When someone we love is in a relationship that’s causing harm, knowing what to do can feel incredibly confusing.

Do we step in, or step back?

In this follow-up conversation from last week, we speak again with Liza, who is now supporting her son through a relationship that is leaving him anxious, overwhelmed, and disconnected from himself. Together, they explore how to recognize when a relationship has crossed from challenging into harmful, and what it means to respond with both care and clarity.

What you’ll learn:

•How to recognize when a relationship is harmful (not just challenging)

•When it’s appropriate to step in, and how to do it without controlling

•The difference between support, rescue, and intervention

•How to stay out of triangulation while still being deeply relational

•Why the “net effect” of a relationship matters more than intention

Read more on the blog.

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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 you do when the people you love pull you in opposite directions?

In this episode of Conversations from the Heart, I speak with Liza, a mother who finds herself caught in a painful family dilemma. Her youngest son is in his first serious relationship, and his older siblings believe the relationship is unhealthy. They’ve drawn a hard line: if the girlfriend is present, they won’t be.

Suddenly Liza is standing in the middle, loving all of her children and feeling the pressure to choose sides.

This conversation explores a dynamic that shows up in almost every family at some point: triangulation. When tension arises between two people, a third person often gets pulled in to manage the conflict, absorb the anxiety, or solve the problem.

But what if the most loving thing we can do is step out of the middle?

Together we explore what it means to move from trying to manage everyone else’s relationships to standing clearly in our values and vision for the kind of family we want to be part of.

This shift can change everything.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why family conflicts often pull someone into the middle, and why that role is so exhausting

• How love and protectiveness can accidentally turn into control

• A powerful shift from trying to manage outcomes to standing clearly for your values

If you’ve ever felt responsible for keeping everyone happy, smoothing over family conflict, or holding a family together when others can’t meet each other, this conversation will resonate deeply.

Read more on the blog.

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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 after you speak your truth… and someone disagrees?

In this episode, we explore how to stay grounded in yourself when your perspective isn’t affirmed, mirrored, or supported by others.

Through a live coaching conversation, we unpack:

•Why disagreement can shake our confidence, even when we felt clear before

•The difference between seeking support and outsourcing our self-trust

•How to choose whose opinions actually matter

•A powerful shift in how to ask for feedback that supports growth

•How to stay open to being wrong without collapsing into self-doubt

•What it means to stand in your values in uncertain and changing times

If you’ve ever spoken up and then questioned yourself afterward, this episode will help you reconnect with your clarity, your discernment, and your inner grounding.

Read more on the blog.

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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 explore a subtle but powerful question:

Are you regulating your emotions or silencing your needs?

When we’ve done a lot of personal growth, it’s easy to become highly skilled at managing anxiety, staying calm, and not “burdening” others. But in relationships, especially early dating, this can sometimes come at a cost.

In This Week's Call We unpack:

•How to handle anxiety and uncertainty when defining a relationship

•The difference between self-regulation and self-silencing

•What to do when a partner’s comments don’t quite land

•How to separate internal triggers from relational incompatibility

•Why “gathering data” matters more than rushing decisions

•How to have honest, vulnerable conversations without losing yourself

If you’re prone to overthinking, second-guessing your needs, or trying to stay “easy” in a relationship, this episode will help you reconnect with your voice, your clarity, and your self-trust.

Read more on the blog.

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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

Why can one small moment completely derail our emotional state?

In this episode of Conversations from the Heart, a caller navigates intense emotional reactions to everyday interactions by exploring how a single tone of voice can trigger deep nervous system activation.

Together, we unpack the difference between being “triggered” and experiencing activation, and what it really takes to stay grounded, self-led, and emotionally regulated in a world that isn’t always gentle.

This episode offers a reframe for anyone who feels deeply, is doing inner healing work, and still finds themselves overwhelmed by seemingly small moments.

In this episode, we explore:

•Why small interactions can feel so overwhelming

•The difference between triggers and nervous system activation

•How to regulate without shutting down or avoiding

•The role of self-soothing and internal leadership

•When to adapt to your environment and when not to

•How sensitivity can become a strength rather than a liability

Read more on the blog.

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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's a difference between sympathy and compassion, and that distinction matters more than we might think.

Many of us were taught that caring means feeling with others, taking on their pain, or trying to fix what’s hard. But over time, that way of relating can leave us overwhelmed, entangled, or quietly exhausted.

In this conversation with Wendy, we begin with a simple question about sympathy and compassion, and uncover something much deeper. We explore the parts of us that long to be held in our pain, the ways we learned to protect ourselves, and how those patterns show up in our relationships today.

Together, we look at how to stay present with suffering, our own and others’, without collapsing, rescuing, or shutting down.

Listen to learn:

•The key difference between sympathy and compassion (and why it matters)

•How to care deeply without taking on what isn’t yours

•Practical ways to stay grounded and relational in moments of emotional intensity

Read more on the blog.

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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

Figuring out how to stay kind, present, and connected, without over-extending ourselves or taking responsibility for other people’s emotional worlds can be a tall order.

In this week's episode, we unpack what it looks like to respond to negativity, emotional overwhelm, and difficult dynamics in ways that are both compassionate and self-honoring.

Conversations with Daisy and Ellie help us explore the difference between empathy and self-abandonment, how to set boundaries without controlling others, and how to invite more generative, mutual conversations.

Listen to learn:

•How to respond to draining or negative conversations without shutting people down

•The difference between inviting connection and trying to change someone

•Practical ways to honor your capacity while staying kind and relational

Read more on the blog.

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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, I speak with a mother who wants to be a more loving, present, and supportive parent… but keeps noticing that what she intends as help is often experienced by her family as criticism.

Together, we explore what happens when awareness arrives after the moment, and you can finally see the impact of how you’ve been showing up, but don’t yet know how to consistently do it differently.

We talk about the heartbreak of hearing your child say, All I remember is you yelling.

The tension between who you were and who you’re trying to become.

And the messy, human process of repairing relationships while you’re still learning.

This conversation moves beyond just be more empathic and into the deeper work of:

•How to stay open when your past is still being brought into the present

•Why “helping” often sounds like criticism to our kids

•How to shift from controlling and correcting to connecting and coaching

If you’ve ever thought, I’m trying so hard to do better; why does it still come out this way?, this episode is for you.

Listen to learn:

•Why awareness often comes after the moment, and why that’s not failure

•How to repair with your child without collapsing into shame

•The difference between guiding your child and trying to shape them

If you’re wanting more support in shifting from correction and control to connection and attunement, I go much deeper into this work inside my Parenting Masterclass available in the School of Human Connection.

Inside, we explore:

•how to work with your own reactivity and judgment

•how to build connection without losing structure or boundaries

•and how to support your child’s development without trying to shape or fix who they are

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Read more on the blog.

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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

How do you respond when someone you love says they feel guarded around you?

Carol’s question about how to start a difficult conversation quickly reveals something deeper: a long history of sibling dynamics, childhood wounds, and the painful feeling of being the less-loved child.

Together, we unpack what guardedness really is, why it forms, and how resentment, longing, and the need to feel loved can all live just beneath the surface.

This conversation is an invitation to move beyond trying to change others—and instead begin the deeper work of understanding ourselves, softening our defenses, and creating the conditions where something new might emerge.

Listen to learn:

• Why guardedness in relationships is often mutual—even when it doesn’t seem that way

• How resentment can keep others “on the hook” and quietly block connection

• Why healing relational wounds requires more than insight—it requires new relational experiences

Read more about softening on the blog.

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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, I speak with two callers whose stories reveal a powerful tension many of us live inside: trying to heal in a culture that wants to fix us.

Kate struggles with crying that shows up quickly in conversations and professional settings. Her inner critic tells her this means something is wrong with her. Together we explore a different possibility: that tears may be the nervous system’s way of releasing pain and restoring balance.

Shelly’s story reveals another layer of the same dynamic. After years of trauma and nervous system dysregulation, she longs for empathy and understanding from her husband, but instead encounters pressure, misunderstanding, and cultural shame around emotional struggle. We explore what it means to pursue healing when the people closest to us may not understand the journey.

These conversations point to a deeper truth: many of the emotional responses we’ve been taught to suppress are actually the body’s natural attempts to heal.

Learning to trust those signals, and to create space for our own healing path, can change everything.

Listen to learn:

• Why crying and emotional release are often signs of healing, not weakness

• How shame around emotions gets reinforced by culture, family, and relationships

• How fix-it thinking can unintentionally block emotional healing

• What to do when the people around you don’t understand your healing journey

Read more on the blog:  Healing in a Fix-It Culture

Sign Up for Fall Semester in The School of Human Connection today.  

Join Our Free Community on Circle 

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