Conversations from the Heart

What happens when care turns into responsibility, and responsibility turns into exhaustion?

In this episode, I speak with Bill, who's navigating a common but often unspoken dynamic in long-term relationships: the feeling of being responsible for a partner’s emotional and physical wellbeing.

What begins as a moment of crisis during a hike reveals a deeper pattern, one of fixing, managing, and trying to prevent a partner’s distress at the cost of one’s own clarity and self-trust.

Together, we explore the difference between caring and controlling, and how to begin releasing emotional over-responsibility without withdrawing love.

Read more on the blog.

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

Today’s conversation may sound like a roommate dilemma on the surface, but underneath, it’s about something much deeper: voice, power, and learning to trust ourselves in relationship.

In this episode, I speak with Leah, who's navigating a shared living situation where something no longer feels right. What begins as a question about leases and renovations quickly becomes an exploration of what it means to speak up, set boundaries, and stay self-connected even when it feels uncomfortable.

Together, we unpack the fear of being seen as “too much,” the tendency to soften or second-guess ourselves, and the nervous system responses that can make clear communication feel rigid or confrontational.

Read more on the blog.

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

What happens when you’re going through something difficult—and the people you love don’t quite show up in the way you need?

In this episode, I speak with Leah, who's navigating the emotional and relational challenges of living with an ongoing, undiagnosed illness. As she moves through uncertainty, she finds herself repeatedly explaining her experience, longing to be understood, and feeling the painful gap between what she needs and what the others in her life are able to offer.

Together, we explore what it means to ask for support, why people sometimes struggle to meet us in hard moments, and how to navigate the grief that comes when they can’t.

We move beyond communication strategies into something deeper: the tension between trying to change others and learning to accept them as they are.

Read more on the blog.

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

Setting boundaries at work can feel risky, especially when you respect the people you work with and don’t want to damage the relationship.

In this episode, Connie is navigating a challenging dynamic with a well-meaning but disorganized supervisor. As expectations shift and ideas keep expanding, she finds herself overwhelmed, over-responsible, and unsure how to speak up without causing harm.

Together, we explore how to set clear, grounded boundaries while staying collaborative and relational.

This conversation goes beyond workplace strategy and reveals the deeper patterns many of us carry around responsibility, people-pleasing, and emotional labor.

Read more on the blog.

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

What do we do when we’ve done everything “right” and our efforts don't bring our desired results?

This week I speak with Tom, who just received news that his cancer has progressed, despite his many efforts to reverse it.

What unfolds is an honest, grounded, and compassionate exploration of what it means to face the limits of control.

Together, we explore the emotional complexity of serious illness: anger, grief, fear, hope, and the tension between spiritual beliefs about healing and the reality of the human body.

This conversation gently challenges the idea that we can think, feel, or heal our way out of suffering, and offers a more grounded, humane alternative.

Read more on the blog.

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

When life takes an unexpected turn, how do we stay connected to the people we love without overwhelming them?

Today's episode asks exactly that.  Liza, mother of 3 navigating a serious health diagnosis, wrestles with how to talk to her adult children about what’s happening and she finds herself holding a complex tension:

How do I let them in, without making them responsible for me?

We explore what it means to share difficult truths with care, to honor each person’s emotional capacity, and to stay in relationship without over-functioning or shutting down.

This episode also touches something deeper: the quiet weight of self-blame. The belief that we should have done better, taken better care, or prevented what’s now unfolding. We counter that idea with the possibility of meeting ourselves with compassion instead of judgment.

This is a conversation about love in its most honest form: messy, tender, and real.

Read more on the blog.

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

What happens when we feel pressure to care, but we really don't?

In this episode, we explore the tension between wanting to be emotionally available, while also wanting to protect boundaries regarding our energy and sense of self.

We unpack how our reactions are often intelligent forms of protection shaped by past experiences. And instead of trying to perform the “right” kind of support, we explore what it means to be real, honest, and connected, without collapsing into someone else’s emotional world.

This is an invitation to move beyond fixing, performing, or withdrawing, and into a more grounded, honest, and sustainable way of being in relationship with others. 

Read more on the blog.

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

In this episode, we dive into those moments when we’re upset and reach for connection, but instead of closeness, we get distance, defensiveness, or overwhelm.

And somehow, trying harder only makes it worse.

We explore what’s really happening in those moments, and why our attempts at connection don’t always land the way we hope.

This isn’t about doing it “right.”

It’s about understanding the deeper patterns at play, and how to stay grounded when connection doesn’t happen the way we hoped.

We’ll look at what it means to grow our capacity to stay with ourselves, even when others can’t meet us in that moment.

Because real change doesn’t come from perfect communication.

It comes from learning how to relate to ourselves and others with more awareness, steadiness, and care.

Read more on the blog.

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

What if trying to be a “good partner” is actually hurting your relationship?

In this episode, we explore a powerful and often invisible dynamic:

how self-sacrifice, overgiving, and emotional suppression can quietly erode connection.

When one partner takes on the role of “giver,” it can create a cycle of resentment, emotional overwhelm, and disconnection, despite the best intentions.

In this episode's coaching conversation, we unpack:

• Why overgiving creates pressure, not connection
• The hidden cost of self-sacrifice in relationships
• How to stay present with emotions without trying to fix or manage them
• The difference between needs and strategies (and why it matters)
• What it actually looks like to stay connected to yourself in a relationship

This episode is for anyone who feels like they’re “doing everything right" and still feels unseen or unmet.

Read more on the blog.

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

There are moments in life when our inner world gets so loud that we stop trusting ourselves.

We feel everything (love, grief, longing, confusion) and instead of clarity, we find ourselves pulled in different directions. It's difficult to tell if our feelings are guiding us or misleading us.

In this episode, I talk with Kate, who is navigating the end of a relational “pause” with someone she still deeply cares about. As the moment of decision approaches, she finds herself overwhelmed by conflicting emotions and unsure how to access her own discernment.

What unfolds is a powerful exploration of:

• Why clarity becomes so difficult when emotions are intense
• The tension between wanting repair and wanting to move forward in relationships
• How emotional flooding is often a sign of healing, not dysfunction
• Why learning to relate to your feelings is more important than trying to control or interpret them

We learn we don’t need to trust every feeling, but we can learn to trust our capacity to stay with ourselves inside our feelings.

Read more on the blog.  

Want more direct access to me? I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection. 

Join regular live calls where students in the school bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube