A dynamic mother-daughter team offers methods for creating life-enhancing relationships, healing damaged ones, and preventing connection breakdowns before they happen
We are social beings who celebrate our most significant relationships Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, and so on. Then why do we so often mess them up? And in our time of nonstop global connectivity, why are more of us suffering from isolation and disconnection than ever before? Most of us learn to read, write, and do math at school. But we learn to relate to others by what we see modeled at home. This modeling can sometimes be great and other times not so much, especially if we witness marital breakdown, intergenerational feuds, or abuse. This can lead to a lifetime of trial and error, not just in romantic partnerships but also in friendships and workplace relations.
Coauthor Lauren Reitsema experienced her parents divorce and a subsequent breach with her mother, coauthor Joneen Mackenzie. They healed by practicing what they here teach. Using evocative personal examples and illustrations from the hundreds they have taught, and always backed by science, they navigate familiar concepts such as boundaries, fighting fair, and communication (beyond just talking), turning them into practical DIY power tools. These techniques are easy to understand and use, and while not magic, they can have seemingly miraculous love- and life-enhancing results.
Industry Reviews
". . . a pitch-perfect guide . . ."
-- Publishers Weekly
"Strong, healthy, positive relationships are an important foundation of human flourishing. But cultivating such relationships takes wisdom and skill. Relationship Essentials offers practical guidance, delivered in an engaging and down-to-earth style, for developing the satisfying relationships necessary for a vibrant, generative life. Highly recommended!"
-- Matthew T. Lee, director of empirical research at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program
"Relationship Essentials is the essential guide to crucial relationship skills that are needed in every important relationship. You will apply what you learn here to your relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. Practical and user-friendly, this book will significantly raise your relationship IQ."
-- Ron L. Deal, therapist, speaker, and bestselling coauthor of Building Love Together in Blended Families (with Dr. Gary Chapman) and author of The Smart Stepfamily
"When couples come for counseling, they are frequently explicit with their request: 'I need tools to build a stronger relationship.' Relationship Essentials responds to this request in a comprehensive way by providing ways to respectfully draw effective boundaries and other skills that are essential to the creation of meaningful relationships. Consider this book a practice manual for taking any or all of your relationships to a higher level."
-- Linda Bloom, LCSW, coauthor of 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married
"If there was ever a time when people were dying to feel known, seen, and heard, it is now. Relationship Essentials provides the tools that can lead people to healthy, rich relationships. Thank you, Lauren and Joneen, for this gift!"
-- Julie Baumgardner, senior director of WinShape Marriage
"Relationships form the foundation of a meaningful, fulfilling life. Relationship Essentials is an extremely helpful guide to enhancing relationships and dramatically improving communication. It offers practical and effective methods to heal, deepen, and enrich relationships so that you can attain your highest quality of life."
-- Dan Willis, police captain (ret.) and author of Bulletproof Spirit: The First Responder's Essential Resource for Protecting and Healing Mind and Heart
"Relationship Essentials is a wise and practical guide to living and working with others. It's a fun, easy read -- yet amazingly comprehensive with tips and tools that range from difficult topics like conflict and boundaries to everyday habits like gratitude and respect."
-- Susan Campbell, PhD, author of Getting Real and From Triggered to Tranquil
