Have you ever noticed how easy it is to stay in painful patterns—even when you know they're hurting you? In this powerful episode, we explore why pain becomes a "home base" for so many people, how depression and emotional suffering can feel safer than joy, and what it actually takes to break free.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why homeostasis keeps us returning to painful patterns (even when we desperately want change)
• The psychological phenomenon of anhedonia—the inability to experience joy—and how to recognize it in your own life
• How pain can become a badge of honor and part of your identity
• The three essential ingredients for lasting transformation: pattern disruption, new environment, and time
• Why all eight core emotions (including pain AND joy) are designed to protect and guide you
• Real stories of radical pattern breaking—from career changes to selling everything and starting over
• How to recognize when you're living in emotional survival mode versus thriving

Key insights from this episode:

Glenn shares his experience of living with depression as his baseline for decades, where his daily goal was to "claw my way up to zero." Phyllis reveals the moment she knew their marriage pattern had to break—when she told Glenn to quit his construction job and go back to school, even though she'd never supported the family before.

Tera opens up about her own relationship with pain, realizing she wore it as a badge of honor—even laughing through physical pain because she wanted to be seen as strong, not weak.

The message of pain is simple: there's a problem. But too many of us have become numb to it, accepting suffering as "just the way it is." This episode will help you identify where pain has become your comfort zone and give you the courage to disrupt the pattern.

Keywords: emotional health, mental health, depression recovery, marriage transformation, breaking patterns, emotional regulation, identity crisis, joy and pain balance, relationship coaching, emotional processing, therapy tools, mental wellness, overcoming depression, emotional awareness, self-discovery

Resources mentioned:

• Get the Core Emotion Wheel: www.connectioncodes.co/podcast
• Book a coach: https://connectioncodes.co/coaches
• School of Connection (starts Jan 20): www.connectioncodes.co/school

What if the "temper tantrums" in your life—whether from your kids, your partner, or even yourself—aren't misbehavior at all, but a desperate cry to be heard?

In this episode, Dr. Glenn Hill and Tera Wages unpack a powerful truth: our emotions are pitching a temper tantrum when they're not being acknowledged. From the three-year-old crying over a scraped knee to the adult who shuts down completely, we explore what happens when our emotional energy is resisted instead of received.

In This Episode:

• Why saying "you're okay" to a crying child creates two problems instead of solving one
• How emotional resistance shows up differently in adults (yelling, shutting down, or exploding)
• The powerful three-phrase framework that stops tantrums in their tracks
• Real stories of transformation when couples learn to follow each other's energy
• Why our culture teaches us that suppressing emotions is mature (and why it's actually destroying us)

Whether you're parenting young children, navigating marriage conflict, or trying to understand your own emotional patterns, this episode will help you recognize when energy is being resisted—and how to create connection instead.

Key Concepts:

• Emotional regulation and emotional health
• The "ooh" response and following energy
• Temper tantrums in children and adults
• Marriage communication and conflict resolution
• Parenting with emotional intelligence
• Mental health and self-awareness
• Leadership through emotional presence

Resources Mentioned:

• Connection Codes Three-Phrase Magnet (available on our website)
• The Core Emotion Wheel
• Foundations Course

Ready to stop resisting and start connecting? This episode will change how you see every "temper tantrum" in your life.

Get the Core Emotion Wheel: www.connectioncodes.co/podcast
Book a Coach: https://connectioncodes.co/coaches

What if the secret to actually starting fresh in 2026 isn't about making better resolutions—but about stopping to process what 2025 is trying to tell you?

In this transformative year-end episode, marriage and family therapist Dr. Glenn Hill shares why he loves Mondays, New Year's, and fresh starts—and the framework that makes them actually work. Glenn and his wife Phyllis get vulnerable about their year of burnout, chronic pain, and the pivotal moments that changed everything. Tera Wages guides them through a reflection process that goes beyond surface-level goal-setting to create real, lasting transformation.

You'll discover:

• The "Monday Mindset" approach to fresh starts that actually creates change
• Why your high pain tolerance is keeping you stuck (and how to recognize it)
• The year-end reflection framework: what went well, what didn't, and what to do about it
• How to stop the cycle of ignoring pain and hoping things will "just get better"
• The difference between processing pain and managing pain (one leads to breakthrough, one leads to burnout)
• Why "letting bygones be bygones" guarantees you'll repeat the same patterns in 2026
• How to identify what to replicate vs. what to eliminate as you enter the new year

Key Topics: New Year goals, fresh starts, emotional health, mental health, marriage counseling, burnout recovery, chronic pain management, year-end reflection, goal setting, emotional intelligence, relationship coaching, leadership development, self-care, mental wellness, therapy tools, emotional processing, work-life balance, New Year's resolutions alternative

Powerful Moments:

• Glenn opens up about barely celebrating the holidays a year ago due to burnout—and where he is today
• Phyllis shares her journey from standing at the Grand Canyon unable to walk to reclaiming her body and future
• The "hot stove competition" analogy that will change how you view pain tolerance forever
• Why Echo's confrontation became the catalyst for Phyllis's transformation
• The truth about psycholation (psychological isolation) and why "don't air your dirty laundry" is destroying us
• How Connection Codes is expanding in 2026 with the School of Connection and more in-person events

The Framework:

1. Look backward - What went well? (Find your bullseye to replicate)
2. Process the pain - What didn't go well? (Identify what needs to shift)
3. Take action - What specific steps will eliminate the pain and pour gas on what's working?

Resources Mentioned:

• Get the Core Emotion Wheel: www.connectioncodes.co/podcast
• Book a Connection Codes Coach: https://connectioncodes.co/coaches
• School of Connection (Enrollment Open - Starts Jan 20): https://www.connectioncodes.co/school-of-connection
• Clarity Reset (Perfect for fresh starts): https://www.connectioncodes.co/clarity-reset
• Foundations Masterclass: https://www.connectioncodes.co/foundations

If you're tired of the same cycle of New Year's resolutions that fade by February, this episode will give you the Monday Mindset framework to make 2026 actually different. Because fresh starts only work when you stop ignoring what your emotions are telling you.

Connect with us:Instagram: @connectioncodesWebsite: www.connectioncodes.co