Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

I discovered Esther Perel for the first time on YouTube. It was her “Modern Love and Relationships” segment from SXSW. Esther asks: How do you show up in your relationships? What are some of the things that you do to disconnect from others? Is there someone that you would need to call at this moment to whom you owe some apology or to whom you simply owe a checking in, 'how are you?' “The quality of your relationships is what determines the quality of your life. Relationships are your stories. Write well. Edit often.” Thank you, Esther.

Amazing podcast and storytelling where content from each episode resonate with us. It’s opens up real human behavior, vulnerability and insecurities that exists everywhere but is often not discussed openly within our friends and family. It provides information and creates agency to handle our own relationships.

I am a therapist myself and I learn so much from ester, she is brilliant.

I admire Dr. Perel and her ways of exploring the provocative topics, but I think there seems to be a nuanced approach to clear acts of toxicity and violation of boundaries , especially among men who are typically in monogamous relationships but are committing acts of infidelity. I think the show needs to expand into more than just sex and romantic relationships and cheating. It needs to add in other parts of life and relationships. What irked me was the polyamory couple where the woman clearly was distraught and basically was resentful that she has a child that was fathered by an irresponsible man who had sex with another woman. This reflects a poor understanding of what healthy polyamorous relationships are and it doesn’t address the collateral damage of the other woman being involved. This showcases the importance that if he can’t keep it in the pants, then wear a condom or get a vasectomy.