If you've been dating an avoidant man and you can't quite name what you've been tracking — this is for you. There's a paradox he can't articulate, and you've been guessing for your whole relationship. Today it gets language.

👉 Ready to stop performing your way through this? Book a 1:1 discovery call with Leslie: https://theloomlife.com

👉 If he's willing to do the work, send him the companion men's episode "Understanding Avoidant Attachment in Dating" on the For The Boys playlist.

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You are not crazy. You've been tracking something real. The fact that you can't quite name it is part of what makes the experience so disorienting — and it's the part the dating advice industrial complex never explains. In this companion episode to last week's For The Boys release, Leslie names what an avoidant man actually wants (yes, both things at once), why most online advice for women dating avoidant men is actively harmful, and what to do instead.

In this episode:

• The paradox he's been asking you to solve without telling you (and probably without knowing it himself)

• Why "have your own life" as a strategy doesn't work — and what does

• Performed distance vs. the real thing: why his nervous system can tell the difference instantly

• Leslie's own story: the four-month discard, the conversation that changed everything, and what she learned saying no

• The 5 things to actually do when you're dating an avoidant man

• How to tell the difference between a healing avoidant and an unhealed one (this is the whole game)

• Why "the full life is the point, not the bait"

This episode pairs with For The Boys Ep. 4: "Understanding Avoidant Attachment in Dating" — same information, written for the man on the other side of this conversation.

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🧵 ABOUT PULLING THREADS

Pulling Threads is a podcast hosted by Leslie Mathews — former attorney turned coach and host of The Loom Life. The show explores attachment, dating, divorce recovery, nervous system regulation, somatic work, and authentic living.

🌐 WORK WITH LESLIE

• Website: https://theloomlife.com

• Book a discovery call: https://theloomlife.com

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.loom.life

• TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@leslieellenmathews

📬 DROP A COMMENT

Did this land for you — especially section 5 on whether he closes the gap? Tell Leslie below.

00:00

Welcome — A Companion Piece for the Girls

01:00

You Are Not Crazy

02:00

Why Most Dating Advice for Women Is Wrong

03:00

What He Actually Wants

04:00

Both Needs at Once: The Paradox

05:00

Leslie's Story: The Air Filter Moment

07:00

What You've Already Learned in Your Body

08:00

Same Week, Opposite Signals

09:00

Where Dismissive Avoidance Comes From

10:00

What His Nervous System Is Scanning You For

11:00

Leslie's Full Life When They Met

12:00

The Middle: When She Stopped Saying No

13:00

Why His System Reads You as a Threat

14:00

Why the Internet's Advice Is Harmful

15:00

Performed Distance Is Still Engulfment

16:00

The "Orbiters"

17:00

The Full Life Is the Point, Not the Bait

18:00

The Four-Month Discard

19:00

The Calm Response That Changed Everything

21:00

The 5 Recommendations Start Here

22:00

1: Don't Text Him First All Day

22:30

2: Don't Make Him Your Primary Emotional Regulator

23:30

3: Let Him Pursue

24:00

4: Communicate Clearly, Not in Questions

24:30

5: Watch Whether He Closes the Gap

26:00

You're Not Weak. You're Not Too Much.

27:00

The Real Choice You Get to Make

28:00

Where to Find Leslie + Book a Call