Hard conversations don’t have to blow things up. Or shut you down. Or leave you spiralling with regret.

If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation thinking, Why didn’t I say that better? or Why do I always freeze or fawn when it matters most? Then this episode is for you.

Whether you’re navigating hot-button issues, navigating grief, or just trying to be heard in your own home, this conversation will help you show up with more clarity, more steadiness, and more influence.

You don’t have to yell to be powerful. You don’t have to agree to stay connected. And you don’t have to lose your voice to keep the peace.

In this episode, Lauren Dry breaks down how to move through big, uncomfortable conversations with your nervous system intact and your power in place.

You’ll hear about:

• How your brain and body react in conflict and what to do about it
• What shuts people down (hint: it’s not your opinion, it’s how it’s delivered)
• Six ways to stay curious and strong when things get tense
• How to create space for nuance, without giving up your values
• Why slowing down is the key to being truly heard

Resources Mentioned:

• Rise into Regulation™ – The skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage
• Connect with Lauren on Instagram - @lauren_dry

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren X

Anxious attachment doesn’t always look how you think it does.

It might look like being the fixer, the over-functioner, the one who’s “fine” until they’re not.

In this deeply affirming episode, Lauren Dry sits down with Relationship and Anxiety Therapist Valerie Rubin to explore the roots and realities of anxious attachment style, and why so many high-achieving, emotionally intelligent people miss the signs in themselves.

Whether you’re the one holding it all together or the one feeling like you’re too much, too sensitive, or somehow not enough, this conversation will help you connect the dots between your past experiences and your present patterns. You’ll also get practical insight into how to shift toward secure connection and emotional safety.

You’ll hear us explore:

• Why anxious attachment often hides behind confidence, competence, and control
• How early experiences (even ones that seemed “fine”) shape our adult relationship dynamics
• The role of hypervigilance, people-pleasing, and codependency in attachment patterns
• What it really means to self-soothe, and why nervous system regulation is essential for clarity and connection
• How to stop outsourcing your safety and start building secure, grounded relationships

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the emotional labor in your relationship, if fear of abandonment keeps showing up in subtle or intense ways, or if you’re simply ready to feel calmer, clearer, and more connected, this episode is for you.

Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage
• Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry
• Follow Valerie on Instagram @healwithval
• Listen to Valerie’s podcast: The Anxiety Recovery Podcast

If something in this episode hit home, please share it with someone you love, leave a review, or reach out on Instagram. I’d love to hear what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren X

Where is the line between accountability and compassion? Between transparency and privacy? Between shame and growth?

In this powerful and tender episode, Lauren sits down with Kristina Robertson, coach, speaker, and host of Intimacy After Infidelity, to explore the complexity of healing after you have crossed a line you never thought you would.

Together, they unpack the shame that keeps so many women silent, the surprising ways infidelity shows up, and the deeper stories beneath our choices.

Whether you have been impacted by infidelity, are navigating grief or rupture in your relationship, or simply want to understand what real repair looks like, this conversation will meet you with honesty, gentleness, and a whole lot of hope.

You will hear us explore:

• The hidden ways grief and disconnection can lead us into choices we never imagined
• How infidelity often becomes a symptom of deeper emotional needs not being met
• What it takes to hold space without judgment and why that changes everything
• How shame isolates and community heals
• The challenges of healing on parallel timelines within a marriage

This is not a conversation about blame. It is a conversation about brave ownership, soul-deep healing, and the slow, sacred work of becoming someone you trust again.

Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage
• Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry
• Connect with Kristina on Instagram @kristinajoycoaching
• Explore Kristina’s work at kristinajoycoaching.com
• Listen to Kristina’s podcast Intimacy After Infidelity

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren X

So many parents want to raise connected, emotionally resilient kids, but find themselves reacting from stress, shame, or survival instead.

In this episode, Lauren Dry speaks with Conscious Parenting Coach and Sleep Specialist Donna Moala about how to move from reactivity to regulation. Drawing on her training and her lived experience as a mum of three, Donna shares how healing yourself first becomes the most powerful parenting tool you’ll ever use.

Together, they explore how unconscious patterns show up in parenting, what “doing the work” really looks like, and how to raise emotionally safe kids without losing yourself in the process.

You’ll hear us explore:

• How generational patterns shape the way we parent, even when we “know better”
• Why emotional safety matters more than behaviour management
• What conscious parenting really looks like in moments of stress and rupture
• How to set loving boundaries without shame or control
• Why regulating yourself is the most effective way to raise resilient kids

Whether you're raising young children or parenting teens, this conversation offers both insight and compassion for the moments that matter most.

Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage
• Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry
• Connect with Donna on Instagram @parentingcollective.au
• Explore Donna’s work or book a free call: Book here

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren X

Vulnerability isn’t weakness. But for many high functioning, high achieving people, it can feel like a threat.

In this episode, Lauren Dry speaks with performance coach and brand strategist Jenni Rae Oates about what it really takes to lead, love, and live without hiding. They unpack the impact of early attachment conditioning, emotional shutdown, and the unspoken fear that being fully seen will cost you something.

Jenni Rae shares her own story as a former Division I athlete and self described “perform-a-holic,” and how she rewired her relationship to success, visibility, and safety from the inside out.

You’ll hear us explore:

• Why vulnerability feels unsafe for high performers
• The link between childhood conditioning and emotional shutdown
• How performance patterns affect leadership, parenting, and relationships
• The hidden cost of hustle culture and what it takes to build a new way forward
• How nervous system safety can transform your relationship with success

Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage
• Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry
• Connect with Jenni Rae on Instagram @jenniraeoates
• Explore Jenni Rae’s work at www.jennirae.com
• Download Jenni Rae’s free resource $500K Her Way Playbook
• Download Jenni Rae’s free resource The Crazy Cycle Blueprint

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren X

If your nervous system still feels stuck despite therapy, rest, or mindset work, there may be more going on beneath the surface.

In this episode, Lauren Dry talks with NeuroBalance Clinic founder Lauren Rogers about the science behind nervous system regulation and the role of neurotechnology in healing.

Lauren Rogers shares clinical insights alongside her own personal story of burnout and health collapse, including how brain-based tools supported her and her son through periods of high stress and sensory overload.

You’ll hear us explore:

• Why mindset work and talk therapy don’t always shift deep patterns
• How neurofeedback, brain mapping, and light therapy support regulation
• What these tools offer kids struggling with anxiety or sensory challenges
• Why safety and physiological support are key to lasting change
• The value of data in tracking healing and building hope

Whether you’re recovering from chronic stress or supporting a child through dysregulation, this episode offers a clear, compassionate look at how healing the brain supports the whole system.

Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage
• Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry
• Connect with Lauren Rogers on Instagram @neurobalance.clinic
• Explore Lauren Rogers’ work at NeuroBalance Clinic

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren x

Ever wonder why you either push too hard at the gym or can’t get yourself to move at all? That tug of war between overexercising and total shutdown isn’t just about motivation. It’s a sign of nervous system dysregulation.

Functional nutrition expert and Registered Dietitian Alex Long joins Lauren Dry to explore the hidden connection between stress, gut health, and your relationship with movement.

Together they examine how trauma, emotional overwhelm, and chronic stress disrupt our ability to feel safe in our bodies and how that disconnection shows up in both our fitness habits and our closest relationships.

You’ll hear us explore:

• The nervous system’s role in exercise avoidance or addiction and why both are trauma responses
• How gut health and hormone balance impact emotional regulation, energy, and your capacity for connection
• The surprising ways somatic healing and intuitive movement can repair a dysregulated nervous system
• Why burnout might be your body’s breakthrough and how rest can restore your sense of self
• How to rebuild safety through small, embodied practices that reconnect you to joy, not just discipline

Whether you’re feeling stuck in a cycle of burnout, struggling with exercise guilt, or trying to heal your relationship with your body after years of disconnection, this episode will meet you where you are.

Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage
• Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry
• Connect with Alex on Instagram @alex.undefined
• Watch Alex’s free masterclass on gut and hormone health

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren X

Have you ever found yourself in a relationship conversation that sounds polished, calm, and articulate, while your body is quietly screaming inside? You're not alone.

In this episode of The Connection Podcast, Lauren Dry peels back the layers of what’s really happening when high-achieving, emotionally intelligent people show up in conflict with all the “right words” but still feel painfully disconnected.

She shares the raw truth about trauma adapted communication, emotional numbness, and the protective patterns that keep us from the connection we crave.

You’ll hear Lauren explore:

• Why emotionally intelligent communication can still leave you feeling unseen
• How trauma teaches us to speak with polish instead of vulnerability
• What emotional numbness is really telling you and why it doesn’t mean you’re falling out of love
• How to date again after divorce (without falling into old patterns)
• Why regulating your nervous system is more powerful than perfecting your words

This episode is a tender, practical, and deeply validating listen for anyone feeling stuck between knowing what to say and feeling safe enough to say the real thing.

Resources & Links:

• Learn more about Rise into Regulation™, the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage
• Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry

If something in this episode resonated, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or connect with me on Instagram. I love hearing what lands for you.

Big love,

Lauren X

Ever felt ... "The Ick"? Maybe it's been small, maybe you felt like you've been repelled by your partner for no clear reason (and even sometimes, for very obvious ones)? You love them. You’re committed. But the ick is real. In this raw and eye-opening episode, Lauren Dry breaks down what the “ick” really is—and why it’s not shallow, random, or a sign your marriage is broken. Spoiler: it has everything to do with your Nervous System.

We’re diving deep into:

• Why the “ick” often hits women harder in long-term relationships
• The biology of safety, and how it drives attraction more than we realize
• What resentment and emotional load do to your sense of desire
• Why your Nervous System might be confusing “safe” with “boring”
• And why so many of us chase chaos or emotionally unavailable partners—even when we know better

Whether you’ve ever felt shut down, disconnected, or even confused about your own intimacy triggers, this episode will help you understand what’s actually going on under the surface—and how to start resetting your connection at the root.

This is the one to send to your partner. Or maybe even listen to with them.

Inside the episode, we explore:

• What your body is actually asking before intimacy
• The role of unconscious patterns and familiar dysfunction
• Why emotional safety is the true foundation of physical desire
• How to begin shifting out of resentment, even when life feels overwhelming

Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about RISE Into Regulation™ – the skillset for connection, communication, and Nervous System safety in modern marriage
• Follow Lauren on Instagram @lauren_dry

Enjoyed this episode?

Share it with a friend, leave a review, or tag Lauren with your thoughts and breakthroughs. You never know who might need to hear this today.

Did this episode hit home? There's a beautiful Reset Exercise I've prepared to get you out of your head and into your body again, in the next episode in this series - "Overwhelmed? Parts Work may be your Key to Compassion".

If you need any support and to chat further, come and hang out with me in instagram at @the.connection.catalyst

Sharing with you my BIGGEST love

Lauren x

Find Me: https://www.instagram.com/lauren_dry/

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