By a Male Relationship Expert Who’s Been There (and Has the Therapy Receipts to Prove It) When clients sit across from me in session—arms crossed, eyes rolling—their words often echo the same familiar chorus: “She’s always micromanaging me.”“He never listens.”“They don’t appreciate anything I do.” It’s human. When you're hurt or frustrated, your partner feels like the problem. And maybe part of them is . But what if I told you the real culprit isn’t you, or them… it’s the rel

It's the holidays. The season of twinkling lights, nostalgic chaos, and more family gatherings than any human being should realistically be expected to survive. Add a new relationship  into the mix, and suddenly the holiday season feels less like a cozy Hallmark movie and more like an emotional escape room. New love meets ornament overload, questionable family traditions, and the looming, anxiety-inducing question: What do I get them for Christmas without accidentally scaring

Let’s talk about gift-giving — that delightful little dance couples do where you’re either feeling like the Relationship Whisperer… or like you just handed your partner the emotional equivalent of a lukewarm salad. We put so much pressure on birthdays, anniversaries, and “just because” moments, but here’s the truth: gifts in relationships aren’t about perfection. They’re about connection. They’re the physical little breadcrumbs of love we drop along the path with our partner.

We’ve all been there. You meet someone, the chemistry is instant, the texts are flirty, the banter is sharp — and maybe you even make plans for that cute little café you’ll “totally go to next weekend.” Then… silence. No explanation. No “hey, I’ve got a lot going on right now.” Just crickets. The person who was blowing up your phone suddenly evaporates like a Snapchat message — leaving you staring at your screen, debating between denial and dramatic deletion. And now you’re s

Fear. It’s that quiet but persuasive voice in your head whispering, “Don’t text first.”“Don’t get too close.”“Don’t fall too hard.” It convinces you that if you stay guarded, you’ll stay safe — but in reality, fear is often the silent villain in the story of our love lives. Once upon a time, fear kept us alive — helping us dodge saber-toothed tigers or, more realistically, that one ex you always run into at your local coffee shop. But when it comes to love? Fear doesn’t prote

Welcome to modern dating — a twisted, candle-lit maze where hope, chemistry, and self-respect go to die (and sometimes, to heal). It’s 2026, we have more dating apps than coffee chains, and yet most of us are stuck in what feels like a romantic horror movie that never ends. There are jump scares (ghosting), creepy plot twists (breadcrumbing), and just enough false hope to keep you watching the sequel. If you’ve ever caught yourself wondering, “Is dating actually haunted?”  ..

There’s a phenomenon that has taken over the dating world like a viral TikTok dance: the red flag . Everywhere you turn, someone’s talking about them. “Oh, he’s got red flags,” your friend warns. “She’s giving me a major red flag vibe,” your girlfriend mentions. But here’s the problem: we’ve become obsessed with red flags . We scrutinize every text message, every eyebrow raise, and every passing comment to the point that they’ve become the be-all and end-all  of relationship

Family dysfunction is like that unwelcome guest who shows up uninvited to every family gathering, quietly poisoning the atmosphere with unspoken tension and patterns of unhealthy behavior. It’s an odd sort of loyalty that binds you to these cycles—an inherited sense of duty to repeat the mistakes of those who came before you, even when you know they don’t serve you. It’s as though the dysfunctional patterns are sewn into the fabric of your DNA, passed down like heirlooms, but

I want to talk about Bravo TV  and the wild, wonderful world of reality TV. If you're a therapist—someone who spends their days listening to people’s deepest, darkest, and often most complicated emotions—there’s a part of you that might find the world of Real Housewives  or Summer Houre  to be absolutely captivating.  Sure, you might theoretically  know these shows are produced or exaggerated, but honestly, when you’re in the throes of therapy sessions, sometimes nothing is m

Picture this: You’re sitting at home, sipping your favorite beverage, scrolling through social media—or maybe you're just trying to avoid the piles of laundry sitting in the corner—and poof!  A tiny genie appears in a puff of smoke. And just like that, you realize you’ve just won the ultimate prize: one wish  to transform your relationship life. The best part? There are no catches. No sneaky "But first you must…"  clauses. The only rule is this: You can wish for whatever you

Gentlemen, it’s time we had a heart-to-heart. You know, the kind where we ditch the tough-guy exterior and talk about how society’s rigid expectations of masculinity might just be wreaking havoc on your friendships and romantic relationships causing severe fragility in how we operate. It’s the classic “be strong, don’t show emotion, and never ask for help” narrative. These gender norms have been drilled into us for decades. But guess what? Those same “rules” are slowly poison

If Freud had lived long enough to watch Sex and the City, I’m convinced he would have had a field day. As a psychotherapist, I’ve spent years dissecting the complexities of love, attachment, self-worth, and identity—issues Carrie Bradshaw and her three confidantes navigated in couture and stilettos. But beyond the cosmos and couture, SATC offered a raw, poignant, and sometimes hilarious commentary on modern relationships. The episodes I hold dearest are not just entertaining;

You know the drill—every family has that one person who’s blamed for everything. It’s not just the "who didn’t take the garbage out" drama; we’re talking the deep, existential family mess. If you’ve found yourself wearing the "scapegoat" crown in your family—whether you’re the black sheep, the punching bag, or the person who always ends up with the blame—it can feel like you're trapped in a never-ending loop of family dysfunction. But fear not, because it’s time to break free

Childhood trauma. It’s the kind of thing that sneaks up on you when you least expect it, like that awkward family reunion moment when wonder if you’re the only one still hung up on your childhood. But here’s the thing: trauma, dysfunction, and all the other fun stuff we go through can either break us or teach us. And in my case, it did the latter. It didn’t happen overnight, but through the wreckage, I learned some of life’s hardest but most essential lessons. So, buckle up f

Ah, relationships – the art of navigating that delicate balance between being loving and not losing your sense of self. It can feel like an overwhelming combo of walking on a tight rope, feeling like your mixed up in a tangled web, and putting together a puzzle with missing pieces. But, a critical part of this whole dance can be knowing when to set a boundary  versus when to make a request . Spoiler alert: they’re not the same, though they often get dressed in the same emotio

Today, I had the absolute pleasure of recording a podcast with the brilliant Jess and Claude from the Work Besties Who Podcast. During our conversation, we touched on something that’s been buzzing in my mind for a while: the curious case of generational entitlement and the differences we’re seeing in today’s youth. As someone who bounces between being an educator, coach, mentor, and a therapist (seriously, I’m basically the Swiss Army knife of personal development), I often f

For many years, I struggled with my body image, constantly dissatisfied with what I saw in the mirror and weighed down by the external feedback I received from my peers. The journey to self-acceptance was long and filled with moments of pain, doubt, and frustration, but it also led me to powerful lessons that I now share with others. Before my adolescent years truly began, I started to notice changes in my body. I wasn’t gaining excessive weight, but I did go through a growth

The definition of a micro-attraction is simple but profound: "The understated moments and behaviors that make us realize someone is the kind of person we might want to spend a life with."  At first glance, it may seem trivial—just little things, right? But these small gestures are the foundation of what makes a relationship sustainable. They are the quiet heartbeat beneath the passionate fireworks we so often seek. It’s easy to get swept up in the rush of chemistry. The inten

Ask anyone what they want to improve in their relationships, and I can guarantee you one of the top answers will be "communication." It’s like the golden ticket to healthier relationships, right? We all say we want more honesty, more transparency, more directness—but here’s the catch: How intentional are we about practicing what we preach? We want communication to be clear, but how often do we fall short of setting the example ourselves? In my practice, I can’t tell you how m

Lessons I’ve Learned from a Traumatic Childhood: A Survival Guide to Growing the Hell Up Childhood trauma. It’s the kind of thing that...