エピソード

  • Foreplay Replay - Hope for a Sexless Marriage?
    2026/07/25
    When someone is committed to fidelity and their partner absolutely does not want sex—is there any hope? Technically, sexless is considered less than 10x a year—but for some people, there is no sex. Sometimes each partner still has desire but they don't know how to talk about it. They may even masturbate on their own but feel it's too complicated to share with their partner. Sometimes the sexual pursuer just gives up and becomes a sexual withdrawer. The danger of a sexless marriage is that the couple may not feel the love of or for their partner and become subject to the temptation of others. They may long for the sexual connection they shared in the beginning; George and Laurie share some ideas about how taking their clothes off again can be safer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    続きを読む 一部表示
    28 分
  • 544: Continuity of Connection
    2026/07/24
    Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode we are talking about how we can achieve better communication even if we have very different communication styles. Laurie and George discuss the idea of relationship continuity. Partners remember something that is important to the other and bring it up or initiate connection. Listen in as they discuss some of the differences between men and women's brains and positive ways to stretch beyond me and care for "us." They offer an expert roleplay to break down to listeners how to get back on track to attunement when continuity is disrupted. A great reminder, it's not just you or me, it's also "we." Need more support in your relationship? Make sure to sign up for our virtual couples retreat in November and pre-order a copy of our book Brave Love, Great Sex today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    続きを読む 一部表示
    31 分
  • Foreplay Replay - All The Feels – Sharing 5 Primary Emotions with Your Partner
    2026/07/20
    Let's talk about five primary emotions: joy, fear, anger, sadness, shame, and disgust – feeling all of them is important, especially with your partner. Emotions are the language of the body. They say, "pay attention, something's happening!" But so often we don't pay attention, choosing, consciously or unconsciously, to disconnect... We may have been raised in homes where anger was expressed in an unhealthy way, joy covered by a wet blanket, or shame used to control and manipulate our behavior. Regardless of how our childhoods taught us to relate to emotions, we can rewrite the script by creating healthy emotional attachments and responses. While there are many tools we can use to do that, in this episode we're going to talk about co-regulation and co-creation ("CoCo.") And learn how to share and navigate emotions together. If your loved one is excited, you match their excitement. If your loved one is angry, you honor their anger. Co-regulation is not co-dependency. Co-regulation does not say, "I feel happy only if you're happy." It says, "You feel happy, and I'm happy for you." Co-regulation allows the witness to be there for their partner while also honoring their own emotions. Most of the time, people don't understand the emotion they're in, and they need someone to support them in a curious and non-judgemental way. Co-creation allows partners to act as witnesses for each other. By asking questions and being present, the witness can help the emoter explore and deepen their understanding of their feelings. Listen to learn how to apply 'CoCo' to your relationship and create positive shifts in your emotional and sexual cycles! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    続きを読む 一部表示
    31 分
  • 553: Reaching Withdrawers
    2026/07/17
    Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode we are discussing reaching withdrawers through the body. When the withdrawer is anticipating something negative, they become activated, freeze and fall into a shame spiral. This shame spiral causes distance in the partnership and is a step in the negative cycle. Creating body awareness, and identifying what feelings are present can help withdrawers slow down and stay engaged. Listeners will learn how to do this today using the acronym ROC. R-elax, O-pen up, C-onnect. George guides the audience through, how to relax, opening up and getting curious, and connecting with others on your experience. This practice builds the skills of self-awareness, regulation and improved communication in relationships. How can you use ROC in your life? Let us know on our instagram @BraveLoveGreatSex and don't forget to pre-order a copy of our book by the same name! Check out Owen Marcus's organization Meld to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    続きを読む 一部表示
    33 分
  • Foreplay Replay - How to Stress Less to Avoid Sexless Holidays
    2026/07/13
    You grind so hard all year in hopes to spend quality time during the holiday season with your love but when the time comes you end up getting caught in the cycle. Has this ever happened to you? The holiday season brings out the extremes and primes relationships for the classic blame/attack cycle. Partners locked in tension often scream "you're too much/you're not enough" while putting on cheerful faces for family photoshoots and out of town visitors. We see the challenge and we've been there before! Join our hosts today as we open up a conversation on the many conflicts couples face during the holidays and how to stress less together. George and Laurie discuss the invisible workload and mental labor that goes into making holiday magic, the demands on time and energy and the cycles that couples get locked in. This episode will help each partner expand their perspectives and start a valuable dialogue of ways to support one another better, increase appreciation and create time to step under the mistletoe. We know that making memories isn't easy work and we want to prevent your relationship from taking the hard hits this year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    続きを読む 一部表示
    30 分
  • 552: On Shame and Belonging with Jef Slootsmaekers
    2026/07/10
    Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode, Laurie is joined by EFT couples therapist Jef Slootmaekers. Jef is an EFT trainer hailing from Belgium and is the author of a new book on shame called Shame in Psychotherapy: The Art of Appearing (English translation coming in September 2026). He is also the coauthor of Fighting for Connection: Perspectives on Conflict and Intimate Partner Violence . This fantastic episode starts with the question "If shame had a voice, what would it want us to understand about being human?" and dives deep into our need to belong to each other, the ways we experience shame, its healthy functions and how toxic core shame is developed. All persons feel shame but our response to shame can either be adaptive or create negative stories that organize and influence our relationships with ourselves and others. Walk through this conversation with Laurie and Jef to learn the healthy functions of shame, why living in a world without shame would be like driving around New York City without traffic lights. Learn how to recognize unhealthy shame and ways to uncondition yourself from the rigid stories it has created. We all need to feel safe and belong and this conversation helps shine a light in the dark places we keep to ourselves but can also keep us stuck. This conversation brings a lightness and hope to what can be a heavy topic and you'll walk away with action steps on how to begin healing toxic shame. Take care Brave Lovers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 6 分
  • Foreplay Replay - Theory of Love
    2026/07/06
    This episode is all about attachment theory. Attachment styles have been buzzing in the pop psychology world recently. Our hosts invite listeners to learn more about attachment theory which helps us understand why we fight the way we do and why our partner reacts to conflict in the way they do. Attachment theory is based on the idea that we are here to connect and life is all about relationship and meaningful connection. Join us today as we break down attachment theory, and the attachment styles secure, anxious, avoidant and disorganized. Laurie and George help us put on our attachment lenses to make sense of relationship behaviors that are often misunderstood. You'll take away the useful tips from acronyms A.R.E and O.I.L and how to make your relationship more secure today! Let's us help you love better this year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    続きを読む 一部表示
    30 分
  • 551: Bait and Switch
    2026/07/03
    Help! This is not the relationship I signed up for. Did you bait and switch me from the person I said "I do," too? Welcome Brave Lovers, in today's episode we are tackling a topic we have heard in our offices over and over again. Hot and heavy, emotionally connected lovers that become distant strangers after marriage, children and more life together. Listen in as Laurie and George, explain what exactly happens between partners and help us work together to get back to the love that brought you together initially. Listeners will be guided by the steps that withdrawers and pursuers can take to reinvest in the relationship. The opposite of the bait and switch isn't more sex, it's attunement to one another's different needs. How long has your caregiving system been shut off and you have only been focused on your needs that aren't getting met? It's time to break free from the negative cycle and see where you can take a step towards your partner. Make sure to order a copy of our book, Brave Love, Great Sex available for pre-order now! Check out this episode's sponsor (and help the pod!): Uberlube.com - Laurie's favorite personal lubricant! Use the code BraveLove at checkout! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    続きを読む 一部表示
    33 分