256. Are you quiet-quitting your relationship? / Colette Fehr

About this episode

This episode explores the concept of quiet-quitting in relationships and its impact on emotional connection.

You're not unhappy, but something feels off. You avoid bringing things up. You tell yourself it's not worth the tension. You slowly become the easier one in the relationship. Over time, staying quiet starts to feel normal—even though it's costing you connection, energy, and a sense of being truly seen. In Episode 256 of Pursue Your Spark , Are You Quiet-Quitting Your Relationship? , I talk with therapist and author Colette Fehr about why so many midlife women stop speaking up in their closest relationships and don't realize it's happening. We explore how emotional suppression becomes automatic, especially when keeping the peace feels safer than risking conflict. Colette explains why speaking up can feel threatening, even when staying silent causes more harm. We unpack what quiet quitting looks like in everyday life. Not dramatic arguments, but small moments when women swallow their feelings, dismiss their needs, or default to saying "I'm fine." Over time, those moments create emotional distance, resentment, and a growing disconnect from self. This conversation also addresses the physical and emotional cost of staying quiet. Emotional suppression doesn't just affect relationships…

People in this episode

Host: Heike

Guest: Colette Fehr

Topics covered

• relationships
• communication
• emotional connection

Keywords

• quiet quitting
• relationship dynamics
• emotional health

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Pursue Your Spark

More episodes of Pursue Your Spark: Strength & Forward Motion in Midlife

• 260. How Good Girl Rules Keep Women Stuck in Midlife / Sue Willoughby · April 30, 2026 · 42 min
• 259. Why Your Routines Stop Working in Midlife (It's Not Discipline) · April 16, 2026 · 26 min
• 258. How to Get Organized Without Feeling Behind / Tracy Hoth · April 2, 2026 · 30 min
• 257. Building Consistency in Midlife: Why Speaking Up Still Leaves You Feeling Small · March 19, 2026 · 23 min
• 255. How To Get Back On Track In Midlife When You've Been Playing Small · February 19, 2026 · 15 min
• 254. Starting Over In Your 50s Without Guilt When You Want More/ Ande Lyons · February 5, 2026 · 38 min