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On Attachment

On Attachment

By: Stephanie Rigg
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Join relationship coach Stephanie Rigg in On Attachment, where she delves deep into all things attachment theory, love, relationships & intimacy - sharing her wisdom and experience to help you start making real changes in your life & relationships.

Stephanie Rigg
Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • #219: How a Fear of Rejection Keeps Us From What We Want Most
    Dec 16 2025

    In this episode, we explore why rejection feels so big — not just in dating and relationships, but across friendships, family, work, and creative life. We look at the evolutionary and attachment roots of rejection sensitivity, and how it creates a confirmation bias that makes neutral situations feel personal.

    I talk about how the fear of rejection leads us to shrink, stay silent, or hold back from opportunities, creating a self-fulfilling cycle of loneliness and limitation.

    We also talk about what rejection resilience looks like in practice: separating facts from stories, reality-checking assumptions, taking small risks, and building an internal sense of worth that can withstand a “no.”

    This is a gentle, grounded invitation to stop rejecting yourself first — and to live more fully, even when rejection is a possibility.

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    19 mins
  • #218: Why You're Attracted to Unavailable People
    Dec 9 2025

    In this episode, we explore the deeper patterns that make emotionally unavailable partners feel so familiar — even when you want something different.

    Rather than framing this as a personal flaw or something you’re “doing wrong,” this conversation explores the deeper emotional and relational patterns that make certain dynamics feel familiar, magnetic, or even safe on a nervous-system level.

    I walk through five core reasons this dynamic tends to repeat:

    1. Low self-worth: When love feels like something you need to earn, you may be drawn to people who require effort.
    2. Inconsistent early relationships: If connection was unpredictable growing up, inconsistency can feel like “home.”
    3. Hope, potential, and the saviour role: Why focusing on who someone could be keeps you invested long after the relationship stops feeling good.
    4. Intermittent reinforcement: How sporadic affection creates an addictive cycle that’s hard to break.
    5. Your own emotional unavailability: The surprising ways pursuing unavailable people can protect you from deeper vulnerability.

    This episode offers a compassionate look at why these patterns form — and what it takes to move toward relationships that feel mutual, steady, and emotionally safe.

    Register for the 28-Day Secure Self Challenge here

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    27 mins
  • #217: The Missing Piece in Your Healing Journey
    Dec 3 2025

    In this episode, we explore what it really takes to create meaningful change — especially in those seasons where everything feels hard, familiar patterns keep looping, and no amount of “trying” seems to make a difference.

    We talk about the inner environment required for real change, and why self-compassion isn’t the opposite of accountability — it’s the foundation of it.

    You’ll hear about:

    • Why we default to shame when we feel stuck
    • The myth that self-criticism leads to better behaviour
    • How shame overwhelms an already stressed nervous system
    • Why being on your own team is essential for honest self-reflection

    👉🏼 Join the January round of my 28-Day Secure Self Challenge here


    00:00 Introduction 04:13 Why Self-Judgment is So Common06:32 Understanding and Validating Anxiety08:49 The Role of Self-Compassion in Growth11:58 Isn't Self-Compassion Self-Indulgent?

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    18 mins
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Love this podcast, helped me navigate all relationships in my life and have a better understanding of myself and why I do certain things (when I have no idea why and don't want to do those things in the first place ). Wish I round this earlier.

Mind opening and interesting - growth mindset

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As a guy who is newly single in my mid 30s this podcast has changed my life already to understand people in my life better. I wish I listened to this podcast about 9 months ago so I could have navigated my anxious-avoidant relationship much better.

But even listening this to now has given me so much clarity around my most recent ex and I know this will make a massive difference to my next relationship. So thank you Stephanie and I hope you know that the work you do is priceless and life changing for so many people.

this podcast has changed my life!

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