Thrive Again - Your relationship podcast

Michael & Amy
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Relationships
  • Biweekly

Guiding a positive redesign in the relationship we have with our partner and ourselves. Offering tools, strategies and personal insights to bring your relationship from barely surviving to thriving.We are Michael and Amy, your couples connection coaches. Our mission is to help relationships to THRIVE again! A bit about us...We met in 2005 and married in 2009, welcomed two children in 2010 and 2012. Our relationship has had many ups and downs since we first met.-  Mental breakdowns from work overload- Massive stresses from a premature baby- Scare with ovarian cancer- Dealing with financial pressures- Not knowing ourselves!This led us to experiencing:- A communication breakdown- Arguments and not understanding each other- Living separately under one roof- Exhaustion! This podcast is for couples and singles who want to unlock their relationship potential using a conscious and holistic approach that brought us back to a state of beautiful harmony. One of the basic human needs is to feel LOVE and CONNECTION but our modern life has led us to feel disconnected and isolated more than ever before. This podcast is all about helping you to RECONNECT as a couple at a deeper, more meaningful, soul level.  Now, both working as coaches we share insights, client breakthroughs and personal stories to move your relationships from barely surviving to absolutely thriving!  www.michaelandamy.com.au

  1. Oct 22

    The Good Bloke Problem: Why keeping the peace is killing your relationship

    If you’ve ever prided yourself on being “easy to live with” but secretly felt resentful, flat, or unseen, this one will hit home. We unpack the good bloke trap and how people pleasing in a relationship can look like love while it quietly creates self abandonment, disconnection, and a partner who can’t fully trust what’s real. We get honest about how this pattern showed up in our own marriage, including the subtle ways “keeping the peace” turns into burnout, mixed signals, and intimacy that starts to fade. We dig into the deeper drivers behind nice guy behaviour: fear of rejection, early conditioning to earn approval, and a nervous system that treats conflict like danger. We talk about why resentment often becomes anger, why that can feel terrifying if you built your identity around never being “that angry person”, and how the shame cycle keeps the whole thing running. You’ll also hear practical tools for nervous system regulation and reparenting, plus simple scripts for speaking the full truth rather than dropping hints or indirect comments. We also explore the real-world impact on attraction, decision making, and leadership in a long-term partnership. When one person keeps editing themselves to stay liked, both people lose the chance for genuine emotional intimacy. We finish with details on a five-week online men’s process to break people pleasing patterns, including an AI-supported pattern tracker, group calls Sundays 3 pm Queensland time, starting 8 November through to 6 December, with a cost of about $400. Send Michael an email to grab more info: michael@michaelandamy.com.au If this resonates, share it with a mate, subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation, and leave a review to help more couples move from surviving to thriving. What’s one place you know you’re saying yes when you mean no? Thankyou for listening, if you liked it, please remember to subscribe. Join our Private "Thriving relationships - Deepening connection to self and others" community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107209283451758/ Website: https://michaelandamy.com.au/ Join our free 7 day relationship challenge: https://michaelandamy.com.au/free-relationship-challenge If you would like to book in a private clarity call with us, here is the link: https://api.funnelzai.com/widget/bookings/couples-session-initial-150

  2. Sep 29

    What Happens When Trust Is Breached — And How Do You Rebuild It?

    One breach can turn a solid relationship into a daily guessing game. When trust erodes, couples often try harder in all the usual ways more talking, more affection, more “quality time” yet it still feels like the floor is moving under them. We’re Michael and Amy, couples’ connection coaches, and we see this trust spiral all the time: one minute things feel okay, the next minute you’re back in doubt, questions, and fear. We break down what’s happening beneath the surface, including why trust is really about safety, predictability, and consistency, and why a betrayal can push the nervous system into hypervigilance. We talk through the behaviours that show up after infidelity, secrecy, lying, broken promises, and financial betrayal, including constant reassurance seeking, checking, and suspicion. We also name the other side of the dynamic: shame, guilt, defensiveness, and withdrawal from the partner who broke trust, and how that reaction can accidentally deepen the wound. You’ll get a step-by-step roadmap for rebuilding trust in a relationship: acknowledging the impact without blame, creating transparency where words match actions, allowing the pain to be expressed without rushing it, and learning to regulate together so you stop treating each other like enemies and start tackling the pattern. We also explain why healing can’t become permanent surveillance, and what it looks like to rebuild the relationship underneath the breach with better boundaries, safer conflict, and real accountability. If trust has been damaged and you want a grounded path forward, listen now. Then subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more couples can find the support they’ve been missing. Thankyou for listening, if you liked it, please remember to subscribe. Join our Private "Thriving relationships - Deepening connection to self and others" community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107209283451758/ Website: https://michaelandamy.com.au/ Join our free 7 day relationship challenge: https://michaelandamy.com.au/free-relationship-challenge If you would like to book in a private clarity call with us, here is the link: https://api.funnelzai.com/widget/bookings/couples-session-initial-150

  3. Sep 2

    Seven Questions To Ask Before You Leave Your Relationship

    Some relationship decisions don’t feel like a choice, they feel like a knot in your chest. You’ve got history, you’ve got responsibilities, and you’ve got a part of you that wonders whether staying is loyalty or self-abandonment. We sit with that exact crossroads and offer a grounded way to find clarity without rushing, spiralling, or forcing a “right” answer. We walk through seven questions to ask before you leave a relationship, starting with the toughest mirror: what is my contribution to the dynamic? From there we get practical about relationship communication, including the difference between calm, vulnerable needs and the kind of heated complaints that land as criticism. We also talk about emotional safety as the foundation for honesty, and why defensiveness blocks the deeper truth that actually helps couples heal. Conflict is inevitable, but resentment isn’t. We dig into repair after conflict and why sweeping things under the carpet keeps the same argument looping for years. You’ll also hear a powerful reframe that helps many couples: the enemy isn’t your partner, it’s the cycle. When you can spot the pattern, understand triggers, and stop demanding change you’re not practising yourself, the relationship can shift fast with the right tools and support. We finish with one clarifying question that cuts through “potential” and wishful thinking: if nothing changed for five years, would you choose this relationship again? Whether your path is repair or separation, we want you to leave with steadier ground under your feet. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more couples can find the support they’ve been missing. Thankyou for listening, if you liked it, please remember to subscribe. Join our Private "Thriving relationships - Deepening connection to self and others" community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107209283451758/ Website: https://michaelandamy.com.au/ Join our free 7 day relationship challenge: https://michaelandamy.com.au/free-relationship-challenge If you would like to book in a private clarity call with us, here is the link: https://api.funnelzai.com/widget/bookings/couples-session-initial-150

  4. Aug 19

    Low Libido Or Something Deeper?

    Low desire can look like a bedroom problem, but it often starts as a nervous system and connection problem. We’re Michael and Amy, couple’s connection coaches, and we keep seeing the same pattern: one partner reaches for sex to feel loved, the other feels pressured and shuts down, and suddenly both people feel ashamed, guilty, and miles apart. We pull apart the “low libido” label and talk about what sits underneath it, including stress and disconnection from the body, the mental load many women carry, and why responsive desire needs the right conditions. We also get real about emotional safety: unresolved resentments, feeling unseen, and the small daily moments that tell the body it’s safe enough to open. Along the way we share practical ideas like phone-free nights, self-nurture rituals, and learning to talk during sex instead of guessing. We also explore beliefs and shame around sex, how many adults never learn what genuinely turns them on, and where hormones, perimenopause, menopause, medication, and health concerns fit into the picture without becoming a blanket explanation. Finally, we speak directly to the partnership piece: how men can support by reducing pressure and increasing steadiness, and why rebuilding affection without it automatically leading to sex can be a powerful reset. If you want more closeness without blame, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a mate, and leave a review. What’s the biggest thing that blocks desire in your relationship right now? Thankyou for listening, if you liked it, please remember to subscribe. Join our Private "Thriving relationships - Deepening connection to self and others" community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107209283451758/ Website: https://michaelandamy.com.au/ Join our free 7 day relationship challenge: https://michaelandamy.com.au/free-relationship-challenge If you would like to book in a private clarity call with us, here is the link: https://api.funnelzai.com/widget/bookings/couples-session-initial-150

  5. Jul 29

    She Doesn't Trust Your Intentions. She Trusts Your Patterns

    If you’ve ever heard “I don’t feel safe with you” and felt completely lost because you’re genuinely trying, this conversation will land. We’re Michael and Amy, couples connection coaches, and we’re getting real about a relationship skill that isn’t glamorous but changes everything: consistency. Not perfection. Not big romantic gestures. The steady, visible follow-through that helps a woman’s nervous system relax and lets trust rebuild at a deep level. We talk about why the feminine often trusts patterns more than intentions, and how unpredictability (even when it’s not malicious) can trigger anxious attachment, control, micromanaging, and that “I’ll just do it myself” shutdown. We also name the other side of the loop: when a man feels repulsed by the intensity, withdraws or gets passive-aggressive, and accidentally creates more insecurity and resentment. If you’ve been stuck in this cycle, you’re not broken, you’re caught in a pattern that can be interrupted. We then get practical: what integrity looks like when words match actions, why a good week doesn’t equal real change, and how accountability softens conflict fast. We also share what the feminine can do that actually helps, including specific encouragement and clear examples of the behaviours that create safety, so it’s not a guessing game. We finish with how our 12-week programme, The Reconnected Union, supports couples to slow things down, uncover needs and values, and build consistency that lasts. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with your partner, and leave a review so more couples can find this work. What’s one small promise you can follow through on this week? Thankyou for listening, if you liked it, please remember to subscribe. Join our Private "Thriving relationships - Deepening connection to self and others" community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107209283451758/ Website: https://michaelandamy.com.au/ Join our free 7 day relationship challenge: https://michaelandamy.com.au/free-relationship-challenge If you would like to book in a private clarity call with us, here is the link: https://api.funnelzai.com/widget/bookings/couples-session-initial-150

  6. Jul 7

    When Criticism Is Really A Cry For Softness

    A throwaway comment can turn into daggers in seconds and then you are both standing there thinking, how did we get here? We’re Michael and Amy, couples connection coaches, and we’re pulling back the curtain on a pattern we see all the time: one partner (often during PMS, perimenopause, or a low-capacity week) snaps or criticises, the other partner braces, defends, or shuts down, and suddenly you’re miles apart. We talk through a real client-style scenario and our own lived experience of hormonal fog, emotional outbursts, and that deep need to feel supported, safe, and protected. We unpack what’s really happening under the criticism, why men often default to logic and “fixing”, and how the nervous system drives the speed of defensiveness. You’ll hear why softness can be genuinely hard for men, especially when they were raised with “man up” messaging that pushed the lover and nurturer into the shadows. Then we get practical. We share language that helps you name the moment before it explodes, ways to come alongside instead of going head-on, and a simple question that can change the whole conversation: do you want to be heard, do you want a hug, or do you want help? We also explain how couples slide into coexisting and logistics-only chats, and why a fast reset is possible when you change a few communication patterns, including through our one-day Couples Connection Retreats (Agnes Water, Sunshine Coast, and more). If this dynamic feels familiar, hit play, try one tool this week, and tell us what shifted. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation, share this with a mate or your partner, and leave a review to help more couples find their way back to connection. Our Couples Connection Retreats: https://michaelandamy.com.au/retreats Thankyou for listening, if you liked it, please remember to subscribe. Join our Private "Thriving relationships - Deepening connection to self and others" community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107209283451758/ Website: https://michaelandamy.com.au/ Join our free 7 day relationship challenge: https://michaelandamy.com.au/free-relationship-challenge If you would like to book in a private clarity call with us, here is the link: https://api.funnelzai.com/widget/bookings/couples-session-initial-150

  7. Jun 25

    Our Story: How We Found Our Way Back to Each Other | Interviewed by Aaron & Greer

    A relationship can look “fine” while you’re quietly falling apart inside it. We sit down with Aaron and Greer Christos in Tasmania and tell the real backstory behind our work as couples connection coaches: two little kids, shift work, resentment, and that heavy loneliness that creeps in when you stop feeling like lovers and start functioning like housemates. We unpack the moment things changed: Amy wrote a letter that named her truth without blame, and it cracked open Michael’s provider-only program and the masks he didn’t even realise he wore. From there we talk about what actually helped, not just in theory but in lived experience: women’s circles, men’s circles, therapy-style self-reflection, meditation, and learning emotional literacy so hard conversations don’t turn into shutdown or explosion. You’ll also hear the frameworks we now use with couples: why emotional safety is the foundation, how trust is rebuilt through consistent behaviour and clear communication, and why nervous system regulation matters as much as the right words. If you’re stuck in the roommates-to-lovers gap, navigating a trust breach, or trying to grow when your partner feels miles behind, this chat offers grounded hope and practical next steps.  If this resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more couples can find the support they’ve been missing. Check out Aaron and Greer's podcast and access to their incredible work in the intimacy space: https://www.intimacyforcouples.com/ Thankyou for listening, if you liked it, please remember to subscribe. Join our Private "Thriving relationships - Deepening connection to self and others" community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107209283451758/ Website: https://michaelandamy.com.au/ Join our free 7 day relationship challenge: https://michaelandamy.com.au/free-relationship-challenge If you would like to book in a private clarity call with us, here is the link: https://api.funnelzai.com/widget/bookings/couples-session-initial-150

  8. Jun 10

    Attachment, Resentment & Narcissism: Understanding the Patterns Behind Relationship Pain with Clare Rosoman

    When you’re stuck in the same fight, it’s tempting to believe you just need better communication skills. We’ve learned the hard way that the real lever is often deeper: the bond, the emotional safety, and the attachment needs neither of you is saying out loud. We’re joined by Claire Rosoman, a psychologist and EFT trainer who helped shape our own work, to break down what emotionally focused therapy looks like in real relationships. We talk about why secure attachment creates flexibility, how self-protection shows up as “armour”, and why slowing the moment down is the fastest way to find what’s actually happening underneath. Claire shares practical language and memorable metaphors to help couples move from defensive cycles into clearer reaching and responding. We also go into resentment as a cold protest that can drain goodwill over time, plus the tough truth that some “relationship problems” are tangled up with individual issues like addiction and coping strategies. Then we tackle one of the most searched and most misused topics online: narcissism. Claire clarifies narcissistic traits vs narcissistic personality disorder, explains grandiosity, entitlement and gaslighting, and describes the “fog” many empathic partners experience when their reality has been governed for years. We explore what can happen when you finally set a boundary, including the crucial difference between narcissistic patterns and simple misunderstanding or neurodivergence. If you want a grounded, compassionate conversation about EFT for couples, attachment theory, relationship resentment, and navigating narcissistic dynamics with clearer eyes, press play. Subscribe, share with someone who needs support, and leave a review letting us know what landed most for you. Check out https://bceft.com.au/ for resources and courses on this topic. Grab Clare's book here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Emotionally-Focused-Guide-Relationship-Loss/dp/103220561X Thankyou for listening, if you liked it, please remember to subscribe. Join our Private "Thriving relationships - Deepening connection to self and others" community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107209283451758/ Website: https://michaelandamy.com.au/ Join our free 7 day relationship challenge: https://michaelandamy.com.au/free-relationship-challenge If you would like to book in a private clarity call with us, here is the link: https://api.funnelzai.com/widget/bookings/couples-session-initial-150

See All (87)

About

Guiding a positive redesign in the relationship we have with our partner and ourselves. Offering tools, strategies and personal insights to bring your relationship from barely surviving to thriving.We are Michael and Amy, your couples connection coaches. Our mission is to help relationships to THRIVE again! A bit about us...We met in 2005 and married in 2009, welcomed two children in 2010 and 2012. Our relationship has had many ups and downs since we first met.-  Mental breakdowns from work overload- Massive stresses from a premature baby- Scare with ovarian cancer- Dealing with financial pressures- Not knowing ourselves!This led us to experiencing:- A communication breakdown- Arguments and not understanding each other- Living separately under one roof- Exhaustion! This podcast is for couples and singles who want to unlock their relationship potential using a conscious and holistic approach that brought us back to a state of beautiful harmony. One of the basic human needs is to feel LOVE and CONNECTION but our modern life has led us to feel disconnected and isolated more than ever before. This podcast is all about helping you to RECONNECT as a couple at a deeper, more meaningful, soul level.  Now, both working as coaches we share insights, client breakthroughs and personal stories to move your relationships from barely surviving to absolutely thriving!  www.michaelandamy.com.au

Information

You Might Also Like