Relationships are tricky, but with the right tools, any couple can thrive! You’ve likely heard of The Gottman Institute and the pioneering work of therapist John Gottman, one of the world’s leading experts on relationships, teaching therapists and couples how to best show up. With relationships adding or distracting from our own self-love and inner peace, I sat down with Gottman-trained couple’s therapist, author, and expert on love advice, Laura Silverstein, about being vulnerable, communication, the rules of engagement that every couple should know, how to fight fair, and what do if you find yourself parenting your partner!

Our conversation is full of small shifts you can put into practice today to help your relationship grow and be as healthy as possible.

The road to self-love often comes with both endings and new beginnings. Yet, the ends tend to undo us and make us doubt our worth, abilities, and self-esteem, especially when talking about our most intimate relationships.

In continuing our search for building self-love, I sat down with my friend, Laura Patricia Martin, the host of the Happy and Healing Podcast, as she and I moved through what it takes to have full ownership of ourselves, self-love, steady relationships, and then we leaned into the important of self-inquiry.

Do you know what love language you speak?

Do you know how you like to have your needs, emotional connectivity, and love style met?

Many understand that there is an unwritten communication of receiving, giving, and feeling love, but often how we express and expect love in return is lost in translation. This week, we’re breaking down the importance of love languages, the different types, recognizing your partner’s language, and we’ll connect the dots to asking for more when we’re not on the same page with our partners. Ultimately, if we understand our love language, we can strengthen all forms of communication, which results in happier, healthy, and far more grounded and productive relationships.

With February being the month of celebrating relationships, it’s time to focus on creating the most robust connections we can, both inside and outside of ourselves. Yet, this is a different angle; today, we are looking at the shift in a relationship and what happens when we uncouple and even divorce, especially when children are involved.

We’re chatting with Resilience Coach Kimberly Smith, who walks us through the dissolve of her marriage, the conscious choices they made to create a safe emotional environment for their daughter, how self-love must be the root of all relationships, and how to co-parent in a way that serves not only the children but also the adults. In all of that, we break down how to mindfully create a new life after any significant transition.