Restoring Connections

By Matthew Dawson

Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality Kids & Family Christianity

What's Restoring Connections about?

Thoughts and stories about staying connected to the people you love in the midst of pain and disappointment. Matt & Aurore [Cora] share honest experiences from their own marriage and life at home with 4 kids in rural Aotearoa, New Zealand.

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Restoring Connections episodes:

04.25.2024
What Do I Do With All This Pain? Part 2
Close relationships are going to occasionally involve pain, and very close relationships are likely to occasionally involve a LOT of pain. Naturally, we want to do everything we can to avoid pain, but the reality is that pain isn’t what...
03.26.2024
What Do I Do With All This Pain? Part 1
Close relationships are going to occasionally involve pain, and very close relationships are likely to occasionally involve a LOT of pain. Naturally, we want to do everything we can to avoid pain, but the reality is that pain isn’t what...
02.22.2024
Shame - Part 2
Shame, the feeling of inadequacy or being unworthy of love, is one of the most soul-destroying emotional experiences a human being can have. It wreaks havoc on close relationships. Every one of us will wrestle with shame at some point in...
02.02.2024
Shame - Part 1
Shame, the feeling of inadequacy or being unworthy of love, is one of the most soul-destroying emotional experiences a human being can have. It wreaks havoc on close relationships. Every one of us will wrestle with shame at some point in...
12.13.2023
What am I learning from this, and what are you learning from this?
Going through painful, disappointing experiences can eat away at the hope we have for the future. This is especially true when we feel that we’re experiencing the same painful things on repeat! How can we move forward when we keep...
11.07.2023
Are these labels actually helping us?
Our culture is utterly obsessed with labels. Why? And more importantly, is it actually helpful in any way? I think most of us tend to find labels helpful and stabilising when describing the negative behaviour of someone who has caused...
10.04.2023
The Difficult One
We all wrestle with fears about what people think of us. We’re built for connection, and it’s natural to want to be embraced, celebrated, and viewed positively, especially by the people we care about most. So what do we do...
08.25.2023
The Idiot
We all wrestle with fears about what people think of us. We’re built for connection, and it’s natural to want to be embraced, celebrated, and viewed positively, especially by the people we care about most. So what do we do...
07.27.2023
The Weak One
We all wrestle with fears about what people think of us. We’re built for connection, and it’s natural to want to be embraced, celebrated, and viewed positively, especially by the people we care about most. So what do we do...
06.23.2023
The Bad Guy
We all wrestle with fears about what people think of us. We’re built for connection, and it’s natural to want to be embraced, celebrated, and viewed positively, especially by the people we care about most. So what do we do...
05.11.2023
How Do I Dismantle an Atomic Bomb-versation? Part 4
It’s extraordinary how awful a conversation can be, even, or perhaps especially, with someone you care for deeply. They say it takes 2 to tango, and if that’s true, then it should only take one to not tango, right? Are...
03.07.2023
How Do I Dismantle an Atomic Bomb-versation? Part 3
It’s extraordinary how awful a conversation can be, even, or perhaps especially, with someone you care for deeply. They say it takes 2 to tango, and if that’s true, then it should only take one to not tango, right? Are...
01.17.2023
How Do I Dismantle an Atomic Bomb-versation? Part 2
It’s extraordinary how awful a conversation can be, even, or perhaps especially, with someone you care for deeply. They say it takes 2 to tango, and if that’s true, then it should only take one to not tango, right? Are...
12.06.2022
How Do I Dismantle an Atomic Bomb-versation? Part 1
It’s extraordinary how awful a conversation can be, even, or perhaps especially, with someone you care for deeply. They say it takes 2 to tango, and if that’s true, then it should only take one to not tango, right? Are...
10.03.2022
Do I Need You Too Much, or Not Enough?
Tension. Some of us run towards it, while others of us avoid it like the plague. Love it, or hate it - a close relationship between two people always necessarily involves a degree of tension. The challenge is to keep...
08.29.2022
Can My Fear Be Your Problem?
Everyone battles with fear. The particular fears you struggle with and the fears I struggle with may be completely different, but the battle is common to us all. When we don’t face them and overcome our chronic, long-term fears, it’s...
08.01.2022
What The Heck Just Happened? Part 2
Healthy exchanges of truth are the foundation of a healthy connection between two people. So what about when a lack of truth has been building, increasing tension, and suddenly someone dramatically changes the way they relate to you. What about...
06.30.2022
What The Heck Just Happened? Part 1
In the course of life, things can happen in close relationships that leave us feeling utterly bewildered. Questions emerge like, “How did things get so bad between us?” and “How is it that I care so much about you and...
05.22.2022
Is This Between Us and Them, or Between Me and You?
Relational issues can get very messy when there are three or more people involved. It’s hard enough for two people to understand each other in the midst of pain and frustration. When you get three or four people involved ...
04.01.2022
Is Your Boundary My Breakthrough?
When it comes to unhealthy relational patterns and vicious cycles, it always takes 2 to tango. Likewise, it only takes one member of the relationship to make a change for the pattern or cycle to be broken. As painful and...
02.03.2022
How Do We Resolve This?
Having a confrontational conversation with someone doesn’t always produce resolution and positive change. If you don’t have the right ingredients in the conversation, even an open and honest confrontation can just make things more awkward and difficult than before. In...
12.03.2021
You Can Be So Harsh Sometimes
In this episode my daughter Keana [15] joins me in a discussion about brave communication between family members and why being honest with each other is often worth the risk. I share a recent story about my son Levi confronting...
01.29.2021
What if I Just Want Peace?
A guide to choosing between making peace and pursuing depth when a relationship is under threat. In this episode we explore the difference between pursuing peace and pursuing deeper connection with someone when they are pushing your buttons. You get...
01.15.2021
He Kāinga Haumaru, He Āhuru Mōwai Mōku | thoughts on being Pakeha in Aotearoa, NZ
In this episode I read out a speech that I gave on Waitangi Day here in Tauranga a few years ago. These are my reflections on non-indigenous cultural identity and what I'm learning about thriving as an adopted son.
12.13.2020
Are We Fighting the Right Battle?
In this episode I explore how our desire to be 'right' when we feel threatened can often destroy a close relationship. To form strong relationships we need to be more interested in maintaining connection than being seen to be right.
11.16.2020
Is This Where I Belong?
In this episode we take a closer look at the tough questions you can ask before joining a new group or taking on a new position. Making sure that expectations and values are aligned can save you major heartache down...
11.03.2020
What Was I Hoping For?
In this episode we take a closer look at how misaligned expectations wreak havoc on relationships and how to avoid some common pitfalls.
09.29.2020
Can I Do This On My Own?
In this episode we explore the deeper reasons that many of us hate asking for help and how to overcome them.
08.17.2020
Foundations For This Podcast
In this episode I dive into 3 things. 1] The driving motivators behind the thoughts and stories I'm sharing; 2] who I'm primarily reaching out to and; 3] some of the underpinning core beliefs
03.30.2020
Is It Okay To Need This From You?
In this first episode we dive into how to create a context within which needs can be shared without fear of manipulation or control.

What's Restoring Connections about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Restoring Connections episodes:

What Do I Do With All This Pain? Part 2

What Do I Do With All This Pain? Part 1

Shame - Part 2

Shame - Part 1

What am I learning from this, and what are you learning from this?

Are these labels actually helping us?

The Difficult One

The Idiot

The Weak One

The Bad Guy

How Do I Dismantle an Atomic Bomb-versation? Part 4

How Do I Dismantle an Atomic Bomb-versation? Part 3

How Do I Dismantle an Atomic Bomb-versation? Part 2

How Do I Dismantle an Atomic Bomb-versation? Part 1

Do I Need You Too Much, or Not Enough?

Can My Fear Be Your Problem?

What The Heck Just Happened? Part 2

What The Heck Just Happened? Part 1

Is This Between Us and Them, or Between Me and You?

Is Your Boundary My Breakthrough?

How Do We Resolve This?

You Can Be So Harsh Sometimes

What if I Just Want Peace?

He Kāinga Haumaru, He Āhuru Mōwai Mōku | thoughts on being Pakeha in Aotearoa, NZ

Are We Fighting the Right Battle?

Is This Where I Belong?

What Was I Hoping For?

Can I Do This On My Own?

Foundations For This Podcast

Is It Okay To Need This From You?