The Psychology of Relationships

Why Heartbreak Can Become Your Biggest Breakthrough w/ John Kim

Breakups have a way of forcing us to confront the patterns we often avoid seeing in relationships. Whether it’s a slow fade, an almost-relationship, or a breakup you never fully processed, endings can reveal a lot about attachment, emotional availability, and the dynamics we keep repeating. John Kim—licensed therapist, author of Breakup. On Purpose., and host of The Angry Therapist podcast—joins Julie & Yue to unpack the psychology behind modern breakups and why endings can become powerful catalysts for growth instead of proof of failure. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why some relationships slowly lose momentum over time * The psychology behind almost-relationships and ambiguity * How attachment patterns shape breakups and healing * Why endings can create opportunities for self-awareness * How to move forward with more clarity and emotional insight To learn more about John Kim, follow him @theangrytherapist and visit theangrytherapist.com Want to feel more connected to your partner? Download Brick and get 10% off at https://www.getbrick.app/PORSHOW Our Sponsors: * Get Behind Closed Doors wherever books are sold or at Kensington Publishing https://www.kensingtonbooks.com * Ruggable: Get 10% off your first order, sitewide, with promo code POR at ruggable.com * TaskRabbit: Get $15 off your first task with code POR through the Taskrabbit app or on https://taskrabbit.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

Breaking Free from Anxious Attachment: Calming Your Nervous System in Love w/ Kirstie Taylor

Do you find yourself overthinking, seeking constant reassurance, or fearing abandonment when dating or in relationships? These patterns often signal an anxious attachment style—but anxiety doesn’t have to control your love life. In this episode, Kirstie Taylor, dating coach, writer, and author of What I Wish I Knew About Love, breaks down why anxiety heightens sensitivity to shifts in connection, how it impacts communication and conflict, and how to distinguish intuition from fear-driven reactions. In this episode, we share practical tools to strengthen self-trust, regulate anxious thoughts, and reshape core beliefs about love and worthiness. In this episode, you’ll learn:  • How anxious attachment shapes your experiences in relationships  • Why reassurance-seeking and overthinking happen  • How to tell fear-driven reactions from intuition  • Tools to strengthen self-trust and emotional regulation  • How to build secure, fulfilling connection from the inside out To learn more about Kirstie Taylor, follow her @kirstietaylorr and visit https://kirstietaylor.com [https://kirstietaylor.com] Want to feel more connected to your partner? Download Brick and get 10% off at https://www.getbrick.app/PORSHOW Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

Life After Divorce: How Your Ending Can Actually Become An Exciting New Beginning w/ Alicia Roberson

Divorce. For some, it’s a lived experience. For others, it’s a quiet fear in the back of every serious relationship. In this episode, divorce expert and coach Alicia Robertson reframes the “D word” as a turning point rather than a failure. She explains how fear of endings can keep people stuck in misaligned relationships or avoiding love altogether, and how understanding these fears can lead to growth, clarity, and deeper self-trust. Alicia also shares practical strategies for moving forward, healing past narratives, and approaching relationships from a place of alignment and confidence. In this episode, you’ll learn:  • Why fear of divorce can hold you back in relationships  • How identity, shame, and cultural narratives shape relationship fears  • Strategies for moving on without bitterness  • How to approach new relationships with clarity and self-trust  • Why endings can create space for more aligned love To learn more about Alicia Robertson, follow her @lemonadelifecoach and visit https://lemonadelife.ca/ [https://lemonadelife.ca/] Want to feel more connected to your partner? Download Brick and get 10% off at https://www.getbrick.app/PORSHOW Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

Why You Keep Choosing the Wrong Partners (And How To Reset Your Romantic GPS) w/ Marc Sholes

Ever feel like you keep ending up with the same “type” of partner even when it hasn’t worked out before? You might be unconsciously choosing the wrong people and repeating patterns that keep you stuck. Julie & Yue are joined by Marc Sholes, Psychotherapist and author of Reset Your Romantic GPS, to explore why we’re drawn to familiar but unfulfilling partner types. He explains the ways attachment styles influence our choices, why awareness can help you break the cycle, and how to distinguish a rough patch from true incompatibility—so you can make healthier, more fulfilling relationship choices. In this episode, you’ll learn:  • Why you keep choosing the same “type” of partner  • How attachment styles shape your patterns  • Signs a relationship is worth working through versus letting go  • Practical strategies to identify triggers and subconscious tendencies  • How to make choices that lead to healthier, more aligned relationships To learn more about Marc Sholes, follow him @marcsholes and visit https://marcsholeslcsw.com/ [https://marcsholeslcsw.com/] Want to feel more connected to your partner? Download Brick and get 10% off at https://www.getbrick.app/PORSHOW Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]

Rewriting the Story You Learned About Love: How to Heal the Childhood Wounds Affecting Your Adult Relationships w/ Vienna Pharaon

Early experiences quietly shape how we attach, communicate, and handle conflict in adult relationships—without us even realizing it. In this episode, Vienna Pharaon, marriage and family therapist and author of The Origins of You, explores the five core childhood wounds many carry into adulthood. She explains how these wounds can appear as avoidance, people-pleasing, fear of abandonment, or staying stuck in unhealthy patterns—and why they were protective strategies, not flaws. Vienna also shares practical tools to heal these patterns so your past informs you without defining your future. In this episode, you’ll learn:  • The five core childhood wounds and how they show up in relationships • Why early protective strategies can later limit intimacy  • How attachment styles, emotional triggers, and beliefs about love are formed  • Tools for identifying the narratives driving your relationship choices  • How to heal old patterns to build healthier, more connected relationships To learn more about Vienna Pharaon, follow @mindfulmft and visit https://viennapharaon.com/ [https://viennapharaon.com/]  Want to feel more connected to your partner? Download Brick and get 10% off at https://www.getbrick.app/PORSHOW Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands] Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy [https://redcircle.com/privacy]