Ever feel like your regret is selfish? Or worry that setting a boundary will ruin the friendship?

In this episode, you’ll hear from Judy who wants to write a condolence letter, but struggles when her grief spirals into self-blame. Then we turn to Georgia, who just can’t take one more last-minute cancellation from a friend, but also doesn’t want to lose her friendship over it.

If you’ve ever wrestled with guilt, struggled to speak up in friendships, or wondered how to stay openhearted while honoring your own needs—this episode is for you.

Inside this episode:

•The regret reframe that will change your life

•A word-for-word script for naming hurt without causing defensiveness

•Why your “too muchness” might be your tenderness trying to protect you

•How to stop over-functioning and start honoring your needs

•The unexpected role of nervous system regulation in friendship repair

And as a bonus, listen for a surprising metaphor involving cloudy days, sunburns, and how to stop trying to change people just so you can stay connected.

Join me this summer for my Holding Hope and Truth Over Comfort Mini-Workshops. We'll explore strengthening and centering hope, and choosing truth over comfort.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, join my monthly membership program. You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Get 20% off your annual NVC Library subscription using the code YVETTENVCLIBRARY at checkout at: https://nvcacademy.com/registration/signup/nvc-library

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Become a member of my online learning community
• Join our calls live
• Set up a private session
• Follow me on TikTok @dr.yvetteerasmus

What if the reason your relationships feel hard isn’t because there’s something wrong with you, but rather because you’re waking up and getting more conscious?

In this tender, truth-filled episode, we meet Carol and Paulina, two women navigating the messy terrain of rebuilding self-trust after giving too much of themselves away in past relationships.

Carol is considering reconnecting with a longtime friend who’s consistently prioritized his comfort over their mutual care. She wants reciprocity but keeps accommodating the status quo, hoping it’ll inspire change. Together, we explore the hidden cost of chronic self-abandonment and what it takes to risk doing things differently.

Paulina, meanwhile, is mourning the loss of a toxic relationship that activated every part of her attachment system. She feels flat, emotionally shut down, and unsure if she can ever love again. Her current relationship is kind, stable… and unfamiliar. We unpack the difference between trauma chemistry and real connection, and how to trust love that doesn’t feel like chaos.

If you’ve ever confused anxiety for attraction, or found yourself resentfully staying in a dynamic that doesn’t meet your needs, this episode is for you.

You’ll learn:

• How to stop over-functioning in lopsided relationships
• The difference between behavior and intention, and which one to trust
• Why real love might feel boring at first (and why that’s a good thing)
• How to reclaim your yes and no without shame
• And how to grieve what never was without losing your capacity to love again

Listen in for practical tools, emotional wisdom, and the gentle nudge you may need to come back to yourself.

Join me this summer for my Holding Hope and Truth Over Comfort Mini-Workshops. We'll explore strengthening and centering hope, and choosing truth over comfort.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, join my monthly membership program. You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Get 20% off your annual NVC Library subscription using the code YVETTENVCLIBRARY at checkout at: https://nvcacademy.com/registration/signup/nvc-library

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Become a member of my online learning community
• Join our calls live
• Set up a private session
• Follow me on TikTok @dr.yvetteerasmus

What do you do when someone you love keeps using emotional blunt force instead of listening? When the men in your life still believe criticism is caring, or that dominance equals dialogue?

In this week’s episode, we sit with two brave women learning how to communicate with men who are still playing by old, outdated rules where vulnerability is weakness, power is control, and connection gets sacrificed for the illusion of authority.

We explore what it means to keep our hearts open without abandoning ourselves, to name what hurts without making someone wrong, and to build bridges without betraying our own inner truth. You’ll hear real-life moments, fresh language to try, and permission to stop performing “good girl” energy just to keep the peace.

In this raw and real episode, two women ask:

How do I stay in connection with someone who keeps hurting me?

Why do I freeze or fawn when I know better?

SHOW NOTES:

• Why old-school masculinity often shows up as dismissal, control, or withdrawal
• How women often internalize the pressure to stay sweet, silent, and obedient
• What to say (and not say) when our boundaries are being ignored
• The art of exiting a conversation with grace and power
• How to bring “bad girl” energy back into wholeness

This episode is for anyone tired of talking to a wall, and ready to start listening to themselves.

🎧 Tune in now, and reclaim your voice, your power, and your peace.

Join me this summer for my Holding Hope and Truth Over Comfort Mini-Workshops. We'll explore strengthening and centering hope, and choosing truth over comfort.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, join my monthly membership program. You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Get 20% off your annual NVC Library subscription using the code YVETTENVCLIBRARY at checkout at: https://nvcacademy.com/registration/signup/nvc-library

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Become a member of my online learning community
• Join our calls live
• Set up a private session
• Follow me on TikTok @dr.yvetteerasmus