The Love Life

Welcome to The Love Life!In this introduction meet The Relationship Coach aka Annie Lavin and broadcaster Tracy Clifford! You'll hear the origins of 'The Love Life' and their individual reasons for creating this podcast.

Are you worried that Covid-19 and never-ending lockdowns are wreaking havoc on your love life? Are you single worrying you will never meet someone or in a relationship thinking your relationship wont survive the tedium? This week we delve into the impact lockdown is having on all of us. In this episode we are reminded that we are living through a traumatic experience and we discuss some of the struggles we are facing as a result. One key indicator of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is seeing the world as a dangerous place, the current pandemic has caused this fear on a global level and we explore some of the best ways to respond to these fears as they show up when dating and in relationship.

"Episode Two: F*ck Fairy TalesIt's time to smash the myths about Love Have you ever wondered what might happen if fairy tales continued long after prince charming meets the fair maid, would we have more realistic expectations about the creation and maintenance of intimate relationships? In this episode we debunk some of the myths that can keep us small and helpless in love. We tackle the fairy tales regarding expectations, timelines, marriage, babies, “ideal partner”, happiness, and we offer tips on how we can show up more fully in love and identify how we can reclaim our power and regain a sense of control over our love lives. "

If you are someone who starts arguments by saying things like 'you always' or 'this is ALL your fault' .......then this is the episode for you! In this episode we explore how to have the hard conversations. We identify some of the right and wrong ways to row. We give you a framework for being heard, rather than being labelled 'a nag' (we hate this word too!).We nerd out on Polyvagal theory AND we share a special way for you to feel deeper love with your partner.We hope this episode will help you to improve communication in ALL your relationships, not just your romantic one. Try out some of the examples we use here and let us know how you get on!As always, if you enjoyed this episode and think a friend or family member could benefit from hearing it, please share this podcast and talk about what resonates with you, if not with another person, then with us.One of our goals with this podcast is to tackle the stigma and debunk some of the damaging myths in love - we can achieve this by talking about our struggles (one by one), rather than keeping them hidden.We would also love it if you could take a minute to rate, review and/or subscribe to the podcast as it really helps to spread the word and normalise how we can all struggle in love and how we are not alone. If you have already done this, amazing and thank you for your support, Love Annie and Tracy x

Can your childhood impact your dating life?Have you ever considered how comfortable you are with being close or intimate?This episode explores our fears of intimacy which can have roots in our childhood (who knew!) and can be linked to serial dating, perfectionism, fussiness, fear of commitment, and struggles to create meaningful connections with others. Annie and Tracy chat about how our blueprints for love are not all the same. How dating or being in a relationship can be harder for some people and why we must lose all blame and judgement. Annie teaches some of the ways to open to deeper love and the importance of healing your past for your future As always, if you enjoyed this episode and think a friend or family member could benefit from hearing it, please share and talk about what resonates with you - if not with another person, with us. One of our goals with this podcast is to tackle the stigma and debunk some of the damaging myths in love - we can achieve this by talking about our struggles (one by one), rather than keeping them hidden.We would also love it if you could take a minute to rate, review and/or subscribe to the podcast as it really helps to spread the word and normalise how we can all struggle in love and how we are not alone. If you have already done this, amazing and thank you for your support."Love, Annie and Tracy x

"In this special episode Tracy and Annie answer YOUR questions about love in this lockdown.Last week Annie stuck up a question box on her Insta stories asking you what you wanted us to discuss and there were so many responses! Thank you. There were questions about how can you meet someone within 5km restrictions .. how to maintain long distance love, and what does it mean if your partner wants to take a break. We also normalise the real life struggles when you're in your partner's face and in your own face. Love in lockdown is not just about intimate partner love and in this episode we touch on some of the ways we can self-love in difficult times and why it's essential.Thanks to everyone who sent in questions, if we didn't answer yours this episode it's not because it is any less important than the ones we chose, it's completely the opposite, we have them pinned for future episodes.As always, if you enjoyed this episode and think a friend or family member could benefit from hearing it, please share and talk about what resonates with you - if not with another person, with us. One of our goals with this podcast is to tackle the stigma and debunk some of the damaging myths in love - we can achieve this by talking about our struggles (one by one), rather than keeping them hidden.We would also love it if you could take a minute to rate, review and/or subscribe to the podcast as it really helps to spread the word and normalise how we can all struggle in love and how we are not alone. If you have already done this, amazing and thank you for your support."

"Are you attracted to fu*kboys/fu*kgals or emotional unavailability? If this isn't you, I'll bet you have a friend or someone in your family who seems to be 'hooked' on partners who treat them poorly. In this episode we unpack some of the reasons why this can occur and we also look at ways you can overcome toxic love. We touch on the topic of narcissistic abuse and urge anybody who is a part of this dynamic to reach out and find tailored support. Women's Aid is a national organisation in Ireland dedicated to supporting domestic violence (to include emotional abuse/coercive control) for women and children. Their 24-hour helpline number is 1800 341 900. Men's Aid Ireland is the only dedicated support group for male survivors of domestic abuse (to include emotional abuse/coercive control) and their contact number is 01-5543811.As always, if you enjoyed this episode and think a friend or family member could benefit from hearing it, please share and talk about what resonates with you - if not with another person, with us. One of our goals with this podcast is to tackle the stigma and debunk some of the damaging myths in love - we can achieve this by talking about our struggles (one by one), rather than keeping them hidden.We would also love it if you could take a minute to rate, review and/or subscribe to the podcast as it really helps to spread the word and normalise how we can all struggle in love and how we are not alone. If you have already done this, amazing and thank you for your support."