**Episode Description:**

In this insightful episode of The BreakUp Project your hosts, Alyssa and Skye, sit down with renowned couples and family therapist, Dr. Neil Harris. With decades of experience in helping couples and families navigate their relationships, Neil shares invaluable wisdom on maintaining a lasting marriage, the common pitfalls couples encounter, and the evolving landscape of modern dating.

We cover:

- Insights into how couples can sustain love and commitment over the long term.

- The most frequent challenges couples face.

- Practical advice on avoiding or overcoming these obstacles.

- How dating dynamics have shifted in the digital age.

- An overview of recent findings in attachment theory and its relevance to modern relationships.

**Guest Bio:**

Dr. Neil Harris is a distinguished couples and family therapist with over 25 years of experience. Known for his compassionate approach and deep understanding of relationship dynamics, Neil has helped countless couples and families strengthen their bonds. He is also a frequent speaker on relationship topics in the professional development space and supervisor of counsellors, pastors and others in similar caring roles.

**Listen Now:**

Tune in to hear Neil share his expert insights and practical advice. Whether you're in a long-term relationship, navigating modern dating, or simply interested in the latest research on attachment, this episode is packed with valuable information.

**Connect with Us:**

- **Follow us on Instagram: The BreakUp Project Podcast

- **Email us at: skyeandalyssacounselling@gmail.com

**Thank you for listening!

We continue discussing the lies and lines that our amazing listeners have been sharing with us. We begin discussing one of the lines we have been told which is to “Just trust God.” We take a deep dive into wrestling with God & surrender, pain & confusion, hope and goodness. We end with the balance of finding our part, finding our hope & trusting the process.

Disclaimer: This episode unpacks our faith and our beliefs. While we don't apologise for this, we do recognise that some people have experienced the damage that people can do under the banner of 'religion' We do not condone the abuse that religious institutions and people have inflicted over the years and we encourage anyone impacted by this to seek the support they deserve to heal. Contact us at skyeandalyssacounselling@gmail.com if you need help finding the right support.

This is the first of a 2 part series, where Alyssa and Skye pull apart the many lines or even down right stinking lies we have been told as singles, over the years (by very well intentioned but mislead people.) We discuss the classic lines like “You must be too much of this / not enough of this.” We debunk these black and white lines and try to find the authentic messy middle.

In this episode we discuss how traumatic events can shape us but how ultimately they are a part of our story, not the whole of our story. We discuss accepting the stages of grief, and the purpose of anger in not tolerating behaviours in others. We share how we process anger as women, so we don’t internalise it. We talk about seeing all sides to people and finding ways to accept what has happened in our lives without letting it define us.

This is one for anyone who is going through a painful break up or has struggled with heart break recently. Alyssa shares how she navigates the ups and downs of emotions and even physiological responses to the stages of grief experienced after a relationship ends. We discuss the individual ways we cope with break ups, cultivate self compassion, cling to faith, community & keep a sense of belonging.

In this episode we talk about the funny sides and the hard parts of dating in your 30’s. We discuss how scarcity mindset & impatience can start to creep in & the feelings that come with the unexpectedness & uncertainty of life. We touch on finding beauty & goodness in your story amongst anxiety & sadness. We end with how exciting it can be reclaiming joy in the unknown.

In this episode we (Alyssa & Skye) introduce ourselves and share how our idea of this podcast came to be.

We introduce the purpose of this podcast; breaking up from the dominant stories of life being about marriage, having children & having it all by a certain age. We explore how all stories are complex, unique & beautiful & how life rarely turns out how we expect it to. We share how we are inspired by stories of courage and kindness in all of life’s heartbreaks & we explore what helps us hold onto hope and keep risking in life & love.