This episode is an honest look at difficult relationships in all their paradoxical glory. It will touch anyone navigating complex family dynamics, caregiving, inner conflict, or the slow, radical return to self.
Eva opens up about the intense push-pull dynamic with her mother—someone who is mentally ill, disabled, and fiercely challenging, yet also one of the people she loves most in the world. From the tropical beauty of Brazil to the ancestral weight of being back in Taiwan, Eva unpacks the spiritual and emotional reckoning of caretaking, resentment, cultural expectations, mortality, and what love actually asks of us.
Kyley, ever the sorting hat of spiritual insight, helps organize the messy candy pile of emotion. Together, they navigate:
- How resentment isn’t your enemy, but your flashlight
- The difference between love with a story vs. love without one
- What it means to love yourself and someone else without abandoning either
- How sacrifice can either be sovereign or soul-squelching
- The unbearable tension between caregiving and freedom
- Why boundaries can sometimes become cold walls
- The danger of spiritual bypassing through over-intellectualizing pain
- The terrifying (and freeing) question: What if their life isn’t your responsibility?
“My needs are generous”—the new mantra for every recovering codependent
By the end, Eva has a mic-drop moment of realization: What if real love—capital L Love—is loving yourself without a story?
Eva's instagram: @iamevaliao
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