Growing Us Blog

Relationship insights, communication tips, and couple activities

self-help

It Begins With You: Love Starts With Self-Work

A review of Jillian Turecki's It Begins with You, the nine hard truths about love, and why the common denominator in all your relationships is you....

8 min read
self-help

I Didn't Sign Up for This: The Roommate Phase

A review of Tracy Dalgleish's I Didn't Sign Up for This on the roommate phase, the mental load, and why it's rarely the dishes....

8 min read
communication

Sex Talks: The 5 Conversations for Better Intimacy

A review of Vanessa and Xander Marin's Sex Talks, the five conversations behind a better sex life, and why talking about it beats technique....

8 min read
conflict

Us by Terry Real: Getting Past You vs. Me

A review of Terry Real's Us, the adaptive child, the five losing strategies, and why winning the argument is how you lose the relationship....

8 min read
relationship-science

Stronger Than You Think: The Self-Expansion Effect

A review of Gary Lewandowski's Stronger Than You Think and the self-expansion science behind why the couples who keep growing together are the ones wh...

8 min read
relationship-science

How to Feel Loved: 5 Mindsets From the Research

A review of Sonja Lyubomirsky and Harry Reis's How to Feel Loved, the five mindsets behind it, and the one we only understood after building our own a...

8 min read
relationship-science

"We're Fine" Is the Most Dangerous Thing a Couple Can Say

Nothing's wrong. That's exactly when the drift starts — quietly, without a crisis to point at, while both of you are busy being fine....

8 min read
self-help

When Your Partner Won't Go to Therapy (and Won't Read the Books)

You can't drag someone to the work. But you can change the next conversation — alone, tonight. That turns out to matter more than it sounds....

9 min read
conflict

Happy Couples Fight. They Just Fight Better.

The goal was never to stop fighting. It was to stop fighting the same fight on a loop forever....

8 min read
relationship-science

The Myth That Quietly Ends Relationships: Love Should Be Easy

The belief that good love feels effortless has ended more relationships than most people realise. Not because the relationships were bad — because the...

9 min read
self-help

You Don't Have to Be Broken to Want Better

The healthiest thing a fine couple can do is act before anything is wrong. Almost no one does....

7 min read
self-help

Couples Therapy Is the Ambulance. You Need the Gym.

Most couples wait until they need emergency care before they do anything. Almost nobody trains so they don't....

8 min read
relationship-science

AI Relationship Coach vs ChatGPT, Replika & Therapy

ChatGPT flatters you, AI companions replace connection, therapy is for crisis. Here's where each one actually helps your relationship — and where it d...

11 min read
communication

Voice vs. Text: Why Talking to an AI Coach Beats Typing

You don't process a hard feeling by typing it. You process it by saying it out loud — and the difference turns out to be significant....

7 min read
communication

Can AI Actually Help You Feel Heard in Your Relationship?

Sometimes your partner is listening fine. The problem is you haven't decoded your own message yet — and that's exactly the job AI can do....

8 min read
relationship-science

ChatGPT Is a Terrible Couples Therapist (And a Great Rehearsal Partner)

ChatGPT will help you win the argument in your head. That's exactly the problem — and also the clue to using it well....

7 min read
relationship-science

Is It Weird to Use AI for Your Relationship?

She told her AI about the fight before she told her husband. Then she wondered if that made her a coward — or just a better-prepared partner....

8 min read
rituals

The Valentine's Gift That Starts with 'Thank You'

Gratitude is the quiet engine of every good relationship. This Valentine's Day, we turned ours into art — and you can too....

5 min read
rituals

Skip the Flowers: A Valentine's Gift That Actually Means Something

We love Valentine's Day. We just think the gifts could be a little more... you. Here's how to turn your favorite memory into art....

6 min read
our-story

Journal Solo. Grow Together.

Growing Us Coach is live on Android and iPhone for couples who need a private first step, a better way to start, and habits that take root....

6 min read