Relationship Advice
Three licensed therapists helping listeners to first connect to themselves in order to best connect to others in their relationships.
Thrive Therapy - Colter Bloxom, Lauren Mokarry, and Cayla Bozovich · Colter Bloxom
Show overview
Relationship Advice has been publishing since 2014, and across the 12 years since has built a catalogue of 578 episodes. That works out to roughly 420 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 39 min and 50 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-language Health & Fitness show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 days ago, with 28 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Colter Bloxom.
From the publisher
Relationship Advice helps listeners uncover the stuck spots in their relationships by taking expert advice from three licensed professional counselors and boiling it down into digestible tips and tools. Colter, Cayla, and Lauren help people to see that the first step to connecting with somebody else is by connecting with you. They focus their show on understanding and navigating the cycles that couples face, how to practice individuation, and staying in an emotionally regulated state. Just them each week as they come with a jam packed agenda to help you thrive in your relationships. Looking for old episode from "Relatable"? Click here.
Latest Episodes
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When To End A Relationship
Don’t Punish the Vulnerability You’ve Been Begging For
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Stop Saying "Calm Down"—Do This Instead
Telling someone to “calm down” usually does the opposite—it makes people feel dismissed, misunderstood, and even more activated. In this episode, the hosts explore why that phrase backfires in moments of anger, anxiety, disappointment, or excitement, and why it often comes from the other person feeling overwhelmed too. They unpack a better approach: co-regulation through validation, steady presence, gentler tone, and asking what support actually helps. Main Talking Points: • Validation first• Tone matters• Co-regulate together• Name the feeling• Ask what helps Give Me Discounts! AG1 - AG1 has become my go to every morning. Beducate - Use code relationship69 for 65% off the annual pass. Check out Relationship Academy! Cozy Earth - Black Friday has come early! Right now, you can stack my code “IDO” on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won’t last, so start your holiday shopping today! Simple Practice - If you're in mental health and not using simple practice then what are you doing??? Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! Skylight - Use code “IDO” for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. Quince - Get Free Shipping and 365-day Returns using our link! If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Colter, Cayla, & Lauren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Mental Load in Relationships (Why It Causes Stress)
The mental load in relationships refers to the invisible work of planning, remembering, organizing, and anticipating what needs to happen in a household or family. When one partner carries more of this cognitive responsibility, it can lead to stress, resentment, and the feeling that the other partner assumes things “magically” get done. Couples can reduce conflict by communicating openly about expectations, acknowledging differences in capacity and strengths, and creating clear agreements about responsibilities. Main Talking Points: Invisible cognitive work Household task planning Capacity differences Clear expectations Communication over criticism Appreciation and teamwork Give Me Discounts! AG1 - AG1 has become my go to every morning. Beducate - Use code relationship69 for 65% off the annual pass. Check out Relationship Academy! Cozy Earth - Black Friday has come early! Right now, you can stack my code “IDO” on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won’t last, so start your holiday shopping today! Simple Practice - If you're in mental health and not using simple practice then what are you doing??? Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! Skylight - Use code “IDO” for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Colter, Cayla, & Lauren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Navigating Friendship Conflict & Changing Friendship
Friendships change as people grow, and those shifts can bring up grief, confusion, frustration, or fear.In this episode, we unpack how growth, life transitions, shifting values, and changing capacity can create tension in friendships, and why our first instinct is often to fix, judge, withdraw, or take it personally. We talk about how asking better questions, staying open instead of defensive, and making space for both grief and care can help friendships adapt rather than fall apart. The goal is not to force the relationship back to what it was, but to navigate change in a way that protects both connection and individuality. Main Talking Points Friendship shifts Asking questions Resisting defensiveness Grieving change Staying connected Healthy boundaries Give Me Discounts! AG1 - AG1 has become my go to every morning. Beducate - Use code relationship69 for 65% off the annual pass. Check out Relationship Academy! Cozy Earth - Black Friday has come early! Right now, you can stack my code “IDO” on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won’t last, so start your holiday shopping today! Simple Practice - If you're in mental health and not using simple practice then what are you doing??? Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! Skylight - Use code “IDO” for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Colter, Cayla, & Lauren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Motivation To Change In Relationships
Most relationships start with “I love you, you’re perfect”… and quickly turn into wanting your partner to change. The real problem isn’t usually whether they want to change—it’s that change is rarely A→B; it’s a process that requires understanding barriers, reducing shame, and building support. When couples shift from criticism to curiosity and create small, doable systems together, motivation increases and change becomes sustainable. Talking points “Now change” cycle Wanting vs doing Shame kills change Barriers before solutions 1% systems Practice + support Give Me Discounts! Check out Relationship Academy! Cozy Earth - Black Friday has come early! Right now, you can stack my code “IDO” on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won’t last, so start your holiday shopping today! Beducate - Use code relationship69 for 65% off the annual pass. AG1 - AG1 has become my go to every morning. Simple Practice - If you're in mental health and not using simple practice then what are you doing??? Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! Skylight - Use code “IDO” for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Colter, Cayla, & Lauren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Emotional Availability
Emotional availability isn’t about feeling emotions loudly or perfectly — it’s about presence, regulation, and the ability to hold space without shutting down or exploding. Our capacity shifts based on stress, attachment history, neurodivergence, and what’s happening in our window of tolerance. Instead of hunting for the “perfectly available” partner, growth starts with understanding your own patterns and learning to show up vulnerably and clearly. Main Talking Points: Window of tolerance Capacity vs. timing Attachment patterns Vulnerable communication Boundaries & regulation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If I Have To Ask, It Doesn't Count
Why does it feel so disappointing to ask for what you want? In this episode, we unpack the hidden belief that “if I have to ask, it doesn’t count” — and how that mindset turns simple needs (compliments, celebration, affection) into silent resentment. We explore the shame, fear of failure, childhood triggers, and meaning-making underneath it all — and how shifting from mind-reading to curiosity can completely change the dynamic. Main Talking Points: • Mind-reading myth • Meaning-making traps • Shame & fear • Childhood wounds • Process > content Give Me Discounts! Check out Relationship Academy! Cozy Earth - Black Friday has come early! Right now, you can stack my code “IDO” on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won’t last, so start your holiday shopping today! Beducate - Use code relationship69 for 65% off the annual pass. AG1 - AG1 has become my go to every morning. Simple Practice - If you're in mental health and not using simple practice then what are you doing??? Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! Skylight - Use code “IDO” for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Colter, Cayla, & Lauren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
One Move To Deescalate Your Next Fight: QUICK ADVICE
Couples Values Construction for 2026 Here you can find some more instruction on how to construct your values as a couple as well as the values list. Get $100 off Spark My Relationship 14 hours of relationship content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why Everyone Thinks Their Partner Is a Narcissist
When someone says, “I think my partner is a narcissist,” they’re usually not chasing a diagnosis—they’re trying to make sense of a relationship that feels controlling, confusing, and painful. This episode slows it way down and compares narcissism with insecure attachment patterns (pursuer/withdrawer) and neurodivergence, since the impact can look similar even when the why is totally different. The big differentiator they keep coming back to is flexibility: is there willingness to reflect, learn, repair, and change—even if slowly? Main talking points Impact over labels Spectrum, not binary Rigidity vs flexibility Withdrawer mislabels Neurodivergent overlap Curiosity “experiments” Give Me Discounts! Check out Relationship Academy! Cozy Earth - Black Friday has come early! Right now, you can stack my code “IDO” on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won’t last, so start your holiday shopping today! Beducate - Use code relationship69 for 65% off the annual pass. AG1 - AG1 has become my go to every morning. Simple Practice - If you're in mental health and not using simple practice then what are you doing??? Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! Skylight - Use code “IDO” for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Colter, Cayla, & Lauren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind Every Criticism There Is A Request: QUICK ADVICE
Couples Values Construction for 2026 Here you can find some more instruction on how to construct your values as a couple as well as the values list. Get $100 off Spark My Relationship 14 hours of relationship content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Psychology of the State of the World
There’s been a wave of major U.S. events stirring up big emotions, and this episode stays out of political commentary to focus on how people psychologically respond—in themselves, in relationships, and online. In this episode, Colter, Cayla, and Lauren unpack how nervous-system activation, bias, privilege/positionality, and “defensive attribution” can shape what we believe, how safe we feel, and how we treat people who respond differently. They also walk through 10 common “archetypes” of coping with national unrest and offer a relational path forward: get curious, find safe places to process, and move from reactivity into values-based action. Main Talking Points Nervous system activation Bias + “tribes” Defensive attribution Privilege + proximity 10 coping archetypes Curiosity over combat Give Me Discounts! Check out Relationship Academy! Cozy Earth - Black Friday has come early! Right now, you can stack my code “IDO” on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won’t last, so start your holiday shopping today! Beducate - Use code relationship69 for 65% off the annual pass. AG1 - AG1 has become my go to every morning. Simple Practice - If you're in mental health and not using simple practice then what are you doing??? Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! Skylight - Use code “IDO” for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Colter, Cayla, & Lauren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What Makes You Great At Your Job Makes You Suck At Relationships: QUICK ADVICE
Couples Values Construction for 2026 Here you can find some more instruction on how to construct your values as a couple as well as the values list. Get $100 off Spark My Relationship 14 hours of relationship content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Art of Negotiation with Kwame Christian
Negotiation isn’t a “business skill” — it’s an everyday relationship skill. Today we sit down TED Talk speaker, best-selling author, and podcast host of Negotiate Anything, Kwame Christian. He is recognized as one of the world's top negotiation experts, and he got good at it by treating tough conversations like a learnable muscle (not a personality trait). He breaks great negotiation down into three core skills—listening, curiosity, and emotion management—and offers a flexible framework (“compassionate curiosity”) that keeps things collaborative instead of combative. The big shift: do the internal work first (name your feelings, get clear on what you want), then enter the conversation ready to validate, get curious, and problem-solve—without handing your well-being to the other person. Skill, not talent Everyday negotiations Unlearn Hollywood Self-awareness first 3 core skills Compassionate curiosity Give Me Discounts! Check out Relationship Academy! Cozy Earth - Black Friday has come early! Right now, you can stack my code “IDO” on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won’t last, so start your holiday shopping today! Beducate - Use code relationship69 for 65% off the annual pass. AG1 - AG1 has become my go to every morning. Simple Practice - If you're in mental health and not using simple practice then what are you doing??? Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! Skylight - Use code “IDO” for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Colter, Cayla, & Lauren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Stop Your Next Fight Dead In It’s Tracks: QUICK ADVICE
Couples Values Construction for 2026 Here you can find some more instruction on how to construct your values as a couple as well as the values list. Get $100 off Spark My Relationship 14 hours of relationship content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why Your Partner's Body Image Matters More Than You Think - Interview with Samantha Jerome
Body image isn’t just “how you look”—it’s how you feel in your body, and that inner experience can quietly shape conflict, closeness, sex, and day-to-day connection in a relationship. Today, we sit down with Samantha Jerome (registered dietitian nutritionist + certified diabetes educator) reframes “health” as a whole-person process—food, movement, sleep, stress, relationships, creativity—and warns that extreme New Year “reset” mindsets often turn into control, shame, and burnout. The episode emphasizes curiosity, small sustainable shifts, supportive environments, and clearer partner communication so body-image struggles don’t hijack time, mental space, or intimacy. Main Talking Points: Body image is felt Curiosity over control Mind–body connection Avoid “reset” extremes Small, sustainable habits Communicate with partner Continue the Conversation with Samatha Website Instagram Give Me Discounts! Check out Relationship Academy! Cozy Earth - Black Friday has come early! Right now, you can stack my code “IDO” on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won’t last, so start your holiday shopping today! Beducate - Use code relationship69 for 65% off the annual pass. AG1 - AG1 has become my go to every morning. Simple Practice - If you're in mental health and not using simple practice then what are you doing??? Spark My Relationship Course: Get $100 off our online course. Visit SparkMyRelationship.com/Unlock for our special offer just for our I Do Podcast listeners! Skylight - Use code “IDO” for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. If you love this episode (and our podcast!), would you mind giving us a review in iTunes? It would mean the world to us and we promise it only takes a minute. Many thanks in advance! – Colter, Cayla, & Lauren Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
State Of The World: QUICK ADVICE
Couples Values Construction for 2026 Here you can find some more instruction on how to construct your values as a couple as well as the values list. HOLD ME TIGHT - Workshop Jan 31 and Feb 1, 2026 Join Cayla Bozovich, LPC, EFCT for a jam packed and fun weekend of learning about how to take your relationship back to a 10 Get $100 off Spark My Relationship 14 hours of relationship content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices