Shows
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow I Stopped Letting Annoyance and Irritation Hurt My Marriage208 Ever feel easily irritated or annoyed with your partner and wonder what it means about your relationship? Ever thought, “Why is everything that my partner’s doing bothering me lately?”or “Does this mean something is wrong with us?” If so, I've been there too, and this episode is for you.In it, we explore why feeling irritated in your relationship doesn’t mean anything is wrong, how chronic stress and dysregulation fuel annoyance, and what you can do to shift out of irritability and reactivity and back into connection.Drawing from my own experience in my marriag...
2026-01-3023 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedWhy “Talking It Out” Often Makes Things Worse (Especially for Sensitive People)207 If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation with your partner feeling more overwhelmed, more disconnected, or more upset than when you started — this episode is for you.In this conversation, we explore why so many well-intentioned attempts to “talk things through” actually escalate conflict instead of resolving it — especially for highly sensitive people.You’ll learn what’s really happening in your nervous system during moments of emotional intensity, why communication breaks down when safety drops, and the difference between processing an emotion and unintentionally ruminating in it.We’ll also talk about:W...
2026-01-2626 min
Off-Balance Podcast | Faith, Family & Entrepreneurship79 | How Nutrition Healed My Gut & Balanced Hormones with | Hannah BethmanWhat if the symptoms you’ve been told are “just part of being a woman” are actually your body asking for better fuel and less friction? We sit down with women’s health coach Hannah Bethman, MS, to unpack the quiet drivers of gut pain, migraines, heavy cycles, and relentless fatigue, and the simple routines that turn it all around.Hannah’s story starts with daily gastritis, brain fog, and hormone chaos, and lands in a place of calm digestion and steady cycles. The turning point wasn’t a complicated protocol. It was a return to basics: eating enoug...
2026-01-0635 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedPeople Pleasing; An HSP Tendency With Todd SmithOne of the common behavior patterns we HSPs can be prone to is people pleasing – or partner pleasing! Interestingly, on the surface people pleasing seems lovely, it can wreak real emotional havoc and really hurt our intimate relationship over time. Today my special guest, Todd Smith, a highly sensitive person and host of the podcast, Stress Management for Highly Sensitive People, and I are going to talk about all about people and partner pleasing: what it looks like, what it leads to (ahem, talk about resentment! And overwhelm!), why we do it, and how it affects us and...
2025-11-0449 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedCaroline’s Story: Believing The Relationship You Want Is Possible198 To make your relationship better, it's absolutely essential to BELIEVE it is possible to do so. That's why I love sharing about the changes my clients see when they work with me: it helps you believe you can also make your relationship better, too! But it's even more helpful and inspiring to hear directly from these women themselves. So here's Caroline! Get ready to feel so much hope and inspiration.When Caroline came to me for 1:1 coaching, she was struggling with feeling small and insecure in her relationship, unsure it could wo...
2025-09-2955 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily Married18 Counter-Instinctual Ways To A Love-Filled Marriage197 One of the reasons so many marriages and relationships are not as good as they could be, or are really quite painful, is that we tend to approach our relationships in instinctual ways. Since instinct often comes not from our inner wisdom (that intuition’s role), but from our inner protective patterning and our cultural conditioning, following our instinct in our relationship can often slowly –or quickly– erode the love and closeness in it. The truth is that building and maintaining the best possible marriage with our partner entails a lot of things that are not inst...
2025-09-1632 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedPsychological Boundaries For More Closeness188 Developing healthy boundaries is an absolutely essential part of having a great intimate relationship, especially as highly sensitive people.They are a way to take care of yourself, each other, and the relationship. I teach 3 types of boundaries, and today we are diving into the 2 psychological, or energetic types of boundaries: Protection boundaries, and containment boundaries. (Please listen to episode 51 for Relationship Boundary Basics.)When you use these kinds of boundaries skillfully, you will be able to create more closeness in your relationship, and leave beyond patterns and behaviors that create extra division, conflict, and ani...
2025-05-2245 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow To Argue Better; 9 Ground Rules For Smoother Conflict180 Most, if not all, couples argue. Even when their relationship is very healthy. So if you and your spouse find yourself mired in the occasional --or even more regular -- conflict, it doesn't mean it’s detrimental to your marriage, and it doesn't have to be painful…In fact, conflict can actually be an important part of growing a more deeply intimate, connected and supportive marriage. How do you make sure conflict goes the most smoothly it can, does the least damage– and the most good in your marriage? As an HSP I know you want to...
2025-02-0628 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedUpdate and Announcements (How to Make the Most of the Podcast)179 Things are changing around here going forward. What will it mean for you? How can the podcast (now a vast library!) be even MORE helpful going forward?Listen to this short episode to hear what to expect and how the changes will affect you – and how you can make the most of the podcast and my support to make your marriage great going forward.I will give you a few very specific and practical suggestions for how you can make the most of my help via the podcast and beyond (hint: give me your topic sug...
2025-01-2315 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedIs It Time To Leave Your Marriage? How To Know178 If you're unhappy enough in your marriage to be questioning if you should stay or go, you probably feel uncertain, confused, afraid. You're too scared and unsure if it's the right thing to do to actually leave, but you also know you don't want to go on living like this with your spouse. What if your spouse CAN improve? What if you CAN connect in the deeper ways you want? What if you CAN’T? What if he can't? It can be paralyzing. And spirit killing!It’s time for some clarity about what's best for y...
2025-01-0940 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow Highly Sensitive People Can Feel More Fulfilled in Their Relationship177 There are three major things I learned from my first marriage ending in divorce that have allowed me to create an amazing fulfilling marriage with my second husband. And they have to do with understanding my sensitivity so much better. As I've worked with hundreds of other highly sensitive women, I've noticed the struggles I had in my first marriage echo so many of the struggles these other HSP women have in theirs. So it makes sense what worked for me will also help you have a much more fulfilling marriage!AND the unh...
2025-01-0225 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedUn-Walk-Over-Able: How To Not Be A Doormat (Revisited)174 This is a slightly revised episode, updated and re-released because of its importance! Here’s to not tolerating mistreatment, and how to begin the process of influencing your partner to treat you best! As modern women, we’ve been encouraged to not let ourselves be “doormats” in our relationship with our significant other. And we want to be strong, to not tolerate criticism or unkind treatment, and to stand up for the respect we deserve. All of which is so important to have a healthy loving marriage, especially as a sensitive person.But some...
2024-12-0523 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe Practice of Great Relationship163 Understanding this one thing about relationships can truly make or break your marriage:What we practice grows stronger. And in our relationship, we are, consciously or unconsciously, always practicing. We practice having arguments, or finding our way to a solution. We practice reactive communication, or choosing to communicate more consciously, we practice repulsion or we practice attraction, etc. If that sounds intriguing but confusing to you, and you aren't sure how to practice the things that build a strong and loving relationship that lasts, then this is a must-listen episode. Because in...
2024-08-2932 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedAnnual Relationship Rejuvenation162 Today you'll hear about one of the big things my husband and I do once a year that just lights up our marriage–it’s like a total connection, attraction, and intimacy rejuvenator for us. And it can be for you, too.Although usually the most important work you can do in your marriage is about small actions and changes made on a regular basis, I’ve found that there are some bigger things you can do occasionally that will really infuse your relationship with so much of ALL that you most want it to be. This is one...
2024-08-1526 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedA Quick Boost of Fondness And Love161 Today is a quick dip into an absolutely ESSENTIAL part of building and maintaining a great relationship with your significant other: consciously fostering fondness of them. (You’ll do it in just 5 minutes!)And yes, you CAN absolutely feel more warmth, admiration and love for them on purpose, and build in more of all the good stuff between you and your spouse.A solid body of research about what makes marriages work indicates (and my clients experience confirms) that it will make your marriage stronger, your friendship deeper, and even the passion in your relationship mor...
2024-08-0826 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily Married7 Keys To Hold Your Spouse Accountable160 A common question I have heard from women I work with is, “How can I hold my partner accountable?” And the internet is full of people saying we need to hold our husbands accountable. But what even does that really mean when it comes to an intimate relationship? And how do you actually do it? That’s what you will learn here today.The truth is, “holding someone accountable” can be an important part of growing a great relationship, if you understand some of the subtleties of what it looks like. But there are many wa...
2024-08-0135 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedBackfiring Tactics 2.0 – Power-Over Dynamics159 Almost all of us instinctively approach our intimate relationships in mixed ways: ones that generate more loving intimacy and harmony, and ones that drive division and pain, which I call the Backfiring Tactics. To have the marriage you want, it will take cultivating more of the first, and minimizing those Backfiring Tactics. This is always one of the very first things I help my clients do, and I want you to be able to do the same.The thing is, it can be hard to do, because the backfiring tactics can seduce you into believing yo...
2024-07-1840 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedWhen Your Spouse Isn't Showing His Love For YouIf you don't feel your partner loving you, or sometimes your partner’s supposed love isn’t matched by his actions, this episode is for you.Women often share with me that this is a common experience for them, and they are hurting because of it. And without some insight into what is really going on in these instances, their relationship just feels worse and worse over time. I don't want that for you!So listen in to hear what is likely going on for you, and for your spouse, when this happens. Why is it t...
2024-07-1128 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedMicro-Repairs and Re-Directs For a Better Relationship157 There are many “micro” things you can do on a regular basis to keep your relationship strong (and so you don't need larger “interventions” that take a lot more time and energy in order to get things back on track). And a very important one? Micro repairs. Today we dive into just how to make them, as well as how to make micro re-directs that will help stop a downhill-heading interaction in its tracks. These are mini skills that you want to be able to do easily, because, in all relationships–even healthy ones– there will be moments...
2024-07-0429 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow To "Hold Space" For Your Spouse156 An episode for both you and your spouse, especially if communication isn’t always the easiest thing between you or if one or both of you ever feel misunderstood or unheard. If you want to give your marriage the best chance to be the fulfilling connected one you want–the NEW marriage we talked about last episode– and your partner the very best chance to be the loving, supportive one you want, then the MOST PRACTICAL thing you can each do is relate to each other the way you want to be related TO. And one of th...
2024-06-2031 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe Emerging New Paradigm of Marriage155 Sometimes you hear something that changes everything, and puts you in a state of mind that leads to finally being able to bring a big dream to life. This must listen episode may very well be that for you. Because if you are like most of the women I talk to and work with, you want a new level of intimacy with your spouse: a real partnership that is tender, connected, deeply supportive and nurturing in all realms– intellectually, physically, emotionally, domestically, in terms of each other's dreams and inner life. You want to feel like your sig...
2024-06-1338 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedOther People's Opinions of Your Marriage154 Other people in your life ( friends, family members', and even professional "authorities" in your life) are going to have opinions on your spouse and your relationship, and they may share them with you. If you don't know how to handle this well, you may end up making things even harder in your relationship.As highly sensitive people it can be all too easy to let our other's opinions –especially if they are in any way negative–color our own experience. And unfortunately, when it comes to our marriage's health and happiness, this can be quite problematic–even if they m...
2024-06-0629 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedListener Relationship Questions Answered150 I put out a call to you listeners for questions, and today I am going to answer three of them!All three highly sensitive women’s questions are very relatable and have a somewhat similar theme:How to handle being bothered by things their spouse does or ways he is, so they can feel better AND work with their spouse effectively in these situations. Specifically (but with a bit more detail).Ella asks, “What are your recommendations for easing anger surrounding the innate stubbornness of your partner?” Nina asks, “How would you approach co...
2024-04-2545 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedFrom Feeling Alone To Being a Loving Team in Marriage; Kathy’s Story149 After 32 years of marriage, and the help of many different marriage counselors, Kathy was looking at apartments and thinking of a future without her husband.She just could hardly imagine being happy with him again. Nor did he seem interested in getting help for his side of the issue they had between them.But, after just a week or two of starting her work with me, not only did she start to feel really different, her husband started responding to her differently, too. And as she kept up her work on her side of t...
2024-04-1844 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow Perimenopause Can Be The Most Powerful Time To Grow Closer As A Couple148 If you're a woman between the ages of 35 and 55, you are going to want to catch this episode–and bring your spouse! Because this is a big transitional time for women and couples of this age range. And, even though the hormonal shifts that happen during this time have a bad rep, they actually bring along with them a big opportunity to grow the love, supportiveness, connection in your marriage, as well as start your “second spring” in life and love.In this episode, I bring on Bria Gadd, a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, holistic health coach, and per...
2024-04-1148 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedBONUS: Relationship Coaching for HSPs FAQ'sIf you are at all curious about or interested in what coaching can do for you and your relationship, or even what it IS, this bonus episode will help clarify that, and what my specific version of it, for highly sensitive people, is all about. Since I have changed a few things over the years in what and how I offer marriage coaching, I wanted to update you about those changes as well as help answer some common questions about it all.So listen in to here the answers to these questions (I recommend listening to the f...
2024-04-0439 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedFrom Walled-Off to Connected and Affectionate; Gina’s Story147 Gina, a client who worked with me in Treasured, had been totally disconnected from her husband and lonely in her marriage for 20+ years. The connected intimacy we love as sensitive people? There wasn’t any of it. She wasn’t sure she could change things much after all those years, or how totally disconnected they were, but she was clear she didn't want her life to feel that way forever, and so she dove into the work.Low and behold, as you’ll hear, nowadays she and her husband are really connected and even quite affectio...
2024-03-2837 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe 1/3 Rule of Emotion In Relationships146 What can you realistically expect to feel in a good and healthy relationship? In this episode I spill the beans. Listen in to hear one potent bit of clarifying medicine to help you lean away from all the painful worry and doubt that comes up around your relationship, to relieve you from all the questioning you may be doing about whether this marriage can be improved or not, and help you lean into improving what’s realistic to improve between you and your partner. If you've ever felt something was wrong with your relationship because you...
2024-03-2114 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedWhen It's Hard To Feel Love For Your Spouse145 If you sometimes (or often) can't quite feel love for your significant other, I totally get it. I have felt that, too, many a-time, and I know it DOESN'T feel so good . Because, of course you want to feel love for and connection to the person you spend your life with, right? So I want to share a personal story with you that will help.Dive into today's episode to hear about one of the times I felt deeply cut off from my love for my hubby, and how I got myself back to that sweetness of f...
2024-03-1432 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow Real Change Happens In Your Marriage144 If you’ve ever been frustrated by slow or no change in your relationship–either on partner's end or your own, and you want to stop falling into those same old painful dynamics with your partner again and again, and instead SEE things actually getting better over time…… you’ve got to understand how change works.Because it really is a process, with 4 distinct stages. And before you even get to them, there is a pre-stage, which is where most people (you?) tend to get stuck.When you understand these 4 stages you will be so much...
2024-02-2938 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow to LIKE Your Spouse143 If you are like many other women, deep down you probably LOVE your partner, but it can feel like you DON’T LIKE him very much sometimes, yeah?I’ve been there, too, and it doesn't feel great… because who wants to not like the person they’re planning to spend their whole life with? By now, it shouldn't come as a surprise that this can be even more common of an experience as an highly sensitive Person unfortunately. That’s why I want to share with you 6 primary things I've learned from my own experience w...
2024-02-1533 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedSelf-Compassion and HSP Relationships With Lori Cangilla142 Developing Self-Compassion is one of the key ingredients to building a truly thriving marriage as an HSP. It is embedded in everything I teach and will be forever, because it is just so essential. So I invited Lori Cangilla, a psychologist and HSP specialist, to have a conversation about it with me, share stories and some laughs, and dive deeper into what self-compassion is all about in this episode. Although self-compassion is often misunderstood, it is a source of so much goodness between you and your partner–and even if you haven’t been the most se...
2024-02-0158 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedWhose Business Am I In?141 This episode should be required listening for anyone in an intimate relationship! With many years under my belt as a marriage coach, one of the biggest and most common problem-causer I’ve noticed again and again that causes disrespect, pain, and discord in marriages (and more so in HSP marriages) is the tendency to not know the difference between one’s own side of the court and one’s partner's side of the court–and therefore not tend well to your own, and over-tend to theirs. This episode will shed light on why this is so damagin...
2024-01-1738 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedTrue Wealth with Mark Yegge (and Einstein's Ghost)140 We all want a life full of what is most important to us, full of “Wealth” of the emotional, relational, and also financial, kind–or what my guest, Mark Yegge, a “wealth architect” and money manager, calls “balanced abundance”.In other words, we want the wealth of feeling good, feeling secure, feeling healthy, feeling connected, loved, and fulfilled in this life. There is solid research that proves this.Even Einstein, the most brilliant scientific mind of his time, was super clear about what actually makes humans feel most alive and abundant. (In this episode we share the most...
2024-01-0452 minHighly Sensitive, Happily Married“Dirty Pain” VS “Clean Pain”139 It's time for FREEDOM FROM HURT WEEK. Learn more and join us here. There are 2 categories of emotional pain in our relationships, and although neither of them is “wrong”, one of them tends to push us apart, making our marriages HARDER (if we don't know how to work with it)……and the other, if we let it, can actually fuel the love and connection we want in our relationships.You WANT to know the difference between these types of pain, because one of them you want to tune deeper into, the other you want to quic...
2023-12-2839 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe Hurt of Care Distortion138 One of the underlying causes of my first marriage ending was because of what I call Care Distortion. It wrecked me, leading me to feel like my husband didn't care about me enough, and took a huge toll on how good my then hubby and I felt with each other. Today, I tell you all about my story with it, and how it is very possibly affecting your relationship too, as it does so many highly sensitive women. If you ever feel like your partner doesn't care enough about you, or you’re not so important to him...
2023-12-2132 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe Magic Of The 20 Second Hug134 Don't miss the free workshop I announce inside (link below)! If there were 1 research-backed thing that takes only 20 seconds that you could do to generate those warm hearted deep connected feelings between you and a significant other, grow the security and ease in your marriage, AND bring your nervous system into regulation ( i.e. make you feel grounded and peaceful) in the midst of a normally stressful day…would you do it? I bet you would…if you knew what it was.In this episode, I will tell you. Dive in to hear all about the 20 second hug. Yo...
2023-10-1921 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedCaretaking Your Sensitive System for More Love133 Being a highly sensitive person obviously means we are more sensitive than others. This has real ramifications in our love lives— both wonderful and challenging.Luckily, we can support our sensitive selves in ways that amplify the best parts of our sensitivity, and make the challenges of it so much easier. This will involve caretaking your sensitive Mind Body Heart System. . . and, like it or not, MORE deeply and consistently than non-HSPs.In other words, even if you don't like it, in order to have an intimate relationship (and life) that feels deeply satis...
2023-10-1232 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedWhen And How to Share A Complaint132 When your significant other has done something that anger or hurts you, you may want to share a complaint-–or what I call a grievance– with them, especially if it is eating away at your or you feeling it is coming between you as a couple.Sharing a grievance with your partner can be an important part of building a relationship that is full of loving sensitivity, collaboration, and care for each other.But only if you aren't making the mistakes the most of us make when we do it!And only if done...
2023-10-0530 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedRedirecting Anger Into Positive Change131 Today we are revisiting the topic of anger in our relationships, because it is so often a destructive force that leads to an unraveling of connection. But it doesn't have to be.If you often (or just sometimes) feel frustrated, resentful, aggravated or resentful towards your significant other, get this episode in your ears. Because your anger may be valid, especially if you don't feel fully met in your marriage. But it is very likely misdirected. The big question to ask is, is the way you are directing that anger getting you more o...
2023-09-2819 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedNutrition For Better Relationships As HSPs With Lisa Masé130 The quality of our relationships are deeply impacted by various aspects of our Mind-Body-Heart Systems' well-being. Especially our emotional well-being, which is deeply affected by our physical health (specifically our nutritional, hormonal, and nervous system health). In this episode, we will talk about all this with a special guest, Nutritionist Lise Masé. Listen in to our conversation (involving chocolate, magic and mystery, and the word “hangry”) to learn: Why nutrition matters when it comes to emotional and relationship well-being, and why you would even want to learn how to support your sensitive system nutritionally. How food, and food c...
2023-09-2148 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedGetting Triggered (Why It Happens And What To Do About It)129 We almost all get triggered (upset, reactive, bothered, suddenly overcome with emotion) at times in our intimate relationship, especially as highly sensitive people. Although so common, it’s also a big contributing factor in marital unhappiness.To put an end to the yucky feelings and damaging effects that being triggered can have on your marriage, you’ve got to learn what’s going on when you get triggered, why it happens (it might not be what you think it is), who’s causing you to be triggered, and how to calm and even outgrow your triggers.Liste...
2023-09-0732 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedIs It Criticism Or Feedback?128 If you ever feel criticized or hurt by something that happens between you and your partner, this is a must listen episode. (See the details on the NEW course below, too).Inevitably in your long term relationship there will be times you hear what feel like judgements of your actions or character, or criticisms, or complaints from your partner.When you feel hurt by these, not only is it painful, but it can take a real toll on your relationship. (Disconnection, resentment, fights, emotional distance are all likely).But it doesn't have to. W...
2023-08-3130 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe Relationship Rulebook127 This is a hearty episode that will help you put an end to upset, frustration, resentment, old hurts–and so many arguments and conflicts that you have in your relationship— if you dig in and follow the steps I lay out. If you find yourself feeling mad, resentful, frustrated, irritated or disappointed often in your marriage, a large part of it is likely due to your “Relationship Rulebook”.When it comes to our relationships, We all have subconscious or semi-conscious ideas about how it should be, how a good partner is supposed to behave, how they shou...
2023-08-2447 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedWhen Your Spouse Is Defensive126 Is your significant other defensive? If so, you know how hard it can be on your communication as a couple, working through things that need to be addressed, and feeling connected. As I know from personal experience, it can really feel like a divisive wedge between you.And if you are anything like most of the highly sensitive women I work with, you’d love for that defensiveness to just disappear–so you can communicate so much better about important things and feel like a team in life together. So let's talk about how to ha...
2023-08-1043 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedMaking HSP Empathy More Gift Than Challenge In Relationships121 Our natural empathy as HSPs can be a beautiful gift or big challenge in our relationships. I’ve heard from many a client that they feel their empathy is overwhelming and drags them down. I have seen how it can also lead to resentment and hard times in relationships.If you've ever had that experience, the good news is your natural empathy can actually be used to build greater intimacy in your relationship–once you’ve learned a few simple ways to work with it.Today, we dive into how empathy can lead to the deepest...
2023-06-2929 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe Different Types Of Investing In Marriage For Lasting Happiness119 If you have been listening to this podcast and seeing only small improvements (or none at all ) in your relationship, today’s topic is likely the crucial missing piece for you.Sadly, this really important topic tends to be MISSING from the conversation about having the kind of relationship we sensitive women really want with our partners–to our marriage’s detriment!We need to talk about and be honest with ourselves about how much we are investing (and what types and levels of investment are realistic and doable for us personally), in our marriages in order...
2023-05-1842 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedAcceptance Vs. Making Excuses For Your Spouse114 Are you making excuses for your significant other? Or are you genuinely accepting them and meeting them with understanding? Find out in this episode.You’ve heard me say it a lot: it IS important to accept our partner for who they are. But, if accepting them feels to you more like you're resigning yourself to things not feeling good between you, or you feel like you’re having to tolerate bad behavior from your significant other, you may be just making excuses for them-- not genuinely accepting them.If so, you're doing it wron...
2023-04-1323 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedMarriage (Im)Perfectionism113 If you find yourself asking, “Did I marry the wrong person?”, wondering if maybe there is someone better out there for you, or noticing a lot of what is not so great about your partner—or generally feeling dissatisfied with your marriage— this episode is for you.This is so common as highly sensitive people, not just because our partner's faults tend to loom large to us, but because our society gives us the idea that it's possible to have a perfect partner, a “Mr. Right”. This seriously (and sneakily) undermines our ability to be happy in our mar...
2023-04-0626 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHelping Your Husband Be There For You When You're Upset109 Does your partner try to “fix” you when you're sad, or quickly tell you that it will all be okay, make a joke ( or even ignore you)–instead of holding you or sitting lovingly with you while you cry or spill it all out–like you want him to?This is so common! So, if you don’t feel very emotionally supported by your partner when you are having a hard day or are upset–or if you wish he was more empathetic and caring during those times, this episode is for you!Being there for you when y...
2023-03-0224 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedPMS and Perimenopause in Relationships as HSPs With Christine Maccarroll107 If you’ve ever experienced the wonky hormones of PMS or perimenopause, you know they can impact how you feel and act with your loved ones–especially your significant other. And if you’re highly sensitive, the effect of these hormonal times can be extra hard.If, at certain times of month, you feel more irritable, snippy, and averse to your husband, if you tend to have more arguments, or feel more easily hurt or don’t feel attractive or attracted to you husband, you’re not alone. Many of my clients have shared with me how their relati...
2023-02-0950 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedGrievance: The Biggest Barrier To A Loving Marriage106 Feel resentful towards your partner sometimes?Find it hard to let go of his small or large wrongdoings –or things he’s done in the past?If so, you’re holding onto grievance–and it’s like a poison that’s eating away at you and your emotional well being, and preventing true happiness in your long-term relationship. So long as grievance and resentment are a regular part of your experience in your relationship, you will NOT be able to have teh love and connection you really want.In this episode, I dive into:
2023-02-0229 min
Highly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe 3 Simple Things You Must Be Able To Do To Have An Amazing Marriage105 The ESSENCE of what it takes to have a good–even amazing –marriage is not complex– it's actually very simple. So in this episode, I boil down EVERYTHING I teach my clients to do–and everything I have done to make my marriage the amazing loving thriving one it is– into the 3 things you must do to have the same. Just 3! Because I want you to see how simple it really is. That said, DOING them may not be “easy”. Which is why, in this episode, I also point you to other resources that help you le...
2023-01-1927 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedMaking Self-Responsibility In Relationships Fun103 Ready to start the New Year off on the most love-empowering foot, for REAL positive change in your marriage? The most powerful way to do that (actually the only way to do that) is by taking super-responsibility for all you can in your marriage–in particular the pain or unhappiness you are experiencing. Doesn’t sound like fun? I’ve heard that before from other sensitive people. And it’s the reason so many people don't take responsibility–and therefore lose out majorly on having the kind of loving fulfilling marriage they want.That doesn't...
2023-01-0538 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedSuccessful Gestures of Connection (The Overlooked Key)101 If you want more connection, love, and joy between you and your partner, but you're often disappointed, frustrated, resentful or irritated with your significant other, you're definitely going to want to listen to this episode.We are diving into what has been researched to be the #1 thing happy couples do to keep their marriage fulfilling, connected, and strong for life: Making regular gestures of connection, as I call them. But there is something overlooked in the research that will make or break whether these gestures of connection work successfully in YOUR marriage.
2022-12-2228 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedLove For The Long-Term; A Convo With My HusbandIt’s episode 100!!! And we are celebrating with a special conversation with my very own husband about what it takes for you, as a sensitive person, and your partner to have a marriage you LOVE for the long-haul.He and I dive into a few of our keys to keeping our marriage “real-enchanted” (fun, passionate, and loving despite being real–and flawed– humans living real, messy lives.) We cover:How we have a marriage we both feel so good in–and yet, we still experience real human relationship difficulties at times. But we let those times bring us clo...
2022-12-1543 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedUnderstanding Your HSP Partner (For Your Spouse)099 If you’re an HSP and your partner doesn't understand what High sensitivity is and how it impacts you and your relationship, it can make things between you harder.You’ve been listening and learning all about sensitivity and having a great marriage as a Highly Sensitive Person. But you still feel your partner doesn't understand you or your sensitivity sometimes. I made this episode to change that: it’s for your partner to listen to, if they are willing. Or even better: listen together. When BOTH of you are educated about high sensitiv...
2022-12-0150 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedYour Core Values In Relationship098 Your values are a huge factor in your marriage happiness and fulfillment. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to not be very conscious of what our values actually are, if the ones we live by currently are serving us, what we want our values to be, or if we ourselves are living out values that serve us well in our marriage (often, instead we can fall into noticing where our partner isn’t living our values). But when you do some work around your core values in relationship you will have a lot more power to make y...
2022-11-2437 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedBONUS: Treasured Program Q and AUPDATED APRIL 2024! If you are at all curious about or interested in what coaching can do for you and your relationship, or even what it IS, this bonus episode will help clarify that, and what my specific version of it, for highly sensitive people, is all about. Since I have changed a few things over the years in what and how I offer marriage coaching, I wanted to update you about those changes as well as help answer some common questions about it all.So listen in to here the answers to these questions (I recommend listening to...
2022-08-0439 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedLoving Yourself To More Love In Your Marriage (7 Keys)089 As you may have heard, self-love is key to having deep lasting love and harmony between you and your spouse–in SO many ways. I know you may get that– in theory! But too many highly sensitive people leave it at that--just theory. Understanding this intellectually does not give you what you need to actually FEEL and LIVE FROM that self-love– nor benefit from all it makes possible for you in your marriage and life.And, truth be told, you may not really even know what it MEANS to have self love. I know I was conf...
2022-07-2857 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedUsing Your Time To Support The Marriage And Life You Want085 We have a limited amount of time in our lives. But how we use our time will determine how fulfilling our lives are–and how fulfilling our marriages are.If we have a mindset that time is scarce, or there's too much to do (which can be really common for us as highly sensitive women )we will keep ourselves from prioritizing the things that most matter to us. . .. . . and end up with a life–and a love life– that is lacking in nourishment, love, connection, joy, and all the things we truly desire, and that bring u...
2022-06-2339 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedTask Talks: Dry-Toast-Relationship RemediationIf you sometimes (or often) feel like your marriage is more of a business partnership than a romantic relationship, or you go through long phases when things feel kind of dry and dull and between you and your significant other, this episode is a must-listen.It’s so easy– with all the do-to’s of running a life together with careers, a home to take care of, children, extended family, and pets–to fall into spending most of airtime with your partner talking about what needs to get done.Speaking from experien...
2022-06-1621 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe Love Spectrum Scale083 Want to be able to guide yourself and your marriage into a place of more love, more connection, more light-heartedness and mutual supportiveness (or what I call the land of Real-Enchantment–or lasting love)? Today I introduce you to a tool that will help you do just that!Because, the truth is, after some years of marriage or partnership, it can take some self-guidance to connect to real love for our partner , and STAY there. The kind of love we want in our marriages isn’t just bestowed upon us magically until the end of time. But it can...
2022-06-0236 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedChanging Thoughts vs CircumstancesAs highly sensitive people (HSPs), we are more sensitive to all the things than non-HSPs. Because of this, some popular advice for HSPs can tend toward finding environments and external circumstances that will support our sensitive systems.That's all fine and good when we can control such things. But when it comes to other people–especially our partner–we can't usually make them “suit” us. We can’t control the “circumstance” of what they do or say. (But boy do some of us try--and it backfires almost always in marriage– ask me how I know!)In fact, in gene...
2022-05-2636 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow To Create Emotional Intimacy In Your MarriageAs a highly sensitive woman, you likely love –and want more—emotional intimacy. So you will want to know what creates it between two people, and what leads you further from it in your marriage. In this episode, I share the gold on all of it, and let you in on how to create more emotional intimacy with your husband—even without his active participation. We look together at:What prevents or erodes intimacy in a long-term relationship, where it really comes from, the 2 modes you must operate from to build more...
2022-05-1939 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedMaking A Habit Of Love Without Conditions079 Most of us limit ourselves (unconsciously, of course!) from feeling as much love as we could in our marriages. We therefore not only miss out on all the love available, but we also miss out on the benefits it brings to our marriages, and to our own selves–of which there are SO many, especially for you as a highly sensitive person. Now, you may want to feel more love, but you may also feel like it’s not really up to you. That how much love you feel is contingent on how loving your husband is. You ma...
2022-04-2842 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow To Invite Him To Improve Your Marriage With YouYou want to feel like your partner is your teammate in making this marriage better. But you may sometimes (or often) feel alone in doing that work, or it seems he avoids working on certain aspects of your marriage–even if you’ve asked him to. You're not quite sure what it takes to sway the tides and get him improving your marriage by your side.I have been here, too. But I learned how to change all of that! Now I never feel I’m alone in doing what it takes to make our marriage great. It is...
2022-04-1434 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe 3 Phases To Mature Lasting Love076 Today I’m sharing with you the 3 phases we go through to get to a mature love that lasts in our marriage. Often we don't understand or recognize the phase we’re in, that it is normal, and what we can do to move our relationship through the harder phase and into the place that is most deeply alive and loving–and so we miss out on ever getting there.Today, that all changes!In this episode I help you understand what phase you are in now, so you can not be careless or get d...
2022-04-0736 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedCelebrating Vs Overlooking Growth075 You’ve been listening to this podcast (or other ones on relationships), reading books, learning about how to have the kind of marriage you want. You're trying out new approaches. But you aren't seeing as much change as you wish…and you feel frustrated, or discouraged, or at the least, not as hopeful about things as you want to feel. Maybe you even feel like you want to quit bothering with all the effort.If so, you are very likely making 1 simple little error: not recognizing, let alone celebrating, your successes!This oh-so-common error comes from t...
2022-03-3125 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedCan You Become Less Sensitive?073 Can highly sensitive people become less sensitive? Many HSPs wonder this! And many experts say no.I have a slightly different take, one that will bring you hope, clarity, and motivation. In this episode I share what I know is possible to change and what isn’t when it comes to being sensitive–especially when it comes to emotional sensitivity. I break down for you the 5 most common approaches to handling emotions that actually lead to what many of us consider the bad part of being sensitive–in other words, ways of handling our deep feeling...
2022-03-1737 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedShould Pain065 Often feel a little (or a lot) irritated, annoyed, disdainful or indignant, frustrated, exasperated, resentful or disappointed with your partner? Or just generally hardened against this person you ultimately really want to feel soft and open to?This is likely what I call “Should Pain.” Although very normal to the human brain, “should pain” is one of biggest barriers to love in our marriages. It feels bad to both you and your partner when either of you are struggling with it.Worse, it can run rampant for many of us when left uncheck...
2022-01-2036 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedThe Loving Marriage Magic Ratio063 If interactions between you and your significant other are laced with negativity, even slightly….or if you just want to bring more connection and love in your relationship, this episode is for you. In it, I share one key thing (backed by decades of research) that you can do, or rule you can follow, to not just improve the culture in your marriage, but to maintain a strong loving relationship into the future. It’s so simple to keep in mind and to do. I break downThe exact formula to follow Why to do itWay...
2022-01-0620 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow To Release Control For More Intimacy062 Today we dive into a 4 step formal process to release the urge to control your partner in the moment.Because the cost of trying to control our partner in a marriage is intimacy –and feeling a whole lot of icky emotions, whereas releasing control is a huge step towards gaining more intimacy and harmony with your honey.Yet, even if you intellectually know this, old habits die hard (and your human brain is naturally wired to want to control). So releasing control is easier said than done.Which means it's really helpful to hav...
2021-12-3036 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedOne Tiny Thing That Seriously Dulls The Love In Your Marriage055 If there's a sense of lack-of-luster in your relationship, or you find yourself feeling disinterest, irritation, or disconnection with your husband, or you wonder if your marriage will ever feel good, alive, and totally loving again, it is not necessarily because there is a huge problem between you.It is more likely because of some very harmless-seeming little things you might not even notice:Your simple, unremarkable, everyday thoughts.In this episode, I illustrate this deeply and clearly by sharing a very personal experience of this over the summer, and exactly how I w...
2021-11-1129 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedRelationship Boundary Basics051 Knowing how and when to set a “Relationship Boundary” is an essential part of blazing the trail to a more respectful, loving, high-integrity marriage for both you and your husband.Setting appropriate boundaries are, 1st, a way to take loving care and be respectful of yourself and the relationship, and 2nd, they teach your significant other to understand what’s okay by you and what isn’t, helping eliminate his disrespectful behaviors.“Boundaries” are often misconstrued or not used correctly, and when that's the case they don’t work, or even backfire. This episode clarifies for you exactly...
2021-10-1431 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedMen, Emotional Maturity, And Love (Or How To Invite Your Husband To Evolve)#050 We modern women expect more out of marriage and men than ever. We tend to want our husbands to be a more mature, evolved, supportive partner with whom we can regularly connect intimately on a deep physical and emotional level. But, in many cases, our men don’t seem to be able to rise up and meet us in that place as much as we want. Today, we dive in and look at why— and what you can do about it.The bad news is fighting for and trying to get him to BE who...
2021-10-0742 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedBeing A Happy Fulfilled Wife044 If you've ever felt unhappy in your marriage, if you ever look back on the early days or your relationship --or even your single days-- with a longing for those happier times, or if you ever feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself in this marriage, this episode is for you.Where does our happiness really come from in our marriages? Whose job is it to bring pleasure and enjoyment to you? Whose devotion to your joy and fulfillment matters most in your marriage?There's one answer that many of us subscribe to un...
2021-08-2642 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedFrom Tension to Calm and Connected with Amy LepageReactivity, tension, and emotional and physical pain can be so normal in our busy day-to-day lives. Yet they totally undermine our ability to enjoy our lives, connect with our loved ones in the deeper ways we want, and reach our goals.So how do we move back to a calmer, clearer, and more connected place (and stay there more often) --without taking hours out of our days, or making a giant overhaul of our life?It’s all about the tiny moments--or micro-moments! Join Amy Lepage, Somatic Movement & Functional Movement Therapist, and I...
2021-08-0539 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedMicro Moments Of Love (Or How To Have Ever Better Love)040 Falling in love is easy, effortless. Staying in love isn’t. Today we talk about staying in love (or falling back in love), and how it's about being intentional in the tiniest moments.You don’t have to wait to learn something fancy, or to have a giant change of heart to feel better with your partner. You can make an instant little shift right now that will move you in a more loving, more fulfilling, happier direction.In fact, that is how we actually create sustained change. By thinking about things a tiny bit diffe...
2021-07-2922 minHighly Sensitive, Happily Married3 Ways To Fuel More Desire When You’re Not “In The Mood” Sex and physical intimacy. They are the prime things that distinguish marriage from a roommate situation.But, many women, especially us highly sensitive women, often find that we just don't’ feel like being sexual with our partner at the end of a long day--or ever!If that’s a common experience for you, and you feel like it’s putting a damper on the connection and fulfillment you or your husband is experiencing in your marriage, this is a must-listen episode.We cover: How nothing is wrong with you if your des...
2021-07-1539 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHow To Feel Safe To Feel Any FeelingAs a human being, especially a highly sensitive person, you’re going to have lots of feelings, many of which will be “negative” ones. Especially when it comes to the things we care most about, such as our marriages and relationships.Does this mean you have to suffer through them, grin and bear it, or resign yourself to having an unhappy life and relationship? Of course not. You can, of course, thrive in life and love. But that will depend on how healthy your relationship with your own emotions is. This epis...
2021-07-0835 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedCalming Emotional Reactivity For HSPsAs highly sensitive people, we feel deeply. So when something happens with our partner that we don’t like, and negative emotions are stirred up, it can lead to reacting strongly. . . . . .often in ways that lead to more strife and conflict (think: withdrawing, running out of the room, snapping, criticizing, yelling, crying, ranting, going on and on trying to figure things out and feeling unable to stop talking, and other big displays of anger or despair). . . . . . and an inability to resolve an issue effectively.In this episode, we're going to look at why this...
2021-07-0133 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedSelf-Worth In Love035 We all have a biological imperative to feel worthy, to feel good enough. This need drives us in all aspects of our life. It is part of what pulls us towards love. But it is also in love that our sense of not being quite good enough, not being worthy, is most highlighted. Having a strong sense of self-worth is a big part of having a marriage that feels like the safest most loving zone possible…And having low self-worth is the source of so many marriage problems, such as feeling easily hurt, easil...
2021-06-2429 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedInsourcing Validation (Instead Of Outsourcing It)034 What if you consistently felt like you were important, cared for, valued and like you deeply matter to your partner, and to all the people you care about? Like, all the time...no matter what happened?How would that change your marriage….your life?In a nutshell, it would free you up to have so much more fun, lightness, connection, love, and passion in your marriage, and simple enjoyment of your partner day in and day out. Listen in to learn how!Unfortunately, most of us, especially as HSPs, don’t feel t...
2021-06-1727 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedNegative Emotion Aversion And Authenticity Inhibition031 Today we are talking about Communication and Authenticity Inhibition (which is one of the biggest things that stops many HSPs from actually having the relationship we want) and their cause: Negative Emotion Aversion. We dive into how this all gets in the way of healthy effective communication (like asking for what we want), makes it hard to be honest and authentic in our relationships, adds a whole lot of unnecessary suffering to our lives, and ultimately prevents us from growing a deeper love and understanding of each other in our marriages.Unfortunately, Negative Emotion Aversion h...
2021-05-2736 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedHappy Marriage Value026 What allows us big success in one area, and not in another? The answer has to do with not just what WE THINK matters most to us, but what we prioritize with our actions. When we truly value something, we put it at the forefront of our lives. Getting clear on this is key to success in our lives and marriages. Sometimes, through no fault of our own, we unconsciously undervalue the things that are most important, like our marriages. We overlook how immensely valuable a happy marriage is, and we thereby undermine our ability to a...
2021-04-2239 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedInterview With My Husband: Growing An Amazing Marriage With An HSP#025 I am celebrating this 25th episode of the podcast with a very special guest: My hubby! We get really open and honest and share what is great and not so great in our marriage-- so you can learn from us and make your marriage more loving and amazing.We dive right in and discuss:What it’s like for my husband to be married to an HSP-- the challenges and the joys.What an HSP brings to the relationship that can really help the relationship be great. How being so relationship-oriented leads to our relat...
2021-04-1537 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedTurn Your Not-So-Good Husband Into An Amazing One; The 1st Step020 This is the first of a 3-episode series that will help you start experiencing your man as a great partner, and have you feeling more affection and connection in your marriage.You want to love the person you’ve chosen to spend your life with. You want to love your relationship.But that may not actually be your experience much of the time. Instead, you feel hardened towards your partner. Unhappy with him. Maybe even mad at him a lot.This is, unfortunately, super common. Especially when we are seeing so many things tha...
2021-03-1129 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedLittle Shifts = Big Change In Your Love Life#019 For highly sensitive people, who can tend towards perfectionism and getting overwhelmed easily, the idea of doing the work to improve your marriage can feel daunting and like just too much. Especially if you are recognizing that you have some work on your end of things and feel you’re not doing things “right”, or you're feeling a bit discouraged that things aren't changing as fast as you'd like, even with all the efforts you've been putting in.Thinking this way will always slow us down or even stop us from making changes. Ultimate...
2021-03-0417 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedNavigating Conflict And Upset For More Love; Lauren's Story# 018 When my client Lauren first came to me, she felt anxious about her relationship and all the hard emotions and conflict that was coming up. She was waiting for “the other shoe to drop”, and in need of lots of reassurance from her partner that she was loved and things were going to be alright. It was not a dynamic that led to security and feeling close to the man she loved.These days things couldn’t be better. She’s done a total 180-degree shift in how she handles conflict--one she didn’t even think was possible. H...
2021-02-2552 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedUncovering The Source Of Relationship Pain016 If you feel any form of emotional suffering in your relationship--like discouragement, resentment, disappointment, hurt, annoyance, anger you don’t have to just live with it.Making your marriage a place that feels like a nourishing, joyful, safe space to come home to, instead of a cluttered, stressful, constricting or lonely place, starts with being willing to look at what’s REALLY going on under the surface inside of your own self. Without peering into the dark recesses of our minds, cluttered, as they are, with a bunch of assumptions, expectations, biases, fears, and unquesti...
2021-02-1136 minHighly Sensitive, Happily MarriedLove Is The Reward015 Today I bring you a fresh perspective on love --one that will allow you to feel so much more love in your marriage.We love love. Unless we have some misconceptions about it, which many people do. I know I used to, and it actually made it so I experienced LESS love than I was able to. A whole lot less.I used to think if my husband did things I didn’t like, and I still felt lots of love for him, he’d get away with things he shouldn’t.But this wa...
2021-02-0428 min