After the Affair

145. Hoping They’ll Change? Here’s the Truth About One-Sided Love.

You’re texting first. Waiting for replies. Making excuses. Holding on, hoping they’ll come around. But deep down, something feels off. This isn’t just patience… it’s one-sided love.
In this episode, we unpack the emotional and psychological toll of loving someone who doesn’t meet you halfway. From fantasy bonds and false hope to reclaiming your power and choosing yourself again, this is your compassionate wake-up call, and your invitation to let go with grace.
Key Takeaways
One-sided love often begins as hope… and ends in emotional burnout.
Fantasy and denial aren’t love, they’re survival strategies.
False hope disguises itself as devotion, but it drains your energy and delays your healing.
Letting go doesn’t mean your love was wasted; it means it’s time to give that love somewhere it can grow.
Inner stability comes when your peace no longer depends on someone else’s attention.
Have you ever found yourself stuck in a one-sided love story?
What helped you let go, or what’s holding you back? Come share your story with us on Instagram @mylifecoachluke or in the Facebook group.
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity

144. You Crossed the Line, Now Here’s Mine: Boundaries After Betrayal

After betrayal, it’s easy to feel like you’re stuck reacting, trying to manage your partner’s behaviour, walking on eggshells, or questioning your own emotional limits.
But here’s the truth:
You don’t need their permission to protect your peace.
In this episode, we unpack what real boundaries look like in the aftermath of infidelity, not as walls or punishments, but as powerful acts of self-respect. You’ll learn:
Why boundaries aren’t about control, but clarity
The difference between emotional avoidance and self-protection
When to share a boundary out loud, and when to keep it for yourself
How boundaries give you back your agency after betrayal
Whether you’re in the thick of rebuilding or figuring out what you want next, this episode is your reminder that your healing is not negotiable.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Boundaries are not ultimatums; they’re commitments to yourself.
You don’t have to share every boundary to honour it.
Clear boundaries regulate your nervous system and help you respond, not react.
Saying “no” to more pain is not cold. It’s a sign of healing.
Your value isn’t proven through tolerance; it’s affirmed through self-respect.
📩 Want the Boundaries Blueprint?
If you’re ready to start setting boundaries but don’t know where to begin, I’ve created a free resource just for you.
It’s called the Boundaries Blueprint, and it includes 30+ examples of real-life boundaries tailored for the infidelity recovery journey, plus guidance to help you craft your own.
👉 Email luke@lifecoachluke.com with the word boundary144 and I’ll send it straight to your inbox.
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity

143. From Rock Bottom to Rising Strong: Hope on the Infidelity Recovery Journey

After betrayal, it’s easy to believe that your best days are behind you. That the pain you’re in now will always be part of you. But what if this isn’t the end of your story? What if it’s the beginning of something deeper, truer, and more aligned with who you really are?
In this uplifting episode, I share the often untold truth about healing from infidelity: that it doesn’t just break you, it can build you. From rock bottom, we talk about what it means to rise strong. You’ll hear how emotional resilience, self-trust, and clarity can grow not in spite of the betrayal, but because of how you move through it.
Whether you’re still in the thick of it or slowly finding your footing, this episode is your reminder: you are not broken. You’re becoming.
Key Takeaways
Rock bottom is a foundation. It’s not the end of your story, but the start of intentional rebuilding.
Post-traumatic growth is real. Betrayal can lead to deeper resilience, clarity, and self-trust.
You don’t have to choose the betrayal to reclaim the power of choice. Your response is where your strength lives.
Healing isn’t about perfection; it’s about becoming more fully you.
You’re allowed to want more than survival. Joy, connection, and meaning are still available to you.
Reflect on this: What’s one positive shift, however small, you’ve noticed in yourself since the betrayal? Let that be your thread of hope.
I’d love to hear your story. Come share your reflections with me on Instagram or in the Facebook group. You’re not alone on this path.
If this episode resonated, take a moment to rate, review, or share it with someone who might need a reminder that healing is possible.
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity

142. Disgust, Shame, and Survival: The Psychology Behind Post-Affair Revulsion

Disgust isn’t just a passing reaction. For many betrayed partners, it’s a visceral, body-based response that no amount of logic or reassurance can dissolve.
In this episode, we unpack one of the most misunderstood trauma responses after infidelity: disgust. Why it shows up. What it’s really saying. And how to respond to it without shame.
This is for anyone who’s ever recoiled at the sight or touch of the person they used to love, and then judged themselves for it.
💡 Key Takeaways:
Disgust is a protective trauma response, not a moral failing.
It often stems from your nervous system flagging something as unsafe, not from conscious thought.
Shame often follows disgust, creating an inner loop of silence, self-blame, and confusion.
Healing starts by validating your body’s response, not forcing it to move faster than it’s ready.
Safety, not guilt, is the antidote to disgust
If this episode resonated with you, join the Chaos to Clarity group coaching program, a supportive space where your healing isn’t rushed, your voice is heard, and your nervous system is finally allowed to feel safe again.
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity

141. I Know Why They Cheated - It Still Hurts Though

Understanding why someone betrayed you can be helpful. It can explain what happened. It can offer context. It can even soften the sting, temporarily.
But it doesn’t erase the pain.
In this episode, we unpack the emotional tug-of-war between empathy and accountability after infidelity. We explore how understanding your partner’s internal struggles, their fears, avoidance, or disconnection doesn’t mean you're condoning their choices. It simply means you're starting to see the full picture.
You’ll learn how empathy and boundaries can exist side-by-side, and why making sense of the betrayal is only one part of the healing process.
Key Takeaways
Empathy does not equal agreement, you can understand your partner without excusing their behaviour.
Betrayal often stems from fear or disconnection, not just desire or malice.
The pain doesn’t vanish just because you understand “why” it happened, and that pain still matters.
You can hold compassion and boundaries at the same time.
Real healing comes when you stop trying to make it all make sense, and start learning how to sit with what is
Have you struggled with the tension between understanding and hurt? Leave us a review or share this episode with someone who’s trying to make sense of their own betrayal story.
🗣️ And if you want guided support navigating that emotional minefield, join the waitlist for our Chaos to Clarity group coaching program — doors are opening soon.
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity

140. Am I Going Crazy? Real Words from the Betrayed

Betrayal leaves behind more than heartbreak, it leaves questions that echo in your mind day and night.
“Was it real?”
“Did I miss the signs?”
“Is this my fault?”
“Will I ever trust again?”
In this episode, I, Luke Shillings, walk you through the most common thoughts and questions that come up in the aftermath of infidelity, based on real conversations from hundreds of discovery calls and coaching sessions.
Whether you're feeling stuck in self-doubt, unsure what to believe, or just desperate to feel normal again, this episode is for you. We’ll explore where these thoughts come from, why they’re so persistent, and what it actually takes to rebuild trust, not just in your partner, but in yourself.
 
💡 Key Takeaways:
You weren’t “stupid” for not seeing it, you were committed.
Betrayal shakes your trust in them and in your own perception.
Feeling hurt without proof doesn’t make you paranoid; it makes you aware.
Emotional safety is rebuilt slowly, and your body decides what safe feels like.
You’re not just mourning the relationship, you’re mourning who you were in it.
Coaching helps you hear yourself again beneath the panic and pain
 
What’s the question that’s been haunting you most since the betrayal?
Let’s talk about it. Message me on Instagram or share anonymously in the group, because you’re not the only one asking.
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity

139. Too Emotional After the Affair? Or Just Too Afraid to Feel?

Have you ever been told you're too emotional, or secretly believed it yourself?
If conflict overwhelms you, if you shut down or spiral in arguments, if you find yourself apologising just for feeling… this episode is for you.
Luke explores how what looks like emotional reactivity is often a learned survival strategy, rooted in fear, not dysfunction. From childhood patterns to nervous system responses, you'll gain insight into why certain emotions feel unbearable and how to build the capacity to stay with them without losing yourself.
This episode is not about shrinking your feelings.
It’s about expanding your ability to hold them.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Emotional overwhelm in conflict is often rooted in early survival responses
You're not “too much”, you were just never taught how to feel safely
Conflict becomes intolerable when we fear what our emotions mean, not just what they are
Nervous system regulation isn’t about staying calm, it’s about staying connected
Real emotional power is built by staying with your feelings, not controlling the outcome
💬 Reflection Prompt:
What part of you is afraid to feel? And what would it look like to support that part, instead of suppress it?
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity

138. Seeking Reassurance after Betrayal: It’s Never Enough Though

You know your partner’s betrayal wasn’t your fault.
You understand the logic.
But still, deep down, you’re stuck.
Still needing reassurance. Still bracing for the next emotional shift. Still terrified of being too much, or not enough.
Why?
Because some of what you’re feeling didn’t start with them.
In this episode, Luke explores how emotional survival strategies from childhood shape the way we respond to betrayal, uncertainty, and intimacy as adults. If you’ve been chasing reassurance, battling emotional spirals, or waiting for your partner to give you the peace you can’t seem to find, this episode is for you.
It’s not about blame.
It’s about awareness.
And reclaiming the power you forgot you had.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
✔️ Why betrayal activates old survival wiring, not just current fear
✔️ The truth about reassurance, and why it never lasts
✔️ How emotional outsourcing creates cycles of panic and distance
✔️ The difference between fear of what might happen… and the belief you wouldn’t survive it
✔️ How to build internal trust using the self-coaching model and ladder thoughts
✔️ Why your partner can’t fix wounds they didn’t create, and why you can
 
💬 Reflection Prompt:
Where in your healing are you still waiting to be saved?
And what might shift if you stopped outsourcing that safety, and started practising it with yourself?
 
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity

137. When You Suspect an Affair

When you suspect infidelity but don’t have the proof, it can feel like you’re living in emotional limbo, caught between your gut and your guilt. In this episode, we unpack the messy, painful, and very human experience of wondering whether something’s going on behind your back.
You’ll learn how to stop spiralling and start grounding, why your feelings are valid even without confirmation, and how to begin reclaiming trust in yourself, no matter what happens next.
If you’re frozen in fear or stuck in overanalysis, this is your lifeline.
 
You don’t need “proof” to honour your pain, suspicion itself creates emotional distress worth tending to.
Overanalysis feels like control, but often creates more confusion and disconnect from your truth.
Grounding and anchoring practices help shift you from obsession to self-alignment.
The path forward begins by asking: “What do I need?” instead of “What are they hiding?”
Clarity doesn’t always come from answers, it comes from reconnecting with your values, boundaries, and self-trust.
 
What would it look like to honour yourself in this moment, without needing all the answers? Share your reflections with us or journal about the question:
👉 “What helps me feel more like myself, even in the middle of this?”
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity

136. The ABCs of Infidelity Recovery – Acceptance, Boundaries, Compassion

When betrayal shatters your world, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming.
In this episode, Luke breaks down a simple yet powerful framework to help you regain clarity, direction, and strength, The ABCs of Infidelity Recovery: Acceptance, Boundaries, Compassion.
 
These three pillars aren’t just concepts. They’re tools.
Tools to help you stay grounded when your emotions spiral.
Tools to help you protect yourself, reconnect with your truth, and create healing on your own terms.
Whether you're rebuilding your relationship or choosing a new path, this episode offers the emotional clarity you’ve been craving.
 
🔑 Key Takeaways:
✔️ What real acceptance looks like, and why it’s not the same as approval or resignation
✔️ How to set boundaries that come from self-respect, not fear
✔️ Why self-compassion is foundational to lasting emotional recovery
✔️ How these three principles work together to create momentum and healing
✔️ A practical way to return to clarity when you feel stuck or overwhelmed
💬 Reflection Question:
Which of the ABCs do you find hardest to practice right now, and what’s one small way you can lean into it today?
Connect with Luke:
Website: www.lifecoachluke.com
Instagram: @mylifecoachluke
Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com
Join the After the Affair community at www.facebook.com/groups/aftertheaffaircommunity