Conflict is something every relationship encounters, but most of us were never taught how to navigate it well.

In this episode, Michelle and Danyelle explore the ways they learned conflict growing up, how those early experiences shaped their friendships and relationships, and the communication tools they've adopted to create more connection and less defensiveness.

Together, they break down the framework of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) developed by Marshall Rosenberg and discuss how it has transformed the way they approach difficult conversations, emotional triggers, repair, and accountability.

They also share personal stories from their own friendship, including moments of jealousy, misunderstanding, postpartum vulnerability, and the ways learning new communication skills has helped strengthen their connection over time.

In This Episode

• How childhood experiences shape our conflict styles
• Loud conflict, avoidance, and people-pleasing
• The impact of shame, martyrdom, and the need to be right
• An introduction to Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
• Observation vs. judgment
• Identifying feelings beneath reactions
• Understanding and communicating needs
• Making clear, actionable requests
• Conflict, nervous system regulation, and the Window of Tolerance
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) and protective parts
• Friendship repair and relational accountability
• Why conflict can become an opportunity for deeper connection

The NVC Framework

1. Observation — What happened without judgment or evaluation
2. Feeling — Identifying the primary emotion underneath the reaction
3. Need — Understanding the unmet need driving the emotion
4. Request — Making a clear and actionable request

Resources Mentioned

• Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)
• Window of Tolerance framework
• The Ethical Slut by Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy

Reflection Questions

• How did you learn conflict growing up?
• What role do you typically play during disagreements?
• What feelings tend to sit underneath your frustration or anger?
• What need might be asking for attention?
• Is there a request you haven't made because you've hoped someone would simply know?

Connect With Us

📸 Instagram: @thethirdthingpod

🌐 Website: TheThirdThingPod.com

🎧 Join our Patreon community for monthly events, deeper conversations, early access, workbooks, and more.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend and leave a rating or review. It helps more people discover the show and join the conversation around friendship, growth, and modern relationships.

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What if friendship isn't the supporting character in your life story?

What if it's one of the most important relationships you'll ever have?

In this episode, Michelle and Danyelle explore the inspiration behind The Third Thing and why they believe platonic love deserves far more attention than our culture often gives it.

Using their own 26-year friendship as a lens, they discuss how society tends to place romantic relationships at the center of our lives while overlooking the profound impact of friendship, community, and chosen family.

From childhood messages about love to the realities of adulthood, partnership, parenting, loneliness, and rebuilding community after the pandemic, this conversation is an invitation to think differently about connection.

In This Episode

• The question that sparked the creation of The Third Thing
• Why friendship can hold unique pieces of our identity
• The cultural prioritization of romantic love
• Disney, rom-coms, and the stories we inherit about relationships
• Relationship anarchy and expansive love
• Why one person can't be everything
• The impact of the pandemic on friendship and belonging
• The loss of third spaces and community gathering places
• Adult loneliness and social disconnection
• Building and maintaining your village
• The cost of deprioritizing friendship
• Why platonic love is a form of healing

Concepts Discussed

• Relationship Anarchy
• Chosen Family
• Community Care
• Adult Friendship
• Third Spaces
• Loneliness and Social Connection
• Expansive Love
• Interdependence vs. Independence

Reflection Questions

• If you woke up tomorrow with no memory, who would you trust to tell you who you are?
• How much time and energy are you currently investing in friendship?
• Have you unintentionally prioritized romantic relationships over platonic ones?
• Where might there be opportunities for repair, reconnection, or deeper intimacy in your friendships?
• What would it look like to intentionally build your village?

Resources Mentioned

• Ray Oldenburg and the concept of "Third Spaces"
• Relationship Anarchy
• Community care and village-building practices

Card Pull: The High Priestess

The episode closes with a reflection on the High Priestess tarot card—an invitation to trust your intuition, deepen your self-knowledge, and listen to what your relationships are asking of you.

Connect With Us

📸 Instagram: @thethirdthingpod

🌐 Website: TheThirdThingPod.com

🎧 Join our Patreon community for deeper conversations, monthly gatherings, workbooks, and early access to new episodes.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend, send a text to someone you've been thinking about, or leave a rating and review to help more people discover the show.

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What if friendship deserves the same care, commitment, and investment that we give to romantic relationships?

In the very first episode of The Third Thing, Michelle and Danyelle introduce the concept at the heart of the podcast: The Third Thing.

While we often celebrate romantic love and assume familial love will always be there, friendship is frequently treated as optional. Yet some of the most meaningful, transformative, and enduring relationships in our lives are platonic.

Drawing from their 26-year friendship, Michelle and Danyelle share how they met, the life experiences that shaped them, and why they believe friendship is one of the most powerful forms of connection available to us.

They discuss community care, belonging, identity, healing, conflict, and the work required to sustain meaningful relationships over time.

In This Episode

• What inspired The Third Thing
• Defining the "third kind of love"
• Why friendship deserves intentional investment
• The differences between romantic, familial, and platonic love
• How Michelle and Danyelle met as teenagers
• Growing up feeling different and finding belonging
• Friendship as a source of healing and support
• The realities of maintaining a 26-year friendship
• Why conflict and repair matter in long-term relationships
• Community care and radical friendship

Meet Your Hosts

Danyelle

• Psychotherapist
• Community builder
• Tarot practitioner and spiritual guide
• Advocate for community care and collective healing

Michelle

• Executive coach and strategist
• Life coach
• MBA graduate and former nonprofit leader
• Champion of intentional relationships and personal growth

Together, they bring professional expertise, lived experience, and decades of friendship into conversations about what it means to build meaningful relationships in modern life.

Reflection Questions

• What is "The Third Thing" in your life?
• Which friendships have helped shape who you are?
• Are there relationships that deserve more attention or investment?
• How do you currently nurture your platonic connections?
• What might become possible if friendship were treated as a priority rather than an afterthought?

Card Pull: Nine of Cups

The episode closes with the Nine of Cups, a tarot card associated with fulfillment, contentment, gratitude, and celebrating what you've built. A fitting card for the beginning of a new chapter and a reflection on the beauty of enduring friendship.

Connect With Us

📸 Instagram: @thethirdthingpod

🌐 Website: TheThirdThingPod.com

🎧 Join our Patreon community for deeper conversations, monthly gatherings, exclusive content, workbooks, and early access to episodes.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend and leave a rating or review. It helps more people discover the show and join the conversation around friendship, community, and connection.

Support the show