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Colchester's new approach to relationship success
A new concept has been created to encourage couples to review and mend their relationships, making it a part of everyday life. The Renewal Method™ is a programme that helps couples reconnect, reflect, and realign their relationships at regular intervals, ensuring they maintain a strong connection and avoid the risk of drifting apart. This unique idea is the brainchild of Jacqueline Cook, a Holistic Life Coach who wants to help couples rediscover their unity and closeness despite the demands of everyday life.
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Jacqueline, 59, who lives in Colchester, explains: "Every year people review their finances, they have a work review to assess what they have done well or how they need to improve; they have their car serviced to see what is wrong with it and put it right.
"So, why wouldn't you do the same for your relationship, which is so fundamental for your happiness? Life can be busy, and it can be too easy not to stop to assess the impact of life events, which is why it is so important to sit down together and look at the past year. The Renewal Method™ is like a yearly relationship MOT, a structured, reflective check to talk honestly, to reset intentions and agree on what is next. There should be no drama, no diagnosis, just a healthy, proactive practice for real-life love."
Data shows about 42% of UK marriages ended in divorce in 2021, with 27,900 divorce applications made between January and March 2024. Jacqueline's Renewal Method™ is a structured, step-by-step guide that covers issues including communication, intimacy, finances, and growth. It also has a Renewal Agreement which couples complete together.
Drawing upon many life experiences, including childhood trauma, the devastating loss of her first child, Shauna, at birth and a diagnosis of leukaemia, Jacqueline developed this innovative approach to relationship support that is not just for struggling couples but for everyone who wants to stay close and build a positive, happy relationship.
Jacqueline added: "It is such a sadness when people separate. Often, it is not due to a specific incident, but simply because people drift apart. Sometimes people don't speak out because they don't want to rock the boat, and sometimes life gets in the way, and they just lose that connection. There is no excuse not to have a conversation every year, to take time to sit down together and look at the past year and to ask what could have been better and what they want for the following year.
"Many people are scared of the idea of therapy, but with this, it can be done at home, you are in control, and there is no jargon or counselling. There is nothing out there like this."
The Renewal Method™ encourages couples to reflect honestly but gently on the past year, to agree on what is needed, and to make clear, mutual promises for the following year. Jacqueline also suggests that the practice should be repeated annually.
She added: "I want people to look forward to it. There is no blame, no awkward silences. It is an empowering experience. If we are in charge of our lives, we will be happier."
The downloadable version of The Renewal Method™ costs £17.99 and is available from www.renewalmethod.co.uk
