<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Masha Rusanov]]></title><description><![CDATA[Masha Rusanov | Divorce Coach | High-Conflict Expert | Co-Parenting Coach]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:23:39 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://ru.masharusanov.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[My Teen Talks to an AI Chatbot Instead of Me. Should I Be Worried?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Let's unwrap this... Some worry is warranted. Panic is not. An AI companion your teen talks to is not automatically dangerous, and it is also not the harmless "it is just a tool" the marketing implies. What matters is which of two very different things is happening. Your kid might be using a chatbot now and then to think out loud, the way an earlier generation filled a journal. Or your kid might have made a machine the main place they take their inner life, and stopped bringing it to any...]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/my-teen-talks-to-an-ai-chatbot-instead-of-me-should-i-be-worried</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a63dc0a424f5a9980a94bdf</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 21:59:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_687fc771f37f4faf9c25208b40d2ec28~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Silent Treatments, The Closed Doors, And The Conflict Patterns Behind Them]]></title><description><![CDATA[I was erased for the first time in fifth grade. It happened again and again over the years, and each time I ran the same script. It took decades, and one final breaking point, to realize it was never about me, but my response always was.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/the-silent-treatments-the-closed-doors-and-the-conflict-patterns-behind-them</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0c8efa315901193654c0a0</guid><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict Communications]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Communications]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trauma]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/549b43_0e4fa3aabaff4434b5e81b2bff405ed3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why You Can't Afford to Keep Living With the Same Conflict Patterns]]></title><description><![CDATA[The average person spends nearly 700 hours a year living inside unresolved conflict patterns. That's not just the big blowups. It's the 3am argument replay, the "I'm fine" you didn't mean, the friendship losing air, the family dinner where you become a different person. If you've ever felt like you know exactly what you should do and still can't stop doing the other thing, this is for you.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/why-you-can-t-afford-to-keep-living-with-the-same-conflict-patterns</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fbdbf8c8c0e5ad536091ac</guid><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict Communications]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Communications]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 15:45:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_6c43416266564464493951~mv2_d_5994_3372_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Blended Families Get Wrong About Protecting the Kids]]></title><description><![CDATA[We chose our partners. Our kids didn't get a vote. And then we expected everyone, including ourselves, to just be fine with it. Here's what therapy taught me this week.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/blended-families-and-the-guilt-nobody-talks-about</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c5abfe653657f03d60a093</guid><category><![CDATA[Divorce]]></category><category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blended Family]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict Communications]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 22:38:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_5739554c4a4a7747326641~mv2_d_4521_3004_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Keep Calling Them a Narcissist. But They Might Just Have a High-Conflict Personality.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Everyone calls their ex a narcissist. But Narcissistic Personality Disorder affects roughly 1-5% of the population. The person making your life impossible is probably something else entirely, and that distinction matters more than you think, because it changes everything about how you respond.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/you-keep-calling-them-a-narcissist-they-might-have-a-high-conflict-personality</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b4797396363eb43d37752a</guid><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Divorce]]></category><category><![CDATA[High-Conflict Personality]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:36:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_56773524462740858b1c5fb0e7bf9a8a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Does a Divorce Coach Do? ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most people discover divorce coaching by accident, usually after something has already gone sideways. Here's what a divorce coach actually does, what makes the difference between generic support and genuinely useful guidance, and how to know if it's right for you.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/what-does-a-divorce-coach-do</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69af24581b8e90b2a7e91c4b</guid><category><![CDATA[Divorce]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict Communications]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:03:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_76755a69357a6b35572d41~mv2_d_5986_3991_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Will AI Displacement End Your Career — or Finally Point You Toward the Right One?]]></title><description><![CDATA[My husband told me he thought his job had a high chance of becoming obsolete in three to five years. I felt it in my stomach before I could think about it. What I found when I ran his analysis surprised me — and changed how I think about what AI displacement is actually revealing.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/will-ai-displacement-end-your-career</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a5df95fe2730c04134ac5e</guid><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:24:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_2e3d3967b73447529a406e445990ed7a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Do I Keep Repeating the Same Patterns? I Asked a Psychic. Then I Built Something Better.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have a degree in molecular biology. I spent a decade at Google. I am, by most reasonable definitions, a rational person. And I went to a psychic. What happened next changed how I think about why we keep repeating the same patterns — and led me to build something better.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/why-do-i-keep-repeating-the-same-patterns-i-asked-a-psychic-then-i-built-something-better</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6994008e180bb9f884c914ab</guid><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trauma]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:45:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_55f5c30721c84df98396ec61803b16df~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Heal After Conflict: Why the Fight Itself Is Medicine]]></title><description><![CDATA[You don't need the other person's cooperation to heal from conflict. You don't need them to understand, apologize, or change. The healing happens in how you metabolize what's happening, whether you stay in the relationship or leave it. The healing is yours. It belongs to you. The other person doesn't get a vote.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/how-to-heal-after-conflict-why-the-fight-itself-is-medicine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698694eb7004b379055308ec</guid><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trauma]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 01:53:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_b9b596c425bd4ee6b79646ff22f6afbc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Loyalty Becomes Self-Abandonment]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some of us vowed to never leave. Some of us vowed to never be left. Both vows come from the same wound, and both lead to the same place: abandoning yourself to avoid abandonment.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/when-loyalty-becomes-self-abandonment</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6972acea16ee2e0564574d75</guid><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trauma]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:47:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_931a7484c98d4262ab448cddf3337ae6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I'm Not Posting New Year's Resolutions This January]]></title><description><![CDATA[January has always felt like a starting gun going off, whether I'm ready or not. This year, I didn't follow the familiar urge to plan, optimize, and sprint. I exhaled instead.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/why-i-m-not-posting-new-year-s-resolutions-this-january</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69597f76564ad52a9592b404</guid><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 03 Jan 2026 20:59:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_9171a37d6f4b466b91230236b98744ba~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Relief of Not Fixing Yourself]]></title><description><![CDATA[I treated my trauma like a renovation project. Then I stopped trying to fix myself and my abandonment wound and just sat with it. The relief was physical.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/the-relief-of-not-fixing-yourself</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69449559142838fcf065b46a</guid><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trauma]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:22:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/549b43_7732ae5dfb8a4f4f8dfa59bf42d85b1b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Holiday Hostage: Why Staying Together for the Kids Might Be Hurting Them]]></title><description><![CDATA[December is full of women white-knuckling their way through another holiday season, convinced that staying together for the kids is the right thing to do. But when I ask my clients what boundary they've sacrificed to keep the peace, they often look at me blankly, as if they've forgotten they were ever allowed to have needs at all. Your children are watching more closely than you think, and they're building their own templates for what love should look like.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/the-holiday-hostage-why-staying-together-for-the-kids-might-be-hurting-them</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69373a4808b2ad15d701493a</guid><category><![CDATA[Divorce]]></category><category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 20:58:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_b3076634e3b2476ca006efe7ff28d2bf~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How One Simple Phrase Can Interrupt High-Stress Reactions]]></title><description><![CDATA[I still catch myself folding under pressure in the most ordinary moments. Someone asks a question a little too sharply and my whole body sprints ahead of me, writing five possible replies at once. But one embarrassingly simple phrase has saved me from psyching myself out: "I need some time to think about this." It's the doorway between the part of me that panics and the part of me that chooses.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/how-one-simple-phrase-can-interrupt-high-stress-reactions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6930cf4abeedf468e53178e5</guid><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict Communications]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:52:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_69366a7230686e514b7563~mv2_d_3575_5362_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Way for Families® to Move Forward When Old Patterns Keep Pulling You Back]]></title><description><![CDATA[Learning the New Ways for Families method reminded me that conflict rarely explodes; it sneaks into the smallest moments, the tight breath before a text or the old pattern that rushes back before you can name it. The training slowed everything down just enough to notice the instinct to react and to choose something steadier. That tiny pause felt like remembering a part of myself I had forgotten.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/new-ways-for-families-to-move-forward-when-old-patterns-keep-pulling-you-back</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6917d6c1d87a8b897641325a</guid><category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category><category><![CDATA[Divorce]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blended Family]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict Communications]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 01:46:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_ae1f1aea6eb24f71b490a181edbd698b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Navigate Career Changes with Expert Coaching]]></title><description><![CDATA[Changing careers can feel like stepping into the unknown. It’s exciting but also filled with uncertainty and questions. How do you know if you’re making the right move?]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/navigate-career-changes-with-expert-coaching</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68ed3b64eed5248a246fbe8e</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:34:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/549b43_a22514a2221845f9b1c734e890eed8a2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Effective Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods Explained]]></title><description><![CDATA[In today’s fast-paced society, conflicts are inevitable. Whether they arise in personal relationships, workplace environments, or legal...]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/effective-alternative-dispute-resolution-methods-explained</link><guid isPermaLink="false">687e5799243cf77069f04592</guid><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict Communications]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Communications]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 22:58:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/549b43_06449935083e4ce18b94c85b9aed7abd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Understanding Your Defense Mechanisms: A Journey to Authentic Communication]]></title><description><![CDATA[Discover why your nervous system can't tell the difference between real and imagined threats, and learn the Exhale-Explore-Engage method to break free from automatic defense patterns.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/why-our-defense-mechanisms-react-to-imaginary-threats-and-what-to-do-about-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68d80e8e8febcff6405ed921</guid><category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Conflict Communications]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Communications]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 2025 16:22:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_3b3efbfea6fe4d2e9b6599c160dfcf37~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[3 Questions to Ask Yourself to See if You Are Living by Your Values]]></title><description><![CDATA[Drifting through the day like a wind-up toy can feel productive, but underneath the checkmarks, something essential might be missing. This piece explores how to recognize when you’ve lost touch with your values, and how to gently realign your life with what matters most.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/3-questions-to-ask-yourself-to-see-if-you-are-living-by-your-values</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68c2e8d1fbff815a6af40bcd</guid><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:45:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/549b43_11dc9364163647e394b7c6a235e7c476~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From People-Pleasing to Wall-Building: How to Establish Healthy Boundaries Without Severing Connections]]></title><description><![CDATA[Many of us swing from saying yes to everyone to saying no to everything. This “boundary pendulum” is normal, but staying stuck there isn’t freedom—it’s another trap. Learn how to move from reactive walls to responsive, authentic boundaries that protect your peace while keeping you connected.]]></description><link>https://www.masharusanov.com/post/from-people-pleasing-to-wall-building-how-to-establish-healthy-boundaries-without-severing-connecti</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68b8ef789c892374b0b203a1</guid><category><![CDATA[Wellbeing]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Communications]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 04 Sep 2025 15:56:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d37c6fd1083741e0b7de6c9423421991.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Masha Rusanov</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>