‘What Matters With Liz’ Episode 5: Nedra Glover Tawwab Discusses Boundaries and Relationships — ‘We Have The Ability to Change’ (Exclusive)
The bestselling author shares how to create healthier bonds without sacrificing who you are
Having trouble setting healthy boundaries or navigating family relationships sometimes? Us too. Licensed therapist, relationship expert and New York Times bestselling author Nedra Glover Tawwab joins host Liz Vaccariello on this week’s episode of What Matters With Liz to share practical tools for building deeper connections and healthier relationships. Drawing on more than 15 years of clinical experience and insight from her new book, The Balancing Act, Tawwab explains how to move from co-dependency or hyper-independence to healthy dependency, why so many of us struggle to ask for help and the common mistakes we make when setting boundaries.
“Depedency is not a bad word,” reassures Tawwab. “We need other people. We need to figure out how to rely on them in a healthy way. We need deep connection.”
If you feel lonely, burned out, disconnected or like you’ve lost yourself in relationships, this conversation will show you how to create healthier relationships without sacrificing who you are. Because every relationship is a balancing act.
Woman's World Answers
Watch What Matters With Liz Episode 5 here or listen on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts.
Watch Episode 5 right here! ‘What Matters with Nedra Glover Tawwab: Boundaries, Connection & Healthy Dependency’
Tawwab on how childhood shapes your relationships
One thread that ran through the conversation: Attachment styles formed in childhood carry forward into adult relationships. The way you learned to connect (or disconnect) as a child often dictates how you show up in partnerships, friendships and communities as an adult.
But here’s the part that reframes the conversation. Tawwab made the point that attachment styles are not permanent. You can change yours. That distinction matters because it shifts the narrative from “this is just who I am” to “this is something I can actively work on.”
Tawwab, who is also the author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself, was direct about trauma: you should never push through it. This podcast episode covers what to do instead, though the emphasis was clear that growth requires honoring your experience rather than bulldozing past it.
“We have the ability to change. We have that ability to grow. And we have to really not allow our discomfort to shut down our progress of growth,” Tawwab said.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why our society may be experiencing “a dependency crisis”
- The pillars of a healthy connection
- The difference between co-dependency, hyper-independence and healthy dependency
- How childhood attachments shape adult relationships
- Why attachment styles are not permanent—and how you can change yours
- Why you should never push through trauma and what to do instead
- The two steps to ask for help and get what you need
- How to build stronger community and support systems
- How to spot patterns that keep you stuck in unhealthy relationships
- What boundaries are, and what they’re not
- The common mistakes people make when setting boundaries
- Why boundaries matter more in midlife
- How to rediscover yourself in midlife
- Why kindness and character matter
- How to maximize your joy
Where to go from here
If you want to explore Tawwab’s framework in depth, her book The Balancing Act, lays out the full approach to creating healthy dependency and connections without losing yourself. You can find more about Tawwab’s work at nedratawwab.com, and additional resources are available at womansworld.com.
What Matters With Liz airs every Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts, with highlights and behind-the-scenes clips shared on Instagram and Facebook.
Also, be sure to subscribe to the What Matters With Liz free newsletter from Woman’s World Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello. Every week, you’ll get real talk about health, money and entertainment, plus uplifting stories, practical tips and exclusive updates on Vaccariello’s new video podcast.
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