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Relationships Made Easy

Relationships Made Easy

By: Dr. Abby Medcalf
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Summary

The research says the key to a happy life is happy relationships. But how exactly do you make your relationships better? That’s what this show is all about.

I’m Dr. Abby Medcalf, psychologist, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and (according to my kids) the bossy Jewish mom you didn’t know you needed. With decades of experience and millions of listeners in over 180 countries, I give you the no-fluff, research-backed strategies to make all your relationships better: with your partner, your family, your friends, and (most importantly) yourself.

Every week on the Relationships Made Easy podcast, I mix straight talk, humor, and science to help you communicate effectively, set healthy boundaries, and stop second-guessing yourself. Because great relationships aren’t built in a day. Great relationships are built daily.

© 2025 Abby Medcalf. All Rights Reserved.455209 Personal Development Personal Success Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 405. How to Trust Yourself Again: Why You Doubt Yourself and Where to Start

    405. How to Trust Yourself Again: Why You Doubt Yourself and Where to Start
    Nov 3 2026
    Have you ever had that unsettling feeling that you just can't trust yourself? You think something's wrong, but then immediately question whether you're imagining it. You make a decision you feel good about, but the minute someone disagrees, you start doubting yourself. You know something bothers you, but you're not sure whether your feelings are reasonable. And when you make a mistake? Forget about it. You don't just think you made a bad choice. You start wondering if your judgment can ever be trusted.Self-trust isn't believing you're always right. Self-trust is knowing you can listen to yourself, make thoughtful decisions, and handle whatever happens, including when you get things wrong. Today we're talking about why you might have stopped trusting yourself, how that affects your relationships, and two practical ways to begin rebuilding it.____________________________✨ Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/how-to-trust-yourself-again✨ Free Download: The Self-Trust Audit to help you identify where you're struggling to trust yourself: https://abbymedcalf.com/self-trust-audit✨ Check out Cure Hydration and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com✨ Get my new book now available on Amazon, Stop Reacting, Start Connecting: No Couples Therapy Required: https://abbymedcalf.com/stop-reacting-bookJoin my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: https://abbymedcalf.com/substack.You'll get...✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby_________👉 Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week! https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/ 👉 Pick up a copy of my new book, Boundaries Made Easy: Your Roadmap to Connection, Ease and Joy: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries 👉 Pick up The Workbook: Boundaries Made Easier to use as a companion to the book or as a standalone masterclass: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook👉 Buy my #1 bestselling book on Amazon, Be Happily Married: Even If Your Partner Won’t Do a Thing: https://abbymedcalf.com/book ____________________________Looking for past episodes of the Relationships Made Easy Podcast? Head over to https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives where you’ll find past episodes.Ready to dig deeper? Take one of my online courses (some are FREE!) or grab a workbook: https://abbymedcalf.com/resourcesSay hello on social:Substack: https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphdInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthrivingLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthrivingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymedcalfphd YouTube: https://abbymedcalf.com/youtubeOur Sponsors:* Check out Cure Hydration and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com* Check out Quince and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Uncommon Goods and use my code uncommongoods.com/RME for a great deal: https://www.uncommongoods.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    46 mins
  • 404. Power Struggles in Relationships: Why They Happen with Everyone and How to Stop Them

    404. Power Struggles in Relationships: Why They Happen with Everyone and How to Stop Them
    Oct 26 2026
    When you’re in the middle of a power struggle, whatever you’re fighting about feels incredibly important. You can start out disagreeing with your partner about the thermostat, and twenty minutes later you’re wondering if you should get divorced. You and your brother can start out discussing who’s taking Mom to her doctor’s appointment this week and somehow end up threatening never to speak to each other again. How the hell did we get here? Somewhere along the way, you stopped fighting about the “thing” and started fighting about something much bigger: who gets a say, who gets to decide, and who has to give in.Today I’m going to show you how to recognize when that shift happens, the three main ways power struggles show up, why you can get into them with everyone in your life, and five things you can do to stop them.____________________________✨ Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/power-struggles-in-relationships✨ Free Download: Are You in A Power Struggle? The 5-minute pattern check: https://abbymedcalf.com/power-struggle✨ Check out Cure Hydration and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com✨ Get my new book now available on Amazon, Stop Reacting, Start Connecting: No Couples Therapy Required: https://abbymedcalf.com/stop-reacting-book✨ Join my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: https://abbymedcalf.com/substack.You'll get...✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby_________👉 Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week! https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/ 👉 Pick up a copy of my new book, Boundaries Made Easy: Your Roadmap to Connection, Ease and Joy: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries👉 Pick up The Workbook: Boundaries Made Easier to use as a companion to the book or as a standalone masterclass: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook👉 Buy my #1 bestselling book on Amazon, Be Happily Married: Even If Your Partner Won’t Do a Thing: https://abbymedcalf.com/book ____________________________Looking for past episodes of the Relationships Made Easy Podcast? Head over to https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives where you’ll find past episodes.Ready to dig deeper? Take one of my online courses (some are FREE!) or grab a workbook: https://abbymedcalf.com/resourcesSay hello on social:Substack: https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphdInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthrivingLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthrivingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymedcalfphd YouTube: https://abbymedcalf.com/youtubeOur Sponsors:* Check out Cure Hydration and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com* Check out Quince and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Uncommon Goods and use my code uncommongoods.com/RME for a great deal: https://www.uncommongoods.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    50 mins
  • 403. Conflict Avoidance: Why Normal Conversations Feel Like a Fight (and How to Tell the Difference)

    403. Conflict Avoidance: Why Normal Conversations Feel Like a Fight (and How to Tell the Difference)
    Oct 19 2026
    A couple years ago I was at Baskin-Robbins with my Gen Z kids, and when my milkshake came out so thick it was basically still ice cream, I asked the young woman behind the counter to thin it out. I asked nicely; there was nobody waiting in line, and I even tipped her extra, but my kids were horrified that I'd asked, and they looked at me like I'd just flipped over a table and screamed at her. I was shocked, and my first thought was, talk about conflict avoidance on steroids, but this shouldn't even be called conflict avoidance, because there was no conflict here.What my kids had was a low tolerance for discomfort, directness, and disapproval, so low that it made ordinary communication feel like a fight. And this isn't just a Gen Z thing, because I see the same low tolerance for basic communication in 50-year-olds too. So today we're going to talk about why direct communication feels so hard, how to tell what's really a conflict and what's just plain old communication, and my five steps to raise your tolerance so you can stop reacting and start connecting.____________________________✨ Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/conflict-avoidance-communication-not-conflict✨ Get your free download of Collaborative Questions, so you have a place to start with these conversations: https://abbymedcalf.com/collab-questions✨ Get my new book now available on Amazon, Stop Reacting, Start Connecting: No Couples Therapy Required: https://abbymedcalf.com/stop-reacting-book✨ Check out Cure Hydration and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com✨ Join my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: https://abbymedcalf.com/substack.You'll get...✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby_________👉 Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week! https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/ 👉 Pick up a copy of my new book, Boundaries Made Easy: Your Roadmap to Connection, Ease and Joy: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries👉 Pick up The Workbook: Boundaries Made Easier to use as a companion to the book or as a standalone masterclass: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook👉 Buy my #1 bestselling book on Amazon, Be Happily Married: Even If Your Partner Won’t Do a Thing: https://abbymedcalf.com/book ____________________________Looking for past episodes of the Relationships Made Easy Podcast? Head over to https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives where you’ll find past episodes.Ready to dig deeper? Take one of my online courses (some are FREE!) or grab a workbook: https://abbymedcalf.com/resourcesSay hello on social:Substack: https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphdInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthrivingLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthrivingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymedcalfphd YouTube: https://abbymedcalf.com/youtubeOur Sponsors:* Check out Cure Hydration and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com* Check out Quince and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Uncommon Goods and use my code uncommongoods.com/RME for a great deal: https://www.uncommongoods.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    1 hr and 2 mins
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All stars
Most relevant
I'm so grateful that I found Dr. Abby's podcast. I've had so many "aha!" moments listening to this show and I've seen a huge change in my relationships (all of them -- family, partner, coworkers) and I've generally felt better and more content. She shares so many useful tips that are simple, but really make a huge difference if you try them. I can't recommend this pdocast enough. Even if you're not in a relationship, which I wasn't for a long time, she really teaches you how to find peace and just be happy with yourself. Thank you, Dr. Abby. You're doing good things in the world!

Life-changing podcast

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I found this podcast because I was looking to build better relationships, I went through some significant losses because of mistakes I made and this podcast has really helped me transform my relationships, understand what a healthy relationship looks like and become a better person. I have never written a review for another podcast so hopefully that lets you know just how much of an impact this podcast has had.

Practical, and Life-Changing Relationship Advice - she gave me the tools to be a better person.

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I don’t typically write reviews, but I felt compelled to leave one. I’m incredibly grateful that Dr. Abby has chosen to make her knowledge and experience accessible to so many people through her podcast and other resources. Not everyone has the opportunity or means to work with an exceptional psychologist one-on-one, and she generously shares practical, compassionate guidance that has genuinely made a difference in my life.

Her advice is thoughtful, relatable, and actionable. I always come away with a new perspective and something I can apply immediately. Thank you, Dr. Abby, for helping so many people grow and for making your wisdom available to all of us.

Grateful

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I just found Dr Abby. I really needed her relationship advice. I think it will change my life. 🙏

So helpful

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When I start my day listening to this podcast, my day always goes better and I have so much clarity and can really connect with people on better levels, not only in my personal life, but my professional life too.

New found connection and ease with my relationships

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