Takeaways

• Rebuilding starts with self-awareness: reflection and evaluation help you understand what brought you here and what needs to change.
• Belief fuels movement: confidence isn’t optional when you’re starting over—it’s the engine that helps you keep going.
• Audacity is already in you: you don’t need permission to take a small courageous step—practice builds momentum.

In this episode of The Learning Love Podcast, Dr. Mark A. Hicks talks with Audley Stephenson (host of The Audacious Living Podcast) about how to rebuild your life when hardship hits—whether it’s trauma, career loss, divorce, depression, or a season of starting over. Audley shares his personal journey from basketball media and leadership to a pandemic-triggered loss of identity—and how he rebuilt by pivoting back to purpose-driven podcasting. Together, they unpack Audley’s REBUILD Strategy and the truth that audacity and love are capacities we already have, but must learn to practice.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why life rarely turns out exactly as planned—and why rebuilding is part of the human experience
• Audley’s pivot from basketball commissioner to purpose-driven creator after the pandemic
• The REBUILD Strategy: Reflect, Evaluate, Believe, Understand, Innovate, Learn, Develop
• Why people try to skip reflection—and how self-awareness supports real change
• Audacity myths (it’s not just for extroverts or “big” risks) and how small steps build courage
• Hills and valleys: how to experience hardship without making it your home

Dr. Mark A. Hicks, author of the book 'Learning Love,' provides tangible, real-life insights on how to build healthy, happy, thriving relationships, even if you come from a dysfunctional family background, have been through a divorce, or struggled with relationships in the past. Love isn't about fate. Love is a skill set, and this is the place to learn that skill set as we spend some time learning love.

Order "Learning Love: Building a Life that Matters and Healthy Relationships that Last": https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/learning-love-mark-a-hicks/1146412363?ean=9781636985954

Visit Dr. Mark A. Hicks online: https://www.markahicks.com/

Takeaways

• If you feel unheard, move from casual comments to clear, calm, eye-to-eye communication.
• Use a simple tool to confirm understanding: ask your partner to repeat back what they heard.
• Avoid the escalation trap—yelling or manipulation may ‘work,’ but it costs connection.
• Discern the issue: negotiable irritation vs. moral/ethical boundary vs. safety concern.
• Sometimes love means: “I don’t like this, but I love you—and I can live with it” (when it’s healthy to do so).

Dr. Mark A. Hicks explores what to do when you’re not being heard in a relationship—especially in marriage or long-term partnership. He emphasizes that being unheard doesn’t always mean a relationship is broken; often life is busy and communication gets lost. The solution starts with intentional timing and calm clarity: sit down, make eye contact, and name the problem without blame. He recommends using reflective listening—asking your partner to repeat back the idea of what you said—to confirm the message landed.

If the issue persists, Dr. Hicks warns against a common temptation: escalating volume or using manipulation. While it can create short-term compliance, it typically leads to resentment and shutdown. Finally, he encourages discernment: some issues are non-negotiable (safety, moral or ethical boundaries), but many frustrations are not worth damaging the relationship over. Healthy relationships don’t have to be perfect—they need to be healthy, connected, and grounded in love.

Key Topics Covered:

• Feeling unheard in marriage and romantic partnerships
• Clear, calm communication vs. casual comments
• Timing, attention, and “eye-to-eye” conversations
• Reflective listening: repeating back what was heard
• The escalation trap: yelling, wrath, and manipulation
• Choosing battles: letting go vs. drawing boundaries
• Core personality traits and realistic expectations
• When counseling or therapy may be needed
• Healthy relationships: imperfect but emotionally safe and thriving

Dr. Mark A. Hicks, author of the book 'Learning Love,' provides tangible, real-life insights on how to build healthy, happy, thriving relationships, even if you come from a dysfunctional family background, have been through a divorce, or struggled with relationships in the past. Love isn't about fate. Love is a skill set, and this is the place to learn that skill set as we spend some time learning love.

Order "Learning Love: Building a Life that Matters and Healthy Relationships that Last": https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/learning-love-mark-a-hicks/1146412363?ean=9781636985954

Visit Dr. Mark A. Hicks online: https://www.markahicks.com/

Takeaways

• Trauma is not only psychological—it’s stored in the body.
• Traditional therapy doesn’t always reach the root of trauma.
• Healing begins by finding safety in your body and nervous system.

In this eye-opening episode of The Learning Love Podcast, Dr. Mark Hicks speaks with Bee Doyle, a former combat medic and now spiritual guide, about her journey through PTSD, addiction, and deep healing. Bee opens up about the limitations of traditional therapy and how modalities like breathwork, yoga, and acupuncture helped her reconnect with her body and spirit. This episode is a must-listen for anyone struggling with unresolved trauma or looking for holistic approaches to emotional wellness.

Key Topics Covered:

• Bee’s experience in Afghanistan as a combat medic
• The disconnect between external achievements and internal suffering
• Why talk therapy sometimes fails trauma survivors
• The importance of somatic healing and nervous system regulation
• Breathwork and yoga as entry points for healing
• Ancestral trauma and generational healing
• How motherhood deepened Bee’s commitment to healing
• Bee's upcoming book Keepers of the Light

Dr. Mark A. Hicks, author of the book 'Learning Love,' provides tangible, real-life insights on how to build healthy, happy, thriving relationships, even if you come from a dysfunctional family background, have been through a divorce, or struggled with relationships in the past. Love isn't about fate. Love is a skill set, and this is the place to learn that skill set as we spend some time learning love.

Order "Learning Love: Building a Life that Matters and Healthy Relationships that Last": https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/learning-love-mark-a-hicks/1146412363?ean=9781636985954

Visit Dr. Mark A. Hicks online: https://www.markahicks.com/