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Re-evaluate Your Relationships | Growth Tip #10

Women in the Business Arena™ · 2021-12-07 · 36 min

0:00--:--

Key moments - from our scoring

Substance score

19 / 100

Five dimensions, 20 points each

Insight Density4 / 20
Originality4 / 20
Guest Caliber4 / 20
Specificity & Evidence3 / 20
Conversational Craft4 / 20

This episode challenges the socialized belief that women must maintain and repair all relationships at any cost, positioning relationship evaluation as a key growth strategy. Sonya Statman and co-host Laura Shook Guzman explore how toxic or misaligned relationships drain energy needed for focus, manifestation, and personal well-being. They emphasize starting with internal exploration - getting curious about what's not working - before deciding whether to stay, renegotiate, or leave. The discussion covers body-based signals of misalignment (tension, dread, depletion) versus genuine empathic heaviness, the distinction between personal triggers and actual relationship toxicity, and how COVID created a "permission slip" to reevaluate social patterns. Laura references Harvard research showing 60% of startups fail due to co-founder relationship issues, highlighting stakes in business partnerships. Both speakers recommend regular (monthly or quarterly) relationship audits that honor somatic wisdom alongside logical analysis, helping listeners distinguish between self-blame (a female-conditioned default) and legitimate incompatibility.

Key takeaways

  • →You have full permission to let go of relationships that no longer serve you - this isn't selfish, it's essential to protect the energy you need for growth and focus.
  • →Begin with internal exploration and somatic awareness (what does your body feel near this person?) before deciding whether to stay, renegotiate, or leave - clarity comes first, action second.
  • →Toxic relationships drain significantly more energy than any business metric or goal; Harvard research shows 60% of startup failures stem from co-founder relationship breakdowns.
  • →Distinguish between empathic heaviness (still feeling connected to someone going through hardship) and draining toxicity (dread, tension, resistance before even seeing them).
  • →Regular relationship re-evaluation - monthly or quarterly - is as important as business audits; ask what's lifting you up, what's draining you, and whether guilt or obligation is keeping you stuck.

Guests

Laura Shook Guzman

Topics in this episode

Relationship evaluation and re-evaluationSomatic wisdom and body-based signals in relationshipsCOVID-19 as a relationship pattern interruptFemale socialization and relationship repair conditioningCo-founder and business partnership dynamicsStartup failure rates linked to relationship conflictInternal exploration versus external actionGuilt and obligation in relationship maintenanceEmpathy versus toxicity in relationshipsGrowth as a removal process

Questions this episode answers

What are physical body signals that indicate a relationship is draining rather than just challenging?

Signs include restriction, tension, bracing, holding your breath, dread when anticipating contact, and heaviness in the gut or stomach. Some people experience physical symptoms like digestive issues. The key distinction is that these sensations suggest your body is resisting the relationship, separate from what your mind is telling you about obligation or responsibility.

How do I know if a draining relationship is my own unresolved trauma or genuinely toxic?

Start by exploring internally what specifically isn't working - is it their behavior, lack of resonance, different values, or poor communication? Then consider whether you'd be willing to do the work to improve it. If the cost-benefit analysis shows more work than payoff, or if the misalignment feels fundamental rather than triggerable, it may be time to let go rather than endlessly self-blame.

Is it okay to distance from someone going through a hard time?

There's a difference between empathic heaviness (still feeling connected and supported while they struggle) and toxic depletion (dreading contact, feeling drained). You can care about someone while recognizing the relationship doesn't nourish you; the distinction lies in whether connection is still present beneath the shared weight.

Do I have to immediately cut someone off once I decide to let a relationship go?

No - you can start with internal exploration and clarity about what you want without rushing to action. The initial work is getting curious about what's shifting for you, separate from how you'll handle it. Laura notes that people often get stuck on the "how" before even clarifying the "what," so permission to explore internally comes before any decision to confront or separate.

What percentage of business partnerships fail due to relationship issues?

According to Harvard research cited in the episode, approximately 60% of startups fail because of co-founder relationship problems, highlighting the real business stakes when partners remain in misaligned or unaddressed conflicts rather than addressing them directly.

What our scoring noted

Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.

Insight Density

4 / 20

The episode is almost entirely platitudes and repetitive self-help advice about relationship pruning. A B2B operator would encounter one vaguely cited statistic and the occasional reframe, but most of the 36 minutes is padding and obvious guidance a smart person already holds.

60% of startups will fail because of co founder relationships, according to some research that came out of Harvard years ago
our only responsibility to another person is honesty

Originality

4 / 20

The 'growth as removal' frame is a mild reframe but is executed entirely through recycled self-help tropes - body-based awareness, somatic clenching signals, COVID as a reset metaphor - none of which constitute contrarian or first-principles thinking for a B2B audience.

growth is a removal process
Covid was for many people, a great reevaluation

Guest Caliber

4 / 20

There are no guests; both speakers are co-hosts with general coaching and therapy backgrounds. Neither demonstrates practitioner experience at meaningful scale within the episode itself - claims of working with 'thousands' are asserted but unsupported by any concrete case evidence.

Over the last 20 years, I've had the honor of working with thousands of women in business
in my situation with my clients, sometimes we're talking about business partnerships, co founder relationships

Specificity & Evidence

3 / 20

Nearly zero concrete evidence: no named companies, no real client stories with outcomes, no dollar figures or timelines. The sole data point is a vaguely attributed Harvard stat, and the only illustrative example is a fictional walking-neighbor hypothetical.

60% of startups will fail because of co founder relationships, according to some research that came out of Harvard years ago
say you have this morning routine and this morning walk and you have a really a neighbor that always comes and is like hey

Conversational Craft

4 / 20

No interview dynamic exists - the two co-hosts simply agree with and echo each other throughout. Questions are soft topic-openers with no follow-through, no challenged claims, and no productive disagreement at any point in the episode.

What do you think, Laura, about this topic?
What are some other kind of body sensations, Laura, that we can kind of look out for when we're reevaluating our relationships?

Conversation analysis

Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.

Share of words spoken

  • Speaker B58%
  • Speaker A42%

Most-used words

relationships33feel32relationship29feeling20energy18sometimes14hard12women11start11growth11different11walk11permission10change10season10body9

Episode notes

When it comes to relationships, women leaders are expected to be healers. We’re taught to smooth ruffled feathers, soothe old wounds, and repair breaks and tears. But that repair work takes enormous energy. If you’re wasting it on propping up relationships that no longer nourish you, what do you have left for the people who make your heart feel full? Laura and I are wrapping up our season on Growth as a Removal Process by looking at the connections we have with other people, and why we hold onto them even when they aren’t good for us. We’re giving ourselves and our listeners permission to evaluate our relationships honestly, to prioritize our time and energy, and to evolve or let go of connections that take more from us than they give. Join us as we discuss: Why it’s so difficult to think about making changes to a relationship, and how fear of that change can short-circuit our attempts to understand its impact. Listening to the vital messages we get from our bodies about how our relationships affect us. Strategies to help you initiate the evolutionary process, including owning your truth and setting self-honoring boundaries.

Full transcript

36 min

Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.

Speaker A: I think especially as women, we've often been taught that our job is to repair relationships. Right. Our job is to make those relationships work and to smooth them out and to do whatever we need to do to make sure that relationship stays strong, even if we have to suppress our voice, even if we have to be quieter, even if we have to give up what we want and sacrifice ourselves. Right.

Speaker B: So.

Speaker A: So I think we have to start with just acknowledging that nowhere in any sense of anything do you have to hold on to a relationship.

Speaker B: Yes, I think we'll have to just say this again. We are giving ourselves and everyone listening full permission to let go of the relationships that no longer serve you.

Speaker A: I'm Sonya Statman, and you're listening to Women in the Business arena. Over the last 20 years, I've had the honor of working with thousands of women in business. During that time m I have been obsessed with finding a new way to operate business, one that eliminates hustle, supports, ease, aligns, uh, with our values, and gives us a sustainable pathway to change the world. This podcast shares with you some of the lessons I've learned along the way. The conversations we have here are intimate, honest, and enlightening. It's like hanging out with friends who also happen to be pretty amazing business owners. Here we challenge what the world says business has to be to trailblaze a path of our own. Are you ready? Here we go. Welcome m back to the Women in the Business Arena. I'm so excited to be here with my beautiful co host, Laura Shook Guzman. We are wrapping, wrapping up this amazing season on growth. So if you haven't listened to all the episodes, every episode this season is about this idea that growth is a removal process. So rather than adding more on to our lives, adding more on to our bodies and beings, we can actually remove the baggage and have a bunch more space and time and energy and all the good things. So, um, today we thought we would kind of wrap up with this idea of letting go of relationships that no longer serve us. So one way to grow as a removal process is to really let go of all those relationships. Like, how often do we hold on to relationships and people that no longer serve our growth? So what do you think, Laura, about this topic?

Speaker B: Well, first of all, I just want to say that, um, it's just so nice to look back over this, um, season and think about the ways that we've talked about growth. It's so refreshing to talk about growth as a removal process. Letting things go, cleaning things up, pruning and releasing it's just a whole nother perspective. It doesn't feel like heavy lifting. You know, often you think, oh, I've got to grow. Got to get all this energy to keep growing. And this has been. It's just been a really nice treat for me as well, just to go through these different ways that we can simplify the growth process and actually bring new energy to it. And so bringing new energy, um, into our lives. I think we couldn't have had this season without talking about relationships, because we are human beings. We're mammals. We're wired to connect. We can thrive in the right kinds of relationships, but we can also really be negatively affected in the wrong kinds of relationships. And it's complex. Right. And I spend a lot of my time therapy is so much about also helping others just, um, pull the threads on all these different relationship issues and challenges in communication. So I think it's a big topic for us today, but hopefully we can really just focus on what are the things that. What are the most important things to know about letting certain relationships go? And how do you deal with the grief or the loss or the guilt and the complication of that, and then how do you kind of make room for that? The growth of new connections.

Speaker A: Yes. I love it. And it is a very complex topic, and I think people are really interested. I mean, I know even in my business groups or, you know, with all of my clients, uh, that that would. Working even around business and leadership, the still one of the most desired topics they had was to talk about relationships, right? How do they navigate these intense relationships? How do they try, you know, empower themselves and empower others? How do they, you know, like, I don't know, you know, fear of avoiding conflict is one of those things that we really struggle with. And so, you know, I think it would be great to just start off with recognizing and acknowledging that we can have permission to let any relationship go. Right. So forget, uh, the how, but, like, just the fact that we can give ourselves permission. Because I think, especially as women, we've often been taught that our job is to repair relationships. Right. Our job is to make those relationships work and to smooth them out and to do whatever we need to do to make sure that relationship. Relationship stays strong. Even if we have to suppress our voice, even if we have to be quieter, even if we have to give up what we want and sacrifice ourselves. Right. So I think we have to start with just acknowledging that nowhere in any sense of anything do you have to hold on to a relationship.

Speaker B: Yes. I think we'll have to just say this again. We are giving ourselves and everyone listening full permission to let go of the relationships that no longer serve you, that are maybe hanging on out of obligation, guilt, patterning. Right. There's so many reasons that we can get stuck in connection and it's not even working for either party. You know, often this is not necessarily like, oh, one person really wants it, and it's kind of like you can feel it when that is happening with someone else. It's like, this isn't really meeting our needs anymore. We're not really in the same place or time of our lives. Or maybe there's just something shifting, but we can sort of feel like, oh, uh, but I need to stay with this. Or even in business relationships, it's like, oh, I've always had this partnership. Well, maybe it's not the best partnership anymore, the best sponsor. I mean, it can be all kinds of relationships. And I think that we get caught in just staying in something because it's sometimes the avoidance of conflict, like you said, it's easier just to avoid. Oh, I don't really like it, but I'll just keep going and hope that something, some outside force will cause it to change. And meanwhile, you're just suffering still. And how that is a limit to our growth. Because if we've got energy going into things that are not nourishing, feeding, supporting us, then it's not actually energy that we could be using for that. I mean, it just kind of goes back to the pruning episode. Like, if a plant has those dead leaves, then there's not all that energy going towards the green, the new leaves, the new friendships, the new relationships, the new connections that could possibly be right on the horizon for you, for sure.

Speaker A: And, you know, in my experience, I think these toxic or challenging, energetic relationships that we have with people, they actually take more of our energy than anything else. Right. Like, our attention and our energy gets filled, fixed in that relationship. It's hard to focus on work. It's hard to get things done. It's hard to do what we need to do. It's especially hard to, like, take care of ourselves. Right? Like, and that's the thing is there, there. And the reason why I thought this would be a good topic and the last one of the season is because relationships and the toxicity of some of our relationships, they take a lot of our energy. And so that significantly means that we can't do the things that we need to do, focus on the things that we want to focus, manifest the things that we Want to manifest, be the people that we want to be or have the life that we want to want to have when we have so much energy being drained by these relationships.

Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And yet they can be hard to disconnect from. It can be hard to walk away. I mean, I know that in my situation with my clients, sometimes we're talking about business partnerships, co founder relationships, and that is really tricky because you also have, you have the personal feelings and then you have the business and the legalities of your partnership agreement. But what I notice is that when people just keep ducking their head in the sand and they don't address the challenges they're having in those relationships, it actually is just a snowball. It just becomes bigger and bigger and bigger and more problematic for all the people involved and usually very problematic for that business. You know, 60% of startups will fail because of co founder relationships, according to some research that came out of Harvard years ago. But I think it's probably very relevant. And so, yes, I think it's very, very, very important.

Speaker A: It's so important. And, you know, I've seen that too. I've worked with lots of partnerships and the course of my, you know, last 21 years of coaching. And yeah, there's difficult. And I think, you know, whether that's an intimate partnership or a business partnership or, you know, an intimate and business partnership, because those are even more challenging. You know, I think there is this difficulty because there's so many pieces that are, you know, involved that are entangled, right? So we've got our emotional entanglement, our feelings entanglement, but we have money entanglement, we have, you know, security or scarcity, whatever, you know, kind of thing we're sitting in. We have the future, we have our identity, right? There's all these pieces that are kind of entangled in those relationships and so they can be very challenging to kind of unwind from. And it does help to have someone like me or Laura, really, you know, someone to support you in unraveling those pieces. Um, because it's just hard sometimes to see through all that, you know, entanglement. Um, you know, I don't know about you, Laura, but I. One of the things I tell my clients, you know, when they're kind of starting to sort this out, is giving yourself permission just to explore it. So there's nothing that you have to do, right? Just deciding what you want, getting clear about what's working and not working for you, like just doing your own internal work is a huge step in the Right direction. And you don't yet have to worry about what you do with that. Right. It's just the inward exploration that comes first. What do you think about that, Laura?

Speaker B: I think that is a very important reminder because so many people are, uh, afraid of what they're going to do about it that they just keep putting it off and ignoring it. Like, well, I don't really know if I could ever separate myself from that person. They're too entangled in my life or my business. Like, there's nothing I can really do. I'm just going to have to endure it. I've noticed that things fell off between me and this person, but there's just nothing I can do because I don't know how. And it's just like, I just hear that kind of, uh, you know, just getting lost in their thoughts and you're naming it. It's. They get stuck on the how is this going to happen yet? We don't even have to answer that question at the beginning. At the beginning, it is the internal exploration around what's shifting for me, what's shifting within me that's impacting this relationship. What is it about this relationship that doesn't feed me, nourish me anymore? Is it the behavior of this person, or is it just a lack of, um, resonance? Uh, we have different priorities now, different values. You know, it's like, what are the things that are. You know, is it that I just. I really wished that I could stay in connection, but our communication is horrible, Or I always just feel bad about myself when I walk away. It's like, what's happening inside of you that's giving you signals that this is not a relationship that is nourishing you for some reason. This is not giving you joy. It's not nourishing you. So start with that internal exploration just to get more curious, just to find out more. And you don't have to act on that yet, you know, just start there. But I think people are kind of like all or nothing. It's like I need to. Yeah, I need to completely just know and confront, or I'm just gonna not do anything.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's right. And I think the more complicated the relationship. Right. The more, you know, I often, sometimes talk to my clients when they're dealing with, like, partners, where they have kids with them, and they're like, you know, I don't know if I want to leave my partner or not, and I'm too scared to look at that. But the thing is, is if you just start exploring what you do want, what possibilities there are. Right. Like, until you do some of that internal work. I mean, even just to see simple as, like, these columns of, like, what I want or what I don't have. You know, like, just sometimes separating some of the threads in our own mind gives us clarity, and not always does it lead to having to walk away. Sometimes there's negotiations, Sometimes there's new agreements you can make. Like, there's all kinds of things. But if we don't really start with that internal examination and really get clear inside ourselves of what we want and what's not working for us, there is no forward movement. There's just sticking inside that default. And that's where the toxicity comes in. I think when we don't have clarity and we're afraid to look at it, it takes a lot more attention.

Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And honestly, I think there's an opportunity right now that is unique in that because everyone separated out more and isolated because of quarantine. With COVID there was actually. So the downside, obviously, was that there's just been so much disconnection, isolation, um, loneliness. But for some people, they've said it actually has helped them forcibly to be removed from everything. That was typically a pattern and just was like, I was always doing this, always, always socializing, always saying yes to all the events that all of a sudden, with this pattern interrupt that Covid was and still continues to be. Is this interesting change in behavior, social patterns? Social behavior now is changing in unprecedented ways. Like, all of a sudden, everyone has the same understanding that, oh, you might not want to be social right now because something's happening still for you. Maybe you're not vaccinated yet, or you're not comfortable being out in public with your vaccine, or you don't want to wear masks. I mean, right? There's, like, tons of things that continues, depending on where you are in the country. It's always going to be, uh, slightly different. But there's all these reasons now why you can politely excuse yourself and people won't really judge you in the same way. It's honestly like we've gotten a permission slip to embrace your introversion or to say goodbye to relationships that are no longer serving you. Because think about how many of those people that you haven't talked to in months, and you're feeling some, um, kind of like, oh, I've really got to reconnect, and not, this comes from a loving place. My question is, like, really? Do you really want to reconnect? Do you really need to reconnect this is a chance for you to be intentional. Who are the people whose absence really meant the most, who I really missed? And maybe those are the people I choose to put my energy back into reconnecting and with other ones. What happens if I just let that go? What happens, you know? And I know what's gonna happen for some of you. You're gonna be feeling guilty about it. So that's a whole other episode. We've talked about guilt multiple times. Um, but if we really allow ourselves that permission slip that we just talked about in the beginning of this conversation. I don't know, I just feel like there's kind of an opportunity. What do you think?

Speaker A: Yeah, I do. I agree. I think, in general, if we could have practiced, right. A reevaluation. A great reevaluation. That's what I feel like. Covid was for many people, a great reevaluation. Do you like your job? Do you like what you're doing? Do you like the people you hang out with? Do you like the life that you've been living? Right. I feel like we have this opportunity for this great reevaluation. I think this is something we should be doing all the time. I mean, every. I mean, I know I change my business a lot because I go through these reevaluation periods of, like, do I like what I'm doing? Is it working? Am I happy? Right. Well, we should be doing this with our relationships, right? Evaluating. On a monthly basis, on a quarterly basis, whatever you want to do. But we should be reevaluating on a regular basis. What is still lifting us up? Uh, right. What is still supporting us? What doesn't drain our energy? And I think the feeling, right. Getting back into the body sense. And that sense, you know, somatic feeling that Lauren and I often talk about, you know, how does it feel when we're with the different people that are in our lives? Because if it feels burdensome or heavy, right. Then that might be a relationship to reevaluate. If it feels uplifting and good. Right. And. And of course, we have people in our lives who are going through hard things. So, you know, if feeling empathy isn't necessarily bad. Right. Like, we're not saying, if someone's going through something hard and it feels a little heavy being with them, dump them. Right, Right. But absolutely, there's a difference between, you know, being with someone and really feeling that empathy and being like, oh, gosh, I really feel for that, but yet it still feels good to be with them. Right. There's still that feeling versus someone. That when you. That as soon as you think about meeting with them, your stomach gets really heavy, you get this block in your gut. You're like, oh, are you resist meeting someone? Right. Those are signs that it might be time to check out what's happening in that relationship. I mean, what are some other kind of body sensations, Laura, that we can kind of look out for when we're reevaluating our relationships?

Speaker B: Oh, uh, such a good point. So reading the body around things that don't fuel or light us up is like similar. What you already said is restriction, like tension, holding in the body, feelings of bracing. Like, you know, all of a sudden you're just kind of clenching. Especially like in their presence, you notice bracing, holding your breath. Um, and then like you said, when you're anticipating seeing them, you're just feeling like your energy goes out. Um, you're resisting dreading it. That's like the emotional is the dread, the depletion, exhaustion. But in the body, that feels like you're just kind of drained and you don't. And you have that tension and that constriction and that heaviness. So I think just, you know, we will often ignore the signs of the body because the mind tells us that we have a responsibility. We need to be a good person, we need to be good friend, you know, these like. And I use quotes around that, you know, we have. And this goes back to what you said earlier about. For women, there's been a lot of, you know, conditioning that our value is that other people feel valued by us, you know, that we are caretaking and we're there for them. We're good listeners. And the more friends that we have, the more connections that's reflection of us, you know, if we are a worthy person. So your mind might have all of those stories, but that's why it's important to check out, how does my body feel about it? My mind is telling me I just need to be a better friend. But my body, like my stomach is clenching. In some cases, like, you can actually have physical symptoms like diarrhea or like really intense cramping and things, you know, and you're think, what did I eat? Most likely it's your digestive body, your system is responding to that dread that, um, yeah, that, that not wanting to be in that energy and who knows what it is. Sometimes it can be the way that person's tone, the way that they. Sometimes it's not even their, you know, their direct fault. They might not be trying. It's just that there's something, or maybe they trigger you. They remind you of somebody. You know, every time you talk to them, you just feel like, oh, I feel like I'm talking to my disapproving dad. And so this is something. And then you have to say, is this a relationship that's really important to me, and so I can name that, we can work through that, or is there, uh, this a relationship that when I do kind of a cost benefit analysis, I just feel like there's more work that I would need to put in. Into getting this relationship to a place where I feel like it would support me. And so you decide, is it worth that work, or do I, uh. You know, is this one that I just let go and that you're not a. This is not a judgment on other people. It's just a embracing of yourself, of, like, what happens if I surround myself with the people that I walk away with from feeling energetically charged, feeling supported, feeling connected, inspired. And like you said, you know, you might have a friend that's going through a hard time, but when that connection is there, you still, like, you have the empathy and you feel the softness. You feel your heart, you feel connected. You might feel a little more, um, down. You might feel a little heavy with their sadness or their grief, but you're still engaged, connected, and just that connection is feeding you. Right. So I know we're talking about kind of some nuances here, but I think that hopefully it's kind of people are just in their minds calling forth different examples for themselves of where they see this. These different patterns happening.

Speaker A: Yeah. And I think, you know, what you were saying, too, kind of brings up something that my clients ask a lot about, which is, you know, but is it me? Right? Is it me, or is it the relationship? Because I think especially people who've done a lot of self development or self awareness, they have a lot of self awareness. Sometimes I think women in particular are conditioned to blame themselves. So maybe it's just my issue, maybe it's my trauma that's coming up, and so I should just take care of it all myself. And then maybe it will be better. The relationship, right, Where I think we're so apt to blame ourselves first and then think that we've got to do the hard work to handle whatever it is we're reacting about or whatever it is that is, you know, being triggered. And, you know, so I think that's a really interesting question. And I love it when my clients kind of bring that up, because I like getting into the nuances of that. You know, when is it our responsibility to kind of tackle what we're feeling and when is it just a toxic relationship? Yeah.

Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. And we do tend to kind of. Women tend to overtake that over responsibility. I just feel like there's a lot of guilt too, that even once you recognize that it's not a relationship that you want to pursue or that you need to let go first, then you're like, okay, I've decided that I'm going to let that go. And then there's the guilt, you know, like, well, how am I going to explain this? Like, can do I ghost this person? Like, they get in, you know, you get into the houzz. What's really interesting though, there are exceptions to this, but for the most part, when you're feeling something is not jiving, you know, something's not connecting, something's not, um, not resonating. I guess when something is not resonating, then it's often on both sides. Like, both sides will actually feel that. Right. Um, and so as much as you think, oh, this is just one sided, often the other person may also be feeling it, but not really know how to address it. And often, like, that's what I was kind of thinking with. Not to take the sneaky way out, but right now with COVID if there's people that you've just lost touch with and you're feeling guilt about, I need to reconnect with everyone that's in my contacts. Just kind of think of it as a reset and realize that some of these individuals, if they haven't reached out to you and you're not reaching out to them, maybe it's a time to just let that relationship go because maybe both of you were feeling it, right? So just letting it go without feeling the guilt of, oh, you know, what about that person? Just let it be and kind of just be like, huh, huh, I wonder. And then there's all of the people that you've already reached out to, you've already reconnected. And then you have that list of those people that are friends that you're just like, oh, my goodness, I can't believe I haven't talked to them since before the pandemic, or I haven't talked, but you just feel all like, can't wait to connect with them. So just thinking, like, use that barometer. Kind of like thinking about, let the ones go. If you haven't been in contact with certain people and you're really like, wow, that feels good to release that it's that saying of whatever I let go, whatever door I close, and you know, there's another door that opens. So I think it's just a matter of giving that full permission slip without the guilt to let things change. Which is another thing that humans don't like change. Let things change. And if that person is still wanting a connection, they're going to reach out. And then maybe at this point you can reevaluate. Does it feel better, different, the same? And then be able. We know we haven't really talked about the how, but I think that being really honest, the truth telling that we talked about last time goes a long way. And that truth telling, right, of like, this is what's going on, I don't know. And you might be like, I don't even know, I don't know what it is. But for some reason I'm not finding that I'm able to put energy into this friendship partnership in the same way that I did before. And it doesn't really feel great for me. And I'm guessing it doesn't really feel great for you. And they might have even noticed. Right. And it can be a little bit awkward or difficult conversation, but the more that you just name what's true for you, you might be surprised.

Speaker A: Yeah, I'm, I'm all about the truth telling. And you know, I think one of the things that I talk about a lot as well is that in our only responsibility to another person is honesty. Right. We don't need to over own their emotions. We don't need to over own how they feel. Like I see so many women trying to anticipate every thing that that other person that they need to talk to, like how they're going to react, how they're going to respond. What if I say this, will they respond this way? Right. Think about the mental energy that we use trying to anticipate how someone might respond to a conversation. And the thing is, that's not our responsibility. We're not responsible to hold someone else's emotions, response reactions. What our responsibility is, is to just say where we are, what we feel, where we are, what we're experiencing. That's it. And then we can create new agreements, uh, or we can set boundaries or we can walk away. But there it is that, that understanding that our real responsibility is just communication and that we don't need to take on every little thing. Because I see a lot of women draining themselves trying to anticipate like every single response that someone might have. And it's just not ours. It's like you can drop that like a hot potato. It's not yours.

Speaker B: Stop over owning it, right? Don't need to over own, don't need to over function. And I think that often what you just said about boundaries is really important is that maybe the first step isn't letting that person go out of your life and never talking or seeing or speaking to them again. Maybe letting go of someone is a matter of setting more boundaries around that. And like for example, this is kind of a silly light example, but say you have this morning routine and this morning walk and you have a really a neighbor that always comes and is like hey. And just joins right in and goes on the walk. And so you've kind of become friends, you know, and you're like walking partners and you're always doing your morning walk and this person's always going to come join you. But lately you've been not feeling it on the walks. Like you're not enjoying the companionship and the conversation's not there and you just keep finding yourself drifting away and wanting to walk alone. That's a great example of a truth telling where you can just name how things have changed. I've really enjoyed that we created this connection that we walk together every morning. But I'm going through a really introspective time and I have found that this can be some of the only times away from the house, away from the kids and everything else. And I'm going to use this time to just go inside and think and walk. And I hope you understand. But this is what I need to do right now to just meet my needs, you know, and I'll let you know when that changes and I'll, you know, be happy to see you out in walking. And so just like having that conversation, setting a boundary, you don't end that relationship or that friendship, you aren't going to be seeing that neighbor in other situations. But there's a boundary because that particular dynamic, that relationship as a, having a walking partner wasn't working out in that moment. So I think that's like a great example of what when you just said doesn't have to be like letting go entirely. It can be setting parameters and boundaries and like with loved ones or family members, like thinking about the holidays, um, and such coming up, that sometimes letting go means allowing yourself to emotionally, mentally withdraw your need for that person to approve of you needing to have so much of um, a connection with that person. It's like I'm gonna let go of needing this person to understand or needing this to work. And I'm just gonna take care of myself. They might still be around, and they might still be in your life, but it's like, what do you need to kind of pull yourself back into some sovereignty? Yeah.

Speaker A: So, yeah, uh, sovereignty is a really good word for that. Right. I think, you know, I've done a lot of work with my clients on sovereignty and that ability to really recognize the power that we have and recognize the choices that we have and that we can really own ourselves. Right. We can really reclaim ourselves. Um, we don't have to piece it off to the people in our lives. And I think sometimes we feel we're obligated to do that. And, you know, there's. There's definitely complicated and tricky relationships. You know, we're not saying in any way that, like, go, be free. It's so easy.

Speaker B: Just let go.

Speaker A: Right. But I think, if anything, you know, it's really starting with that evaluation process of looking at what. What relationships are draining me.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: That's just really where it starts. And then with each of those relationships, you can really look at them and say, why is it draining me? What is it about the relationship that isn't working for me anymore? What is the change that's happened? And then you can decide, uh, right there, you can just kind of have that. Right. That. That is a huge piece of the puzzle. And then when you feel ready, you can start to explore the relationship and be like, okay, how could I maybe set a boundary? How could I maybe shift this relationship? What truth could I tell in this relationship that might change things.

Speaker B: Very well said. Yeah, I love that. And I think that, like you said, and like we said in the very beginning, disclaimer. This is a very complex conversation. Human relationships are complex. But I think for the growth season and wrapping it up, it was our desire to name that growth doesn't mean just adding more and more people and adding more to your social calendar and growing, where you're just surrounded by more people and more friends and family. Sometimes it's taking a minute to evaluate, how have you been feeling? What does your energy feel like around these different people and in different dynamics and giving yourself that full permission slip to just let go. You don't have to work so hard sometimes to keep making something work. If it's not nourishing, you just sit with that, get curious about what happens if you put a little distance or you set a boundary. So just that exploration, getting curious, giving ourselves permission is very liberating. It's a great place to start. And it may start some really interesting conversations if you start asking people, well, how do you feel about. How are you feeling about our relationship? Um, should we reevaluate going into the next year? Like, especially if it's partnerships or things like that, that's a little bit more likely that you would say, how's this going? You know, can we change anything? Can we make anything better? Um, or is it time to part ways?

Speaker A: Exactly. I love that. And, you know, we've really enjoyed this season, you know, and hopefully we've made things a little bit lighter for you or at least given you some avenues or some strategies or some perspectives. Perspectives on how to make things a little lighter. I think we all could use a little more lightness in the world right now. And, uh, Laura and I are going to do a bonus episode for the holidays. So there will be one extra bonus episode, um, available, maybe either at the end of the year or the beginning of the year. So be on the lookout. But thank you all for joining us and we will see you next season. Thank you.

Speaker B: Thank you.

Speaker A: Well, it's a wrap. Although we're doing another bonus episode soon. What did you think of our season on growth tips? We had some pretty juicy episodes this season, so if you missed a few, be sure to catch up. We just wanted to say that we are so thankful for our listeners, so thank you for allowing us into your heart, minds and ears. Want to learn more about women in the business arena or Laura and I services? Be sure to visit womeninthebusinessarena.com have a beautiful day and see you next time.

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