A decorated sailor with dreams of becoming a U.S. Navy Captain faces marital struggles with a fellow sailor. Reluctant to seek help due to reputation concerns, they turn to an AI-powered relationship coach called Yodi. Through the PAIRS program, they practice communication and conflict resolution exercises, ultimately rediscovering their closeness and intimacy. The anonymous assistance provided by Yodi proves invaluable to servicemen and women, offering confidential support and fostering emotional connections. Yodi is available on Android and iOS devices.
The Dream of a Lifetime
Gail has had her eyes set on becoming a U.S. Navy Captain since childhood. With nearly a decade of service behind her, the sailor has paid her dues. She’s been recognized with more than a dozen medals and commendations and is hopeful she’ll finally make captain in an upcoming round of promotions.
Gail’s dad had been a Navy captain and his father before him. Gail is the only one of five children to follow in their footsteps. She remembers the day in middle school when she sat proudly in the visitors stand, watched her father promote, and decided she’d one day become a Navy captain too.
With her unblemished service record and never ceasing, enthusiastic ‘can-do, will-do’ attitude, Gail is popular among her peers and leadership too. She’s a favorite among junior sailors as well. She’s counting on all that support to help her achieve the dream of a lifetime.
Gail Has a Secret
But Gail has a secret.
Her marriage of eight years to Craig, a fellow sailor, has been on the verge of collapse for almost six months. Ironically, their long separations during deployments 3,000 miles from each other had been a saving grace. In the half year that they’ve been back in the same quarters less than a mile from breathtaking views of the Pacific, Gail and Craig have been at each other’s throats. Their once happy home has dissolved into a twilight zone of animosity, anger, and despair.
Your Reputation is All You’ve Got
Gail knows they need help. Craig knows it too. Despite abundant services available both on and off base, Gail’s concerned that pursuing counseling or ending her marriage could spell the death of her biggest dreams. Knowing how important it is for Gail to make Captain, Craig agrees that her concerns are justified. “Your reputation is all you’ve got,” Gail said.
“I’m not doing it.”
“No matter how many people promise confidentiality, the Navy is like a small town where everyone will know your business if you reach out for help,” Gail explained. “I’m not doing it,” she added.
Surfing the net over a painful weekend of arguments and retreat, Gail found the answer to prayer – an AI-powered relationship coach and mentor developed by the award-winning PAIRS program. PAIRS is an acronym for “Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills.”
Desperate for help but unwilling to risk her reputation, Gail was intrigued by the opportunity to get the support she and Craig needed without risking exposure.
AI-Powered Relationship Coach
During a momentary truce, Craig and Gail both agreed they’d give the AI-powered relationship coach a try. They’d login to the PAIRS App on their separate devices and agreed to get together in the evening to talk about what they learned.
They both began with “Clarifying Relationship Expectations,” five questions to define what was working for each of them, what was missing, and what they’d like to offer one another if things were better.
Their conversation that first evening went better than Gail had imagined. She and Craig realized they had similar views about what it would take to have a shot at becoming close again. They agreed to continue.
Practicing What They Learned
The next day, they both logged into the App to learn an exercise called, “The Daily Temperature Reading.” They agreed they’d put what they learned from Yodi, their PAIRS-trained AI coach, into practice.
For the next 30 days, Gail and Craig set aside ten minutes a day away from any distractions to share appreciations, new information, puzzles, concerns with recommendations, and wishes, hopes and dreams. Practicing with Yodi, they both learned how to do the exercise and were ready to do it with each other.
Relationship Coach Helps Them Get on Same Page
Several days later, they both learned a third exercise called, “Talking Tips.” They each practiced confiding about a concern with Yodi and coming up with specific requests. Yodi coached them along the way. After getting comfortable doing the exercise with Yodi, they did it with each other.
“Suddenly we were on the same page,” Gail said. “Issues they had been boiling for months, maybe years, were issues we could resolve when we had a structure to succeed. Our relationship coach, Yodi, gave us that structure, the skills, and helped us find our own answers.”
Over the next several weeks, Gail and Craig worked with Yodi to learn half a dozen other relationship boosting skills developed by PAIRS, including emotional literacy, empathy, and compassion-building skills such as, “Emptying the Emotional Jug,” “Untangling Love Knots,” “Resolving Emotional Allergies,” and “Letting Go of Grudges.” Each time, they’d start by learning and practicing with Yodi and then do the exercises with each other.
Looking Forward to a Second Honeymoon
A month later, the couple are looking forward to a second honeymoon. The PAIRS App’s evidence-based communications, conflict resolution, and emotional literacy exercises helped them not only problem-solve but rediscover a closeness and intimacy they’d long missed.
“Yodi helped us understand ourselves and each other in ways we never had,” Gail offered. “As we deepened that understanding, we were able to forgive, to embrace each other, and to be healing to one another. We can love and laugh together again, and it’s wonderful.”
Overcoming the Epidemic of Despair
Like Gail and Craig, many other military servicemen and women are finding the anonymity of AI-based assistance can be the difference between getting the help they need or suffering in silence.
“There’s an epidemic of despair,” Gail confided. “So many of us know we need help but aren’t willing to risk our reputations or the possibility that getting help could possibly make things worse. Suddenly the help we’ve needed is available confidentially, 24/7, from the privacy of home. It works if you do the work yourself. It’s even free, although for us, it was priceless.”
Communication is to relationships what breath is to life.
Virginia Satir
Virginia Satir, the pioneering author and family therapist who helped develop the PAIRS program, said, “Communication is to relationships what breath is to life.”
AI Relationship Coach Helping People Tune into Their Own Wisdom
“As a therapist, I am a companion. I try to help people tune into their own wisdom,” Satir continued.
PAIRS National Trainer Rachel Marmor, herself a licensed marriage and family counselor, said Yodi was developed by PAIRS to provide that type of companion relationship while delivering the important triad of communications, conflict resolution, and emotional connection skills.
As a family physician, I recommend Yodi to patients as a valuable tool for navigating the complexities of relationships and promoting overall well-being.
Dr. Alexander Eisenberg
Promoting Positive Health Outcomes
Dr. Alexander Eisenberg, a Miami-area family physician, said working with an AI-powered relationship coach like Yodi can also help boost health outcomes. “As a family physician, I recommend Yodi to patients as a valuable tool for navigating the complexities of relationships and promoting overall well-being,” Dr. Eisenberg said.
“Yodi is an innovative use of AI technology, combined with the proven PAIRS program. It offers a unique and effective approach to addressing communication challenges and fostering emotional connections,” the Florida medical doctor said.
Yodi is available for both Android and iOS devices from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. You can learn more at www.MyPAIRSCoach.com.