In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with Jonathon Aslay, one of America’s leading midlife self-love and relationship coaches and author of What the Heck Is Self-Love Anyway?, to explore the connection between self-worth, emotional maturity, dating, and the people we choose to build relationships with.

Jonathon challenges the way many people approach dating today. Instead of treating dating as a performance centered around attraction, romance, and trying to impress someone, he argues that its real purpose is to vet another person for compatibility, trust, emotional maturity, and the potential for a healthy relationship.

The conversation goes deeper into Jonathon’s idea of the “emotional six-year-old” within each of us. He explains how fears, insecurities, limiting beliefs, past experiences, and emotional wounds can quietly influence the way we behave in relationships, even when we believe we are emotionally mature adults.

Reza and Jonathon also discuss one of the biggest traps in modern dating: using attention, matches, messages, or another person’s interest as proof of your value. Jonathon explains why developing self-awareness and separating your worth from external validation can help you become a healthier partner and approach dating with greater emotional stability.

They also explore why relationships can become powerful vehicles for personal growth. Being close to another person inevitably exposes insecurities, triggers, attachment patterns, and emotional wounds that may remain hidden when we are alone.

The conversation then turns to modern dating advice, the rise of the manosphere, and why so much relationship content online can create division between men and women rather than teaching people how to build healthy partnerships. Jonathon argues that successful dating ultimately requires becoming a “detective” for truth, authenticity, vulnerability, shared values, and emotional maturity.

Finally, Reza and Jonathon discuss anxious attachment, self-soothing, and what to do when your mind starts creating negative stories because a partner has not texted back or responded the way you expected. The answer is not eliminating every trigger, but developing the awareness and emotional regulation to recognize what is actually happening.

A thoughtful conversation about self-love, dating, attachment, emotional regulation, authenticity, and becoming a healthier person before expecting another person to make you feel whole.

Learn more about Jonathon Aslay through his YouTube channel, website, social media, and his book What the Heck Is Self-Love Anyway?

In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with Bentzy Goldman, an accredited men’s coach who helps ambitious men reclaim their attention, strengthen their relationships, and live with greater integrity. Together, they explore men’s complicated relationship with attraction, attention, confidence, and validation from women.

Is wanting attention from women automatically unhealthy? Bentzy argues that attraction and the desire to feel wanted are natural, but the bigger question is how much of your identity, motivation, and energy depend on receiving that validation. The conversation explores the difference between taking care of yourself because you respect yourself and doing it primarily to gain approval from others.

Bentzy explains why real confidence is not something that can simply be manufactured through appearances, attention, or social status. Instead, he believes deeper confidence develops through self-mastery, personal growth, and becoming someone whose actions align with his values.

Reza and Bentzy also break down the difference between healthy and unhealthy validation. Validation from a partner, close friends, or people who genuinely know you can carry very different meaning than approval from strangers online. The key question becomes: Are you desperately seeking validation to feel worthy, or are you receiving it naturally as a byproduct of how you live and treat the people around you?

The conversation then turns to one of the biggest challenges of modern life: social media. Reza openly discusses the emotional impact of views, likes, and engagement, while Bentzy explains why these platforms can become so psychologically difficult to step away from. They discuss digital detoxing, removing notifications, limiting access, and learning to create without allowing an algorithm to determine the value of your work or your self-worth.
A candid conversation about men, confidence, attraction, social media, self-mastery, and learning to enjoy validation without becoming dependent on it.

Learn more about Bentzy and his work through The Free Man and his coaching focused on helping men develop stronger identities, healthier relationships, and greater control over their attention.

In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with Howard Minor, author of The Dice of Life and the Role They Play, to explore a fascinating question: How much of life and love is within our control, and how much simply comes down to luck? Howard’s “dice” philosophy looks at life as a combination of circumstances, natural abilities, personal choices, effort, and probability.

Howard explains that we are all handed certain “dice” we cannot control, including where we are born, our family circumstances, genetics, childhood experiences, and natural abilities. But as we grow, we also develop dice we can influence through our habits, skills, decisions, and the way we respond to life. The goal is not to guarantee an outcome, but to continually improve our odds.

Reza and Howard apply this idea directly to dating and relationships. Even if you work on yourself, improve your communication, become more confident, and make better choices, there is still no guarantee that a relationship will work out. Howard argues that understanding yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses, and the unique “dice” you carry can help you make smarter decisions without comparing your results to someone else’s life.

The conversation also takes a fun turn as Reza and Howard apply the dice theory to George, Jerry, and Kramer from Seinfeld, exploring how completely different personalities, strengths, insecurities, and forms of confidence can all create attraction in different ways.

They also discuss social media, comparison, reputation, and the complicated meaning of authenticity. How much of yourself should you show to the world? Can you remain completely true to who you are while still adapting how you communicate depending on the person and situation? Howard argues that authenticity does not mean abandoning judgment or social awareness.
Ultimately, this episode is a conversation about accepting that life is not always fair and outcomes are never guaranteed, while still taking responsibility for the things we can control. You may not control every roll of the dice, but you can keep improving the ones already in your hand.

Learn more about Howard and his work at HowardMiner.com, where you can also find The Dice of Life and the Role They Play.

In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with Justin Smith, entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Cray, a dating safety app designed to help people recognize red flags, identify concerning patterns, and make safer decisions in dating and relationships. Justin created Cray after a devastating experience at the end of an eight-year relationship inspired him to help others recognize warning signs sooner.

Reza and Justin explore one of the biggest questions in modern dating: Why do people ignore obvious red flags even when something feels wrong? They discuss how loneliness, attraction, love bombing, past experiences, and emotional investment can make unhealthy behavior easier to rationalize or overlook.

Justin also breaks down how Cray works, including tools designed to evaluate red flags, possible scheming behavior, catfishing concerns, and relationship patterns. The goal is not to publicly shame people, but to give users a structured way to evaluate what they are seeing and become more aware of potentially unhealthy dynamics.

The conversation goes deeper into the challenge of spotting incongruence, when someone’s words, behavior, and actions do not seem to match. Justin explains why any tool is ultimately only as effective as the user’s willingness to look at a situation clearly and why learning about red flags before becoming emotionally invested can make such a major difference.

Justin also shares the personal story behind Cray and how his own relationship experience motivated him to build something that could serve as a sounding board for people questioning whether the behavior they are seeing is actually a warning sign.

A candid conversation about modern dating, red flags, manipulation, self-awareness, technology, and learning to trust patterns instead of getting carried away by the initial vibe.

Learn more about Justin and Cray at Cray.app and through @cray.app on social media.

In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with Sandy Gerber, communication coach, emotional intelligence trainer, TEDx speaker, and best-selling author of Emotional Magnetism, to explore why even highly successful people can struggle to communicate effectively in their closest relationships.

Sandy breaks down why communication at work can feel completely different from communication at home, and why professional success does not automatically translate into strong personal relationships. She shares her own experience of appearing successful professionally while struggling personally, and how that realization led her to study communication and emotional intelligence.

The conversation dives into Sandy’s concept of Emotional Magnetism and the four emotional magnets she calls SAVE: Safety, Achievement, Value, and Experience. Understanding what emotionally drives another person can help you communicate in a way that actually connects with them, whether you’re talking to a partner, a boss, a colleague, or someone you’re dating.
Reza and Sandy also discuss how to communicate with difficult bosses, stay composed when emotions rise, improve confidence in job interviews, use body language to build connection, and become more intentional about the way you present yourself to others.
Finally, they explore communication in modern dating, including how to ask deeper questions earlier, recognize possible incongruence, trust your instincts, and approach relationships with more courage and curiosity.

A practical and insightful conversation about emotional intelligence, confidence, relationships, leadership, and learning how to communicate in a way that makes people feel understood.

Learn more about Sandy through sandygerber.com, her book Emotional Magnetism, and her podcast Magnetic Communication.

In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with Kameran Alareqi, Gottman-certified marriage coach, host of the Married and Connected podcast, and founder of Recognizing Potential, for a candid conversation about respect, contempt, communication, masculinity, and intimacy in relationships.

What happens when criticism, teasing, public embarrassment, or passive-aggressive comments become normal in a relationship? Kameran explains why these behaviors can be signs of deeper resentment and contempt, how unhealthy communication patterns often develop, and why both partners need to look at their own role in changing the dynamic.

Reza and Kameran also get into what healthy leadership actually looks like in a relationship, the importance of listening rather than simply hearing your partner, setting boundaries when disrespect continues, and why emotional safety and connection are essential to maintaining intimacy.
Finally, they tackle one of the biggest fears surrounding long-term relationships: Does sex inevitably get worse after marriage? Kameran challenges that idea and explains how safety, connection, vulnerability, and emotional intimacy can actually create a stronger relationship inside and outside the bedroom.

A direct and thought-provoking conversation about how couples can move from resentment and disrespect toward connection, accountability, and a stronger partnership.

Follow Kameran and learn more about her work through Married and Connected and Recognizing Potential.

In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with author, entrepreneur, educator, and single mother N.K. Navarro for a funny, vulnerable, and deeply honest conversation about dating after 40.

N.K. shares the experiences that inspired her book, When the Bar Is in Hell: Dating at 40, including dating apps, heartbreak, emotional unavailability, repeated red flags, and the pressure to appear as though you have life completely figured out.

They discuss why age and professional success do not automatically create emotional maturity, how ego and control can damage relationships, and why accomplished people may still struggle to recognize their own unhealthy patterns. N.K. opens up about approaching relationships like business projects, believing she could fix her partners, and eventually realizing that personal growth required accountability, humility, and stronger boundaries.

The conversation also explores parenting through difficult circumstances, starting over in midlife, learning to stop choosing the same type of partner, and recognizing the difference between loving someone for who they are and loving their potential.

Despite everything she has experienced, N.K. explains why she still believes deeply in love and what a healthy relationship would look like for her today.

This episode is an entertaining and insightful conversation about modern dating, self-worth, emotional growth, and learning to trust yourself again.

In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with Dr. Joshua Pritikin, an Internal Family Systems certified practitioner, psychological counselor, and author of Religion Unburdened by Belief.

Joshua explains the inspiration behind his book and explores the complex relationship between psychology, religion, spirituality, and personal development. They discuss how experiences viewed as psychological symptoms in one context may be interpreted as spiritual experiences in another, raising important questions about how we understand the human mind.

The conversation then explores Internal Family Systems, also known as IFS, and the idea that each of us has different emotional parts with their own fears, needs, and motivations. Joshua explains the difference between being controlled by an emotion and remaining aware of it while still choosing how to respond.

They also discuss emotional intelligence, managing anger, improving communication between couples, and how partners can slow down difficult conversations without becoming defensive or overwhelmed. Joshua shares why healthy communication is not only about using the perfect words, but also about understanding which emotional part of us is speaking.

The episode concludes with a discussion about meditation, psychedelics, mental health, and the ideas explored in Religion Unburdened by Belief.

This episode is a fascinating conversation about understanding ourselves, developing greater inner harmony, and building healthier relationships with both our partners and the different parts within us.

In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with Jessica Schiller of Mozen Wellness for a thought-provoking conversation about the emotional, physical, and spiritual energy we carry throughout our lives.

Jessica shares her perspective on negative energy, emotional triggers, trauma, and why difficult experiences can sometimes become opportunities for growth. They discuss how to recognize when an environment or relationship is genuinely harmful, when discomfort may be revealing something within us, and why setting clear boundaries is essential for protecting our peace.

The conversation also explores the Persian belief in the evil eye, the importance of not becoming overly attached to either positive or negative circumstances, and how our surroundings, media consumption, relationships, and daily habits may influence our internal state.

Jessica closes the episode by sharing practical ways to create a daily energy practice, including becoming more intentional about what we allow into our lives, developing greater awareness of how stress is held in the body, and using movement, meditation, and sound as tools for emotional regulation and personal healing.

This episode is an open and engaging conversation about protecting your inner peace, transforming difficult emotions, and becoming more intentional about the energy you carry and share with others.

In this episode of The Rez Podcast, Reza sits down with licensed professional counselor, author, and leadership consultant Michael T. Brown for a practical conversation about building healthier relationships and becoming a more self-aware partner.

Michael explains what a genuinely healthy relationship looks like, whether people should stop dating while they “work on themselves,” and why repeatedly choosing the wrong partners may point to deeper personal patterns. They also discuss the red flags people should not ignore, the importance of kindness, compatibility, communication, and trust, and why trying to change or fix a partner often leads to disappointment.

The conversation then shifts to mental health, including how to find the right therapist, how to get more value from counseling, and whether people should openly share their mental health challenges. Michael offers a balanced perspective on honesty, vulnerability, personal freedom, and knowing when to use discretion.

This episode is an honest and thoughtful discussion about relationships, therapy, personal growth, and learning to see people as they truly are instead of simply seeing who we hope they will become.