Are you a mom who does everything, holds it all together, and still feels disconnected from your partner? In this episode of The Heart AF Podcast, Chelsea VanBuskirk explores how energy—not effort—is often the missing link in modern marriages and long-term relationships.

This episode dives into the emotional and energetic patterns many women fall into after years of caregiving, overfunctioning, and silently carrying the mental load. Chelsea breaks down how resentment, burnout, and disconnection don’t come from a lack of love—but from chronic self-abandonment and unmet needs.

You’ll learn why love doesn’t respond to demands, control, or quiet bitterness—but instead to clarity, softness, emotional safety, and aligned boundaries. Chelsea explains how overgiving and doing it all can unintentionally teach your partner to step back, and how shifting your energetic presence can transform how support, intimacy, and partnership show up in your relationship.

This episode offers practical, grounded examples of how to:

• Stop overfunctioning without guilt

• Ask for support in a way that invites connection instead of conflict

• Shift from resentment to self-alignment

• Create emotional safety without shrinking yourself

• Trust your partner to step forward by learning how to step back

• Strengthen your relationship through feminine energy, boundaries, and appreciation

If you’re a mom in your late 30s or 40s who feels exhausted, unseen, or emotionally disconnected in your marriage, this episode will help you reclaim your power, soften your nervous system, and create space for love to meet you where you are.

This is a powerful conversation about burnout recovery, emotional boundaries, feminine energy, and rebuilding connection in long-term relationships—starting with you. Connect with me: www.instagram.com/chelsea.vanbuskirk www.facebook.com/chelsea.vanbuskirk

This episode is part of a mini series on love and relationships, where we explore what it truly means to be seen and loved for who we are. In this conversation, I reflect on the ways we perform for love and how often we shape shift, self abandon, or compromise our values to be chosen. We dive into the cost of performing for connection and why authentic love can only exist when we show up as our whole selves. If you have ever felt the need to shrink or hide parts of yourself to be loved, this episode will gently guide you back to truth, wholeness, and deeper intimacy.

If this episode resonates with you, make sure to subscribe to the Heart AF Podcast so you never miss a conversation like this.

• Performing for love disconnects you from your authentic self
• Being loved for who you pretend to be will never feel fulfilling
• Authentic intimacy requires showing all parts of yourself
• You do not need to compromise your values to be worthy of love
• The right relationships see and love you fully

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelsea.vanbuskirk Facebook: www.facebook.com/chelsea.vanbuskirk

In this solo episode, I talk about how faith can anchor us during seasons of uncertainty when fear, overwhelm, and the need for control take over. I share personal reflections on motherhood, surrender, and trusting a higher power when outcomes feel unknown. This conversation is for the mom who is carrying too much, worrying about what she cannot control, and craving peace. If you are in a season where life feels heavy or unclear, this episode will remind you that you are supported, guided, and never meant to do this alone.

There are moments in life when uncertainty feels unbearable, especially as a mother. In this episode, I reflect on how faith becomes a grounding force when fear and ‘what if..?’ thinking starts to spiral. I share how releasing control, asking for help, and reconnecting with something greater than ourselves can bring calm and clarity even when nothing feels certain. Faith is not about having all the answers. It is about remembering you are held, supported, and guided through every season, even the painful and confusing ones.

If this episode speaks to your heart, please subscribe to the Heart AF Podcast so you never miss a conversation.

Key Takeaways:

• Faith helps anchor us when life feels uncertain and out of control
• Fear often shows up as the need to plan, predict, and control outcomes
• We are not meant to carry heavy seasons alone
• Asking for help is a powerful act of surrender and trust
• Mothers set the emotional tone of their households
• Prayer, intention, and collective support can bring calm and healing
• Signs and synchronicities can offer reassurance and guidance
• Letting go creates space for peace, clarity, and trust

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelsea.vanbuskirk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chelsea.vanbuskirk

Resources & Links Mentioned in the Show

A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson: A Return to Love Book

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