In Episode 5 of Blueprints for Belonging, titled “Expectation: The Gateway Drug to Disappointment”, we explore how unspoken expectations quietly shape, and often sabotage, our relationships. Continuing the BIG Growth framework (Build awareness, Investigate meaning, Generate choice), this episode helps listeners recognize how expectations are not just future hopes, but memetic scripts we inherit and rarely examine. We discuss how these embedded assumptions set us up for miscommunication, disconnection, and resentment, especially when they go unmet. Drawing from logotherapy, we explain how we often assign meaning to a moment before it happens—and then feel disappointed when reality doesn’t align with our inner narrative. By surfacing these patterns, listeners gain the tools to differentiate between true needs and unexamined assumptions, allowing for more honest communication and the freedom to generate conscious choice in relationships.