Conversations from the Heart

This week's episode is a conversation about grief as an ongoing, relational experience rather than something to “get over.” In this episode, we explore ambiguous loss, nervous system capacity, and what actually helps when grief doesn’t resolve neatly.Together, we reflect on:•Why some forms of grief don’t have clear endings—and why that’s not a failure•How grief lives in the nervous system and shapes our capacity for connection•The difference between presence and fixing when someone is grieving•What it means to stay human, relational, and honest in the presence of lossThis episode invites a slower, more compassionate way of being with grief, one that honors presence over solutions, and meaning over closure.Read more about grief and ambiguous loss:  Grief That Doesn't ResolveFor 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 ConnectionHop on my free Wednesday live callFollow me on YouTube

Relational leadership isn’t people-pleasing and it isn’t weakness.In this episode, we explore how to lead with empathy and clarity in high-stakes professional settings. Through two real leadership scenarios involving negotiation and supervision, we unpack how to stay relational without over-giving, avoid power struggles, and focus conversations on impact, responsibility, and shared outcomes.This is a grounded, practical look at empathy as a leadership skill, not a personality trait.In this episode, we explore:Why empathic leadership is not codependence, people-pleasing, or self-betrayalHow to negotiate boundaries, fees, and expectations without defensiveness or guiltWhat to do when a supervisory relationship is strained and performance still mattersHow shifting from personality to observable behaviors restores authority and reduces conflictFor 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 ConnectionHop on my free Wednesday live callFollow me on YouTube

A raw call about caring for a grieving, traumatized family member and the toll it takes. Conversations on when support becomes enabling and how burnout shows up. Practical ideas for setting kinder boundaries and reducing harmful availability. Framing stepping back as an act of care and inviting shared responsibility without surrendering your wellbeing.

Does your body tighter when someone criticizes you? Do you start apologizing or over-explaining before you’ve even thought it through?In this insightful episode, Jaya brings two powerful stories that reveal how early experiences of contempt and correction still live in her nervous system today. Together, we unpack what happens inside when criticism feels dangerous, and how to work with the shame, fear, and self-blame that so often follow.We explore the difference between criticism and contempt, how to separate observation from interpretation, and how to develop “pushback energy” instead of collapsing into appeasement.If you’ve ever left a conversation replaying every word, wondering what you did wrong, this one will bring a breath of compassion and clarity.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 ConnectionHop on my free Wednesday live callFollow me on YouTube

What’s the line between loving someone and losing yourself in the process?This week, we explore the subtle differences between caretaking and compassion.  Khanyilanga wrestles with how to set loving boundaries with a friend struggling with addiction, while Kate faces the fear of hurting others when she speaks her truth. Together, their stories reveal how easily our empathy can become entanglement, and how to reclaim grounded compassion rooted in honesty, respect, and self-trust.Listen to learn:•How to set boundaries without guilt or blame•Why empathy doesn’t mean self-abandonment•How to stay calm when others take your limits personally•How to rebuild safety in your nervous system after relational traumaIf you’ve ever wondered where kindness ends and enabling begins, this episode will bring you home to a more balanced, liberated love.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 ConnectionHop on my free Wednesday live callFollow me on YouTube

In this episode of Conversations from the Heart, we explore one of the most bewildering dynamics in adult relationships: when we find ourselves deeply attached to someone who simply cannot meet us where we are. Even when our minds know the relationship isn’t mutual or nourishing, parts of us keep circling back: longing, hoping, checking the “well” for water that isn’t there.Through a heartfelt exchange with Judith, we trace how these patterns often have their roots in early attachment wounds. We talk about how our younger parts, the child that still wants to be seen, the teenager who still hopes someone will change, can unconsciously run the show, even in our most adult moments. And we explore how to bring loving awareness to those inner parts, to let them grieve, and to gently reorient toward relationships that feel reciprocal, alive, and truly safe.This conversation is for anyone who has ever felt confused about why letting go feels so hard, even when you “know better.” It’s about learning the difference between codependence and interdependence, between trying to fix others and truly caring for ourselves, and finding peace in the knowing that healing doesn’t mean we stop needing people; it means we learn how to choose the ones who can meet us there.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 ConnectionHop on my free Wednesday live callFollow me on YouTube

A warm conversation about helping kids face hard feelings without being rescued. They explore school anxiety, burnout, and gentle steps to build tolerance for discomfort. The discussion covers balancing empathy with clear boundaries and small experiments to model resilience. Listeners hear practical ways to slow down, name overwhelm, and support steady emotional growth for both child and parent.

When life has hurt us enough times, our hearts learn to protect themselves.We grow cautious. Controlled. We tell ourselves we’re being “realistic,” when really, we’re just afraid to be hurt again.In this week’s episode, I talk with Cody, a woman learning how to reconnect with her husband after years of criticism, conflict, and silence. Together, we explore what it truly takes to soften the walls that once kept them each safe, but now keep love out.Listen to learn: •How self-protection turns into emotional isolation•What it means to shift from “negative peace” (avoiding conflict) to real peace (rooted in connection)•Why awareness of tension is the first step to healing•How to speak to your partner from vulnerability instead of defense•Simple phrases that help reopen trust after years of guardingIf your heart has grown cautious, this conversation will remind you: softness isn’t weakness. It’s the quiet courage to love again.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 ConnectionHop on my free Wednesday live callFollow me on YouTube

What if anger didn’t have to be a threat to love, and vulnerability didn’t mean weakness?This week we begin with a moment many of us recognize: a flash of road rage, a surge of intensity, a body flooded with energy. Beneath moments like these, something deeper is often asking for care and understanding.Colleen joins me to explore her concern for her husband, whose driving behavior has become frightening amid health stress and unspoken emotional strain. Together, we slow the moment down and look beneath the surface. We explore how many men are socialized to equate strength with control, leaving anger as the only emotion that feels permissible, while fear, grief, and vulnerability go underground.Rather than treating anger as something to suppress or control, we reimagine it as a powerful messenger pointing toward values, care, and aliveness. This conversation offers a compassionate redefinition of strength: not as emotional armor, but as the inner resilience that allows us to stay connected in moments of intensity.A thoughtful exploration of anger, vulnerability, and what it takes to build relationships that can hold the full spectrum of our emotional lives.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 ConnectionHop on my free Wednesday live callFollow me on YouTube

We all carry invisible stories about what it means to be a “good person,” a “hard worker,” or someone who has truly earned what they have. But what happens when we meet someone who doesn’t fit those stories? Someone living on disability income, or needing more support than we think they should?This week, we explore the quiet judgments and discomfort that can arise when we encounter difference. We look at how domination culture trains us to equate worth with productivity, independence with virtue, and need with failure, and how shame and stigma keep us disconnected from our shared humanity.This conversation invites a gentler, more honest inquiry into what judgment is protecting, and how we can stay connected without defensiveness, superiority, or pity. As we widen the lens, we also question the systems themselves: What if the problem isn’t the individual who needs help, but the structures that withhold care?A reflective exploration of judgment, dignity, and interdependence and an invitation to imagine human-centered systems rooted in empathy, cooperation, and the meeting of real human needs.Want to read more? Understanding Stigma: How Judgment Replaces Empathy in Modern CultureFor 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 ConnectionHop on my free Wednesday live callFollow me on YouTube