You compliment others easily.

You notice when someone puts in effort.

But when it's directed at you — the appreciation, the attention, the "you look beautiful" — something closes off.

You deflect, minimize, or just quietly wait until the moment passes.

This episode is about what's underneath that, and why learning to actually receive positive attention matters for intimacy, for sex, and for the relationship you have with yourself.

In this episode of the Differentiated Love and Sex Podcast, Jackie Aston (certified therapist) and Catherine Robuck (relationship coach) cover:

• Why deflecting compliments isn't humility — and what it communicates to the person trying to offer them

• A client case where the inability to receive positive attention was showing up directly in sex, and what shifted it

• The difference between needing validation to feel okay and being able to take in genuine appreciation when it's offered

• What it looks like when someone lets themselves be noticed — and why that energy is genuinely different in a relationship

• How dismissing a compliment can quietly send the message that the other person's perception doesn't count

This is the kind of work Jackie and Catherine do with clients — helping individuals and couples move out of the reassurance loop and into something more honest and more grounded.

If this episode resonated with you, learn more about Catherine or book a 30-minute consultation.