When your home life is dysregulated, your business pays the price. In this heart-opening, highly practical episode, Dr. Laurie Emery—former clinical therapist turned relationship transformation expert for high-achieving couples—joins Charisse to unpack how nervous-system regulation, emotional literacy, and real repair habits can turn “successful strangers running an empire” into intimate partners building a legacy.
We talk childhood patterns, perfectionism, burnout, co-regulation with kids, how to stop outsourcing intimacy to work, and what it really takes to create a couple’s code that becomes the floor your whole family stands on.
If you’ve ever thought, “Once the business calms down, I’ll fix things at home,” this one’s for you.
Why self-healing is a leadership strategy at home: how your regulation becomes your family’s permission slip to calm, connection, and growth
From survival to creation: spotting hyper-achiever patterns (people-pleasing, avoiding, perfecting) and shifting to grounded, values-led action
Nervous system 101 for moms: practical co-regulation with kids (naming emotions, micro-pauses, repair rituals) that reduce meltdowns and reactivity
Couples work that actually works: moving beyond “talk therapy” to identify your survival knot, create a Couple’s Code, and practice true repair
Power couple paradox: when two high performers use business to avoid intimacy—and how to redirect those strengths into connection
Boundaries vs. burnout: why “better culture” without clear systems backfires (at work and at home)
The reframe that saves marriages: what real accountability looks like after rupture—and when separation is a safety decision, not a failure
00:00 Intro — Why your business needs your relationships healthy
02:07 Meet Dr. Laurie: clinician → relationship strategist for high achievers
04:05 “When I heal, they heal”: modeling regulation vs. perfection
06:40 Co-regulation with kids: naming emotions, micro-breaks, repair
09:00 Escaping the hustle loop: the hidden cost of overachievement
12:05 Teaching excellence without shame: effort > outcome with kids
15:10 Self-care as foundation (not a luxury) for mom-CEOs
18:34 Couples work that works: survival knot, pathways to intimacy, Couple’s Code
22:48 Why many couples therapies miss the mark for founders
25:33 Public ruptures, private repair: betrayal, accountability, and choice
30:00 Mind–body–emotion: a simple nervous-system check-in you can use today
32:18 Park-bench advice: “Take care of yourself first. Be real.”
33:10 Where to find Dr. Laurie + free book
Name it: “I notice tight chest + fast thoughts = overwhelm.”
Pause & breathe: 4 slow nasal breaths, long exhale.
Share & repair (with partner/child): “I’m feeling flooded. I’m going to take 2 minutes to reset so I can listen well.”
Couple’s Code prompt: Together finish this sentence: “In hard moments, we commit to…” (limit to 3 behaviors you both agree to practice).
A former clinical therapist, Dr. Laurie Emery helps high-achieving couples move from relationship survival to creation without sacrificing ambition. She created The Integration Breakthrough Method™ and has guided hundreds of entrepreneurs and executives into deeper intimacy, steadier leadership at home, and legacies they’re proud of.
Free book + programs: Ignite Your Life → Ignite with Dr. Laurie (search “Ignite with Dr. Laurie”)
Host — Charisse Walker
• Website: unbreakablemompreneurs.com
• Instagram: @charissewalker1
• Book: Flipping the Iceberg
💡 What You’ll Learn⏱️ Timestamps🛠️ Try This Today (Dr. Laurie’s Mini-Ritual)👩⚕️ About Dr. Laurie Emery🔗 Connect
If this episode helped you exhale, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE it with a mompreneur who could use more peace at home and power in her business. 💛