You Handled That Perfectly™

Survival Mode in Marriage | Connecting the Dots from Episodes 1–5

In this episode, we're looking back at the first five episodes of our relationship series and exploring the common thread running through all of them.

Over the past five episodes, we've discussed:

• Feeling Dismissed
• Mood Unpredictability
• Walking Away or Going Silent During Conflict (Stonewalling)
• Checking Your Phone During Conflict
• Carrying the Mental Load Alone

Carrying the Mental Load Alone

Who's keeping track of the appointments, school events, grocery lists, permission slips, birthday gifts, and everything else that keeps a household running?

In this episode, we're diving into the mental load—the invisible planning, remembering, coordinating, and managing that often falls disproportionately on women.

We’re discussing:

• What the mental load actually is
• Why invisible labor can ...

Checking Your Phone During Conflict

What does it really communicate when someone grabs their phone in the middle of an argument?

In this episode, we’re talking about one of the most common modern relationship habits — checking your phone during conflict — and why it often feels so much deeper than “just looking at a screen.”

We unpack the emotional dynamics that can happen in heterosexual relationships, w...

Walking Away or Going Silent During Conflict

In this episode, Kelly and Carly discuss one of the most painful dynamics in relationships: stonewalling and emotional withdrawal during conflict.

While many people assume yelling or arguing is the biggest threat to a relationship, research shows that emotional shutdown and withdrawal can be even more damaging over time. When one partner goes silent, the other partner’s brain often i...

Mood Unpredictability

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get named very often. You know that moment when he walks in the room and within about five seconds you can tell what kind of night it’s going to be? Nothing dramatic has happened. No big fight. No slammed doors. Just a subtle shift in energy. And suddenly, you’re adjusting. You’re a little softer. A little quieter. Maybe you wait before bring...

Feeling Dismissed.

In Part 1 of our Survival Mode Series, we’re unpacking one of the most common disconnects in relationships: feeling dismissed. Why does it happen, why does it leave us stuck in survival mode, and what actually helps? We’re diving into the difference between fixing and connecting, and how small shifts can help both partners feel more seen, heard, and understood.

For more on the Love Language quiz mentio...

In this episode, we’re talking about something almost all of us deal with: our relationship with our phones.

Be honest… have you ever picked up your phone to check one thing—and suddenly it’s 42 minutes later and you have no idea what just happened? Same.

Our phones help us run businesses, stay connected, and manage everyday life—but they also quietly take up more space than we realize. The average Amer...

In today’s episode, we’re doing something a little extra meaningful—we’re participating in Podcasthon, a global podcast movement where creators use their platforms to support causes that matter.

For this episode, we’re highlighting an organization that aligns deeply with our values: Kids for Peace.

As a Kindness Certified company, this isn’t just a feature for us—it’s a reflection of ho...

Adult friendship can feel surprisingly complicated — especially in the busy season of life many women in their 30s and 40s find themselves in.

In this episode of You Handled That Perfectly, we’re unpacking the realities of adult friendship: why making and maintaining friendships feels harder now, how friendships naturally evolve over time, and the emotional layers of guilt, grief, and shifting expectations that can come ...

Clearing the Clutter That Creates Overwhelm

This week we’re talking about real-life organization - not perfection - and the clutter that makes life feel heavier than it needs to.

We share why clutter builds, how it connects to mental load, and simple shifts that create relief instead of pressure.

If you feel overwhelmed, start small - one space, one reset, one simple system.

Check out:

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In this special episode, we’re celebrating ONE YEAR of You Handled That Perfectly! 💛

We’re taking a moment to reflect, re-introduce ourselves, share why this podcast exists, what the name really means, and what’s coming next for our community. Most importantly, we’re saying thank you — because this space wouldn’t exist without you.

Why We Started This Podcast

We created You Handled That Perfectly t...

It’s that time of year, not Christmas, that’s over, the time when everything you said you would “circle back” to is finally catching up with you.

Any of these sound familiar?:

• Oh, let’s circle back on that subject after the holidays. 

• I’m gonna circle back on that email after the new year. 

• Maybe I can circle back on decluttering once we know everything the kids are getting for Christma...

Welcome to Season 2 of You Handled That Perfectly! Kelly and Carly kick off the new season (and the new year) by redefining what self-care really looks like for moms—without adding more to your plate.

In this episode, they break self-care into three approachable categories: personal, family, and professional, with a strong emphasis on micro habits that actually stick.

What we cover:

• Why self-care doesn’t require a &ldq...

In this episode, we are lightening things up and talking about the New Year. We are reflecting on 2025 and looking forward to 2026. We will review our words for the year and share our words for the upcoming year. Plus, we’ll talk about our traditions for New Year’s Eve.

Check out:

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In this episode, we’re talking about keeping our kids safe, OFFLINE. We talked a lot about keeping them safe online in the last episode, but what about when they are away from their screens? How do we keep them safe during everyday life?

Check out:

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In this episode, we’re diving into a topic that’s on so many parents’ minds — kids, technology, and how we keep them safe both online and offline. This is a HUGE topic and one that we will cover again in the future, but for now, it will be two episodes, starting today with keeping kids safe online. Next time, we will go into helping to keep our kids safe offline.

We talk about the upsides and downsides of tec...

In this episode, we are talking about all things holidays! As we approach the holiday season, we know that while it feels magical and even if we love this time of year, it can also feel overwhelming.

Check out:

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We are wrapping up our series on identity crisis. I am sure this is not the last we will talk about identity crises, because as moms, we go through so many changes throughout our lives. If you're looking around your quiet house and thinking, “Wait—who am I now?”—you’re not alone.

According to a 2023 study by AARP, 60% of empty nesters report experiencing a loss of identity after their children leave hom...