ERP 475: How to Balance Career Ambition with Love & Relationship — An Interview with Katarina Polonska

About this Episode

Can you really have it all—an ambitious, thriving career while also nurturing a deeply satisfying romantic relationship? Or does chasing professional success mean sacrificing love and connection at home? For many high achievers, pursuing career goals brings unexpected loneliness, relationship strain, and an exhausting sense of self-abandonment. The pressure to perform at work often leaves little time or energy for building intimacy, leading countless professionals to quietly wonder: Why does succeeding at work come so much easier than succeeding at love?

In this episode, listeners are invited to reexamine this all-too-common belief that career ambition and a fulfilling love life are mutually exclusive. Through frank discussion and real stories, this conversation unpacks the hidden patterns that cause us to disconnect from ourselves and our partners, amidst the demands of professional life. By exploring psychological frameworks, practical strategies, and embodied personal growth, the episode offers actionable insights to help you move beyond self-sabotage, redefine success, and create space for both professional achievement and authentic, secure relationships.

Katarina Polonska is a Science-Backed Relationship Coach, Published Gender Dynamics Social Scientist (University of Oxford M.St), Founder of the Successfully in Love® Method, ex-Regional VP of a global Behavioral Science Firm, and Podcast Host with guests like John Gray, of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, NY Times Bestseller Marci Shimoff, and Christina Tracy Stein, daughter of world-renowned Brian Tracy.

As an accredited coach since 2007, she helps ambitious professionals become Successfully in Love®.

Check out the transcript of this episode on Dr. Jessica Higgin's website.

Episode Highlights 

08:35 How high achievers self-abandon for success.

14:42 Debunking the “either/or” myth for career and love.

19:05 Finding balance: Shifting from sacrifice to flow.

27:41 Katarina’s three pillars for relationship transformation.

36:48 Navigating growth: Solo vs. couples work.

43:47 Real-life example of creating change in marriage.

49:07 Resolving self-sabotage and expanding capacity.

Mentioned

How to Go From Second-Guessing Yourself, Avoiding Hard Decisions, and Feeling Disconnected To Trusting Yourself, Knowing Exactly What You Want, and Creating Freedom, Trust, Intimacy, and Connection - In 90 Days (video)

Essentia’s website

Stratami™ Organic Mattress

Classic REM5 Active Mattress - (The mattress we wish we could have gotten for the cooling feature)

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