unfiltered, emotionally raw, and often hilariously biting look at trauma, family, and what it means to take your story back. He's also the founder of the Crown Bear Society and the creative force behind the YouTube channel, David The Cinema Therapist, where he uses film and humor as therapeutic tools to help others heal, especially within the LGBTQ+ community. This is a conversation about truth, about reclaiming your identity, and about how the stories we inherit don't have to define the ones we write for ourselves. On this episode of American Real, Roger asks David what inspired the title of his book. “My mother,” David says. “My mother has written over 20 books, and I started the official Barbara Johnson Library, which lists all of her books. And also in my book it lists her books. So once we had been able to bring some repairs to our relationship, then her career took off and she just wrote. Her titles are like, ‘I'm So Glad You Told Me What I Didn't Want to Know,’ and ‘Splashes Of Joy From The Cesspools Of Life,’ she was known for her crazy titles.” WHERE TO FIND DAVID: David’s Book: https://a.co/d/9i8alfB David’s Website: https://officialbarbarajohnsonlibrary.com/ David’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpbradford/ David’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jesterdb  - Roger L. Brooks is the founder and host of American Real and American Real Publishing Company. If you'd like to learn more about getting your book published or becoming a bestselling author, schedule a call with a member of Roger's team here ➡️ https://www.officialrogerbrooks.com/book - Get Roger's latest book, "The Power of Being Rich: 10 Essential Steps to Manifest What You Already Have" by clicking on this link: https://amzn.to/2TN0sFr - Follow Roger on LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerlbrooks/ Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/2zVQDLO - AMERICAN REAL  Website: https://americanreal.tv iTunes: https://apple.co/2yPeU4A Facebook: https://facebook.com/americanrealtv/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AmericanRealTV Twitter: https://twitter.com/rogerbrooks/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerlbro... YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/AmericanReal

📚  GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED - Learn more about getting your book published or becoming a bestselling author: https://www.officialrogerbrooks.com/publishing ⌨️ Visit our website: americanrealpublishing.com 🔴 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/2zVQDLO-How do you explore what it means to grow up in the shadows of trauma? To carry the weight of rejection and to somehow find a way through it all. Not just with scars, but with strength. That's the journey we're stepping into today. In this episode, we'll talk about post-traumatic stress syndrome, homophobia, family dysfunction, domestic violence, and the fragile but essential roads toward forgiveness and reconciliation. But this just isn't a story about pain. It's also about survival, storytelling, and the power of laughter to keep us sane. And it begins with a book. In 1978, the late Barbara Johnson, a bestselling Christian author, published a book called “Where Does a Mother Go to Resign?” Then later, the publisher changed the name to “When Your Child Breaks Your Heart.” A heartfelt but one sided account of her grief after her son came out as gay. That book touched the hearts of many, but it also told only half the story. Now, decades later, David Johnson, her son, is sharing the other half. David is an author, survivor, cinema therapist and behavior modification psychotherapist. His new book, “When All Else Fails, Blame Your Mother,” is a powerful and personal response to the narrative his mother left behind. It's an unfiltered, emotionally raw, and often hilariously biting look at trauma, family, and what it means to take your story back. He's also the founder of the Crown Bear Society and the creative force behind the YouTube channel, David The Cinema Therapist, where he uses film and humor as therapeutic tools to help others heal, especially within the LGBTQ+ community. This is a conversation about truth, about reclaiming your identity, and about how the stories we inherit don't have to define the ones we write for ourselves. On this episode of American Real, Roger asks David what inspired the title of his book. “My mother,” David says. “My mother has written over 20 books, and I started the official Barbara Johnson Library, which lists all of her books. And also in my book it lists her books. So once we had been able to bring some repairs to our relationship, then her career took off and she just wrote. Her titles are like, ‘I'm So Glad You Told Me What I Didn't Want to Know,’ and ‘Splashes Of Joy From The Cesspools Of Life,’ she was known for her crazy titles.” WHERE TO FIND DAVID:David’s Book: https://a.co/d/9i8alfBDavid’s Website: https://officialbarbarajohnsonlibrary.com/David’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpbradford/David’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jesterdb  -Roger L. Brooks is the founder and host of American Real and American Real Publishing Company. If you'd like to learn more about getting your book published or becoming a bestselling author, schedule a call with a member of Roger's team here ➡️ https://www.officialrogerbrooks.com/book-Get Roger's latest book, "The Power of Being Rich: 10 Essential Steps to Manifest What You Already Have" by clicking on this link: https://amzn.to/2TN0sFr-Follow Roger on LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerlbrooks/ Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/2zVQDLO-AMERICAN REAL Website: https://americanreal.tviTunes: https://apple.co/2yPeU4AFacebook: https://facebook.com/americanrealtv/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AmericanRealTVTwitter: https://twitter.com/rogerbrooks/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerlbro...YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/AmericanReal

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Episode #254 | David Johnson | When All Else Fails, Blame Your Mother

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This episode was published on August 5, 2025.

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📚  GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED - Learn more about getting your book published or becoming a bestselling author: https://www.officialrogerbrooks.com/publishing ⌨️ Visit our website: americanrealpublishing.com 🔴 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel:...

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