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Episode 4

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Published on:

22nd Jul 2026

You Say You Care. But Do You?

We use the word care all the time. We say we care about people. We tell people we care. But what does care actually mean?

In this episode, we explore why care is more than a feeling; it's a way of moving and being in relationships. We look at why someone can genuinely feel something for us without actually caring for us, how care is demonstrated through behavior rather than words, and why learning to care for ourselves changes what we're willing to accept from others.

In this episode, we explore:

  • Why care is more than a feeling and has to translate into behavior.
  • The difference between saying you care and actually creating the experience of being cared for.
  • How care often requires us to move beyond our own comfort and convenience.
  • Why staying present with another person's discomfort can be an act of care.
  • How self-protection can get in the way of caring well for others.
  • How our own experiences of care shape what we recognize and accept in relationships.
  • Why learning to care for yourself changes what you'll accept from others.

Episode Thoughts to Sit With

"Many of us don't actually know what caring is. Many of us don't actually have the experience of being cared for."

"Your words alone do not create a sense in my body of being cared for, especially if your words are saying one thing and your behavior is saying another."

"Care translates to behavior. Care translates to holding one in esteem as much as you hold yourself in esteem."

"People need to be able to feel what we say we feel about them. They need to know it, not because we say it, but because they can feel it."

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who might need to hear it.

To connect, ask a question, or share your thoughts, email: ajarutledgecoaching@gmail.com.

Thank you for listening to The Reality Between Us.

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About the Podcast

The Reality Between Us
Exploring the hidden dynamics behind love, conflict, and connection.
The Reality Between Us explores what happens underneath relationships.

Through the lens of trauma, nervous systems, self-awareness, and relational patterns, Aja Rutledge examines the forces quietly shaping how we connect, conflict, communicate, avoid, trust, and make meaning of our experiences. Most relationship advice focuses on behavior. This podcast explores what's driving the behavior.

Rather than offering formulas or quick fixes, The Reality Between Us looks beneath the surface of our relationships, with partners, family, friends, coworkers, and most importantly, ourselves, to understand the hidden dynamics influencing how we show up and why we keep repeating the patterns we do. Because what happens between people rarely starts between people. Most relationship advice is looking in one place. We're going to look somewhere else.

About your host

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Aja Rutledge

Aja Rutledge is a writer, facilitator, and student of human behavior with a deep curiosity about what shapes the way we relate to ourselves and each other.

For years, she has explored the intersections of trauma, self-awareness, emotional safety, and relationships—both through her professional work and her own lived experience. Her previous podcast, She Said We Shed, focused on the healing journeys of Black women navigating relationships with narcissistic and emotionally immature mothers.

As the host of The Reality Between Us, Aja brings honest conversations about the hidden dynamics behind love, conflict, and connection. Through a blend of personal insight, observation, and reflection, she explores the patterns, assumptions, protective responses, and experiences that quietly shape our relationships.

Her work invites listeners to look beneath surface-level advice and develop a deeper understanding of themselves, the people around them, and the realities that exist between us.