What if the question isn’t “What’s wrong with me?” — but “What if I’ve outgrown the room I’m in?”

In this episode, April explores a quiet question many self-reflective people carry: What if I’m the problem?

You’ll hear about:

• Why depth and honesty are often mislabeled as “too much”
• How growth can feel isolating, even when you’re loved
• Why editing yourself isn’t the same as being adaptable
• What it can mean to crave deeper, more honest conversations

This conversation isn’t about leaving your relationships or replacing the people in your life.

It’s about understanding what happens when you change—and your inner world has more nuance than your current circle can easily hold.

If this episode resonates, Bold as Love is a small, thoughtful group for women who want a place to speak freely, reflect honestly, and connect without shape-shifting.

Doors are closing soon.

Thanks for listening.

Want to get better at speaking up? Sign up for the free on-demand workshop that will help you be more confident in standing your ground when you're dealing with a boundary bulldozer. Sign up here.

Get on the Newsletter List here.

Have a topic or question you'd love to hear about?

Message me and let me know.

email april@lovelossproject.com

Instagram @with.love.april

https://www.instagram.com/with.love.april/

Please note:

This show is not a replacement for therapy, assessment, treatment or diagnosis. This show is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. See your physician, counsellor or local crisis support centre if needed

All identifying details about the people and the stories shared here are removed to protect confidentiality.

Is there someone in your life who doesn’t take no for an answer? No matter how thoughtful, flexible, or accommodating you try to be, you still end up feeling pushed, dominated, or worn down.

In this episode, we explore what’s actually happening when someone wants control, not connection. If your boundaries consistently create escalation instead of respect, this conversation will help you name the pattern and stop blaming yourself.

You’ll learn how control often disguises itself as care, why your autonomy can feel threatening to certain people, and how power dynamics quietly replace reciprocity in these relationships.

In this episode, we cover:

• The difference between connection and dominance
• Why “trying harder” doesn’t fix control-based dynamics
• Subtle control patterns like decision hijacking, schedule overrides, guilt, and public pressure
• Why boundary violations aren’t misunderstandings
• The relief that comes from correctly naming the problem
• How to take care of yourself without waiting for others to change

If this episode resonates and you want support navigating difficult or draining relationships — while staying grounded in your self-respect — I share more about the Bold as Love Collective, an intimate coaching space for women who are done proving their worth.

Links & Resources:

→ Learn more about the Bold as Love Collective

→ Questions? Email me anytime april@lovelossproject.com

Thanks for listening. I’ll see you next time.

Want to get better at speaking up? Sign up for the free on-demand workshop that will help you be more confident in standing your ground when you're dealing with a boundary bulldozer. Sign up here.

Get on the Newsletter List here.

Have a topic or question you'd love to hear about?

Message me and let me know.

email april@lovelossproject.com

Instagram @with.love.april

https://www.instagram.com/with.love.april/

Please note:

This show is not a replacement for therapy, assessment, treatment or diagnosis. This show is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. See your physician, counsellor or local crisis support centre if needed

All identifying details about the people and the stories shared here are removed to protect confidentiality.

As the holidays wind down, many women are realizing that despite having the conversations, choosing their words carefully, and doing their inner work, nothing has really changed in their relationships.

In this episode, April explores why talking things through sometimes backfires — and why trying harder to more clear can actually keep you stuck.

The missing piece isn’t better communication.

It’s understanding the competitive vs. collaborative disconnect — and learning how to interrupt gridlock before real connection is possible.

• Why insight and self-awareness alone don’t create relational change
• How well-intended conversations can turn into new fights
• Why rehearsing conversations in your head rarely leads to breakthroughs
• The idea of “relational software” — unconscious templates that drive conflict
• The difference between a competitive mindset (me vs. you) and a collaborative mindset (us vs. the problem)
• Why collaborative people often over-function, explain, or justify — and why that backfires
• How competitive templates interpret explanation as dominance
• Why naming the dynamic matters more than arguing the content
• What it really takes to “open the door” so understanding is possible

• You don’t need to be more patient, calmer, or clearer
• Change doesn’t come from one more perfectly worded conversation
• When one person is in competition and the other is seeking collaboration, conversations will stall
• You cannot explain someone out of a competitive stance
• Real change starts when you stop engaging in win/lose dynamics
• The work is not fixing yourself — it’s learning how to change the relational pattern

• When conflict comes up, do I tend to explain, justify, or prove my point?
• What happens in my body when I feel dismissed or misunderstood?
• Do my conversations feel like a battle — even when that’s not my intention?
• What would change if my first goal was opening the door, not being understood?

This episode reflects the deeper work we practice inside The Bold as Love Collective — a small, intimate group for women who want to stop repeating the same relational patterns and learn how to navigate conflict, connection, and self-respect differently.

The group begins in January.

Details and the link to join.

Want to get better at speaking up? Sign up for the free on-demand workshop that will help you be more confident in standing your ground when you're dealing with a boundary bulldozer. Sign up here.

Get on the Newsletter List here.

Have a topic or question you'd love to hear about?

Message me and let me know.

email april@lovelossproject.com

Instagram @with.love.april

https://www.instagram.com/with.love.april/

Please note:

This show is not a replacement for therapy, assessment, treatment or diagnosis. This show is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. See your physician, counsellor or local crisis support centre if needed

All identifying details about the people and the stories shared here are removed to protect confidentiality.