Practice talk · Family · 4 min

Ask your partner to back you up with their family.

After a visit to your partner’s parents. Practice it first: Cleopatra plays your partner, and Mary Wollstonecraft coaches you.

Download on theApp Store
Your first rehearsal is free.
About 4 minutes.
Family · 4 min

Ask my partner to back me up with their family

Cleopatra plays your partnerLoyal to their family, and a little defensive
They will open with

“She’s my mom. What do you want me to do, ban her?”

What good looks like
  • You make one specific ask
  • You don’t attack their family
  • You agree what you’ll both say next time
Mary Wollstonecraft coaches you · A clear ask
Practice it in Counsel

Your first rehearsal is free.

The talk.

The situation

“My partner’s mother criticises me, and I want my partner to stand with me.”

They will open with

“She’s my mom. What do you want me to do, ban her?”

Your partner: loyal to their family, and a little defensive.

The skill it trains

A clear ask.

What good looks like
  • You make one specific ask
  • You don’t attack their family
  • You agree what you’ll both say next time

Who you practice with.

CleopatraPlays your partner. Loyal to their family, and a little defensive.
Mary WollstonecraftYour coach. Steps in when a line works against you.

How it works.

  1. Pick the talkAnd how hard they push back: Gentle, Realistic or Tough.
  2. Say your partA mentor plays the other person, in character, line by line.
  3. A coach steps inWhen a line works against you: one tip, then try that line again.
  4. See what workedThree marks, your strongest line, and a next step to save.

Warm up in a minute.

The drill that trains the moment this talk turns on. Free, and it runs on your iPhone.

Drill · 1 minute
Always free

Handle the pushback

An answer you have said once is easier to find when the pushback comes for real.

Your managerIt’s not in the budget this year.
  • You acknowledge what they said
  • You hold your point
  • You ask a question

More family talks.

Say no to my mother-in-law’s visitYour mother-in-law · 4 minPopularTalk to my parents about their futureYour parent · 5 minPopularAll 19 talksWork, money, love, family, friends and yourself
Your first rehearsal is free

Practice it before it’s real.

Cleopatra plays your partner. You find your words before it counts.

Download on theApp Store

AI plays the other person and writes the coaching. The mentors are AI voices in the manner of these figures, not the people themselves. Counsel is for practice and reflection. It is not therapy, and not medical, legal or financial advice.

CounselYour first rehearsal is freeGet