When Adventure, Parenting, and Partnership Collide: A Conversation with Rebecca Mullen
What if relationship conflict isn’t about communication skills—but about misunderstood needs?
In this episode of Camp Conversations, Dayna sits down with Rebecca Mullen, Relationship Coach, Life Coach, author, and host of the podcast Habits for Your Happily Ever After, for a grounded and deeply relatable conversation about how relationships actually function under stress.
Rebecca introduces her practical framework of the three roles present in every relationship: Partner, Lover, and Friend—and explains how tension builds when couples are operating in different roles without realizing it. Through real-life examples drawn from marriage, parenting, friendship, and adventure-driven lifestyles, Rebecca and Dayna explore why resentment forms, how invisible labor impacts connection, and what it looks like to slow down before communication turns reactive.
In this conversation, they discuss:
Why conflict is often about the needs behind the needs
How Partner, Lover, and Friend roles can unintentionally compete
What happens when adventure, caregiving, and responsibility collide
Why naming how you’re communicating matters as much as what you’re saying
Simple language shifts that reduce defensiveness and build understanding
How caregivers can protect connection without over-functioning
Rebecca also shares the personal experiences that shaped her work—from growing up with divorced parents to navigating marriage and parenting with deeply different needs—and reflects on insights from her TEDx Talk The Vegetarian & The Hunter: Creating Peace at the Dinner Table and her book 6 Steps to Better Marriage Communication.
Listeners are invited to explore additional resources and podcast episodes from Rebecca related to each relationship role in the show notes, with more tools and step-by-step communication practices coming in a follow-up episode.
Contact Rebecca Mullen:
