You know that feeling when everything was fine ten minutes ago, but suddenly you’re in a cold, prickly standoff over something as small as the school pickup?

You’re not trying to be dramatic. You’re not trying to pick a fight. But suddenly, the air feels heavy, someone is quiet, and you’ve both retreated into your corners without even knowing how you got there.

If you’ve ever thought, Why does everything always spiral like this?, this episode is for you. It’s about understanding the "dance" that happens when your nervous systems start arguing before your brains can even catch up.

In this episode of The Connection Podcast, Lauren Dry, Master Marriage Coach and founder of Rise into Regulation™, unpacks the defensive resentment loop that high-achieving couples fall into. She explores why your partner’s defensiveness is rarely about your tone, and why your resentment is usually about the emotional baggage of carrying the load alone.

You’ll hear about:

1. Why normal conversations can suddenly feel like a personal attack on your identity.
2. The "spiral of doom" that happens when one person feels abandoned and the other feels like a failure.
3. How old childhood patterns make your body brace for impact and pull connection away when you make a mistake.
4. The difference between fighting about a topic and your nervous systems simply reacting to each other.
5. Three micro-tools to interrupt the cycle today so that connection starts to feel easier and less like "stepping on Lego."

Resources & Links:

1. 🌐 Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage.
2. 📱 Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren X

If your relationship has started to feel more like managing life than sharing it, there’s a reason.

You’re functioning. You’re handling the logistics. You’re a solid team. On the outside, it looks like things are working.

But inside, it can feel like the relationship part has gone quiet. Like you’ve become really good at running a life together, and you’re not sure how to find your way back to closeness, ease, and intimacy.

If you’ve ever had the thought, Is this it now?, while also feeling guilty for even thinking it, this episode will land.

In this episode Lauren Dry, Master Marriage Coach and founder of Rise into Regulation™, unpacks why high-achieving couples so often slip into teammate mode. She explores how the skills that help you build a life together can quietly work against intimacy, and what actually helps connection come back without forcing it or blowing everything up.

You’ll hear about:

1. Why marriage can start to feel transactional, even when the love is still there
2. How compromise and compartmentalising keep things running, but disconnect you emotionally
3. The fear of wanting more, and why that doesn’t mean something is wrong with you
4. How attention, energy, and daily habits quietly shape intimacy
5. Small, realistic shifts that help closeness come back online

Resources & Links:

🌐 Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage

📲 Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren X

You know that feeling when you still love them, but your body is like… nope.

You’re not trying to be dramatic, you’re not trying to nitpick, but suddenly everything feels irritating, flat, or strangely off.

If you’ve ever thought, “Why am I getting the ick?” or “Where did the romance go?”, this episode is a deep exhale. It’s not about blaming your partner or making you feel broken. It’s about understanding what your nervous system is doing underneath it all.

In this episode of The Connection Podcast, Lauren Dry, Master Marriage Coach and founder of Rise into Regulation™, unpacks how resentment, nervous system overload, and feeling emotionally unsafe can quietly switch off desire and connection in modern relationships.

This is a conversation about what “the ick” can actually be pointing to, and how to start rebuilding safety and closeness without forcing romance or pretending things are fine.

You’ll hear us explore:

1. Why “the ick” can be a nervous system response, not a sign your relationship is doomed
2. How resentment builds when you’re carrying too much, or not saying what’s true
3. What happens when your body stops feeling safe, even if your mind still wants connection
4. The difference between a relationship problem and a dysregulation problem
5. Small, realistic ways to bring safety, softness, and romance back online over time

Resources & Links:

🌐 Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage

📲 Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren x