125: Anxious vs. Avoidant: Breaking the Unhealthy Push-Pull Dynamic in Love With Jimmy Knowles

If you’ve ever felt like you’re too much in a relationship while your partner seems emotionally unavailable, you’re not alone. The anxious-avoidant dynamic is one of the most common (and frustrating) relationship patterns—but is it doomed, or can it actually work?

In this episode, Jimmy Knowles (@jimmy_on_relationships) joins Sabrina Zohar to break down the push-pull dynamic between anxious and avoidant partners. Both Jimmy and Sabrina lean anxious, while their partners are avoidant—so they get the struggles firsthand.

🔹 Why do avoidants pull away, and what are they really thinking?
🔹 How does anxious attachment lead to self-sabotage?
🔹 Can anxious-avoidant relationships actually thrive?
🔹 The key to breaking toxic cycles and building real trust

They unpack how early childhood experiences shape attachment, why anxious partners tend to people-please into resentment, and how avoidants often withdraw not out of rejection—but out of self-protection. Plus, they reveal the mindset shifts needed to stop chasing, start connecting, and build a relationship where both people feel safe.

If you’ve ever felt trapped in an emotional rollercoaster, this episode is for you. 🎢

👉 Hit play now and learn how to stop the cycle for good!

MERCH IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Stuck After the Podcast? Master Implementation in 8 Weeks with Sabrina's Foundation Course HERE!
Do you feel like your emotions run the show and react in ways you can’t control? Join the Nervous System 101: Navigating the Unknowns In Early Dating from Sabrina and Masha Kay HERE!
Struggling with a breakup? Join the Make It Make Sense: Getting Through a Breakup course from Sabrina and Britt Frank HERE!

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Disclaimer: The Sabrina Zohar Show, formally known as Do The Work, is not affiliated with A.Z & associates LLC in any capacity.

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