Many couples don’t lose love after becoming parents. They lose exposure.

In this episode, we explore why emotional connection can feel thin, even when there’s commitment, shared history, and genuine care. Why you may feel appreciated, needed, even admired… yet still not deeply known.

This isn’t another conversation about communication techniques or “trying harder.” It’s about something far more uncomfortable and far more powerful.

Drawing from years of therapeutic work, I share a surprising insight from inside the therapy room: people become magnetic not when they are impressive, articulate, or well-regulated, but when they allow themselves to be seen beneath the performance.

We unpack the quiet paradox so many of us live with: You crave intimacy, yet you hide the very parts of you that would create it.

Not because you’re dishonest, but because at some point, it stopped feeling safe to show up fully.

This episode explores how emotional intimacy actually forms, why so many relationships feel emotionally flat after parenthood (or just time…), and how self-protection (not lack of love) slowly erodes closeness.

And importantly, we talk about what vulnerability is not: - It’s not oversharing. - It’s not emotional dumping. - It’s not collapsing boundaries.

It’s allowing honest parts of you into the room, intentionally, safely, and without armor.

If you’ve ever thought:

• “My partner doesn’t really see me”
• “I feel alone even though I’m not”
• “We talk, but it doesn’t land”

this episode will help you understand why, and what actually deepens connection.

Listen to Episode 66 next

Website | Podbean | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube (video)

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🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights 📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support 🤝 Grab resources to support your parenthood and relationship journey 📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

--- Full Transcript HERE. — Want to take our relationship to the next level? 👉Here are my top Resources 👉 Link to my Newsletter

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com) 🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world! ---

Markella Kaplani, M.A. Clinical-Counseling Psychologist Parenthood & Relationship Coach www.markellakaplani.com

Motherhood today isn’t just exhausting. It’s mentally relentless.

In this episode of The Parenthood and Relationship Podcast, I sit down with Valerie Recore, productivity coach for moms and certified Fair Play facilitator, to unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of modern parenting.

This isn’t a conversation about doing more, delegating better, or “just asking for help.” It’s about the mental load, the invisible labor, and the emotional weight mothers carry, often even when partners are willing and well-intentioned.

We explore why this generation of mothers feels uniquely overwhelmed, why comparison culture intensifies burnout, and how resentment quietly builds inside relationships when responsibility isn’t truly shared from beginning to end.

You’ll hear why asking “What do you need me to do?” can actually make things worse.. and how tools like the Fair Play Method shift couples from fighting each other to working together against the problem.

This episode is especially for couples navigating parenthood, identity shifts, and the silent tension that grows when one partner becomes the default manager of life.

It’s honest. It’s validating. And it’s deeply practical.

1. Why the mental load isn’t about tasks - it’s about constant vigilance
2. How “help” can still leave mothers feeling alone and resentful
3. What the Fair Play Method actually changes inside relationships
4. Why values, flexibility, and emotional safety matter more than perfection

🎧 If you’ve ever thought “Why am I so tired even when I’m not doing everything?” — this conversation will feel like a deep exhale.

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For 1 insight, 1 exclusive tool, and one 3-minute reset,

Get on The Sunday Reconnect

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ABOUT VALERIE RECORE

Valerie Recore is a productivity coach and a Certified Fair Play Method Facilitator. She teaches moms how to get it all done because nobody should feel like they’re failing at motherhood. Whether they work full-time, stay home full-time, or fall somewhere in between, moms call her when they’re ready to stop sacrificing their health and relationships to get it all done. Through their work together, moms start feeling more present with their families and go to bed knowing they focused on their goals.

How to Connect with Valerie:

website: https://strideproductivity.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strideproductivity/

10-Minute Task Triage: https://expert-innovator-4217.kit.com/63e9ecbed6

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🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights 📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support 📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

--- Full Transcript HERE. — Want to take our relationship to the next level? 👉Here are my top Resources 👉 Link to my Newsletter 👉 Join the Reconnect with Your Partner Challenge

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com) 🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world! ---

Markella Kaplani, M.A. Clinical-Counseling Psychologist Parenthood & Relationship Coach www.markellakaplani.com

The holidays are supposed to feel magical, but for many couples, they quietly become a season of exhaustion, tension, and unspoken resentment.

Behind the twinkling lights and wrapped gifts often sits one overwhelmed partner (usually a mother) carrying dozens of invisible tasks: remembering, planning, budgeting, anticipating everyone’s needs, and holding the emotional weight of “making it special.”

In this episode of The Parenthood and Relationship Podcast, we peel back the glitter to talk honestly about the mental load of holiday gift giving - why it feels so heavy, why it’s often gendered, and what it’s doing to your relationship.

Drawing from research, real client stories, and lived experience, this conversation isn’t about blaming partners or canceling holidays altogether.

It’s about making the invisible visible, understanding how cultural expectations and perfectionism fuel burnout, and learning how couples can share the load more equitably, without losing joy, connection, or meaning.

You’ll hear why stress around money and gifts so often turns into resentment, how socialization quietly assigns “holiday management” to mothers, and why many well-intentioned partners genuinely don’t see the cognitive labor involved.

Most importantly, you’ll walk away with practical tools to reduce overwhelm, redistribute responsibility, and protect your relationship during one of the most emotionally loaded times of the year.

1. Why holiday gift giving creates a unique mental and emotional burden

2. How invisible labor fuels resentment between partners

3. Practical ways to share the holiday mental load fairly

4. How reducing mental load strengthens intimacy, trust, and presence

This episode is for parents who want holidays that feel connected instead of chaotic and relationships that feel like partnerships, not silent scorecards.

👇

🔔 Subscribe for more parenting insights 📩 Join my [FREE] newsletter for extra support 🤝 Grab resources to support your parenthood and relationship journey 📢 Share this with a parent who needs to hear it!

--- Full Transcript HERE. — Want to take our relationship to the next level? 👉Here are my top Resources 👉 Link to my Newsletter

📩 Get in touch with me (Instagram @markella.kaplani; website; e-mail: info@markellakaplani.com) 🎧 Listen, share, and leave a review! Your support means the world! ---

Markella Kaplani, M.A. Clinical-Counseling Psychologist Parenthood & Relationship Coach www.markellakaplani.com