Combining our training and real-life experience as well as our work with many couples, we have discovered 8 key relationship components. It is our belief and experience that these key components (feathers) are essential in creating healthy and fulfilling relationships (nests):

• Friendship – Knowing, liking, trusting and caring for your partner. Being an ally and team mate with each other. Also, being able to demonstrate respect and healthy boundaries in the relationship.


• Empathy – The ability to understand your partner’s feelings, thoughts and motives. Being able to express this understanding with each other.


• Appreciation – Being grateful of each other. Being able to express appreciation for the many gifts each partner brings to the relationship.


• Thoughts – Having realistic and healthy expectations of relationships and sexuality. Being able to recognize, challenge and change self-defeating and unhealthy beliefs that negatively impact the relationship.


• Heart – Having and expressing love for your partner. Being able to express emotions in healthy and healing ways within the relationship.


• Energy – The overall energy in the relationship, including the energy each partner brings to the relationship. Being able to demonstrate "lightness" in the relationship.


• Real commitment – Being committed to the relationship through good and difficult times. Demonstrating the willingness and flexibility to work on the relationship when needed (even by making individual changes to benefit the relationship).


• Sexuality/Sensuality – Being able to explore, discuss and express their sexuality and sensuality with each other.