{"podcast":{"title":"Relationships Made Easy","slug":"relationships-made-easy-1024411","podcast_index_feed_id":1024411,"rss_url":"https://feeds.redcircle.com/bd33039b-b884-4970-bd89-6881f41a5d29","website_url":"https://redcircle.com/shows/relationships-made-easy3126","image_url":"https://media.redcircle.com/images/2026/4/20/17/6f48509d-422d-4312-a081-99aa4ba8fbe0_195046423-d2603bd6-db7f-4989-8e1e-80fa7e3d3c7c.jpg","author":"Dr. Abby Medcalf","episode_count":398,"summary":"The research says the key to a happy life is happy relationships. But how exactly do you make your relationships better? That’s what this show is all about. I’m Dr. Abby Medcalf, psychologist, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and (according to my kids) the bossy Jewish mom you didn’t know you needed. With decades of experience and millions of listeners in over 180 countries, I give you the no-fluff, research-backed strategies to make all your relationships better: with your partner, your family, your friends, and (most importantly) yourself. Every week on the Relationships Made Easy podcast, I mix straight talk, humor, and science to help you communicate effectively, set healthy boundaries, and stop second-guessing yourself. Because great relationships aren’t built in a day. Great relationships are built daily. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-23T12:19:04.825234+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/relationships-made-easy-1024411"},"episode":{"title":"367. Why Anxious and Avoidant Partners Keep Getting Stuck in the Same Cycle","slug":"367-why-anxious-and-avoidant-partners-keep-getting-stuck-in-the-same-cycle","published_at":"2026-01-27T00:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/relationships-made-easy-1024411/367-why-anxious-and-avoidant-partners-keep-getting-stuck-in-the-same-cycle","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/relationships-made-easy-1024411","url":"https://abbymedcalf.com/anxious-avoidant-relationships","audio_url":"https://audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/6efe69c3-3589-48dd-8e89-9901503d0487/stream.mp3","summary":"If you’ve ever been in a romantic relationship where one of you keeps reaching for closeness while the other pulls away just when things feel important, this episode is for you. If part of you feels like you’re always chasing connection, or part of you feels like too much closeness makes you want to escape, you’re not broken. You’re likely in an anxious-avoidant dynamic. Anxious and avoidant partners don’t randomly fall in love. This pairing is common for very specific psychological and nervous system reasons. Today I want to help you understand that pattern so you can stop personalizing what’s happening and start seeing it clearly. This is Part One of a three-part series. Today is about naming the dynamic. The next two episodes will focus on how to love an anxious partner and how to love an avoidant partner without losing yourself. ____________________________ Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/anxious-avoidant-relationships   Download Where Are You in the Anxious-Avoidant Cycle Right Now? It’s a quick self-assessment to help you understand how you’re showing up in your relationship when things get hard: https://abbymedcalf.com/anxious-avoidant-cycle-assessment   Join my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: https://abbymedcalf.com/substack .   You'll get... ✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes ✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations ✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby _________   Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week!  https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/    👉 Pick up a copy of my new book, Boundaries Made Easy: Your Roadmap to Connection, Easy and Joy: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries   👉 Pick up The Workbook: Bounda…","meta_description":"If you’ve ever been in a romantic relationship where one of you keeps reaching for closeness while the other pulls away just when things feel important, t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1988,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/relationships-made-easy-1024411/episodes/367-why-anxious-and-avoidant-partners-keep-getting-stuck-in-the-same-cycle/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/relationships-made-easy-1024411/367-why-anxious-and-avoidant-partners-keep-getting-stuck-in-the-same-cycle.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}