Explicit
A blog for the Self-Connected woman.
Whether you’re struggling with an avoidant partner, longing to feel valued, or healing from a breakup, this blog goes beyond surface-level advice and gives you the tools to build the kind of connection you’ve always craved.
I’m Colette Jane Fehr
I’m a licensed psychotherapist, author and TEDx speaker. I’ve spent years helping people find lasting joy and connection, within themselves and their relationships.

How to Fight Better in Your Relationship
Most couples assume the goal is to fight less. The real goal is to fight better. Conflict is going to happen—it’s part of being close to someone. What matters is how you handle it. Here are three shifts that can change the way you argue…

The Power of Touch: Why Physical Affection Matters More Than You Think
Studies show that regular affectionate touch can reduce blood pressure, improve immunity, and even lengthen lifespan. The Gottman Institute—world-renowned for its relationship research—recommends long hugs and lingering kisses because they help couples stay emotionally and physiologically attuned to each other.
Even the smallest things—sitting close together, holding hands, resting your head on their shoulder—are like sweet harmonies that create a symphony of calm in your nervous system.

Why Relationships Are the Key to a Long Life
Discover why research says strong relationships are the key to a happy life. Learn how inner circles and community connections boost well-being and how to start building them today.

Forecast Your Feelings, Save Your Relationship
Couples often wait until their relationship reaches a breaking point before addressing the issues that are causing deterioration. A much more effective approach is to proactively build habits and improve communication skills that foster connection, even before difficulties arise.

How to Stay Connected When Life Transitions Change Everything.
Life is a series of transitions. Some are expected, like children graduating and leaving home. Others arrive without warning, like the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, or a health diagnosis. Whether you see them coming or not, these shifts have one thing in common: they change your relationships…

How to Handle Toxic Workplace Relationships Without Losing Your Sanity
Work isn’t just where you earn a paycheck. It’s where you spend most of your waking hours. So when the environment becomes emotionally toxic, it’s more than just annoying—it’s draining, stressful, and sometimes even damaging to your confidence and wellbeing. Here’s how to handle some of the most common toxic workplace dynamics with clarity and strength.

The Weekly Check-In: The Simple Ritual That Can Transform Your Relationship
If there’s one habit I wish every couple would adopt, it’s the weekly check-in meeting. It doesn’t sound sexy. But what is sexy is feeling seen, feeling appreciated, and not letting resentment quietly build up until someone blows. Most couples don’t fall apart because of one big betrayal. They drift. They disconnect. They stop tuning in. The weekly check-in is a simple, powerful way to stay emotionally connected—to catch issues early and keep your relationship on solid ground.

When Emotional Reactivity Becomes Emotional Abuse
If you’re with someone who explodes, stonewalls, pouts, or punishes you just for sharing your emotional truth, that’s not just emotional reactivity. That’s emotional abuse.
Here’s how the pattern usually goes:
You bring something up calmly. Maybe you’re even scared to say it because you’ve been here before. You’ve rehearsed the words in your head, softened your tone, tried to be fair. But no matter how gently you speak, your partner flips into reactivity and suddenly you’re the bad guy.

The Coldplay Kiss-Cam Scandal and the Truth About Infidelity
When Coldplay’s kiss-cam landed on tech CEO Andy Byron and his colleague—who wasn’t his wife—it set off a media firestorm. Within days, he resigned and the internet had a field day. But beneath the viral moment is a much bigger issue we don’t talk about nearly enough:
Infidelity at work is far more common than people think.

Why Your Partner Stops Listening & How to Change It
We’ve all been there. You’re upset and before you know it, you’re no longer just talking about the thing that hurt you. You’re bringing up last week, last month, last year and everything under the sun that’s ever bothered you about your partner. It’s a communication pattern therapists call kitchen sinking and it’s one of the fastest ways to shut down real connection in a relationship.

8 Habits of Healthy Couples: What They Do Differently
Relationships don’t thrive by accident. They thrive because both partners consistently practice habits that strengthen their bond, even when life gets messy. Here’s what healthy couples do often—and why it matters:

The Truth About Breakups (Even If It’s Not What You Want to Hear…)
Whether you saw it coming or got blindsided, losing someone you loved (or even just thought you loved) can feel like your whole world is crumbling. It’s messy, painful, and can make you question everything—yourself, your choices, even the meaning of love.

3 Ways You’re Fucking Up Your Apologies (And How to Do Them Right)
Apologizing isn't always as simple as saying "I'm sorry." In fact, there are common mistakes that can make an apology feel worse instead of better. In this post, we break down three ways you're likely messing up your apologies—and how to do it right. Learn how to take accountability, show up for your partner's feelings, and truly repair any rupture in your relationship.

10 Insights into Your Avoidantly-Attached Partner
10 Insights into Your Avoidantly-Attached Partner
If you’re in a relationship with someone who has an avoidant attachment style, you might feel like they’re emotionally distant, hard to reach, or even uninterested in deep connection. But the truth is, avoidantly-attached partners do want connection—they just have protective strategies that unintentionally sabotage intimacy.
Understanding their inner world can help you shift frustration into empathy and build a stronger, more connected relationship. Here are 10 key insights into why they behave the way they do.

The Secret to a Thriving Relationship: Feeling Valued by Your Partner
Have you ever wondered how to make your relationship stronger, more intimate, and filled with trust? Well, there's one key aspect that can make all the difference: feeling important to each other.
Why Feeling Important is Crucial: At the end of the day, we all want to feel valued and appreciated, especially by our partners. We long to feel like we come first—that our partners will respond to us quickly and empathetically when we need them. Knowing that you hold a special place in their life brings you closer, strengthens your bond, and builds trust. This assurance gives you the confidence to be vulnerable, sharing your deepest thoughts and emotions without holding back.

Navigating Love in the Spotlight: Lessons from JLo and Ben Affleck’s Divorce
Yesterday’s news of the divorce between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck has sparked conversations worldwide, not just because of their celebrity status, but because their relationship—like many high-profile romances—highlights the unique challenges that come with love in the public eye. While their story may seem distant from our everyday lives, there are valuable lessons we can all learn from their experience.

Mastering the Art of Repair
Mastering the Art of Repair : In the pursuit of a long-lasting, fulfilling relationship, one crucial skill that often goes overlooked is the art of repair. Cultivated from empathy and understanding, this skill helps couples overcome conflicts, deepen their connection, and create a resilient bond that can withstand life's challenges. In this blog post, we'll explore the key steps in mastering the art of repair, allowing you to build a relationship that not only endures but thrives.

How to be a good partner
We spend a lot of time focused on our partners and what we want them to change but to improve our relationships it’s much more effective to look at ourselves.
In the realm of relationships, being a good partner is an art that necessitates understanding, patience, and a whole lot of love. It's not just about grand gestures or romance, often, it's the little daily things that count most. So, how does one become a good partner? Let's delve into the top five ways.

Are You Asking The Right Questions?
What irritates you most about your partner?
I bet you can answer without batting an eye.
If you’ve been in your relationship for any length of time, it’s only natural that you’d have some frustrations. Being intimately entwined with another human being creates friction. Plus our brains are wired to focus on the negative as a survival mechanism.

The Most Important Relationship You Have is with Yourself
A securely attached partnership starts with a deeply connected relationship to yourself.
You’ve got to prioritize true self care, and that means getting to know your inner world and tending to your spirit with love and compassion.
Too often we put our partners, and sometimes everyone else first.
Start your journey
I can help you understand the attachment dynamics in your relationship, identify where you’re getting stuck, and improve the way you communicate. Let’s do this!