Mark Groves is here to discuss finding liberated love by understanding attachment styles, uncovering blind spots that prevent healthy relationships, and breaking free from codependency. If you’re not familiar with his work, Mark is a Human Connection Specialist, founder of Create the Love, and host of the Mark Groves Podcast. His work bridges the academic and human aspects of connection, inviting us to explore the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful sides of relationships. His new book, Liberated Love, co-authored with his wife, is out now!

Finding Liberated Love: Understanding Attachment Styles, Breaking Codependency & Building Healthier Relationships

In this conversation, Mark breaks down secure, anxious, and avoidant attachment styles, drawing connections between our childhood wounds, attachment styles, and relationship patterns. He guides us to uncover core wounds leading to codependency, and how to build comfort with setting boundaries and trusting our choices. Mark also shares why he left social media for six months, and how it can affect mental and nervous system health.

Tune in for motivating advice on shifting victim mentality, breaking shame cycles, and creating meaningful change in your life and relationships.

(00:03:29) Turning Heartbreak Into A Self-Development Journey

• Podcast: markgroves.com/podcast
• What he learned working in pharmaceutical sales
• What led him into studying the science of romantic relationships
• The aftermath of betrayal and how it influences your self-image
• The errors he made in his early relationships
• How childhood experiences influence self expression
• How he addressed his codependency with his wife

(00:20:45) Why Mark Left Social Media

• Why he decided to leave Instagram
• How social media impacts the nervous system - Stephen Porges & Polyvagal theory
• Read: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• How to have a healthy relationship with social media
• Read: Liberated Love by Mark Groves
• The process of writing a book with his wife

(00:35:35) How Attachment Styles Influence Relationships & Quitting Codependency

• Explaining avoidant, anxious and secure attachment styles
• The implications of attachment styles in relationships
• How to heal your nervous system and attachment styles
• The crucial role mothers play in nervous system development
• The relationship between codependency and anxious or avoidant attachment
• Changing the narrative from victim mentality to self responsibility
• 10. Becoming a Boundary Boss with Terri Cole
• 54. From Burnout to Balance: Navigating High-Functioning Codependency with Terri Cole

(00:44:13) Uncovering Common Blind Spots in Relationships

• The most common blind spots that prevent us from healthy relationships
• How to get out of a shame spiral and healthy vs unhealthy shame
• How to navigate change and confront learned helplessness
• The power of community to unlock new possibilities or hold you back
• Where codependency leaks into service providing
• How our survival skills become our superpower or unconscious hook
• The shadow side of goodness

(00:56:14) Embracing the Path to Growth

• How having a kid has changed his perspective
• What drives meaningful change
• How to view our wounds as an opportunity to expand
• How to stop using perfectionism as a survival strategy

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Guest Info:

• Read: Liberated Love by Mark Groves
• Website: markgroves.com
• Podcast: markgroves.com/podcast

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