Dear Dr. Tracy

In this solo episode, clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish invites listeners into the real emotional landscape of the holidays, far beyond picture perfect family photos. She shares five powerful reflections to help couples and parents move through holiday stress with more connection, less pressure, and a lot more self compassion. Drawing from her experience as a highly sensitive person and a mom to a highly sensitive child, Dr. Tracy explores what it means to hold big feelings on Christmas morning, respond to disappointment without shame, and let go of the belief that kids must always be grateful and happy to make the day a success. She also unpacks how resentment shows up between partners around traditions, mental load, and invisible work, and why communicating expectations before the holiday is essential for staying on the same team. Book #1https://drtracyd.com/i-didn-t-sign-up-for-thisBook #2https://drtracyd.com/you-your-husband-and-his-mother Challenge Your Assumptionshttps://drtracyd.mykajabi.com/assumption 30 Days to Us Challengehttps://drtracyd.mykajabi.com/offers/B2s9epue/checkout RESOURCES: Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ready to deepen your connection?⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠⁠⁠ LINKS: ⁠⁠HelloFresh:⁠⁠ Get 10 Free Meals ⁠⁠hellofresh.com/TRACY10FM⁠⁠ ⁠⁠NativePath:⁠⁠ Special Bundle deal at ⁠⁠getnativepath.com/Tracy⁠⁠ Rula: Get the support you need with ⁠⁠rula.com/Tracy⁠⁠ ⁠⁠KiwiCo:⁠⁠ Save 50% off with code TRACY ⁠⁠KiwiCo.Com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Vionic Shoes⁠⁠⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the year winds down, many couples reflect on work, finances, and goals—but often forget to reflect on their relationship. In this episode, clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish shares why an end-of-year relationship check-in is one of the most powerful tools couples can use to move out of autopilot and into intention. This conversation isn’t about fixing, blaming, or problem-solving. It’s about pausing, listening, and creating shared meaning. Drawing on relationship research and the Gottmans’ work on connection, Dr. Tracy explains how intentional reflection helps couples break reactive patterns and feel more secure and aligned. She offers one deceptively simple but deeply impactful question to ask your partner—and guidance on how to listen without defensiveness. This episode is a gentle invitation to slow down, reconnect, and intentionally shape the year ahead together. Free Annual Relationship Check-In - Apple Usershttps://apps.apple.com/ca/app/be-connected-relationships/id6749022241Free Annual Relationship Check-In - Google Play Usershttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj134873.appFree Relationship Quizhttps://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/5f4b84f59cc5d6001429f108 RESOURCES: Order my new book! ⁠⁠You, Your Husband, and His Mother⁠⁠ Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ready to deepen your connection?⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠⁠⁠ LINKS: ⁠⁠HelloFresh:⁠⁠ Get 10 Free Meals ⁠⁠hellofresh.com/TRACY10FM⁠⁠ ⁠⁠NativePath:⁠⁠ Special Bundle deal at ⁠⁠getnativepath.com/Tracy⁠⁠ Rula: Get the support you need with ⁠⁠rula.com/Tracy⁠⁠ ⁠⁠KiwiCo:⁠⁠ Save 50% off with code TRACY ⁠⁠KiwiCo.Com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Vionic Shoes⁠⁠⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Tracy Dalgleish answers listener questions on caregiving burnout when a partner has chronic health issues, using Spoon Theory to protect the relationship without losing yourself. She shares practical scripts for rebalancing roles during flare-ups, nervous system regulation tools, and ways to support kids with honesty, predictability, and emotional safety. The episode also covers how to stay connected to a younger sister in an emotionally abusive relationship while avoiding the drama triangle, plus navigating “low effort” in-laws who show love through gifts. Finally, Dr. Tracy offers guidance on estate planning conflict, resentment, boundaries, and staying united as a couple, and how to support a partner with emotionally neglectful parents while protecting your children. RESOURCES IN THIS EPISODE: Submit a Question for the Podcasthttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScKBYWwVsUAAwh31qEJmKK6iSQ7b0tKF3UD7fMcTufSEPVGqw/viewformCouples IntensiveInner Calm Workshop inside Be Connectedhttps://drtracyd.com/be-connected10 Rules for Hard Conversationshttps://drtracyd.mykajabi.com/ten RESOURCES: Order my new book! ⁠You, Your Husband, and His Mother⁠ Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz:⁠ ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠⁠ Ready to deepen your connection?⁠ ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠⁠ LINKS: ⁠HelloFresh:⁠ Get 10 Free Meals ⁠hellofresh.com/TRACY10FM⁠ ⁠NativePath:⁠ Special Bundle deal at ⁠getnativepath.com/Tracy⁠ Rula: Get the support you need with ⁠rula.com/Tracy⁠ ⁠KiwiCo:⁠ Save 50% off with code TRACY ⁠KiwiCo.Com⁠ ⁠⁠Vionic Shoes⁠⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this From The Couch episode, clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish unpacks a painful but common experience many couples face in in law relationships: The moment when a partner seems to disappear emotionally after stepping into their family of origin, leaving the other partner feeling alone, unprotected, or disconnected. Dr. Tracy explains why this shift happens, drawing on family roles, nervous system responses, and inner child patterns that resurface in familiar environments. She clarifies why this is not about choosing parents over a partner, but about old survival strategies taking over without awareness. The real wound, she explains, is not just in law behavior, but the loss of the couple bond in these moments. This episode reframes the goal from setting perfect boundaries to learning how to stay connected as a team. Listeners will hear practical questions and small, grounding strategies couples can use to protect their relationship while navigating difficult family dynamics. IN THIS EPISODE: Get immediate support for your relationship: Join Be Connected Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz:⁠ ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠⁠ RESOURCES: Order my new book! You, Your Husband, and His Mother Want your questions answered on the show? ⁠⁠Submit them here!⁠⁠     Ready to deepen your connection? ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠ Build better connection and feel close starting today. Join the ⁠⁠30 Days to Us Challenge⁠⁠ LINKS: HelloFresh:⁠ Get 10 Free Meals ⁠hellofresh.com/TRACY10FM⁠ ⁠NativePath:⁠ Special Bundle deal at ⁠getnativepath.com/Tracy⁠ Rula: Get the support you need with ⁠rula.com/Tracy KiwiCo: Save 50% off with code TRACY KiwiCo.Com ⁠Vionic Shoes⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this candid conversation, clinical psychologist Dr. Tracy Dalgleish and her husband Greg unpack a real moment from their own marriage to explore one of the most common and misunderstood relational challenges dismissiveness. Together they break down why phrases like “you’re right,” “everything will be fine,” and “don’t you think you’re being sensitive” leave partners feeling unseen and alone, even when the intent behind them is positive. Dr. Tracy explains how dismissiveness is often a nervous system response shaped by socialization, attachment patterns, and learned family dynamics, while Greg reflects on the pressures men feel to fix, solve, and move on quickly. Listeners will learn practical tools to interrupt dismissive patterns, slow down reactive cycles, stay curious, repair in real time, and communicate more effectively. This episode offers a relatable look into how couples can transform quick shutdowns into deeper connection and understanding. Links in Show Notes Be Connected Relationship Support https://drtracyd.com/be-connected 30 Days to Us https://drtracyd.mykajabi.com/offers/B2s9epue/checkout Scripts for Defensiveness https://drtracyd.mykajabi.com/defensive RESOURCES: Order my new book! You, Your Husband, and His Mother Want your questions answered on the show? ⁠⁠Submit them here!⁠⁠     Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz: ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠ Ready to deepen your connection? ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠ LINKS: HelloFresh: Get 10 Free Meals hellofresh.com/TRACY10FM NativePath: Special Bundle deal at getnativepath.com/Tracy Rula: Get the support you need with rula.com/Tracy KiwiCo: Save 50% off with code TRACY KiwiCo.Com ⁠Vionic Shoes⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. Tracy Dalgleish shares two of her most trusted strategies for navigating difficult family dynamics—especially during the holiday season when old patterns, expectations, and nervous system triggers tend to flare. Drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, she explains why we can’t change or control others, and how “dropping the rope” and questioning the stories we tell ourselves can immediately shift our emotional state. With relatable examples, practical guidance, and a compassionate lens, Dr. Tracy helps listeners step out of old cycles, reclaim their bandwidth, and stay grounded—even when others refuse to meet them halfway.You’ll Learn:Why trying to change or convince others keeps you stuck in emotional tug-of-warWhat “dropping the rope” really means—and how it protects your peaceHow family dynamics and nervous system activation intensify during the holidaysThe power of asking, “Is this the story I want to tell myself right now?”How to move out of mental spiraling and into present-moment grounding RESOURCES: Order my new book! You, Your Husband, and His Mother Want your questions answered on the show? ⁠⁠Submit them here!⁠⁠     Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz: ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠ Ready to deepen your connection? ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠ Build better connection and feel close starting today. Join the ⁠⁠30 Days to Us Challenge⁠⁠ LINKS: Calm: Save 40% off at calm.com/Tracy NativePath: Special Bundle deal at getnativepath.com/Tracy Rula: Get the support you need with rula.com/Tracy KiwiCo: Save 50% off with code TRACY KiwiCo.Com⁠Vionic Shoes⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. Tracy Dalgleish unpacks one of the most painful and confusing dynamics she sees in couples: being warmly welcomed into a partner’s family—only to later become the outsider. Through a powerful listener story, she explores why these sudden shifts occur, how family systems create scapegoats, and why meaningful accountability is often out of reach. Dr. Tracy also breaks down what real repair looks like, how to protect your emotional wellbeing, and how to stay united with your partner when extended-family patterns threaten your connection.Whether listeners have felt rejected by in-laws, misunderstood, or pushed to the margins of a family they once felt part of, this conversation offers clarity, validation, and a grounded path forward.What You’ll LearnWhy some in-law relationships shift dramatically after major life transitions—especially becoming parentsHow family systems unconsciously create scapegoats and maintain old rolesWhy apologies and accountability can feel impossible in certain family structuresHow to protect your emotional safety without escalating conflictPractical ways to stay aligned with your partner when extended-family dynamics get in the wayWhat real repair looks like—and how couples can rebuild trust together Download my TEN QUESTIONS to ask yourself to get out of your assumptions and stories. RESOURCES: Order my new book! You, Your Husband, and His Mother Want your questions answered on the show? ⁠⁠Submit them here!⁠⁠     Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz: ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠ Ready to deepen your connection? ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠ Build better connection and feel close starting today. Join the ⁠⁠30 Days to Us Challenge⁠⁠ LINKS: Calm: Save 40% off at calm.com/Tracy NativePath: Special Bundle deal at getnativepath.com/Tracy Rula: Get the support you need with rula.com/Tracy KiwiCo: Save 50% off with code TRACY KiwiCo.Com ⁠Vionic Shoes⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of From the Couch, Dr. Tracy talks about what really happens after ending a toxic or narcissistic relationship and why healing isn’t just emotional—it’s neurological. When you’ve spent years being shamed, blamed, or dismissed, your nervous system learns that mistakes and disagreements aren’t safe. Neurons that fire together wire together, meaning your body develops reflexive responses that follow you into new relationships. Dr. Tracy explains how this wiring forms, why you may still react with fear or shutdown even when you’re no longer in that environment, and why this doesn’t mean you’re broken. Dr. Tracy shares three essential steps for healing: creating new messages of safety through repetition, practicing co-regulation with a safe partner, and releasing stored stress through movement and breath work. She also emphasizes the role of self-compassion in trauma recovery and rebuilding trust. If you’re navigating life after a toxic relationship and wondering why it still feels hard, this episode will help you understand your nervous system and begin rewiring toward safety and connection. RESOURCES: Order my new book! You, Your Husband, and His Mother Want your questions answered on the show? ⁠⁠Submit them here!⁠⁠     Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz: ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠ Ready to deepen your connection? ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠ Build better connection and feel close starting today. Join the ⁠⁠30 Days to Us Challenge⁠⁠ LINKS: Calm: Save 40% off at calm.com/Tracy NativePath: Special Bundle deal at getnativepath.com/Tracy Rula: Get the support you need with rula.com/Tracy KiwiCo: Save 50% off with code TRACY KiwiCo.Com ⁠Vionic Shoes⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. Tracy and Greg explore what really happens to couples during the holiday season—the mental load, the invisible labour, the unspoken assumptions, and those moments when partners suddenly realize they feel more like roommates than a connected team. Dr. Tracy explains why the holidays create the perfect storm for disconnection, how stress triggers negative sentiment override, and why small moments like “Where’s the tape?” can feel disproportionately heavy on an already overloaded nervous system. They walk listeners through the stories couples often fall into, the strain of increased emotional labour, and the cycle many partners get stuck in: one person carrying the invisible work, the other withdrawing, both feeling unseen. From there, they shift into what actually helps. They share their 10-minute daily connection ritual, the questions that foster emotional attunement, and how small, intentional actions can rebuild a sense of partnership. If you’re moving through the holidays feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or like two ships passing in the night, this episode offers clarity on the deeper patterns at play—and practical, realistic steps to help you reconnect without needing more time. Join my 10-Day More Than Roommates Challenge Download my free 10 Questions to Challenge Your Stories: https://drtracyd.mykajabi.com/assumption RESOURCES: Order my new book! You, Your Husband, and His Mother Want your questions answered on the show? ⁠⁠Submit them here!⁠⁠     Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz: ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠ Ready to deepen your connection? ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠ LINKS: ⁠NativePath:⁠ Special Bundle deal at ⁠getnativepath.com/Tracy⁠ Calm: Save 40% off at calm.com/Tracy Rula: Get the support you need with rula.com/Tracy KiwiCo: Save 50% off with code TRACY KiwiCo.Com ⁠Vionic Shoes⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Calm: Save 40% off at calm.com/Tracy NativePath: Special Bundle deal at getnativepath.com/Tracy Rula: Get the support you need with rula.com/Tracy KiwiCo: Save 50% off with code TRACY KiwiCo.Com ⁠Vionic Shoes⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this short, impactful episode, Clinical Psychologist and Relationship Expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish answers one of the most common questions she hears: Should I hold out for an apology from a parent or in-law? When you share your hurt and they respond with defensiveness, justification, or minimization, it often triggers shame and escalation—leaving you feeling unseen and even more frustrated. Dr. Tracy explains why some family members simply cannot apologize due to long-standing patterns, emotional immaturity, or generational dynamics, even when they care about you. Instead of staying stuck waiting for repair that may never come, this episode helps you shift toward what you can control. You’ll learn why cutting people off isn’t always the answer, and how all-or-nothing estrangement can become another form of avoidance. You’ll leave with an understanding of forgiveness—not as excusing behavior, but as releasing the emotional hold the situation has on you and redefining the relationship on your terms. RESOURCES: Order my new book! You, Your Husband, and His Mother Want your questions answered on the show? ⁠⁠Submit them here!⁠⁠     Discover your relationship negative cycle with my free quiz: ⁠⁠Take it here⁠⁠ Ready to deepen your connection? ⁠⁠Download my 100 Questions⁠⁠ Build better connection and feel close starting today. Join the ⁠⁠30 Days to Us Challenge⁠⁠ LINKS: Calm: Save 40% off at calm.com/Tracy NativePath: Special Bundle deal at getnativepath.com/Tracy Rula: Get the support you need with rula.com/Tracy KiwiCo: Save 50% off with code TRACY KiwiCo.Com ⁠Vionic Shoes⁠: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices