72. Defensiveness: The Third Horseman Sabotaging Your Relationship | Road of Life Podcast

Road of Life Podcast Episode 72   Ever feel attacked and instantly throw up your guard? 🛡️ Defensiveness—blame-shifting, excuse-making, playing the victim—is the third toxic habit in our Four Horsemen series (thanks, Gottmans!). It’s sneaky, it’s destructive, and we’ve both been guilty.  How to swap excuses for ownership (spoiler: “I’ll set a reminder next time” beats “You didn’t remind me!”). The 200% Marriage Mindset: Taking 100% responsibility (even when it’s hard). Simple fixes: ✅ Pause before reacting—stretch that moment between stimulus and response. ✅ Reframe conflicts as team challenges (not personal attacks). ✅ Ask: “What story am I telling myself here?”    Truth bomb: Defensiveness keeps you stuck. Responsibility sets you free.   Action step: Next time you feel defensive, try “You’re right. How can I fix this?”   PS: Ready to squash all four horsemen? Join our Infinite Relationship Mastermind—where growth meets grace ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Resources: Viktor Frankl quote regarding stimulus and response : "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."   Instagram@meredithandcraig: https://www.instagram.com/meredithandcraig  Infinite Relationship Mastermind: https://www.thefinalpercent.com/infinite-relationship-mastermind