How To Have Successful Relationships with Esther Perel

Modern love comes with an unprecedented list of expectations.
Relationships can of course be a source of amazing connection and
joy, but they can also be really hard. We want our partner to be
our best friend, lover, confidant, coworker, therapist, and so much
more. We want from one person what an entire village used to
provide. To take it a step further, we want a soul mate; we want in
another human what we used to look for in the realm of the divine.
We want that person to help us become the best version of
ourselves. I’ve been extremely lucky in my life with my career and
friendships, but romantic relationships haven’t come easy for me. I
was thrilled to take a deeper look at this part of my life in this
episode with my dear friend Esther Perel. Psychotherapist and New
York Times bestselling author Esther Perel is recognized as one of
today’s most insightful and original voices on modern
relationships. Fluent in nine languages, she helms a therapy
practice in New York City and serves as an organizational
consultant for Fortune 500 companies around the world. Her
celebrated TED Talks have garnered more than 30 million views and
her bestselling books, Mating in Captivity and The State of
Affairs, are global phenomena translated into nearly 30 languages.
Esther is also an executive producer and host of the popular
podcasts Where Should We Begin? and How’s Work? Her latest project
is Where Should We Begin - A Game of Stories with Esther Perel.
Here are more of the details from our interview:  Our
expectations of romantic relationships have drastically changed
over time (4:08)      Our childhood sets
us up for difficulty in romantic relationships
(7:08)     Why we choose partners who activate
our own specific issues (11:19)     What drives
couples to divorce and why the end of a relationship does not
necessarily equate to failure (15:02)   What brings
couples to couples therapy today vs. in past decades
(19:40)      Four relationship killers
(27:10)        What makes a
relationship successful? (28:32)  The card game that Esther
created during the pandemic to incorporate lightness and play into
our relationships  (35:06)   How our relationship to
giving and receiving impacts our relationships (45:55)  
Esther’s main nuggets of wisdom from her work with couples (54:24)
Learn more about Esther Perel at https://www.estherperel.com/ and
her new card game, Where Should We Begin - A Game of Stories at
https://www.estherperel.com/where-should-we-begin-the-game. Follow
Esther on Facebook @Esther.Perel, on Instagram
@EstherPerelOfficial, and on Twitter @EstherPerel.