The Relationship Blueprint: Unlock Your Power of Connection

Send us Fan Mail Nobody warns you that bringing home a baby can bring home anxiety, grief, anger, and scary thoughts too. We sit down with Latasha Harrison McFarland from the Imago Center of Washington, D.C. to talk about the real transition into parenthood and why perinatal mental health deserves the same attention as feedings, sleep schedules, and pediatric appointments. From conception through...

Send us Fan Mail The hardest part of an argument is not the topic, it is the moment your body decides you are not safe. When that happens, we reach for defense, we project, we criticize, or we shut down and afterward we wonder, “What came over me?” I sit down with trauma specialist and Polysecure author Jessica Fern and restorative relationship facilitator David Cooley to map what is really happen...

Send us Fan Mail Sleep problems rarely start in the bedroom. They start in the stories we tell ourselves about worth, productivity, and whether we’re allowed to slow down. I’m joined by Kathryn Nicolai, creator of the world-famous Nothing Much Happens podcast, longtime yoga and mindfulness teacher, and author of On the Street Where You Live. Together we unpack why so many capable, caring people li...

Send us Fan Mail Anger has a strange superpower: it can make us feel strong in the exact moment we’re most likely to damage the relationship we care about. We sit down with Jill Wolf, an Imago therapist and faculty member, to unpack what anger is really doing in the body and why it so often fails as a communication strategy even when the complaint is valid.  We talk through the biology of anger ma...

Send us Fan Mail Addiction can make you feel like you’re watching someone disappear in slow motion, and we wanted to create something that feels honest, practical, and full of hope. I’m joined by Maureen Bryan, an addiction specialist and relationship therapist, and her son James Bryan, who’s been clean for over eight and a half years and now works as an addiction counselor and sober coach. Togeth...

Send us Fan Mail Your mind isn’t the enemy, even when it feels like it. We sit down with Gregg Bossen from Atlanta to unpack how Internal Family Systems (IFS) turned decades of inner chaos into something he can finally live with and lead. After years of therapy and a painful marriage ending that sent him into anxiety, insomnia, and a frightening spiral, Gregg found a different approach: stop fight...

Send us Fan Mail Ketamine is one of those words that can stop people cold and for good reason if all you’ve heard are headlines, overdoses, or “Hollywood drug” stories. So we slow it down and get specific: what does ketamine assisted psychotherapy look like when the goal is not just symptom relief, but helping a couple actually reconnect when they’re locked in defensiveness, blame, and the same pa...

Send us Fan Mail You can’t heal what your body still protects. Pain that won’t budge. A mind that understands the pattern but can’t change it. Relationships that stay stuck because your nervous system won’t let you soften. We wanted a conversation that goes deeper than advice, so I brought on my longtime friend Tanya Colucci, a myofascial release therapist and coach, to talk about what actually he...

Send us Fan Mail A toxic relationship can feel like love, adrenaline, and destiny all at once — and that’s exactly why it’s so hard to leave. In this episode of The Relationship Blueprint , Coco Kowal sits down with Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards , PhD in spiritual counseling and author of The Venus Fly Trap , to unpack the real mechanics behind toxic relational dynamics: childhood conditioning, shame,...

Send us Fan Mail Addiction does not just hurt the person drinking or using, it ripples through every relationship around them. We sit down with Suzanna to talk about what happens after the dramatic part is over: you leave treatment, you go home, and you still have to live inside your feelings. She shares how betrayal and anxious attachment helped ignite her alcohol use disorder, and why “if you lo...

Send us Fan Mail Most relationship conflict isn’t a lack of love, it’s a lack of structure when emotions spike. So we do something different here: My husband, Kevin, and I sit down and actually demonstrate an Imago Dialogue the way we practice it at home, using two chairs, a clear appointment, and one topic. You’ll hear how we regulate first, why we begin with appreciation, and how “knee to knee,...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of people hear stories about alcoholism and still think, “If it’s destroying your life, why not just stop?” We get it. That question makes perfect sense until you’re the one waking up more sober than you fell asleep and feeling your whole brain scream for the one thing you promised you wouldn’t touch again. We’re joined by Suzanna, who shares what it’s like to have alcohol a...

Send us Fan Mail What if the love you want isn’t something you find but something you build, moment by moment, with the person right in front of you? We sit down with Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt, the co-founders of Imago, to chart a practical route from the highs of romantic love through the grind of the power struggle into a third stage they call real love. Their promise is bold and g...

Send us Fan Mail A tender, unflinching story can change the way we think about healing. Destiny joins us to share how early childhood sexual abuse, grooming, and years of anxiety shaped her sense of self—and how therapy, faith, writing, and the quiet weight of a small dog helped her find safety again. We set a strong container with trigger guidance and then move with care, connecting her personal...

Send us Fan Mail Ever felt yourself shrink in a relationship even while you’re thriving at work? We dig into the hidden scripts that push women to overgive, stay likable at all costs, and walk on eggshells—and we show how to replace those scripts with boundaries, evidence, and dialogue that actually connect. Psychoanalyst and couples therapist Dr. Kerry O’Reilly joins us to name the silent message...

Send us Fan Mail What if sobriety is only the first chapter of healing? We sit down with Dr. Jana Wheeler, a psychiatric and wellness nurse practitioner, to unpack how mental health care—thoughtful assessment, smart medication, and steady therapy—can turn fragile recovery into a grounded, connected life. From pediatric roots to lifespan psychiatry, Jana’s path shows how compassion and science meet...

Send us Fan Mail Love rarely breaks on differences; it breaks on our inability to make space for them. We sit down with Dr. Raluca Anton—psychologist, author, and Imago faculty member—to unpack why couples often share the same core needs but use opposite coping styles to get there. One partner finds safety in structure and planning, the other in freedom and exploration. When those worlds collide,...

Send us Fan Mail We explore the hidden costs of emotional labor and how unspoken expectations drain couples, then map simple ways to share the load with clarity, compassion, and practice. Andrea Dindinger returns with practical scripts, the “emotional leader” idea, and her Loop Breaker course on ending repeat fights. • defining emotional labor and why it’s exhausting • naming transitions and creat...

Send us Fan Mail Therapist Kim Mackay-Pearson brings deep wisdom and compassion to grief counseling, helping individuals navigate loss while discovering pathways toward healing and hope. Kim creates safe spaces where people can honor their pain, reconnect with themselves, and reimagine life after grief. • Kim's journey into grief counseling began in middle school when selected for a program t...

Send us Fan Mail How do you respond when your child comes out as LGBTQ+? For many parents, this moment arrives without warning, triggering confusion, fear, and countless questions. Through Heather Hester's powerful story, we discover that this journey doesn't require perfect understanding—just an open heart. Heather never expected to become an LGBTQ+ advocate. Coming from a conservative...

Send us Fan Mail Therapist Andrea Dindinger reveals how the invisible mental and emotional labor in relationships can create disconnection and resentment when not acknowledged. She shares practical strategies for couples to identify, discuss, and redistribute this hidden workload. • "Invisible work" includes mental load of remembering details, planning, and coordinating that often goes u...

Send us Fan Mail What if everything you thought you knew about relationships was missing a crucial piece? That's the revelation Dr. Banu İbaoğlu Vaughn had despite years of clinical psychology training. "There comes a moment in each relationship where the pain of childhood comes to the surface, and that's what you wrestle with," she shares, recounting the transformative insight...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when depression isn't just in your head, but in your relationship? Certified Imago Advanced Relationship Therapist Trish Sanders takes us on a deeply personal journey through the landscape of depression, connection, and healing in this captivating conversation. Drawing from her 20+ years of clinical experience and her own marriage, Trish reveals how depression cr...

Send us Fan Mail Are you struggling to understand your partner's seemingly perplexing behaviors? The mystery might lie in neurodiversity – the natural variation in how human brains function.  In this eye-opening conversation, Imago therapist Ian Tomlinson brings his unique perspective as both a relationship expert and an autistic man diagnosed at 53. With warmth and candor, he dismantles harm...

Send us Fan Mail When betrayal shatters trust in a relationship, the cultural script is clear: there's a victim and a perpetrator. But what if we've been thinking about affairs all wrong? Master Imago therapist Gene Shelley guides us through a profound reframing of infidelity that moves beyond blame and judgment. With decades of clinical experience helping couples navigate the aftermath...