Derek Rutter is a therapist in private practice in Asheville, North Carolina. His approach specializes in using somatic parts work in the treatment of trauma, addiction, and attachment wounds. In addition to working as a therapist, Derek is a father, partner, artist and athlete. He loves the big questions and cherishes the small things. Some people think he's funny.

In this episode, Derek and I discuss the idea that deliberately seeking or accepting discomfort and stress – rather than avoiding them – is often beneficial for growth, motivation, resilience, and performance. The core reframe is simple: discomfort is not automatically a problem or a threat to escape; it can be a useful signal of progress, learning, and expanding capacity.

Derek Rutter contact info:

Website: onebreathcounseling.net

Email: [email protected]

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

Aaron Froehlich moved to North Carolina in 2022 seeking a more intimate connection to the nature along with a deeper experience of belonging through community. He is a lifelong spiritual seeker and meditation practitioner, an avid student and teacher of Compassionate Communication as well as an active volunteer with Emberlight, the Center for Conscious Living and Dying. He works for Cornell University and is the proud father of two grown sons.

In this episode, Aaron and I have a conversation about grief. Grief is one of the few experiences that is both completely universal and stubbornly particular. Every human who loves will lose, and yet no two losses fee the same – not even to the same person at different points in life. Aaron and I share some of our personal stories of grief and loss and the lessons and insights that continue to show themselves.

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

Neil Taylor is the Founder and CEO of Me & My Old Man, a family storytelling project and podcast designed to help families preserve the life stories, voices, and memories of their parents and grandparents.

In this episode, Neil and I discuss the importance of not putting off asking our parents' stories. What kind of questions are meaningful to ask and to not avoid asking what you really want to know. Neil tells his story of how he came up with the idea of his present work called "Me and My Old Man". This conversation will hopefully spur your own desire to get those stories down!

Connect with Neil:

• Me and My Old Man

• Neil Taylor on Instagram

• Neil Taylor on LinkedIn

• Email: [email protected]

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

Corey Costanzo is the Co-Owner of Asheville's Still Point Wellness Spa, a licensed addiction counselor, trauma specialist, licensed massage and bodywork therapist, master didgeridoo player, colleague, and my good friend.

In this episode, Corey and I continue our conversation about the challenges in talking about hard topics and ways we avoid doing it. We share personal stories as well as understandings in our work as therapists. We discuss the term "protective buffering" and how that pertains to avoiding hard topics. Many people dodge uncomfortable conversations to keep the peace, but that usually just builds resentment, misunderstandings, and eventual explosions.

Connect with Corey:

• Still Point Wellness
• Still Point Wellness on Instagram
• Still Point Wellness on Facebook
• Still Point Wellness on Pinterest
• Corey Costanzo on LinkedIn
• Email: [email protected]

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

In this solocast I answer two listeners' questions.

1. How do I know this is the right person for me and if not how to know when to break up?
2. How do i express my needs with the conversation not turning into a fight?

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

Check out our Guided Audio Practices, Meditations, and Workshops at Relationships! Let's Learn About It.

You can check out the original songs I have sung on my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

Aaron Froehlich moved to North Carolina in 2022 seeking a more intimate connection to the nature along with a deeper experience of belonging through community. He is a lifelong spiritual seeker and meditation practitioner, an avid student and teacher of Compassionate Communication as well as an active volunteer with Emberlight, the Center for Conscious Living and Dying. He works for Cornell University and is the proud father of two grown sons.

In this episode, Aaron and I have a conversation about unhealed shame. We discuss how shame operates subtly and often unconsciously, driving self-protective behaviors that undermine intimacy, trust, and connection. We talk about our personal relationship with shame and the common patterns it shows itself that include withdrawal or emotional shutdown, defensiveness, criticism, blame, perfectionism, people-pleasing, settling, avoidance of intimacy and fear-driven cycles.

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

Corey Costanzo is the Co-Owner of Asheville's Still Point Wellness Spa, a licensed addiction counselor, trauma specialist, licensed massage and bodywork therapist, master didgeridoo player, colleague, and my good friend.

In this episode, Corey and I have a conversation about the challenges in talking about hard topics and ways we avoid doing it. We share personal stories as well as understandings in our work as therapists. Avoiding hard topic is one of the biggest silent killers in relationships. Many people dodge uncomfortable conversations to keep the peace, but that usually just builds resentment, misunderstandings, and eventual explosions.

Connect with Corey:

• Still Point Wellness
• Still Point Wellness on Instagram
• Still Point Wellness on Facebook
• Still Point Wellness on Pinterest
• Corey Costanzo on LinkedIn
• Email: [email protected]

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

In this solocast I talk about probably the most important decision you will make in your life, choosing a partner. A strong match can amplify happiness, health and success for decades; where a poor one can drain energy, create chaos and affect children adversely. In the beginning when dating, date with intention rather than desperation or just entertainment. Know yourself well so you are clearer in what you are experiencing that is right for you. Many people also avoid deeper questions in the beginning of their relationship. I give examples of some of these questions to get clearer and not just caught up in the attraction. It is important that you pay attention to consistency in availability, response to your needs, and comfort with vulnerability. Choose Well!

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

Check out our Guided Audio Practices, Meditations, and Workshops at Relationships! Let's Learn About It.

You can check out the original songs I have sung on my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

Phoebe Klaus, L.Ac, MTOM is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine specializing in pediatric and teen wellness. A joyful devotee of Mother Earth, she explores the deep relationships between people, plants, and the spirit that connects all living things. From her off-grid home in the Appalachian forest, Phoebe spends her days growing and processing herbs, tending her homestead, and learning from the wisdom of both nature and human culture. She shares this life of wonder and joy with her husband, three teens, baby daughter, and two dogs.

In this episode, Phoebe and I talk about her experience of "re-mothering" herself as a result of losing her mother at a very young age. She describes the process of intentionally giving herself the nurturing, safety, and unconditional love that a healthy mother would have provided in her life. Phoebe talks about how this process is a powerful, ongoing act of self-healing rather than a one-time fix.

Connect with Phoebe:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.abundantnaturalhealing.com

Substack: Phoebe's substack

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

Derek Rutter is a therapist in private practice in Asheville, North Carolina. His approach specializes in using somatic parts work in the treatment of trauma, addiction, and attachment wounds. In addition to working as a therapist, Derek is a father, partner, artist and athlete. He loves the big questions and cherishes the small things. Some people think he's funny.

In this episode, Derek and I have a conversation about the importance of respecting other people's boundaries. It shows respect for autonomy-treating people as capable adults rather than extension of your needs, builds trust and safety-people feel secure opening up when they know their limits won't be pushed, and it models good behavior-when you respect others, they're more likely to respect yours. Respecting other people's boundaries is a foundational skill for healthy relationships, emotional intelligence, and mutual trust.

Derek Rutter contact info:

Website: onebreathcounseling.net

Email: [email protected]

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson

In this solocast I talk about how love is a verb, it is in our actions. Possessiveness is usually guised in what people believe love is or in their ways they love. So we need to choose loving action over control. The idea that love is a verb emphasizes that love isn't primarily a passive feeling, emotion, or static "thing" you fall into or possess. Instead it's an active practice; a series of deliberate actions, choices, and behaviors you engage in daily. Possessiveness often shows up in jealousy, monitoring, restricting freedoms, emotional manipulation to name a few and it can erode trust and safety. I discuss practical ways to practice verb-love over possession.

Related Content: Other Podcast Episodes

Disillusionment and Egolessness in Love

HeartShare: Is Love a Choice or a Feeling

Managing Expectations in Relationships

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

Check out our Guided Audio Practices, Meditations, and Workshops at Relationships! Let's Learn About It.

You can check out the original songs I have sung on my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs.

Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Sound Production by Matt Carlson