The Link Between Insecure Attachment, Self Abandonment And Chronic Stress
Stronger in the Difficult Places
Release Date: 04/15/2025
3 Things My Divorce Taught Me About Co-Dependency
Stronger in the Difficult Places
What do you even call a divorce anniversary? Two years after the end of my marriage, I find myself reflecting—not on celebration, but on growth, healing, and the lessons heartbreak leaves behind. In this deeply personal episode, I’m sharing the three truths divorce taught me about co-dependency and how I’m learning to live and love differently. Whether you’re walking through the rubble of a relationship, navigating the lonely spaces of divorce, or stepping into love again with a hopeful but shaky heart, these lessons are for you. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why...
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The “Saving Him” Illusion: Love, Loss, and Finding Freedom
Stronger in the Difficult Places
So many women in difficult relationships hold onto a dangerous belief: if I just love him enough, I can save him. Psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott knows this illusion all too well. In her memoir Nightbird (Pierian Springs Press, May 12), she unflinchingly shares her journey through an emotionally abusive marriage, her husband’s tragic suicide, and the painful yet liberating process of rebuilding her life. In this conversation, Shavaun and I explore: Why so many women feel responsible for “saving” their partners—and how that belief keeps us trapped. How suicide or the threat of...
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Listen Like You Mean It - The Relationship Shift That Starts With Listening
Stronger in the Difficult Places
In a world where we’re taught to speak up, make our point, and persuade, the skill of listening often gets overlooked—and undervalued. Yet listening, when done well, can transform our relationships far more than talking or lecturing ever could. In this episode of Stronger in the Difficult Places, Dr. Zoe sits down with Licensed Professional Counselor Gina Yanovitch to explore how truly hearing others can deepen understanding, foster connection, and defuse conflict. Gina, author of Stop Avoiding It, shares how coping skills, neuroscience, and scripture can help us move out of our emotional...
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Staying Married Is the Hardest Part: Infidelity, Empathy, and the Glue That Holds Us Together
Stronger in the Difficult Places
What does it really take to make a long-term marriage work and why do so many couples struggle to stay connected over time? In this episode, I sit down with psychologist and author Dr. Bonnie Comfort to explore the hard truths and hopeful tools behind enduring love. With over 30 years of experience working with couples, Dr. Comfort offers a candid look into the complexities of modern marriage, the emotional minefield of infidelity, and why empathy, not perfection, is the real glue that holds relationships together. We talk about the cultural conditioning that encourages women to be overly...
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Dear Brave Soul: When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned- Shame, Blame And Other Things We Aren't Meant To Carry
Stronger in the Difficult Places
What do you do when life takes a turn you never asked for? When the diagnosis, the betrayal, the loss, or the slow unraveling of your plans leaves you feeling like the wrong person for the job? In this deeply personal and compassionate episode, Dr. Zoe reads a letter to anyone facing a life they didn’t expect. Originally written for an anthology, this letter was adapted for anyone navigating life-changing pain, disorientation, or shame. Whether you’re in the midst of grief, struggling with a sudden shift in identity, or simply wondering how to move forward this episode is a lifeline....
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How Men Are Conditioned to Emotionally Abandon us
Stronger in the Difficult Places
Why do so many women find themselves in relationships where they’re doing all the emotional labor? And what role does childhood—and especially the way we raise boys—play in this dynamic? In today’s powerful episode, Dr. Gloria K. Vanderhorst joins me to unpack the lifelong impact of early emotional conditioning—particularly for boys. With over 50 years of experience working with individuals, families, and schools, Dr. Gloria brings deep insight into how our earliest experiences shape how we love, relate, and often repeat patterns without even realizing it. We explore why boys are...
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Anxiety Is Just Energy: Tools to Calm Your Relationship Anxiety
Stronger in the Difficult Places
What if anxiety wasn’t the enemy, but a signal? In this powerful episode, Dr. Zoe talks with psychotherapist and transformational coach Bonnie Brindle about why anxiety is just energy—and how to channel it instead of being ruled by it. Bonnie shares her own story of living with intense anxiety, what finally helped her break free, and the surprising way your energy system could be sabotaging your calm. You’ll walk away with practical, empowering tools to regulate your nervous system before hard conversations, build internal trust, and quiet your mind when your relationship feels...
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Enmeshment, Co-dependence, and What Healthy Connection Actually Looks Like
Stronger in the Difficult Places
Welcome back to Stronger in the Difficult Places. I’m your host, Dr. Zoe, and today we’re digging deep into a topic that hits close to home for so many women in difficult relationships: the difference between enmeshment, co-dependence, and healthy interdependence. These patterns can be hard to recognize when they’re all you’ve ever known. Maybe you were taught that love means sacrifice. That closeness means never saying no. That boundaries are rejection. But the truth? Real love doesn’t require you to disappear. In this episode, you’ll learn: The key differences between enmeshment...
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Overcoming Guilt, Shame, and Blame in the Face of Our Children’s Struggles
Stronger in the Difficult Places
In this powerful episode, Dr. Zoe sits down with author and biblical life coach Dawn Ward to talk about the often-invisible toll that guilt, shame, and self-blame take on mothers of addicted children. Dawn shares how faith helped her move forward in her calling, even while her loved ones were still in the midst of their struggle. Together, they explore how trauma can keep us stuck, what it means to truly feel again, and how to reclaim peace without waiting for the perfect outcome. Dawn Ward is an author, speaker, Bible teacher, and a certified biblical life coach. She is the founder of The...
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What To Do When You Don’t Trust Your Partner
Stronger in the Difficult Places
Trust is the foundation of every healthy relationship—and when it breaks, it can feel like your world is unraveling. In this deeply honest and empowering episode, Dr. Zoe speaks to the woman who finds herself in the painful in-between: staying in a relationship with a partner she no longer fully trusts. Whether the betrayal is emotional, financial, or physical—or the result of consistent minimization of your needs—Dr. Zoe shares five powerful steps to help you regain clarity, agency, and peace. This episode isn’t about making the decision to stay or leave. It’s about choosing...
info_outlineIn this episode, we dive deep into the body’s role in healing with Kate, a physical therapist, author, and embodied freedom and transformation coach. Kate specializes in helping service-driven women who feel like they're falling apart—overwhelmed, exhausted, and trapped in cycles of chronic anxiety, pain, and fatigue.
We also unpacked how shame shapes our identity and how the unhealed stress and trauma we carry doesn’t just affect us—it ripples into our relationships. When we stay disconnected from our bodies, we struggle to show up fully for ourselves and others. But when we begin to listen, release, and heal, we open the door to deeper connection, compassion, and freedom.
With a background in neuro and pain science, she offers a powerful lens into how stress and trauma are held in the body—and how releasing them can create real transformation. We talked about what it means to come back to your body, how physical tension reflects emotional holding, and she even guided me through some surprising exercises to uncover what I’ve been carrying.
This conversation is a reminder that healing isn’t just a mental process. It’s physical. It’s embodied. And it’s deeply personal.
Resources & Mentions:
Her book: The Good Girl RX
Freebie: Sneak Peek of The Good Girl RX
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