When your partner’s been away—whether for military deployment, long work travel, or anything else—life at home adapts. You figure out a new normal, even if it’s exhausting. And then, just when you’ve found your footing, they come home... and the transition isn’t always as joyful (or seamless) as you hoped.

Today, I’m answering a listener question about how to navigate the messy, emotional shift from solo parenting back to partnership—and how to help your kids adjust too.

Even if deployment isn’t part of your story, chances are you’ll face a family transition like this someday. Maybe it’s work travel. A kid leaving (or returning) from college. An aging parent moving in. Anytime the players in your daily life change, the routines, roles, and emotions have to be renegotiated—and it almost never happens automatically.

Inside this episode, I’ll share:

• How to name the transition out loud (and why that matters so much)
• The surprising trick that helps kids adjust to new family rhythms
• Practical strategies for rebalancing parenting duties without resentment
• Why emotional disconnection during transitions is normal—and how to move through it
• How to be gentle with yourself when the switch from “alone” to “together” feels harder than you expected

Transitions are hard—but they’re also a chance to build something even stronger. Let’s work through it together.

If you want to stay connected between episodes, make sure you’re on my email list—where I share thoughts, updates, and behind-the-scenes moments I don’t always talk about on the podcast. This is also where you can submit your own question for the show, or send me a note to let me know what's on your mind (yes, it's really me on the other end!)

🔗 Join My Email List: https://www.andreaburkly.com/signup

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and share it with a friend (or five!)

🎙 Tune in next week for real-life relationship questions, insight that builds empathy, and practical steps to create happier, healthier relationships.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Supporting someone with depression, addiction, or job loss isn’t just hard—it’s heartbreaking.

In this deeply moving episode, I sit down with Stephanie, a listener who has been carrying the crushing weight of her husband’s depression and long-term unemployment.

After 26 years of marriage, she finds herself working full-time, managing the home, and barely holding it together—while her partner barely gets out of bed.

We talk through:

• What it feels like to love someone who’s slowly disappearing
• Why you can’t rescue someone from depression—and what you can do instead
• The emotional and financial traps that keep people stuck
• Why connection (even small doses) is essential for survival
• The gentle reminder that you still get to choose

This isn’t a story with a tidy ending. It’s real life. It’s messy, and raw, and full of questions. But it’s also packed with insight, validation, and the kind of emotional support so many women in similar situations desperately need.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or like no one sees the load you’re carrying—this episode is for you.

Just a reminder, in this busy season of life and business, I'll be releasing episodes every other week (want the deets? Listen here).

If you want to stay connected between episodes, make sure you’re on my email list—where I share thoughts, updates, and behind-the-scenes moments I don’t always talk about on the podcast.

🔗 Join My Email List: https://www.andreaburkly.com/signup

💌 Have a relationship question you’d like featured on the show? Fill out the Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey - there is a submission box at the end of the short survey where you can write in your question.

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and share it with a friend (or five!)

🎙 Tune in in two weeks for real-life relationship questions, insight that builds empathy, and practical steps to create happier, healthier relationships.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This isn’t the episode I planned—but it’s the one I needed to record. As I hide from my to-do list and attempt to pack for spring break, I’m taking a few minutes to reflect on turning 43, what this season of life looks like, and how different it feels from the decades that came before it.

Your 20s are for striving. Your 30s? Dismantling. But your 40s? There’s something else entirely that starts to unfold. A cracking open. A returning to yourself. A strength that surprises you. In this episode, I share where I’ve been, where I am, and what I see so many women around me experiencing, too.

I talk about:

• Why early motherhood can feel like getting kicked in the teeth (and why you're not alone if you feel that way)
• The real emotional toll of the “dismantling” decade
• What begins to shift when the fog of early motherhood lifts
• Why the 40s bring clarity, confidence, and yes—more chaos
• How I’m learning to hold hope even as the world feels heavy

Whether you're in your 20s, 30s, 40s—or just trying to catch your breath—this episode is for you.

Just a reminder, in this busy season of life and business, I'll be releasing episodes every other week (want the deets? Listen here).

If you want to stay connected between episodes, make sure you’re on my email list—where I share thoughts, updates, and behind-the-scenes moments I don’t always talk about on the podcast.

🔗 Join My Email List: https://www.andreaburkly.com/signup

💌 Have a relationship question you’d like featured on the show? Fill out the Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey - there is a submission box at the end of the short survey where you can write in your question.

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and share it with a friend (or five!)

🎙 Tune in in two weeks for real-life relationship questions, insight that builds empathy, and practical steps to create happier, healthier relationships.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.