Send us a text It’s a new year, and maybe you caught yourself thinking: This is the year we finally work on us. Not in a dramatic, “we’re getting divorced” way. More like… you’re tired of the same tension. The same looping conversations. That familiar bracing-in-your-body feeling when you can tell another hard talk is coming. And if you’re wondering, Why does this still feel so hard if we love each other? this episode is for you. In this week's episode we're unpacking the real reason relation...
Send us a text When separation comes up, most couples split into two roles fast: One becomes the Fixer. You want to talk, solve, repair, and close the gap now because the silence feels unbearable. The other becomes the Escaper. You shut down, pull back, and hope the pressure stops, not because you don’t care, but because you feel emotionally overwhelmed and unsafe in the conversations. And here’s the trap: both responses make sense… and both make separation harder. The Fixer reaches for conne...
Send us a text Are you stuck in the question that never seems to get answered: Should I stay or should I go? Some days your relationship feels warm enough to keep trying. Other days it feels so lonely you can’t believe you’re still sharing the same space. If you’re in that place right now, you’re not alone, and you’re not broken. In this special rebroadcast of one of our most impactful episodes, we dive into what we call the Land of Maybe: the exhausting in-between where couples linger for ye...
Send us a text You were told that love would be enough. That if you just cared more, tried harder, stayed patient, and didn’t give up, your relationship would work itself out. So when the distance crept in, when conversations started going sideways, when you felt lonely sitting right next to the person you love, you told yourself to love harder. But love isn’t what translates your emotions into words. Love doesn’t create emotional safety when conversations get tense. And love alone can’t brid...
Send us a text Have you ever walked into a holiday gathering with a smile on your face and a knot in your stomach? You’re passing the potatoes, making small talk, and meanwhile you’re sitting on years of unspoken hurt, unresolved conversations, and roles you never quite chose but still end up playing. In this episode of Love Shack Live, we’re talking directly to you if your relationship (or family dynamics) already feel shaky and the holidays crank everything up to a ten. We’ll unpack why thi...
Send us a text When your relationship is already on the rocks, the holidays don’t feel magical. They feel brittle. One sharp comment in the kitchen, one loaded question at the dinner table, and suddenly everyone is walking on eggshells just trying to “get through it.” In this episode of Love Shack Live, Staci, Tom, and Brooke talk honestly about why the holidays hit struggling couples so hard. They unpack the collision between Hallmark expectations and real-life pressure: money stress, family...
Send us a text Have you ever looked around your life and thought, “I didn’t plan to end up here”? Maybe you’re standing in that uneasy space between what was and what’s next, holding on, letting go, or trying to begin again. In this episode of Love Shack Live, Staci, Tom, and Brooke open a deeply honest conversation about what it means to rebuild, heal, and love again. They share the emotional skills that transform heartbreak into growth, awareness, emotional regulation, communication that ac...
Send us a text You’re not fighting. You’re just… quiet. The kind of quiet that hums with tension instead of peace. Conversations stay about the calendar, the kids, and dinner, but not each other. You can feel the gap growing even while you sit side by side, and you catch yourself wondering, when did we stop being best friends? If you’re tired of “fine,” tired of feeling like roommates, and unsure how to turn things around without starting another argument, this episode is for you. In this wee...
Send us a text Living together but feeling miles apart. You still share a home. Maybe even a bed. But the real stuff, the fears, the wants, the touch, has gone quiet. You keep telling yourself, “It’s just a phase.” But deep down, you know the distance isn’t shrinking. This episode is for that moment. I’m Staci Bartley, here with my partner Tom and our daughter Brooke. Inside Love Shack Live, we help people who are stuck between holding on and letting go. People who are trying to give space wi...
Send us a text If your partner asked for space and your whole body has been bracing ever since, you are not broken. You’re in survival mode. On this episode of Love Shack Live, we’re speaking directly to you, the partner who’s been asked for space. You know that feeling of walking around with your stomach in knots, checking your phone every few minutes, wondering if reaching out will make things worse? You’re not crazy for feeling this way. When someone you love pulls away, your nervous syste...
Send us a text Have you ever said yes just to avoid an argument? You take it on, you promise you’ll change, you nod along. Even though inside you’re thinking, “I can’t keep doing this.” That’s not weakness. That’s an agreement that needs a closer look. Last week we shared part one of this two-part series from The Better Love Club on how real connection is created. In part two, we’re looking at what blocks it: unhealthy agreements. We’re sharing these replays while Tom and I are in Italy check...
Send us a text Feeling close but not connected? You talk, you share a couch, you share a life… and yet the room feels cold. This episode of Love Shack Live is for anyone at a relationship crossroads who’s worn down by daily conflict and a widening emotional gap, but still wants a bond that feels genuine and lasting. This special replay comes straight from the Better Love Club. Tom and I are in Italy scouting a venue for our 2026 couples retreat, and we pulled this teaching so you can practice...
Send us a text Have you ever stared at your phone, heart pounding, wondering if one wrong text could push your partner even further away? You're not alone. In this raw and practical episode, we break down the real reason relationships don't survive space - and it's not what you think. The Hard Truth: Most relationships don't end because of space. They end because of miscommunication during that space. What You'll Learn Why "the perfect phrase" is marketing BS that preys on your desperationHow...
Send us a text When someone you love pulls away, the question on loop is: Can we come back from this, or is the distance proof it’s over? If you’ve lived through weeks of silence, guarded talks, and feeling miles apart while sitting side-by-side, this one’s for you. Relationship mentor Staci Bartley, with Tom and Brooke, answers real listener questions about what happens after space: when reconnection is actually possible, how to handle the first reach-out, and how to name your needs without ...
Send us a text Your chest is tight. Your brain won’t stop spinning. Do you send the text…or go silent? In this episode of Love Shack Live, Staci, Tom, and Brooke unpack what to do when your partner asks for space, and it feels like the beginning of the end. You’ll hear Mia’s story, why “space” isn’t proof you’re unlovable, and how couples slide into the Default Option (limbo) when they haven’t learned the skills to stay connected under stress. We’ll show you how to shift from pressure to pres...
Send us a text When a partner says they need space, most of us freeze, wait, and hope, until reality lands like a punch in the gut. In this episode, Staci, Tom, and Brooke unpack the “default option”: the unconscious choices (shutting down, chasing, over-explaining, policing “boundaries”) that slowly erode connection. You’ll learn why love isn’t the problem, missing skills are, and how simple, repeatable practices (regulating your body, translating feelings into words, reaching for repair) in...
Send us a text Have you ever stared at your phone, heart pounding, wondering if the silence from your partner means they’re slipping away for good? You replay old conversations. You imagine what they’re thinking. You tell yourself to “give them space,” but inside, you’re screaming for connection. Here’s the problem: space without connection is like cutting the power and expecting the lights to stay on. Sooner or later, everything goes dark. Welcome to Love Shack Live, the podcast for anyone a...
Send us a text Have you ever felt like your relationship was running on empty, like the emotional gas tank hit “E” and suddenly your partner said, “I need space”? In that moment, everything can feel terrifying. The silence. The distance. The questions you can’t stop spinning in your head. But here’s the truth: needing space isn’t always a sign the relationship is over. More often, it’s a survival response, the human need to regroup, refill, and reconnect with ourselves before we can reconnect...
Send us a text When someone asks for space, it can feel like the ground falls out from under you. You start spiraling, Googling, second-guessing everything, and trying to hold it all together, but underneath, you’re unraveling. This week, we’re opening up about the real reason we rebuilt our entire brand, launched a brand-new website, and created the Relationship Space Survival Quiz. Because too many people are walking through space and separation alone, blaming themselves for the very surviv...
Send us a text They didn’t say it’s over. They just said they need space. But the silence that follows? It’s deafening. You’re still in the relationship, but not really. Still sleeping in the same house, maybe. Still scrolling their old messages. Still wondering if you’re holding on or just afraid to let go. Welcome to Love Shack Live, the podcast for people at a relationship crossroads. If you’re navigating daily conflict, emotional distance, and a connection that feels like it’s slipping th...