S1 · Ep 27: Empty Nest Relationships — Reconnecting When The House Goes Quiet | Benslyne Avril | The MindSpa Podcast

Send us Fan MailWhen children grow up and leave home, many couples find themselves facing an unexpected question: who are we now as partners?In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken sit down with registered psychotherapist, mental health speaker, and University of Ottawa professor Benslyne Avril to explore why many high-performing couples begin to feel disconnected once the pace of family life slows down.Benslyne Avril explains how couples who successfully manage careers, parenting, and daily responsibilities can still struggle to reconnect with one another when the structure of raising children disappears. The conversation explores how some partners begin to experience what Benslyne describes as “roommate energy,” where routines continue but emotional connection quietly fades.Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken also discuss the difference between psychotherapy and relationship coaching. Benslyne Avril shares how therapy can offer deeper space to process trauma, attachment patterns, and emotional wounds, while coaching can sometimes support couples who are looking for practical structure, accountability, and forward-focused change.The episode also explores common challenges that arise in midlife relationships. Couples may face shifting power dynamics when one partner has been leading professionally, or identity changes when a stay-at-home parent transitions out of a long-standing role. Benslyne Avril explains how these changes can affect communication, intimacy, and shared direction within a relationship.Throughout the discussion, she shares practical ways couples can recognize early warning signs of disconnection and begin rebuilding connection intentionally as they move into the next stage of life together.Benslyne Avril is a registered psychotherapist, mental health speaker, and professor at the University of Ottawa. She works with individuals and couples to support emotional wellbeing, relationship growth, and personal development. Her work integrates therapeutic insight with structured coaching approaches to help clients navigate life transitions and strengthen meaningful connections.Connect With Benslyne AvrilWebsite | LinkedInThe MindSpa PodcastThoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight.HostsTina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health CentreLinkedIn, Instagram, FacebookMichelle Massunken, MSW, RSWCo-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health CentreLinkedIn, Instagram, FacebookMindSpa Mental Health CentreOttawa - Kanata & Gloucesterthemindspa.caLinkedIn, instagramListen onApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube