What happens when a relationship doesn’t explode … it just disappears?

In this episode of The Unlock Moment, I’m joined by high-profile US psychologist Dr Josh Coleman to unpack why estrangement happens - and what actually helps when you want to rebuild a relationship that’s been lost to distance, conflict, or silence.

We explore the major pathways to estrangement (including cultural change, divorce, political differences, and therapy narratives), why the “old rules” of hierarchy and obligation no longer land the way they once did, and what repair really requires when guilt, logic, and authority fail.

Josh shares a practical, compassionate framework for reconciliation: easing off the armour, learning a new language for hard conversations, and understanding a counterintuitive truth - the person who wants the relationship most often has to lead the repair.

This is a conversation about humility without collapse, warmth with strength, and how trust is rebuilt one honest conversation at a time - in families, in teams, and in any relationship that matters.

More from Dr Josh Coleman:

Website: DrJoshuaColeman.com

Substack: joshuacolemanphd.substack.com

The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — master interviewer, executive coach and author. Downloaded in over 140 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.