ABOUT THIS EPISODE
There's a version of every long relationship where things stop working the way they used to, and neither person quite knows how to say it out loud. This week, I'm talking with John and Sally, together over twenty years, who've lived through nearly every version of that moment: the terrifying first year of blending two very different lives, a season of counseling that started with Sally telling the therapist she had nothing left to give, and a menopause diagnosis that reframed a relationship crisis as a physiological one.
What makes this conversation different is how honest they are about the tools that actually worked, and the ones that didn't. We talk about the "intentional dialogue" practice they still use for their hardest conversations (finances included), how humor became their pressure release valve without letting it become avoidance, and the small nightly rituals, like naming one thing they're grateful for, that quietly keep them connected when the big conversations aren't happening.
If you've ever hit a point in your relationship where you thought "this isn't working anymore" and wondered if that meant it was over, this episode is for you. Spoiler: for John and Sally, it meant it was time to build something better.
Connect with John and Sally:
THE COUNTER-INTUITIVE GUIDE TO LEADING DIFFICULT PEOPLE
Free Conversation Starter Cards for Couples
Couples Goal Setting Workbook
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