Conflict Resolution
I remember when Mark and Sarah (not their real names) walked into my office, their shoulders heavy with 23 years of unresolved conflicts. They sat on opposite ends of my couch—a physical representation of the emotional distance between them. “Why now?” I asked gently. “What made you decide to come in after all these years?” […]
What’s the most common dynamic in couples? The pursuit-withdrawal dance. Here’s an example of what it looks like. Nicole stared at the closed bedroom door as Jordan’s words hung in the air: “I just need to be alone right now.” She had simply mentioned planning their vacation together, and somehow it had sparked their familiar […]
The Key to Happiness & Health I’m writing this from a hospital chair where I’ve spent the last seven days. My son was admitted with a collapsed lung, requiring surgery. Thankfully, he’s recovering well now. But during this unexpected pause in life’s usual rhythm, I’ve learned something profound about connection, happiness, and health. My son […]
Why Your Marriage Never Improves Many couples wonder why their marriage never improves. A pivotal reason why is because of one toxic pattern that is destroying millions of relationships today. Triangulation. What is triangulation? Triangulation is when a two-person problem turns into a three-person power play. It occurs when one partner, typically struggling with emotional […]
Stop Fighting, Start Connecting. Here’s How. Do you keep fighting in circles with your partner? Here’s what I’ve seen every day over the last 26 years working with couples. One partner brings up an issue—perhaps about household responsibilities, emotional availability, or financial decisions. The other partner, instead of hearing the underlying need or concern, perceives […]
The Hidden Gift in LA’s Devastating Fires This week, Los Angeles residents watched helplessly as wildfires devoured homes, businesses, and decades of memories. The devastation is hard to comprehend—entire neighborhoods reduced to ash, families displaced, and lives forever altered in mere hours. The numbers tell one story, but behind each statistic is a human being […]
Is It Possible? There’s a question that I keep getting asked over the decades when helping couples. It is one of the most challenging and loaded questions. It’s also a question that is tender to me because it reminds me of one of the main reasons why my parents’ marriage failed… How do I move […]
7 Powerful Strategies for Couples to Overcome Conflict & Rebuild Trust Let’s talk about something that hits close to home for so many of us – those moments when our relationships hit a rough patch. You know the ones I’m talking about, right? The silent dinners, the cold shoulders, the feeling that you and your […]
And empower your relationship today Do you ever ruminate about conversations that you had with someone and wish you said things differently that would have led to a different outcome? Or perhaps you notice yourself retreating from speaking at all, in fear of being rejected or potentially escalating things into a fight? When we struggle […]
And Bring it Back to Life How do you know if your marriage is dying a slow death? Most couples don’t realize it until it’s (almost) too late. By the time they seek out professional help (if they even do so), they’ve been struggling in their marriage for years or even decades. So, how do […]
And you may be one of them. Can great people be terrible partners? Absolutely. And you may be one of them but not even know it. You can be great at your work and be a wonderful employee or leader. You can have a stellar education and be highly skilled in many areas of life. […]
So You Can Truly Start Anew All couples fight, even happy ones. Some successful couples even have big arguments. But most couples DO NOT recover from a fight. Here’s a typical scene. Partner A gets upset. They express this to Partner B. Partner B defends and explains themselves. Partner A then feels unheard and re-explains […]
