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Have you ever started a conversation about something small—like the dishes—and somehow ended up questioning your entire relationship? You’re tired, it’s late, emotions are high… and suddenly it feels like everything escalated way faster than you expected.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not broken—and your relationship isn’t failing. You’re just bumping up against something most of us were never taught: emotional leadership.

In this episode of Relationship Reset, Katie breaks down what emotional leadership actually looks like in real life—not in theory, not when you’re perfectly calm, but in the middle of busy schedules, family stress, and emotional exhaustion. You’ll learn why logic doesn’t save heated conversations, how your tone shapes the outcome more than your words, and why taking responsibility calms conflict faster than explaining yourself ever will.

Katie also walks you through common long-term relationship patterns (hello, fire and ice), why conversations spiral when there’s a lot under the surface, and how “problem stacking” quietly overwhelms even the strongest couples. Most importantly, she shares practical tools you can use immediately to slow things down, stay focused, and repair faster—even when the conversation gets messy.

This isn’t about being calm all the time or saying things perfectly. It’s about being more intentional, more often—especially when life is full and you care deeply about getting it right.

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Most couples don’t talk enough with other couples about what’s really happening in their relationship. And when we don’t? We start to believe we’re the only ones struggling behind closed doors.

In today’s episode of Relationship Reset, Katie sits down with Josefine Wanner, a LinkedIn strategist, entrepreneur, and one half of a 25-year marriage that has weathered a lot: burnout, career pivots, entrepreneurship, raising kids, and even a malignant tumor diagnosis—all at the same time.

Josephine shares the honest, behind-the-scenes story of how she and her husband navigated dual burnout, the pressure of corporate life, and the moment when “everything looks good on paper” stopped being enough. You’ll hear how her husband’s burnout became a catalyst for deeper reflection, how resentment can quietly build when one partner feels stuck, and what it really takes to support each other through massive life transitions without losing yourselves—or each other.

This conversation is especially powerful for high-achieving couples who are juggling demanding careers, parenting, and big dreams while trying not to drift into roommate mode. Josephine offers real insight into shared values, navigating change as a team, redefining roles at home and in business, and why communication doesn’t have to look the same for both partners to work.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it just us?”—this episode is your reminder that you’re not alone, and that growth is possible, even in the hardest seasons.

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Some relationships don’t begin with romance.
They begin with survival.

In this deeply moving Dear Katie episode, Katie responds to a letter from a partner who was abandoned with a newborn, struggled through postpartum depression, and entered a new relationship that quickly became about holding life together—not building intimacy.

Years later, the weight of that beginning has caught up with them.

If you’ve ever thought:

• “They did everything for me… and I don’t know how to give it back.”
• “I shut down emotionally and I don’t know how to open up.”
• “We skipped learning how to be partners because we were just trying to survive.”

This episode is for you.

Katie gently unpacks why emotional availability isn’t something you can force or perform your way into—and how unprocessed grief, abandonment, chronic stress, and survival-mode coping quietly shut down intimacy over time. She explains the difference between dependency and connection, why shame keeps couples stuck, and what it actually takes to move out of emotional shutdown and into real vulnerability.

You’ll walk away with:

• A reframe that replaces self-blame with self-understanding
• Practical first steps to regulate your nervous system before “big talks”
• Language to begin honest, non-defensive conversations with your partner
• Guidance on where grief belongs—and why your partner can’t be the place you process it

This episode is raw, compassionate, and hopeful—especially if you’re realizing you want more emotional closeness but don’t know where to start.

Register for the upcoming Masterclass HERE.

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It’s a new year, and if you’re being honest, you might be thinking, “We can’t do our relationship the same way we did last year.”

Maybe life hit hard. Maybe stress piled up. Maybe nothing was “wrong,” but you’ve started to feel more like roommates than partners. If that’s you, you’re not alone.

In this episode of Relationship Reset, Katie gets real about what happens when busy, capable couples stop being intentional—and how easily a marriage can slip into survival mode. Drawing from her own relationship after a brutally hard year, she walks you through how to plan your year like a power couple...not with pressure, spreadsheets, or performance reviews, but with alignment.

You’ll learn why individual goals can quietly pull couples apart, and how shared goals bring you back into teamwork. Katie explains the difference between fix-it mode and feel-it mode, why assumptions fuel resentment, and how creating a shared direction can completely shift the way you handle conflict, stress, and connection.

She also breaks down the three core areas every couple should focus on when planning their year:

• Connection – how you want to feel together
• Growth – how you’re stretching in healthy ways
• Support – how you actually show up for each other

You’ll leave with simple, doable steps you can start this week—including choosing a word for your relationship and scheduling intentional time that actually sticks.

If you’re ready to get out of autopilot and choose your relationship on purpose, this episode is your starting point.

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If you’ve ever thought, “We talk all the time… so why does it still feel like we’re missing each other?”—this episode is for you.

In Part Two of The Power Couple Paradox, Katie breaks down exactly why communication keeps unraveling in high-achieving relationships—and more importantly, how to fix it without adding more pressure, more emotional labor, or another thing to do at the end of an already exhausting day.

This isn’t about perfect communication. It’s about feeling like you’re on the same team again.

In this episode, you’ll learn why most couples don’t need to talk more—they need better containers for conversations. Katie introduces a powerful (and surprisingly relieving) reframe: separating love conversations from logistics conversations. When everything gets mixed together—feelings, resentment, schedules, mental load—communication quickly turns into shutdowns, snapping, or avoidance.

You’ll be guided through two simple weekly meetings that change everything:

• A Relationship Check-In focused on connection, appreciation, and emotional safety
• A Chief Household Officer (CHO) Meeting focused on planning, roles, and systems

Katie also explains how performance mode impacts tone, why intent and impact matter more than being “right,” and how one simple question—“Is this love or logistics?”—can instantly de-escalate conflict.

Your takeaway? You’re not failing. You’re overloaded. And with a little structure, communication can feel lighter, safer, and more connected again.

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You’re confident, capable, and communicate just fine at work.
So why does talking to the person you love most feel… harder?

If you’ve ever thought, “Why can I handle tough conversations everywhere else, but at home a comment about the dishes turns into tension, shutdown, or silence?”—this episode is for you.

In Part One of the two-part series, The Power Couple Paradox, Katie unpacks why high-achieving couples often struggle with communication, even when they’re deeply committed, emotionally intelligent, and genuinely want things to be better.

This isn’t about blame. And it’s definitely not about trying harder.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why success at work can actually work against connection at home
• How “performance mode” sneaks into relationships—and quietly erodes intimacy
• Why conflict feels more intense with your partner than with colleagues
• The hidden cost of living in logistics-only conversations
• Why feeling lonely together is more common than anyone admits

Katie normalizes what so many couples experience after years of building careers, raising families, and managing full lives: you become great teammates… but something feels missing. You’re efficient, functional, and exhausted—and connection gets deprioritized without anyone meaning for it to happen.

This episode is about awareness, not fixing. Because once you understand why this pattern exists, you can stop blaming yourself and your partner—and start changing how you relate.

🎧 Listen now, and sit with one powerful question this week:
Where have we been operating in performance mode instead of connection mode?

And don’t miss Part Two, where Katie walks you through exactly how to shift this—without adding more to your already full plate.

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What happens when one partner reaches for connection… and the other shuts down completely?

If you’ve ever tried to share something vulnerable only to be met with silence, defensiveness, or days of emotional distance, this episode is for you. In this Dear Katie episode, Katie responds to a heartfelt letter from a couple married for 14 years who feel stuck in a painful loop: one partner reaches out to repair, the other withdraws to cope, and both end up feeling rejected, overwhelmed, and alone.

Katie breaks down why this dynamic is so common in long-term, high-achieving couples — especially those navigating stress, parenting, and life transitions. You’ll learn how attachment styles collide during conflict, why shutdown often has more to do with feeling like a failure than not caring, and how long silences can quietly erode connection when repair doesn’t happen.

One of the most eye-opening parts of this episode? The couple communicates better through writing than face-to-face conversations. Katie unpacks whether that’s healthy (spoiler: it absolutely can be) and how to use writing as a bridge, not a barrier, to deeper connection.

You’ll walk away with practical tools you can use this week, including:

• How to pause without disappearing during conflict
• Why writing helps your “wise adult” lead instead of your reactive patterns
• A simple structure for sharing feelings without triggering shame or defensiveness
• A powerful homework exercise to break the shutdown cycle for good

If you and your partner love each other but keep missing each other in hard conversations, this episode will help you feel seen — and give you a clear path forward.

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Raise your hand (mentally!) if the holiday season brings out at least one big personality in your family—the spotlight stealer, the over-helper who won’t let anyone help, the “everything must revolve around me” relative, or the perfectionist who treats table settings like a NASA launch sequence. If your hand went up, welcome to December… the month when love is warm, lights are twinkly, and everyone’s stress responses are dialed up to 100.

In this week’s episode, Katie breaks down the four difficult personality types that flare during the holidays—the narcissist, the codependent, the entitled, and the perfectionist—and explains why these behaviors intensify this time of year. More importantly, she gives you the tools you and your partner need to stay grounded, connected, and fully in your adult selves (not the inner teen who wants to bolt from the dinner table).

You’ll learn:

• How to “be the rock” when a narcissist tries to create emotional waves
• The one-offer rule that keeps you out of codependent burnout
• Why entitlement thrives in vagueness—and how clear expectations shut it down
• How to support perfectionists without getting swallowed by their stress
• The couple rituals and boundaries that prevent post-gathering arguments

If you and your partner want to walk into holiday events as a united front instead of a stressed-out duo bracing for impact, this episode gives you the roadmap.

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