The Balancing Act

Creating Healthy Dependency and Connection Without Losing Yourself

By: Nedra Glover Tawwab

Narrated by: Nedra Glover Tawwab

“In The Balancing Act, Nedra Glover Tawwab offers the wisdom so many of us crave: how to stay connected to others without losing ourselves.”

—Dr. Becky Kennedy, bestselling author of Good Inside

From the bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace, a relatable guide to understanding codependency, enmeshment, and what it means to get our needs met for real

Every relationship is a balancing act. If we give too much, we lose ourselves. If we hold back too much, we become isolated and unable to get our needs met. Achieving the right balance is how we find connection, authenticity, and joy.

With her signature blend of clarity and compassion, therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab offers a roadmap for finding this balance, demystifying:

• the difference between setting boundaries and putting up walls
• avoidant and anxious attachment styles
• hyper-independence and the myth of the self-made individual
• using parts work and other therapy tools to explore the facets of who you are
• the importance of community, loose social connections, and a diversified circle of friends.

Discover new ways to identify your needs, navigate conflict, and find more harmony and trust with your spouse or partner, close friends, family members, and the other important people in your life.

Critic reviews

“Healthy relationships require us to lean on others—but not so much that we lose ourselves. In this clear and compassionate book, Nedra Tawwab offers strategies for finding the right balance.”
—Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and host of Dear Therapists


“In The Balancing Act, Nedra Glover Tawwab offers the wisdom so many of us crave: how to stay connected to others without losing ourselves. With compassion and clarity, she shows us that boundaries aren’t walls but pathways to deeper, healthier relationships.”
—Dr. Becky Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author of Good Inside


“Nedra Tawwab brings both insight and heart to her work, and this book is no exception. Whether your goal is to set healthier boundaries, understand your partner more deeply, or decipher the recurring patterns in your relationships, this book will light the way forward.”
—Yung Pueblo, New York Times bestselling author of How to Love Better and Lighter


“A clear, highly readable guide to creating flexible and honest connections to sustain our health and energy. This is one of the best resources I have ever read that describes the balance we are trying to reach in all our relationships. A supremely useful and heartening book for all of us who need to navigate the demands of others while still holding on to what we need for ourselves.”
—Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD, clinical psychologist and New York Times bestselling author of Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents and How to Raise an Emotionally Mature Child


“The Balancing Act is clear-eyed and thoughtful, replacing the misunderstandings around codependency with empowering insights on human connection. A valuable resource for anyone seeking to cultivate healthy relationships.”
—Kendra Adachi, three-time New York Times bestselling author and host of The Lazy Genius Podcast

I needed this book

Thank you for the language that I didn’t know I needed to this season of life.

The anecdotal examples.

I love her realistic and highly relevant examples and her firm yet comforting way of giving guidance.

Insightful, as always!

Once again, Nedra has helped my brain untangle complex knots of overwhelm, guilt, and obligation by providing examples, knowledge, and strategies to work towards healthy relationships. Her wisdom is a grounding tool that I refer to, and encourage friends and family to explore when they ask for recommendations. Thank you, Nedra!