A roundup of the month’s thought-provoking discussions from my podcast, Reimagining Love.
You’ve always been the one to keep going, no matter what. The strong one. The steady one. The one who holds it all together while quietly wondering how much longer you can keep carrying the weight.
Everyone’s strength has its limits.
What happens when the tricks that used to calm you stop working? When the habits you lean on start hurting the very relationships you care about? When slowing down feels like the scariest thing you could do?
This month on Reimagining Love, we're exploring what lies beyond the cultural pressure to just keep going. These conversations invite you into the uncomfortable but necessary space where you can be honest about your limits and brave enough to choose connection over controlling patterns.
As you listen, use the related reflection questions to check in with yourself, and if you’re up for it, bring them to your partner as a conversation starter. The goal isn’t to “fix” anything — it’s to create space for curiosity, understanding, and connection.
💗From the Office of Dr. Alexandra
Unpacking your big relationship dynamics and questions
Revisit & Reflect: The Revolutionary Act of Slowing Down
🎧 Listen to “Revisit & Reflect: Dr. Thema Bryant on How to Heal Through Resting”
In a culture that equates rest with laziness, taking time to slow down can feel like rebellion. We're returning to a conversation with psychologist Dr. Thema Bryant about why rest is especially complex for those carrying the weight of systemic oppression and family expectations. Sometimes the path back to wholeness requires us to reclaim what we loved before the world told us not to love it, and to understand that rest itself can be an act of resistance and reverence.
Reflect: What did you love before the world told you not to love it? When you slow down enough to listen, what is the quiet voice inside you asking for?
💓 In Conversation with Dr. Alexandra
Thought-provoking conversations with special guests
How to Love Someone You Disagree With
🎧 Listen to “Navigating Political Polarization: How to Connect Through Curious Conversations”
What do you do when someone you deeply care about holds views that feel fundamentally opposed to your own? Journalist Monica Guzman knows this territory intimately. Her parents have voted opposite her in every election since 2000. This conversation offers hope for anyone navigating political differences in their family, friendships, or community. Monica shares why "engagement is not endorsement" and how small, curious conversations can rebuild bridges without requiring anyone to change their mind.
Reflect: Who in your life do you talk about but never talk with? What would it look like to approach one difficult conversation with genuine curiosity about their perspective rather than a desire to change or convince them?
When Being Strong Isn't Enough: Moving Beyond Resilience
🎧 Listen to “It’s Not Just You: The Myth of Limitless Resilience”
You’ve always been the one to keep going, no matter what. What happens when pushing through is no longer sustainable? Organizational psychologist Dr. Tasha Eurich offers a fresh, less exhausting way to think about resilience. This new frame allows you to use life's challenges as opportunities to understand and meet your fundamental human needs.
Reflect: Which of your three fundamental needs (confidence, choice, connection) feels most neglected right now? What would change if you stopped treating self-care as weakness and started seeing it as essential maintenance?
Understanding Your Anxiety: The Three Types That Shape Your Relationships
🎧 Listen to “Managing Anxiety: Three Root Causes To Help You Find Relief”
Have you ever wondered why your anxiety shows up so differently than your partner's? Or why the coping strategies that work for your friends seem to fall flat for you? In this episode, therapist and author Noelle McWard Aquino breaks down her groundbreaking framework for understanding three distinct types of anxiety, each requiring its own approach. This conversation offers a roadmap for recognizing your patterns and finding more effective ways to navigate anxiety in your closest relationships.
Reflect: What are you avoiding that might actually need your attention and presence? What would shift if you could meet your anxiety with curiosity rather than judgment?
Breaking the Patterns That Keep You Stuck in Love
🎧 Listen to “How Healing Your Inner Child Can Deepen Your Relationships”
Why do we keep having the same fight with our partner, even when we swore we'd handle it differently this time? Life coach Christine Hassler explores the invisible scripts from childhood that show up in our adult relationships and how to rewrite them. Christine walks us through the difference between self-protection and self-sabotage, and shares practical tools for showing up as your adult self even when your inner child feels triggered.
Reflect: Where in your relationships are you collecting evidence for how your partner is "doing it wrong" rather than staying curious about their different approach? What does your inner child need to hear from you when you and your partner are experiencing a conflict?
No matter where you are in your relationship journey, I hope these episodes offer new insights and space for connection. Until next time!
xo,
Dr. Alexandra
