Welcome to Vera’s Blog!

Have you ever noticed yourself holding back in a relationship—saying what feels safe or going along with things even when it doesn’t feel true?

For so many, authenticity sounds great in theory, but it’s hard to practice when fear of rejection or past experiences hold us back. Yet, without authenticity, the connections we build may feel shallow or unfulfilling. Plus, pretending to be someone else? Exhausting.

In this post, we’re going to explore the real meaning of authenticity, the cost of holding back, and why showing up fully as ourselves is essential for meaningful relationships. Along the way, I’ll share a bit of my own journey with authenticity—how I moved from people-pleasing to a deeper understanding of myself—and how you can do the same. And hey, don’t worry; no acting skills are required for this journey.

Together, let’s discover what it means to create relationships that truly fulfill.

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When I think of the ideal relationship—the kind of connection that feels like more than a partnership, something deeper, more fulfilling, and truly motivating—it isn’t just about finding someone to walk through life with. It’s about discovering a relationship that feels like home, that brings out the best in you and makes you want to be a better person every day. A connection that isn’t just supportive but inspiring, a relationship that makes you feel alive.

Now, imagine this: waking up each morning beside someone who, with every look, every touch, every word, seems to say, “I love you more every single day.” What would it be like to experience that, to feel that depth of love and connection as something real, something you can trust? Picture this person not as a dream, but as part of your everyday reality—someone who, just by being there, shifts your whole way of seeing the world.

Before these thoughts settle, let’s pause....

People often come to me with questions like: 

• “I’m killing it at work and crushing my goals, but why can’t I figure out relationships?” 
• “Is something wrong with me? Why can’t I get it right?” 
• “Why are my partner and I always clashing?” 
• “What’s wrong with my partner? Why won’t they even try?” 

Sound familiar? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you’re not alone. I get it. I’ve been there, and I’ll let you in on a little secret: I struggled too.

The Confession: I’ve Been Where You Are

Let me tell you something—I’ve been there. I know exactly what it feels like to be stuck in that frustrating, painful space where nothing seems to work. People assume that because I’m a therapist, I must have it all figured out when it comes to relationships. But let me make a confession: that wasn’t always the case.

You see,...

As a relationship expert, I often get asked, “What’s the biggest red flag I should look out for?”

Most people expect the answer to be something clear-cut: inconsistent communication, avoidance of commitment, or toxic behavior patterns. But what if I told you that the biggest red flag is often something much more subtle and deeply rooted, something we’ve been trained to ignore?

The truth is, the biggest red flag in a relationship isn’t just about what your partner is or isn’t doing—it’s about what your own body is telling you.

(Want to know more about other common red flags? Check out 9 Relationship Red Flags You Should Never Ignore.)

Ignoring these subtle signals can create toxic relationship patterns that prevent you from experiencing authentic connection. Let’s explore how listening to your body can guide you toward healthier, more fulfilling relationships.

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Do you have an anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment style? If you do, how does your attachment style make you feel?

(If you’re not sure what kind of attachment style you have, you can learn more about the 4 main attachment styles right here.)

Your attachment style influences how you approach and navigate relationships, especially in terms of emotional bonding, intimacy, and conflict.

This means that it can shape the type of romantic partner, family member, friend, and parent you are to those you love.

So if you know that you have an insecure attachment style, you might think that you’re doomed to have unhealthy relationships and continuously struggle to feel safe, satisfied, and happy in them.

But do you know what, my dear?

Just because you developed an anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment style as a kid doesn’t mean that you have to have this attachment style forever.

Because there are steps that you can take to develop a more secure attachment...

How much do you think that your early relationship with your primary caregiver (e.g., your mom, dad, grandparent, or foster or adoptive parent) matters today?

If you’re like many people, you might think, “not much” or even “not at all,” especially if this person isn’t a regular part of your life right now.

But if you read my last post on attachment and attachment styles, you discovered that the way that we approach and navigate relationships in our life, even as adults, is heavily shaped by the early relationship that we had with our primary caregiver.

Specifically, if we developed what’s called a secure attachment to our caregiver, then we may trust others easier, form healthy relationships readily, and be resilient in the face of relationship conflict.

However, if we instead developed an insecure attachment to our caregiver, we may be anxious and clingy with our partners, shy away from close relationships, or both crave and intensely fear...

Have you noticed that you tend to do the same thing over and over again in different relationships?

For example, maybe you get jealous easily in relationships.

Perhaps you cling to partners and loved ones almost to the point of driving them away.

Or maybe no matter how awesome someone seems, you never want to get close to them.

In my last post on inner child work and relationships, I talked about the benefits of identifying patterns in your relationships and how they may be linked to your childhood.

One specific link that’s especially helpful to explore is the one between your current relationship habits and patterns and the first relationship you were ever part of: the one you had with your primary caregiver.

Why is this first relationship so important—even if you don’t have any contact with this person now?

Because according to psychological theory, the first relationship that we form with our primary caregiver influences the relationships that we form later on...

Whether we’re experiencing some challenges in our relationships or generally feel fulfilled in them, most of us would love to enjoy them even more.

After all, if you find that most conversations with your mom end with you feeling frustrated or upset, you’d probably love for this to change.

And even if things are generally going well with your romantic partner, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind enjoying a bit more intimacy and connection in the relationship.

As I’ve mentioned recently, one of the key benefits of doing inner child work and healing your inner child is that it can help you build stronger, healthier, and more fulfilling relationships.

But in thinking about whether inner child work is truly worth your time (which I know you can’t afford to waste), you might be wondering how exactly inner child work can benefit your relationship.

That’s why in this blog post, I’m going to pull back the curtain on 3 key ways that healing your inner...

Loving someone who won’t change can be incredibly tough. On the one hand, you really care about them and want to keep them in your life. But on the other hand, the relationship often leaves you feeling drained, resentful, disappointed, sad, and maybe even angry.

In recent weeks, I’ve shared how you can navigate a relationship like this in a healthy way. And I’ve chatted about ways to maintain your relationship with your loved one while nixing or at least reducing the stress that it may be creating for you.

But what if the relationship is really taking its toll on you?

What if you don’t really look forward to spending time with your loved one?

What if you just can’t look past the things they do that really bother you or that you don’t agree with?

Or what if having them in your life is starting to eat away at your mental health or affect other areas of your life?

Are these just a “normal” part of having a challenging relationship with...

No matter how much you want to, you can’t change someone you love.

You’ve seen me talk about this on my blog. And you’ve probably heard it from someone else in your life too.

But you might still think, “My situation is different. Because I just KNOW that if I try hard enough or stick with it long enough, I can get my loved one to change. And then everything will be better.”

My dear, if that thought has run through your mind even while reading my post about why you can’t change other people, I don’t blame you.

Because I know from my own experience that our desire to change someone we love can be so, so strong.

In fact, it can be so strong that even when we’re told that we can’t change our loved one, we might still believe that we’re the exception or that our relationship is the exception. We might think that even if other people usually can’t change their loved one, we can. (And if we believe in it so much, surely we...