Wow, this week's episode shined a strong light on some core points that allow us to form and develop healthy relationships...or not. We see that a healthy love relationship begins with ourselves, starting with boundaries. We all need them, but not all of us had what we needed during our development to learn to set healthy ones, or at best, had boundaries that we believed were established, that have been repeatedly trampled, leaving us unsure of what or whom to trust. Healthy boundaries help us honor and know ourselves, including our values and our essence as human beings, and they help us authentically connect with people in healthy ways.

In Martina's case, she met Gary while in foster care, a man who was supposed to act appropriately as her "uncle" and clearly did not. I know based on her personal story as a child, that she was not protected or taught unconditional regard for herself—which has followed her into her adult life, allowing unhealthy people to take advantage of her in many ways. We all need to come to a place where we understand the necessity of boundaries, of truth and of reality—and to be able to explore and process experiences from the past, away from shame, so that we can heal and go forward with a better understanding of who we are and what we need and deserve, for a love relationship to flourish. She's working on it, and I couldn't be more proud!