Is My Relationship Healthy? - Resilience & Relationships - Stephanie Olson & Rebecca SaundersIs My Relationship Healthy? - Resilience & Relationships - Stephanie Olson & Rebecca Saunders
Resilience in Life and Leadership
Stephanie Olson and Rebecca Saunders talk about what makes a relationship healthy or abusive, sharing personal experiences and practical ways to spot red flags. They also discuss self-work, planning and support for leaving unsafe situations and building healthier connections.
36:12•17 Jun 2026
Is My Relationship Healthy? Red Flags, Boundaries and Real Support
Episode Overview
- Abuse is more than physical harm and can include emotional, financial and digital control, as well as constant name-calling or intimidation.
- Feelings can be misleading; consistent behaviour, respect and safety are more reliable signs of a healthy relationship.
- Noticing patterns, rather than excusing incidents as "one-time" mistakes, helps reveal whether a relationship is truly unsafe.
- After leaving an abusive relationship, taking time to work on yourself reduces the risk of repeating the same dynamics.
- Leaving safely means creating a practical plan and building a strong support system instead of trying to do it alone or in the heat of the moment.
“"Healthy attracts healthy, and one of the biggest pieces of advice after an abusive relationship is to stop and work on yourself."”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Here, Stephanie Olson and Rebecca Saunders chat honestly about a question many people whisper to themselves: "Is my relationship healthy?" If you're trying to sort out whether something feels off with a partner, friend, or family member, you'll hear plenty that rings familiar.
Stephanie shares her history of abusive romantic relationships, including an early marriage she left with the help of therapy and support, and how she later ended up in a deeply abusive friendship she didn’t recognise at the time. Rebecca adds perspective on how patterns of mistreatment often get minimised as "just once" or "they were having a bad day", and how that keeps harmful behaviour going.
You’ll hear them tease apart the difference between "unhealthy" and "abusive", moving beyond just physical violence to include emotional, financial and digital abuse, as well as those walking-on-eggshells relationships where you never quite know what you’ll get. They question whether feelings are a good guide, with Stephanie explaining why behaviour and consistency matter more than butterflies or guilt. The conversation turns practical too.
They talk through self-examination after leaving an abusive relationship, with Stephanie saying, "Healthy attracts healthy" and urging people to stop and work on themselves before jumping into something new. They also stress planning and support for leaving, pointing out that the riskiest time is often when someone tries to get out.
With stories from survivors of human trafficking, reflections on media myths about love, and gentle humour about cheesecake friendships, this chat speaks directly to anyone who’s ever thought, "Is this normal?" If you left a conversation or relationship recently feeling smaller, not stronger, what might it be time to question next?
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