Love in Practice with Emily Gough and Kelly Gardner

Emily Gough & Kelly Gardner
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Hosted by married couple Emily Gough, a relationship coach, and Kelly Gardner, an embodied leadership coach, Love in Practice explores the real, raw, and messy work of love. We share stories from our own relationship and guide you through building emotional intimacy, navigating conflict, co-creating interdependence, and healing wounds to create deeply loving partnerships rooted in trust, respect and growth. Love isn’t perfect, but showing up for it daily is always worth the practice.

  1. 1D AGO

    The Hidden Reason Intimacy Disappears in Relationships

    Does "being honest" with your partner constantly lead to defensiveness? In this episode, we dive into the East direction of the Relational Compass to explore why expressing needs in relationships often gets misconstrued as criticism. We break down the "Shadow East" pattern of Holding Authority—where the need to be right outweighs the need to be connected. You’ll learn how to shift from aggressive protest to the high-level communication skills of courageous vulnerability. Whether you feel misunderstood or find yourself "policing" your partner’s behavior, this conversation offers practical relationship advice and self-improvement strategies to move from partner-blame to pattern-mastery. In this episode, you’ll discover: -The difference between "Protest" and "Powerful Request." -Why your "truth" might be a defensive strategy in disguise. -How to use the "That’s Right" game to end circular arguments. -The biology of the pause: How to regulate before you communicate. 🧭 Audit your relationship with the Relational Compass: https://www.lipcouples.com/compass 💛 Build your visionary relationship at Love in Practice: https://www.lipcouples.com/ Connect with Us Work with Emily and Kelly for Couples Coaching Connect with Emily on IG @emilygoughcoach Connect with Kelly on IG @iamkellygardner

    35 min

  2. MAR 18

    Your Childhood Survival Strategy is Killing Your Relationship

    In this discussion, we explore how one's childhood experiences, particularly growing up with a single mother, can profoundly shape their perception of others' needs. For many high-achievers, "people-pleasing" or being "easy-going" was originally a survival strategy. However, in a committed partnership, this "South" pattern becomes a system glitch that leads to a slow erosion of trust. We dive into the subtle mindset shift required to move from merely observing to truly understanding, highlighting crucial life lessons learned along the way. By applying emotional intelligence and self-awareness, you can stop the cycle of "going with the flow" and start building a high-trust, visionary team. If you’ve ever felt like you were "carrying the weight" of the relationship or that your partner is an "invisible burden," this episode provides the framework for effective communication and lasting conflict resolution. In this episode, we unpack: Why "Nice Guy" and "Nurturer" archetypes struggle with relational honesty.The psychology of hyper-attunement and scanning for needs.How to move from an "Adaptive Child" response to a Mature Adult partnership.Breaking the spiral between North and South identities. 🧭 Is your relationship stuck in a loop? Audit your "Operating System" with the Relational Compass: https://www.lipcouples.com/compass 💛 Join a community of growth-oriented visionary couples: https://www.lipcouples.com/ Connect with Us Work with Emily and Kelly for Couples Coaching Connect with Emily on IG @emilygoughcoach Connect with Kelly on IG @iamkellygardner #communicationskills #conflictresolution #emotionalintelligence #highperformancecouples #visionarymarriage #loveinpractice #personalgrowth #selfawareness #relationalintelligence #singleparenting #childhoodpatterns

    43 min

  3. MAR 11

    Why Being a Leader at Work Makes Your a "Bully" At Home

    If you’ve ever been called a "know-it-all," a narcissist, or felt like you were "lawyering" your partner, this episode is for you. High-achievers often rely on authority and "being right" to succeed in business, but that same strategy acts like quicksand in a relationship. When you prioritize your dignity over the connection, you aren't leading—you’re bulldozing. In this episode, we break down the "North" on the Relational Compass. We explore the psychology of self-awareness and how effective communication is often derailed by the need to feel valued for our thinking. In this episode, we unpack: The "Wall of Words": How layering your partner with facts creates a barrier to intimacy.Adaptive Strategies: Why the "bully" or "know-it-all" is actually an old survival strategy from childhood.The Authority Axis: Moving from "holding authority" to "preserving peace" without losing your dignity.Objective Truth vs. Relational Truth: Why arguing about "facts" is anti-relational.Stop fighting the person. Start dismantling the pattern. 🧭 Is your relationship stuck in a loop? Audit your "Operating System" with the Relational Compass: https://www.lipcouples.com/compass 💛 Join a community of growth-oriented visionary couples: https://www.lipcouples.com/ Connect with Us Work with Emily and Kelly for Couples Coaching Connect with Emily on IG @emilygoughcoach Connect with Kelly on IG @iamkellygardner #highperformancecouples #visionarymarriage #communicationmechanics #leadership #loveinpractice #personalgrowth #selfawareness #relationalintelligence

    42 min

  4. MAR 4

    Is It Intuition...Or Is It Anxiety?

    So what's the deal? Is it intuition… or is it anxiety? This question shows up in nearly every relationship, especially when trust, fear, or old wounds get triggered. In this episode, we unpack: • The real difference between intuition and fear • Why your body can both guide you and mislead you • How old patterns masquerade as “gut instinct” • The danger of core negative beliefs about your partner • When to trust your alarm bell and when to interrupt it • How nervous system regulation changes everything We also share a personal story about sleeping in separate rooms, abandonment triggers, and how to interrupt the “whiny voice” before it hijacks connection. Because here’s the truth: Your intuition is calm. Your anxiety is urgent. And your relationship depends on knowing the difference. 🧭 Take the Relational Compass https://www.lipcouples.com/compass 💛 Explore coaching + programs https://www.lipcouples.com/ Connect with Us Work with Emily and Kelly for Couples Coaching Connect with Emily on IG @emilygoughcoach Connect with Kelly on IG @iamkellygardner #relationships #intuition #attachmentstyles #nervoussystem #relationshipadvice #emotionalintelligence #marriagegrowth

    51 min

  5. MAR 4

    If I Heal My Trauma, Will My Relationship Finally Work?

    So if you heal your trauma, will your relationship finally be "fixed"? Not necessarily. In this episode of Love in Practice, we unpack why trauma work alone doesn’t automatically heal your relationship, and how the real issue often isn’t what happened to you, but the survival strategies you built around it. We explore how patterns like holding authority, preserving peace, control, defensiveness, and righteousness quietly shape your dynamic, even after years of therapy and self-awareness. You’ll learn: • The difference between trauma and the strategy you built to survive it • Why repeating patterns doesn’t mean you’re broken • How “holding authority” creates separation in love • What happens when vulnerability gets weaponized • How dignity triggers fuel conflict • Why compassion, not righteousness, interrupts patterns • How shared language (like “it smells like yellow”) rewires connection • What real relational healing actually requires If you’ve done the work… but still find yourself in the same fights, this conversation is for you. Because the goal isn’t just awareness. It’s embodiment. 🧭 Take the Relational Compass https://www.lipcouples.com/compass 💛 Explore coaching + programs https://www.lipcouples.com/ Connect with Us Work with Emily and Kelly for Couples Coaching Connect with Emily on IG @emilygoughcoach Connect with Kelly on IG @iamkellygardner Leave a Review If this conversation resonated, please share it with someone you love and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more people who are ready to practice love...and that's what the world needs most right now. #relationships #traumahealing #relationshippatterns #attachmentstyles #marriagegrowth #relationshipadvice #emotionalintelligence

    40 min

  6. FEB 18

    Why Communication Won't Fix Your Relationship And This Will

    Why communication won’t fix your relationship and how nervous system regulation, trust, and pattern work actually create lasting change. 🧭 Take the Relational Compass https://www.lipcouples.com/compass 💛 Explore Together in Practice https://www.lipcouples.com/ Most couples believe they have a communication problem. They don’t. They have a nervous system problem. In this episode, we break down why better scripts, clearer language, and communication tools often fail to create real change. When protectors, childhood conditioning, and emotional triggers are running the conversation, no amount of “healthy communication” fixes the underlying pattern. We unpack: • Why communication tools fail under stress • Nervous system regulation vs communication skills • Emotional safety and chosen trust • The difference between reaction and response • The 3-step process we use: Reveal → Rewire → Relate • How to interrupt repeating relational patterns • What actually builds lasting intimacy If you’re in your 30s or 40s, building a life, raising kids, growing a business, and determined not to repeat your parents’ relationship dynamics, this conversation is for you. Communication matters. But it only works when the nervous system shifts first. Connect with Us Work with Emily and Kelly for Couples Coaching Connect with Emily on IG @emilygoughcoach Connect with Kelly on IG @iamkellygardner Leave a Review If this conversation resonated, please share it with someone you love and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more people who are ready to practice love...and that's what the world needs most right now. #relationships #relationshipadvice #communicationproblems #attachmentstyles #emotionalsafety #marriagegrowth

    52 min

  7. 12/17/2025

    The Real Reason You Fight and How to Repair It

    Conflict is going to happen in a healthy relationship. And more often than not, conflict starts with something laughably small – from doing dishes, to making food, and even how to decoratively light a podcast. But underneath the menial cause of conflict always lies a much deeper need that isn’t being met.  This episode originally aired in February 2024 on Emily's podcast, Room to Grow as we unpacked a conflict we literally had in real time as we were trying to record this episode. Yes, seriously, we couldn’t even record this podcast without a small conflict of our own. Yes, it was something super small (how to decoratively light this episode for video) which we playfully recount, but then take you through our thorough resolution and beautiful potential of the conflict repair process.  In this episode, we talk about: Why conflict is so often over small thingsOne partner taking leadership on certain things in a relationshipCompassionate communicationAssuming positive intent in othersTrusting your partner through conflictExpressing your needs and asking for your needs to be metHow to fully resolve a conflict in a relationshipThe repair process of conflictDiscovering breakthroughs through conflictThe essential elements of repairing conflict in a relationshipHow conflict is an opportunity to deepen your relationship Stay tuned for so much more to come - we're shifting gears a bit next week and sharing more about the tools we use with our couples and how you can bring this into your own relationship for deeper connection and intimacy. Connect with Us Work with Emily and Kelly for Couples Coaching Connect with Emily on IG @emilygoughcoach Connect with Kelly on IG @iamkellygardner Leave a Review If this conversation resonated, please share it with someone you love and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more people who are ready to practice love...and that's what the world needs most right now.

    1h 13m

  8. 12/10/2025

    The Silent Power Struggles Every Strong Couple Faces

    Every strong couple has them. Those tiny, invisible battles that shape connection, safety, and trust. In this episode we break down the unspoken power dynamics that show up in even the healthiest relationships: the triggers, shutdowns, leadership clashes, and moments where love meets old wounds. This conversation is honest, grounded, and real. You’ll hear how two strong partners navigate emotional intensity, masculine/feminine energy, nervous system activation, and that push-pull dance between independence and intimacy. In this episode, we're getting into: The micro power struggles couples overlook and why they matterThe strong independent woman dynamics and how they impact emotional safetyWhat men truly want from a woman in partnership and how you can both tap into each others' unique strengthsHaving difficult conversations about relational agreements and asking for what you wantThe idea of "feminine expression" and what Instagram influencers get wrong about it...especially when it comes to real-life relationshipsWhy couples get stuck in the same reactive loop of spiraling or shutdownHow nervous systems collide and what creates instant safetyShared leadership and taking fully ownership and responsibility, even when it means pushing through fears You’ll walk away with: A clearer understanding of your relational patterns and the dynamics that might be playing out in your own relationship, along with some of the major shifts strong couples must master to grow together.  Connect with Us Work with Emily and Kelly for Couples Coaching Connect with Emily on IG @emilygoughcoach Connect with Kelly on IG @iamkellygardner Leave a Review If this conversation resonated, please share it with someone you love and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more people who are ready to practice love...and that's what the world needs most right now.

    1h 5m
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About

Hosted by married couple Emily Gough, a relationship coach, and Kelly Gardner, an embodied leadership coach, Love in Practice explores the real, raw, and messy work of love. We share stories from our own relationship and guide you through building emotional intimacy, navigating conflict, co-creating interdependence, and healing wounds to create deeply loving partnerships rooted in trust, respect and growth. Love isn’t perfect, but showing up for it daily is always worth the practice.

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