Does your partner ever give off an energy, even without saying anything, that rubs off on you? Maybe it makes you feel like they’re mad at you, or you simply adopt the mood that they’re in. In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca discuss the concept of “emotional contagion” and why we are affected by the unspoken moods of others, and how to navigate and communicate about this issue in your relationship with your partner.

This is our final episode of season 3, thanks for listening for 3 seasons!

In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca answer a listener who asks the following question: “Recently, when my partner and I have been having conflict, I try to come from a place of curiosity, talking to them and saying things that I've noticed and then asking why that might be. They tell me they feel I'm trying to be their therapist. I can understand why they could see it that way, but it's not my intention. I've told them it isn't my intention that I'm just trying to understand their point of view, but they say it feels like I'm not trying to understand, but to analyze. Aren't those the same thing? Do you have advice for balancing between coming from a place of curiosity but not making them feel like I'm trying to be their therapist?”

In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca answer listener question: “Why does my partner set me up to react when he makes controversial statements that are hurtful or mis-representational and expects that I don't react? And then when I react, he tells me that I'm being angry and that I'm wrong. And I always create a fuss about everything when I feel that if he had not said what he said, there wouldn't be an issue.” Is it about wanting to feel “right”? Can someone even make you feel a certain way? Is your interpretation about your partner’s tone, words, your own interpretation, or some combination of these things? Can you partner bring up something that's hard to hear in a way that wouldn't set you to react? When you know something is provocative and you do it anyway, what's your goal? Is this about connection and vulnerability? Join us for a lot of you-turns!

Does it seem like your partner gets defensive and/or hurt most times when you disagree? Have you ever wondered what could be behind that feeling for them and how to create a space where you are still connected and feel safe even in moments of disagreement? In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca discuss what could be happening internally with your partner, ways to examine your own words and intentions, and how to diffuse potential conflict and hurt feelings in these moments using compassion and communication.

Have you or your partner ever wondered how about opening your relationship? In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca cover not only some of the many reasons partners might explore non-monogamy, how to communicate in a connected way about it, how to explore it carefully—and how to express if it doesn’t feel right for you. They share their experiences in working with a variety of partners in open relationships and offer resource material to help guide you through the world of consensual non-monogamy.

How can you connect while communicating to your partner when they say things that they know (or may not know) will hurt you? Are they trying to be mean and malicious? Are they just trying to get your attention? How do you request that they stop doing it without escalating the interaction? In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca analyze possible reasons why your partner might be doing this and how to ask them to stop doing it in a way that increases your understanding of each other.

Does your partner ever act like their mother or father? (Hint: we all do it sometimes.) In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca dive deep into this question and discover some truths that will make us rethink about not only why our partner does this, but how to interact with them when they do—and most importantly—how to use it as a chance to see your partner with more compassion and enhance connectedness.

Does your partner ever make assumptions about you that are more aligned with their mother or father than they are with you? Or do they react to you sometimes the way they would to their parent? In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca tackle the topic of mimicking and modeling what a person grew up with and how extensive that mimicking can affect them on all levels—especially in romantic relationships. And be sure to tune in next week for the flip side of this question: “Why does my partner act like their mother or father?”

When we do something “for our partner”...why are we doing it? Are we really doing it for them, or are we doing it for ourselves? Do you end up blaming your partner and calling them “ungrateful”, etc? Or do you sink into a shame pit and believe you’re not doing enough for them to be appreciated? In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca pull back the curtain and reveal some of the real reasons why this question is often self-focused and what we can learn about our relationship and about ourselves when we explore it.

Feeling worthless is always an awful experience no matter where the feeling originated, and it’s never okay to try to make someone else feel worthless. But are your partner’s actions causing you to feel this way? Are they abusive, or could there be other factors at play? In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca get deep into some neuroscience to explain how our brains and bodies process emotions and thoughts to create stories in our heads—including those stories we carry around that determine how we feel about ourselves.

Why does my partner say they are focusing on "their stuff" but it doesn't seem like they are from the outside? Why do they point the finger back at us and tell us to just focus on our own “stuff”? In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca talk about several different reasons why you’re not seeing your partner’s internal work, how different people go about doing their internal work, and how to use sharing about each other’s “stuff” instead of judging as an opportunity for vulnerability and deeper connection.

We all want to avoid grief, but how do you handle it when your partner doesn’t meet your expectations? Do you silently resent them? Do you take the chance of making a request? Or do you grieve and accept that you’re not going to get what you wanted? In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca discuss how to look inward to identify the possible sources of our expectations in relationships as well as better ways of communicating wants and needs to our partners.

What is it that sucks us into the ex-partner dynamic? Is it a need to be “right”? A fear of being vulnerable? Or repeating old patterns from your childhood because that’s where you are most comfortable? In this episode, Jules, Vickey, and Rebecca answer the questions: “Why does my partner keep fighting with their ex? Why is this difficult dynamic such a draw for my partner?” and “How can I help my stepchild who is being affected by their parents arguing without overstepping?”

After money, sex, kids, time and cleaning, in-laws are another topic couples most commonly fight about. “Why do you talk to your mother more than you talk to me? Your mom is in the middle of our relationship.” What could be behind this conflict? In this episode, Jules, Vickey and Rebecca discuss the several reasons why these issues occur; cultural differences, different families’ expectations of what a family relationship should look like, differences between what your new family wants you to do vs. your family of origin, and the fear of not belonging. Explore what “belonging” can look like for each partner’s family system, how to have that conversation about what needs of yours are unmet by this situation, and learn how to use this conversation as an opportunity to deepen intimacy with your partner.

“Why doesn't my partner validate what I'm feeling when I'm upset?” The short answer is, because it’s really hard to do. Oftentimes in the moment, one or both of us is too upset to make a responsive choice rather than a reactionary one. But of course there’s more to it than that. The key is in the ask itself. Is it a question of what is true? Or is it about being heard and understood? How do we validate our partners without invalidating our own feelings and subjective truth? But the magic in the ask is that often, when we are able to set aside our own upset temporarily to be there for our partner, those are the arguments that can be the most transformative in any relationship. Listen in as Vickey, Jules and Rebecca share how this issue surfaces in their relationships and in their practices, and the wisdom they’ve gleaned from those moments.

This week, a listener asks, “Why does my partner hate every way that I am different from them?” Difference is what makes us human, and how we respond to difference is such an integral part of the human experience. We experience it in our most intimate relationships–with our partners or between siblings, for example. But it’s also at the forefront of our political climate and policy-making, culture clashes, religious wars, racism, sexism, you name it. There is a desire for ease and harmony in the question, but also an undercurrent of grandiosity, loneliness and disconnection. Listen in as Rebecca, Vickey and Jules tap into the many facets of this question, from the deep grief underneath to infant/mother connection to even the humor in the magical thinking.

Relationships can be hard, even healthy ones. They take work. So, what does it mean when one partner doesn’t want to work on the relationship and the other does? Is it a sign that they care less than the other partner? Does it mean their efforts are being overlooked? How much effort and energy should a relationship take anyway? Putting forth extra effort to take a relationship to new places involves a certain amount of risk. Because what if it isn’t reciprocated? Will one of you evolve faster than the other? What if, after all your efforts, the relationship doesn’t change for the better? Putting in the work can be scary. And what’s the role of (and the difference between) safety and complacency? So many questions…. Jules, Vickey and Rebecca dig into all of it as a listener asks, “Why doesn’t my partner want to work on our relationship?”

Have you ever been stuck in a place of indecision over what to do in a relationship? So many of us have. And for living in such a relational culture as we do, we aren’t offered much modeling or wise guidance. Often, we absorb messages like “when they’re the one, you just know” and “when they’re the right person, even the hard stuff is easy.” We beg to differ! These adages might be true for some, but the reality is they’re just not helpful for the rest of us, or worse, they can cause us a lot of confusion, fear and pain. We might think that by staying stuck in indecision we are avoiding trouble or repercussions that could be caused by one of two options, but actually, staying in a place of indecision is a third option and a psychological place all its own. This week, Rebecca, Vickey and Jules explore the costs and rewards of each option, when staying in indecision is the right thing to do (yes, even indecision has its purpose!) and a couple of exercises you can try at home to glean more information to help you make a choice.

When we think of the concept of cheating, typically a sexual affair comes to mind. But that is only one form of cheating out of a myriad of ways. Ultimately, cheating is a betrayal, a breach of agreement. And too often, our agreements aren’t well communicated. The risk then is that there are differing ideas of the agreements in place–in other words, an unspoken disagreement in place, with a high chance of someone feeling betrayed sooner or later. But sometimes, our agreements are clearly communicated and we still fall short of expectations. It happens. We have all done it, even if we’ve never had an affair. So, why do we betray each other, really? What do we need to do as the betrayer, and as the betrayed? Is it possible to bounce back from this? Or are we at a point of no return? This week’s conversation is a tender one. If you’ve ever experienced an affair or deep betrayal, regardless of what side you were on, we are holding your pain with you.

We all have had the experience of being corrected by someone else. Often, it doesn’t feel so great. It can make us wonder what’s inherently wrong with us or why they can’t just let us own our thoughts and feelings. It’s also very likely that we’ve been the one correcting another before and might not have even noticed that we’d done it. Why do we correct others? And what are we to do with their correction when someone puts it on us? Turns out, there’s quite an array of reasons why we might correct someone we care about. And, there’s a simple step-by-step we can take when we’re being corrected that will get us more of what we actually want. Though “simple” doesn’t necessarily mean easy, if it feels awkward, you’re on the right track! Jules, Vickey and Rebecca walk us through it in this week’s episode.