What happens when speaking up for yourself doesn’t just feel uncomfortable, but unsafe?

In this episode, we explore the hidden cost of being “good”, when agreeability, accommodation, and self-sacrifice become survival strategies that disconnect us from our own voice.

We unpack:

•Why asking for what you want can trigger shame, fear, or collapse

•How early relational dynamics shape patterns of self-abandonment

•The difference between healthy negotiation and domination dynamics

•How to recognize when someone is unable to meet you

•What it means to stay with yourself in the face of pushback

This is a conversation about reclaiming your voice, building self-trust, and learning to choose yourself, without losing your capacity for care and connection.

Read more on the blog.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection.

Twice a month, I host live calls where members bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

What do you do when someone you love can’t meet you in the way you need?

In this episode, we explore the emotional and relational complexity of unmet needs, whether with a parent, a child, or someone close to us. Through two powerful real-life conversations, we unpack the difference between grief and control, the limits of communication, and the shift from trying to change others to relating to what’s actually here.

In this episode, we explore:

•Why unmet needs often lead to urgency, over-effort, and self-abandonment

•The role of grief when connection isn’t available in the way we long for

•How to shift from control and persuasion to invitation and choice

•What it means to take responsibility for your side of a relationship

This is a grounded, compassionate look at what it means to love without losing yourself.

Read more on the blog.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection.

Twice a month, I host live calls where members bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

When someone we love is in a relationship that’s causing harm, knowing what to do can feel incredibly confusing.

Do we step in, or step back?

In this follow-up conversation from last week, we speak again with Liza, who is now supporting her son through a relationship that is leaving him anxious, overwhelmed, and disconnected from himself. Together, they explore how to recognize when a relationship has crossed from challenging into harmful, and what it means to respond with both care and clarity.

What you’ll learn:

•How to recognize when a relationship is harmful (not just challenging)

•When it’s appropriate to step in, and how to do it without controlling

•The difference between support, rescue, and intervention

•How to stay out of triangulation while still being deeply relational

•Why the “net effect” of a relationship matters more than intention

Read more on the blog.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection.

Twice a month, I host live calls where members bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

What do you do when the people you love pull you in opposite directions?

In this episode of Conversations from the Heart, I speak with Liza, a mother who finds herself caught in a painful family dilemma. Her youngest son is in his first serious relationship, and his older siblings believe the relationship is unhealthy. They’ve drawn a hard line: if the girlfriend is present, they won’t be.

Suddenly Liza is standing in the middle, loving all of her children and feeling the pressure to choose sides.

This conversation explores a dynamic that shows up in almost every family at some point: triangulation. When tension arises between two people, a third person often gets pulled in to manage the conflict, absorb the anxiety, or solve the problem.

But what if the most loving thing we can do is step out of the middle?

Together we explore what it means to move from trying to manage everyone else’s relationships to standing clearly in our values and vision for the kind of family we want to be part of.

This shift can change everything.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why family conflicts often pull someone into the middle, and why that role is so exhausting

• How love and protectiveness can accidentally turn into control

• A powerful shift from trying to manage outcomes to standing clearly for your values

If you’ve ever felt responsible for keeping everyone happy, smoothing over family conflict, or holding a family together when others can’t meet each other, this conversation will resonate deeply.

Read more on the blog.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection.

Twice a month, I host live calls where members bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

What happens after you speak your truth… and someone disagrees?

In this episode, we explore how to stay grounded in yourself when your perspective isn’t affirmed, mirrored, or supported by others.

Through a live coaching conversation, we unpack:

•Why disagreement can shake our confidence, even when we felt clear before

•The difference between seeking support and outsourcing our self-trust

•How to choose whose opinions actually matter

•A powerful shift in how to ask for feedback that supports growth

•How to stay open to being wrong without collapsing into self-doubt

•What it means to stand in your values in uncertain and changing times

If you’ve ever spoken up and then questioned yourself afterward, this episode will help you reconnect with your clarity, your discernment, and your inner grounding.

Read more on the blog.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection.

Twice a month, I host live calls where members bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

In this episode, we explore a subtle but powerful question:

Are you regulating your emotions or silencing your needs?

When we’ve done a lot of personal growth, it’s easy to become highly skilled at managing anxiety, staying calm, and not “burdening” others. But in relationships, especially early dating, this can sometimes come at a cost.

In This Week's Call We unpack:

•How to handle anxiety and uncertainty when defining a relationship

•The difference between self-regulation and self-silencing

•What to do when a partner’s comments don’t quite land

•How to separate internal triggers from relational incompatibility

•Why “gathering data” matters more than rushing decisions

•How to have honest, vulnerable conversations without losing yourself

If you’re prone to overthinking, second-guessing your needs, or trying to stay “easy” in a relationship, this episode will help you reconnect with your voice, your clarity, and your self-trust.

Read more on the blog.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection.

Twice a month, I host live calls where members bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

Why can one small moment completely derail our emotional state?

In this episode of Conversations from the Heart, a caller navigates intense emotional reactions to everyday interactions by exploring how a single tone of voice can trigger deep nervous system activation.

Together, we unpack the difference between being “triggered” and experiencing activation, and what it really takes to stay grounded, self-led, and emotionally regulated in a world that isn’t always gentle.

This episode offers a reframe for anyone who feels deeply, is doing inner healing work, and still finds themselves overwhelmed by seemingly small moments.

In this episode, we explore:

•Why small interactions can feel so overwhelming

•The difference between triggers and nervous system activation

•How to regulate without shutting down or avoiding

•The role of self-soothing and internal leadership

•When to adapt to your environment and when not to

•How sensitivity can become a strength rather than a liability

Read more on the blog.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection.

Twice a month, I host live calls where members bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube

There's a difference between sympathy and compassion, and that distinction matters more than we might think.

Many of us were taught that caring means feeling with others, taking on their pain, or trying to fix what’s hard. But over time, that way of relating can leave us overwhelmed, entangled, or quietly exhausted.

In this conversation with Wendy, we begin with a simple question about sympathy and compassion, and uncover something much deeper. We explore the parts of us that long to be held in our pain, the ways we learned to protect ourselves, and how those patterns show up in our relationships today.

Together, we look at how to stay present with suffering, our own and others’, without collapsing, rescuing, or shutting down.

Listen to learn:

•The key difference between sympathy and compassion (and why it matters)

•How to care deeply without taking on what isn’t yours

•Practical ways to stay grounded and relational in moments of emotional intensity

Read more on the blog.

For ongoing practice and deeper learning, I warmly invite you to become a member of The School of Human Connection.

Twice a month, I host live calls where members bring real relationship dilemmas. We slow things down and I'll help you see what's actually happening and how to respond with more integrity, strength and care.

You will find a safe space for live discussions and a supportive community of like-minded, open-hearted humans.

Stay updated on new episodes and resources by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts or visiting yvetteerasmus.com.

Here are more ways to connect with me:

• Join the School of Human Connection
• Hop on my free Wednesday live call
• Follow me on YouTube