In this two-part series, Dr. Alexandra will be taking you through how to take care of yourself and your relationship when your partner is struggling. Perhaps your partner is struggling with a job loss, a health diagnosis, a mental health challenge, the loss of a loved one, family drama, co-parenting with an ex, or something else entirely. Whatever it is, the theme is that there is some scenario that is taking up more of your partner’s bandwidth than usual, leaving less bandwidth for you and your relationship.

In this first part, Dr. Alexandra is going to be contextualizing this scenario and providing lots of validation for the struggle that comes with having a struggling partner. She is also going to discuss factors that shape how your partner’s struggle impacts you. Hard things are just hard, but the ways you’re getting activated in the wake of your partner’s struggle also have a lot to do with your specific wounds, as well as the role you played in your family of origin.

The insights shared in this episode lay the groundwork for a two-part series designed to equip you with effective coping strategies to maintain your well-being while fostering intimacy and connection, even in challenging times.

You’ll come away with this conversation with:

• A deeper understanding of what Dr. Alexandra calls the Recursive Relational Framework (RRF) and its impact on your relationship and the problem affecting the relationship.
• Research examples that demonstrate that your partner’s struggles affect you and that how you respond can influence their outcome.
• Strategies for recognizing and managing your emotional triggers in response to a partner's distress.
• Practical tips for fostering personal growth while supporting a partner through their challenges.

Resources worth mentioning from the episode:

• Get the FREE Family of Origin Roles Workbook: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/rolesworkbook/
• Family of Origin Series Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/58WZg044gbmGsL6iPNxXJy?si=bajzkF-kRxG3WL76yJL-qw
• Take the Family of Origin Role Quiz: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/rolesquiz/
• Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass: http://masterclass.com/backtoschool

Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:

• Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274
• Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530
• Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/
• Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/

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What if the key to deeper intimacy lies in understanding the echoes of our past? Dr. Alexandra Solomon sits with Christine Hassler, a Master coach, podcast host, and author, to discuss how our family of origin roles shape our present connections, emphasizing the importance of inner child work and relational self-awareness. Christine shares her journey through the unhealthy patterns that surfaced in her own relationship with her partner, Stef, offering a raw look at the necessity of self-reflection in cultivating healthier dynamics.

You'll come away from this episode with:

• A deeper understanding of how family of origin influences shape your current relationships.
• Practical strategies for engaging in inner child work to enhance self-awareness and relational dynamics.
• Insights into the importance of self-advocacy (especially as women!) and authentic communication in intimate partnerships.
• Perspective on how our professional roles and work offer yet another arena for us to notice and tend to old pain and create new ways of relating to ourselves and the world around us.

Resources worth mentioning from the episode:

• Podcast - Life Coaching with Christine Hassler: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-coaching-with-christine-hassler/id1050321415
• Christine Hassler's The Women's Retreat in San Diego, Oct 17-19, 2025: https://christinehassler.com/womensretreat/
• “Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass: http://masterclass.com/backtoschool
• Couple Therapy Certification Course from PESI: http://pesi.com/dralexandra

Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:

• Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274
• Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530
• Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/
• Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/

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Anxiety is one of the most common emotional struggles today. Whether you have a formal diagnosis or are simply experiencing the symptoms, you are not alone.

In this episode, Dr. Alexandra is joined by anxiety expert, therapist, and author Noelle McWard Aquino to talk about the three distinct root causes Noelle has identified and written about in her book Anxiety Unpacked. Together, they discuss which characteristics each type has and what core needs drive them. And most importantly, they discuss practical tools and strategies to help you find relief and peace, regardless of your anxiety type.

You’ll come away with this conversation with:

• A thorough overview of anxiety, with answers to questions that often come up such as:

-What’s the difference between anxiety and intuition?

-Is it okay if I just avoid the things that make me anxious?

-How am I possibly going to change my behaviour when I feel as anxious as I do?

-Why do we have to deal with anxiety in the first place?

• The three root causes of anxiety, characteristics to identify each type, and strategies to manage each type
• Tips on what to do if you’re struggling with anxiety in your intimate partnership, and what to do if your partner is struggling with anxiety
• Validation on the experience of anxiety and a mindset shift to provide hope that you can find peace and calm

Resources worth mentioning from the episode:

• Learn more about Noelle McWard Aquino:

https://noellemcwardaquino.com/

• Anxiety Unpacked by Noelle McWard Aquino:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/anxiety-unpacked-noelle-mcward-aquino/a60a608d74e71afb?ean=9781960876904&next=t&

• “Your Anxiety Toolkit” on MasterClass:

www.masterclass.com/youranxietytoolkit

• Couple Therapy Certification Course from PESI: http://pesi.com/dralexandra

Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:

• Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274
• Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530
• Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/
• Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever felt like your resilience is being pushed to its limits, especially in the chaotic and complex world we live in today? Dr. Alexandra sits down with organizational psychologist, researcher, and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Tasha Eurich to delve into the insights from her new book, Shatterproof: How to Thrive in a World of Constant Chaos (and Why Resilience Alone Isn’t Enough). In this conversation, they discuss the myths of resilience, as well as what a “resilience ceiling” is and how to identify when we’ve hit it. Most importantly, they talk about how to understand the limits of resilience so that we don’t, as Dr. Tasha would call it, “grit gaslight” ourselves when our usual coping strategies don’t work the way they used to.

You'll come away from this episode with:

• A clearer understanding of the limitations of resilience and how to identify when you’ve reached your 'resilience ceiling’.
• A renewed perspective on the importance of acknowledging struggles as part of personal growth and healing (stoicism isn't the answer here!).
• Practical strategies and tools to enhance your self-awareness and well-being, such as Dr. Tasha’s self-assessment for determining how much of our self-definition is about our work and ambition, and her 2-2-2 tool for managing overwhelm.
• Insights into the essential emotional needs that foster deeper connections in your relationships.

Resources worth mentioning from the episode:

• The Resilience Ceiling Quiz

https://resilience-quiz.com/

• Shatterproof: How to Thrive in a World of Constant Chaos (And Why Resilience Alone Isn't Enough) by Tasha Eurich

https://bookshop.org/p/books/shatterproof-how-to-thrive-in-a-world-of-constant-chaos-and-why-resilience-alone-isn-t-enough-tasha-eurich/9f0e6a8876113ed0

• Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass: http://masterclass.com/backtoschool
• Couple Therapy Certification Course from PESI: http://pesi.com/dralexandra

Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:

• Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274
• Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530
• Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/
• Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/

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There are a few things we likely can all agree on: (1) we are living in a very polarizing time, (2) it’s hurting us, and (3) the way that we talk about politics is broken, given that we are all living in different information orbits. In this episode, Dr. Alexandra sits down with Mónica Guzmán who offers us some hope for the relationships in our lives that have suffered as a result of this polarization. She also offers us the perspective we need to help us stay grounded, even as the structures all around us fiercely demand our attention and invite our reactivity.

The goal is not necessarily to seek to change each other’s view on the issues but to change our view on each other. And to see that “engagement is not endorsement”, as we work to enter into curious dialogue with the people in our lives and to perhaps notice the ways that we are not as divided as we believe we are.

You’ll come away with:

• Strategies on how to approach the conversations with the people in your life that have historically gone sideways due to ideological misalignments
• Insights on maintaining curiosity and connection in the face of division
• Tips for navigating the online dating landscape without compromising your values or limiting yourself

Resources worth mentioning from the episode:

• Mónica Guzmán’s Reclaim Curiosity Newsletter: https://www.moniguzman.com/subscribe
• I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Mónica Guzmán: https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-never-thought-of-it-that-way-monica-guzman/22293096?ean=9781637740323&next=t&next=t&affiliate=4380
• Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass: http://masterclass.com/backtoschool
• Couple Therapy Certification Course from PESI: http://pesi.com/dralexandra

Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:

• Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274
• Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530
• Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/
• Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/

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The fourth and final mailbag episode of the summer is here! Dr. Alexandra has advice for three listeners with three relationship dilemmas related to infidelity and rebuilding trust, both relationally and within themselves.

Start healing together with these listener challenges:

• Our first listener question concerns shame upon discovering an extramarital affair.
• The second question deals with jealousy in the wake of some boundary-breaching behavior that is impacting the relationship.
• An affair partner asks our third question, as she struggles with honesty and clarity within the affair from her married partner.

Resources worth mentioning from the episode:

• Can I Trust You Again? e-course: https://courses.dralexandrasolomon.com/can-i-trust-you-again-rebuilding-after-betrayal-or-deceit
• Reimagining Love episode, When Shame Blocks Repair: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/when-shame-blocks-repair/
• Reimagining Love episode, When You’re the Affair Partner: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/when-youre-the-affair-partner/
• Your Midyear Refresh on MasterClass: http://masterclass.com/yourmidyearrefresh
• Couple Therapy Certification Course from PESI: http://pesi.com/dralexandra

Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:

• Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274
• Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530
• Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/
• Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Alexandra sits down with Case Kenny – creator, mindfulness expert, host of the podcast New Mindset, Who Dis? and author of That’s Bold of You and The Opposite of Settling: How to Get Everything You Want Out of Love and Life Without Losing Your Spark – to discuss how societal “shoulds” around dating and relationships can create rigid expectations and fear-based decisions. Instead, they invite us to lean into curiosity, optimism, and self-awareness to get what we want out of love and dating.

Together, they dive into:

• Why the concept of “settling down” needs an upgrade—and what it means to “settle up” instead
  
• How understanding your “why” of dating shifts your whole approach
  
• Using the peak-end rule to reframe past dating experiences
  
• How showing up enthusiastically and with trust as the default right from the start can amplify your dating and relationship experiences

And so much more!

“Your Midyear Refresh” on MasterClass: masterclass.com/yourmidyearrefresh

Couple Therapy Certification Course from PESI: pesi.com/dralexandra

The Opposite of Settling: How to Get Everything You Want Out of Love and Life Without Losing Your Spark by Case Kenny

Instagram @case.kenny

Learn more about Case Kenny: https://www.casekenny.com/

Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day

Submit a Listener Question

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