Marriage
Why are daughters-in-law always painted as the villain when it comes to family drama? After over 32,000 hours working with clients, I can tell you this is the most common in-law issue I see in my office. And while it’s not always the case, the pattern is so predictable it’s almost painful to watch. Here’s […]
Every morning, I wake up to dozens of messages and emails. “Dr. Gloria, my husband never listens to me anymore.” “We fight about the same things over and over.” “I feel like roommates, not lovers.” “I’m exhausted from walking on eggshells.” These messages are poured out with pain, frustration, and desperation. And here’s what breaks […]
Often, I hear my clients share with me how “close” they were with their parent(s) growing up. At first glance, this sounds amazing. But when I probe further, I start to doubt this “closeness.” Let’s use “Maria” as an example. She beamed as she told me about her special bond with her mother. “We told […]
I often hear this from my clients: “I was my mom’s confidant. I consoled her when she and dad fought. I calmed my dad down so he wouldn’t get mad. I would change the topic when conversations got heated between my parents.” If this sounds like your childhood, you weren’t just a kid—you were the […]
I was a guest on a podcast today when the host asked a question that made me reflect on my life: “How do you navigate it when your partner, your parents, or in-laws have traditional values but you have a more modern view of relationships?” The question resonated because I’ve lived this exact tension my […]
Today marks my 27th wedding anniversary. I can barely believe we made it this far. The odds were stacked against us. Divorce runs in my family. My parents’ marriage ended badly. Four of my five siblings got divorced too. My template for marriage was not good, to say the least. But here’s what I learned […]
I did something my colleagues think is absolutely crazy. On April 1 (no joke), I fired myself as Clinical Director of the therapy clinic I built from the ground up over many years and handed over the practice to my associates. A thriving, well-oiled practice that practically runs itself. Cognitively, it makes zero sense. But […]
Today is Father’s Day, and I have mixed feelings about this day. While social media fills with heartwarming posts about amazing dads, I find that I can’t identify with them. Because my relationship with my father was nothing like those picture-perfect posts. I never realized how much my relationship with my father shaped everything else […]
I’ll never forget the day “Faith” looked her husband straight in the eye and said, “I’m done.” The color drained from his face. Twenty-three years of marriage, and he was genuinely shocked. I wasn’t. For months, Faith had been telling me how her mother-in-law criticized everything. But here’s what broke her: Every single time her […]
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I’m here to tell you an uncomfortable truth: your relationship problems aren’t actually about your relationship—they’re mental health issues in disguise. While we’ve gotten better at talking about anxiety and depression, we’re still missing how deeply our mental health and relationship health are intertwined, each one silently shaping […]
The most painful prison is one we build ourselves. Every day, countless couples wake up next to strangers they once loved, trapped in relationships that exist on paper but have long died in their hearts. This is the quiet epidemic I’ve witnessed in my 27 years as a relationship expert. Couples who remain physically together […]
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?” […]
