Facets of Connection

2026 Season Kick Off

In this episode of Facets of Connection, Sarah Melissa Oswald explores why healthy relationships don’t simply happen—they are consciously led. Drawing from Relational Life Therapy, Gestalt Therapy and living-systems thinking, she explains the skills couples need in order to move beyond reactive patterns and build partnerships that grow stronger over time. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why most couples were never taught the skills of relational leadership • The three phases couples move through as relationships develop and grow • How reactive conflict patterns can be interrupted • Why relationships behave like living systems Facets of Connection explores the many dimensions of human connection—from romantic partnerships to leadership, community, and the inner relationship we have with ourselves. If you’d like to explore Sarah’s work helping couples build thriving partnerships, visit LeadYourLoveLife.com [LeadYourLoveLife.com]. You can also share reflections from this episode by sending a voice memo or email to sarah@facetsofconnection.com. Follow Facets of Connection [https://facetsofconnection.com/] wherever you listen to podcasts.

Peace Begins at Home: Mothering, Movements & Meaning

This conversation with Cynda Collins Arsenault explores the connections between personal experience, community, and global change. Cynda reflects on how her journey—rooted in her role as a mother and community-builder—has shaped her decades-long work in peace, inclusion, and female leadership. The discussion moves through themes of respectful relationships, the transformative power of grief, and the importance of inclusive communities. Cynda shares stories about creating networks of support for her daughter with disabilities, building organizations that foster peace on earth and in outer space, and highlighting the essential leadership strengths that women bring to collective action. Throughout the conversation, she encourages listeners to find meaning by engaging authentically with their own communities, caring for themselves, and supporting causes that resonate with their passions, all while embracing both the joys and vulnerabilities that come with connection. Show Notes: Secure World Foundation [http://www.swfound.org/] Our Secure Future [http://www.oursecurefuture.org/] Women Powering Change [https://www.womenpoweringchange.org/] Erin JC Arsenault [https://www.erinjcarsenault.com/] The Radiant Connection Lab [https://www.sarahoswald.org/lab] Lead Your Love Life [https://www.sarahoswald.org/]

Ep. 19: Shaping High Performance Cultures for Real Connection with Brett Goldstein

In conversation, Brett Goldstein reveals a refreshingly honest and relatable approach to both work and life—he and Sarah move fluidly between stories of vulnerability, reflections on personal growth, and practical wisdom cultivated from real mistakes and successes. Their dialogue uncovers how Brett’s leadership style is grounded in emotional openness and “human connection,” exploring how trust and authenticity ripple out from daily professional choices to transform family life, friendships, and even self-understanding. With humor, a bit of grit, and plenty of actionable insights, their exchange highlights that success isn’t measured in numbers, but in the quality of our relationships and our willingness to show up, learn together, and embrace imperfection along the way. Show notes: Grow2Gold Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grow2gold-podcast/id1480178927]

Ep. 18: Why Research Matters for Relational Healing with Dr. Jae Sevelius, Our Senior Research Specialist

In this powerful conversation, host Sarah Melissa Oswald speaks with Dr. Jae Sevelius—Senior Research Specialist at Relational Life Foundation and a nationally recognized psychologist—about the evolving research behind Relational Life Therapy (RLT). Together they explore how relationships heal us, the vision for making RLT an evidence-based, scalable modality, and the exciting intersection of relational work and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Jae shares how data, compassion, and authenticity can help transform not only therapy but culture itself. Show Notes: Connect with Dr.Jae Sevelius [https://jaesevelius.com/]

Ep.17: When Love Becomes Culture: Translating RLT into Community Peace

In this powerful episode, host Sarah Melissa Oswald sits down with therapist and peace facilitator Chiddie Anyasodo to explore her remarkable journey from oil and gas engineer to relational healer. Drawing on her background in engineering systems and her training in Relational Life Therapy (RLT), Chiddie has pioneered a groundbreaking approach to conflict resolution, transforming age-old community tensions in Nigeria through the creation of the “Five Masquerades” metaphor. Chiddie shares how she helped a village locked in a 19-year conflict find common ground, peace, and even laughter by translating complex relational dynamics into cultural stories that resonated deeply with her community. From navigating patriarchal structures to disarming resistance and shame, Chiddie demonstrates how relational skills can heal not just couples, but entire communities. This conversation is both inspiring and practical, a glimpse into how systemic change begins with relational courage, creativity, and compassion. Chiddie Anyasodo is a UK based psychotherapist, conflict-resolution specialist, and founder of Chotayah, working at the point where psychoanalytic depth meets community peacebuilding.  She spent her early career in the high-stakes world of oil and gas with Schlumberger and Baker Hughes, leading real-time diagnostics and strategy across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. This experience honed her eye for the hidden relational dynamics that drive systemic failure. Identifying a critical gap in research on African relationship dynamics, she began a Doctorate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the University of Exeter. Alongside a thriving private practice, she serves in some of the UK’s most demanding clinical environments: within the NHS as a psychotherapist specialising in personality disorder and complex trauma, and as a therapist for a major UK local authority.  She is the creator of the “Five Masquerades,” a groundbreaking, culturally resonant translation of Relational Life Therapy’s losing strategies that changes behaviour without shame; in 2025 she helped catalyse a breakthrough de-escalation in a decades-long community conflict by pairing parity with accountability under a single, even code. Chiddie is the author of the forthcoming book The Festival of the Five Masquerades, anchors a growing curriculum, and is collaborating with the Relational Life Foundation to shape this work into trainable tools for couples, leaders, and communities worldwide.Show Notes: Scholarship application for RLT [https://www.relationallifefoundation.org/practitioner-scholarship.html] Website: ⁠https://chotayah.com/⁠ [https://chotayah.com/] LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/chidiebereanya/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chidiebereanya/]