Episodit

  • Good therapy changes lives: people stop worrying as much, they make better decisions, they are kinder to themselves and their loved ones, they achieve more at work, they can control their anger, they are able to stop destructive habits, they form loving relationships.

    This week therapists Graham Johnston and Matt Wotton talk to Andrew about their new book, A Straight Talking Introduction to Therapy. Matt and Graham both experienced the transformative power of effective therapy, and both left lucrative, high-status careers to retrain as therapists. They discuss the evidence that therapy works, which type of therapy to choose, and why it works so well.

    Graham Johnston is a psychotherapist and educator. He is Director of Policy at The Bowlby Centre, the UK’s leading training institution in attachment-based psychotherapy, and has also worked for the UK Government, specialising in home affairs. He and Matt Wotton are the Co-Founders and Directors of LCAP.

    Matt Wotton is a psychotherapist and executive coach, and also Chair of The Bowlby Centre and Director at LCAP. Matt has over two decades of experience in forensic mental health in the criminal justice system - in operations, coaching leaders, and advising ministers. He led the review of Race in the Criminal Justice System (The Lammy Review), commissioned by the Prime Minister, and has been a member of the Prison & Probation Board.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things https://andrewgmarshall.com/download/

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools https://courses.andrewgmarshall.com/relationship-tools

    Read Graham Johnston and Matt Wotton’s new book A Straight Talking Introduction to Therapy: What it Is, Why it Works, How to Get it

    Learn more about the London Centre for Applied Psychology (LCAP), where Graham Johnston and Matt Wotton work as Directors.

    Learn more about The Bowlby Centre, the UK’s leading training institution in attachment-based psychotherapy.

    Follow LCAP on Twitter and Facebook @LCAPsychology.

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • How can we live with loss? What can we do when death shakes to the core our comfortable belief that life is predictable, the world is just, and people are reliable?

    This week Dr Robert A. Neimeyer of the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition joins Andrew to discuss the work of grief.

    Andrew and Robert discuss the task of rebuilding meaning in the face of death, relationship breakdown or unwelcome life transitions. Robert shares his “six tasks of grief”, which are designed to help integrate loss into our lives.

    Dr Robert A. Neimeyer directs the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, actively practices as a trainer, consultant and coach, and has published over 600 articles and 35 books, most on grieving as a meaning-making process. His most recent books are New Techniques of Grief Therapy with Routledge and The Handbook of Grief Therapies with Sage.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things https://andrewgmarshall.com/download/

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools https://courses.andrewgmarshall.com/relationship-tools

    Read Dr Robert A. Neimeyer’s books, New Techniques of Grief Therapy and The Handbook of Grief Therapies.

    Find out more about the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition https://www.portlandinstitute.org/about-us .

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

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  • Have you allowed yourself to explore your sexual fantasies, or do they feel like dark territory that is off-limits? Have you explored them with your partner?

    This week I talk to Jungian psychotherapist Dr Douglas Thomas about his new book, The Deep Psychology of BDSM and Kink. We cover:

    Why it’s so hard to talk about your fantasies with your partner.How Jungian archetypes can provide a language to better understand BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism) and kink.Whether BDSM can be a path to individuation and bringing soul into the world.

    Dr Douglas Thomas is an author and a Jungian psychotherapist in private practice in California. He has presented workshops and talks throughout the state of California on LGBTQ issues and on dream therapy, his two areas of specialization. He teaches at the Pacifica Graduate Institute. Dr. Thomas holds a masters degree from the USC School of Social Work, and a PhD in Depth Psychology with an emphasis in psychotherapy from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things https://andrewgmarshall.com/download/

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools https://courses.andrewgmarshall.com/relationship-tools

    Buy Dr Douglas Thomas’ new book, The Deep Psychology of BDSM and Kink https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Psychology-BDSM-Kink/dp/1032122072

    Visit Dr Douglas Thomas’ website https://www.drdouglasthomas.com

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • If you were raised in a sad, chaotic home, you will unsurprisingly experience difficulties in your adult relationships. If your parents were cold and distant and discouraged the expression of emotions, you’ll be equally ill-prepared for successful relationships or effective parenting.

    This week Andrew talks to Dr Samantha Rodman Whiten (also known as Dr Psych Mom) about dysfunctional parenting and how to overcome its complex legacies.

    Dr Samatha Rodman Whiten is a clinical psychologist, a writer, and the mother of three children. She hosts and writes the hugely popular Dr Psych Mom podcast and blog.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools

    Visit Dr Samantha Rodman Whiten’s website, DrPsychMom.com

    Listen to Dr Samantha Rodman Whiten’s podcast The Dr. Psych Mom Show

    Dr. Samantha Rodman Whiten also runs Best Life Behavioral Health, a virtual group practice of therapists and coaches.

    Follow Dr Samantha Rodman Whiten on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @drpsychmom.

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • Estrangement from adult children can be one of the most disorienting and painful experiences of a parent's life.

    This week, Andrew talks to Dr Joshua Coleman, the author of Rules of Estrangement. They discuss:

    Why estrangement has become so commonWhy estrangement isn’t a one-sided story of parents who got what they deserved or overly entitled adult children.Approaches parents can take to achieve reconciliation with children and grandchildren.Techniques for starting a conversation.Dr Coleman’s own experience of estrangement from his daughter.

    Dr Joshua Coleman is a psychologist in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area and a Senior Fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families. He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, and Psychology Today. He has been a frequent guest on The Today Show and NPR, and has even been featured on Sesame Street.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools

    Buy Dr Joshua Coleman’s new book, Rules of Estrangement

    Visit Dr Joshua Coleman’s website

    You might also enjoy Andrew’s interview with Celia Dodd on how to Navigate Your Relationship with Your Adult Children

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • Could the ancient wisdom of Taoism help us with the emotional challenges of modern life? Author and Taoist priest Greg Ripley believes that a little-known 6th-century Taoist text called the Bai Yao Lu (Statutes of the Hundred Remedies) offers some profound answers.

    In this episode, Greg and Andrew discuss some of the Hundred Remedies, and how they can help us go with the flow, deepen our meditation practice and find the natural balance in all things.

    Greg Ripley is a Taoist Priest in the 22nd generation of the Quanzhen Longmen tradition as well as a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in acupuncture from Northwestern Health Sciences University. He is the author of The Hundred Remedies of the Tao, Tao of Sustainability and Voice of the Elders. He lives in Golden Valley, Minnesota.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

    Buy Greg Ripley’s book, The Hundred Remedies of the Tao: Spiritual Wisdom for Interesting Times

    Visit Greg Ripley’s website

    Follow Greg Ripley on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

    You might also enjoy Andrew’s interview with Henry Emmons, Bring More Calm and Joy Into Your Life

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

  • For many women, intense caring and nurturing relationships cause their inner fire to dim, leaving them feeling they have lost themselves.

    Author and Jungian analyst Lisa Marchiano’s new book is called The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire. Lisa wrote the book to help women “break free from the conditioning that has kept them confined to rigid roles and muffled the sound of their soul”.

    Andrew and Lisa discuss the eight qualities Lisa identifies in the book: shrewdness, disagreeableness, desire, trickiness, sexuality, anger, authority, and ruthlessness. They also cover the ways in which the ancient wisdom of fairy tales (such as The Frog Prince and Fitcher’s Bird) can help women access these lost qualities and build a more complete, authentic self.

    Lisa Marchiano is an award-winning author, certified Jungian analyst, and the co-host of This Jungian Life podcast. Her highly-acclaimed books draw upon the healing wisdom of fairy tales to help women connect more deeply with themselves.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things.

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online course: My Best Relationship Tools

    Read Lisa Marchiano’s new book, The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire or her first book, Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself.

    Get a free 1-month trial of Lisa Marchiano’s new online fairy tale group for women, Spinning Straw

    Listen to or watch This Jungian Life podcast

    Visit Lisa Marchiano’s website.

    Follow Lisa Marchiano on Instagram and Twitter @lisamarchiano

    Listen to Andrew’s 2021 interview with Lisa Marchiano on Being a Mother.

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Read Andrew’s Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • Menopause is a seismic transition for women, and for their partners. The physical and emotional changes it brings will undoubtedly reverberate into a couple’s sex life.

    Irish therapist Beth Wallace believes that this transition can be an opportunity rather than an ending. While decreases in hormones definitely impact women’s bodies in some detrimental ways (which will need management), decreased satisfaction with our sensual and sexual lives is NOT inevitable.

    Andrew and Beth discuss the ways in which the natural changes of menopause can be a time to reflect on desire, expectations and sexual creativity. With good communication, menopause can allow a couple to reflect on their new life stage, and maximise its opportunities.

    Beth Wallace is a psychotherapist and applied psychology graduate. She supports adults to create and maintain satisfying intimate relationships with themselves, with others & with life itself through private client sessions with individuals & couples, workshops, online courses, retreats & intensives.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s NEW free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online course: My Best Relationship Tools

    Explore Beth Wallace’s website

    Follow Beth Wallace @bethwallacerelationships on Facebook , @drbethwallace on Instagram and Twitter, and on LinkedIn.

    You might be interested in some of Andrew’s other interviews:

    Tracey Cox on Great Sex After 50.Rachel Weiss on Menopause.Fabian Edzard Schneider on Mismatched Levels of Sexual Desire.

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • If you’ve suffered serious trauma, you may well be feeling confused by the sudden ubiquity of the term. The concept of trauma is having its cultural moment in the sun, and seems to be constantly under discussion on social media.

    This week, Andrew speaks to Jeremy Fox, a therapist and trauma specialist, about:

    How to define traumaDifferent types of traumaWhether it’s helpful to label your trauma.Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) as a trauma treatment.

    Jeremy Fox is a licensed mental health therapist, certified professional counseling supervisor, and an EMDR trauma counselor and consultant. He has been published in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research.

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    The link between anxiety and traumaThree things Jeremy Fox knows to be true.AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s NEW free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online course: My Best Relationship Tools.

    Read Jeremy Fox’s Substack newsletter

    Follow Jeremy Fox on LinkedIn

    You might be interested in Andrew’s other episodes on trauma:

    Galit Atlas on Buried TraumaFenella Hansen on Dealing With TraumaJulia Paulette Hollenbery on Seven Medicines for Healing from Trauma.

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there https://bit.ly/TheMeaningfulLifeSubstack

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • I’m excited to launch my new online course for couples: My Best Relationship Tools. This week, I talk with my friend and podcast engineer, Michael Dooney, about how the course can make a difference in your relationship.

    We discuss:

    Why couples struggle to communicateHow to stop using failing strategiesNew ways of approaching conflictHow to listen, build rapport and make certain both of you feel heardHealing your relationship.

    Follow Up

    Find out more about my course: My Best Relationship Tools.

    Get my free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

  • Each and every one of us is awesome in some way - but, we are also human. Author, speaker and entrepreneur Nataly Kogan wrote her Awesome Human Journal to help people learn to honour their humanity, whilst also strengthening their emotional fitness.

    In this episode, Andrew and Nataly discuss how to:

    Edit your thoughts and quiet your inner criticSay “no” to things that drain your energyMake joy a priority without guiltReduce overwhelm and fuel your motivationTalk back to your brain when it holds you back with fear

    Nataly Kogan is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author. She immigrated to the US as a refugee from the former Soviet Union when she was 13 years old. Starting her life in the projects and on welfare, she went on to reach the highest levels of corporate success at companies like McKinsey & Company and Microsoft. When she still found herself unfulfilled, Nataly set out to discover what really leads to a fulfilling, happier life. Her explorations led her to create Happier, a company whose award-winning mobile application, online courses, and “Happier at Work” training programs have helped more than a million people improve their emotional health. Nataly is a sought-after keynote speaker and has appeared in hundreds of media outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, TEDxBoston, SXSW, The Harvard Women’s Leadership Conference, and The Dr. Oz Show.

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    Refilling Your Energy ReservoirThree Things Nataly Kogan knows to be true.AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Get Andrew’s NEW free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

    Read Nataly Kogan’s new book, The Awesome Human Journal

    Visit Nataly Kogan’s website and take a look at her Unleash Your Thriving coaching programme.

    Follow Nataly Kogan @natalykogan on Instagram and Twitter, and @natalykoganauthor on Facebook and @HappierwithNataly on YouTube.

    You might also enjoy Andrew’s interviews with Richard Paterson on No More Overthinking and Henry Emmons on The Road to Calm and Joy.

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • Hopes, dreams and goals stretch far into the future, but intentions are about the present. Setting intentions means translating your goals into small steps you can achieve right now. Intentionality offers you a roadmap for progress and personal growth.

    In this episode Andrew talks with therapist Erin Vandermore about what it means to set intentions, how to set up intentions that are achievable and positive, and the rewards that come with a regular intention-setting practice.

    Erin Vandermore, MA, LCPC, LCMHC, is a licensed therapist, and wellness coach with over 14 years of experience in the fields of mental health and life coaching. As the founder of Age of Uncertainty Coaching, Erin has dedicated her life to helping individuals discover their unique skills and talents—those often overshadowed by self-sabotage. Her empathetic lens, cultivated through her personal journey as a mother, a survivor of pre-eclampsia, and an individual living with dyslexia, ADHD, and anxiety, allows her to connect with her clients on a deeply human level.

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    How to Deal with Emotional Eating. Three Things Erin Vandermore knows to be true.AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Visit Erin Vandermore’s website and take a look at her online courses.

    Follow Erin Vandermore Instagram @aoucoaching, on Facebook @AgeofUncertaintyCoaching, on YouTube @AOU_Coaching_with_Erin and on TikTok @ageofuncertaintycoach.

    Get Andrew’s NEW free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • More than one third of adults suffer from insomnia or some other kind of sleep disorder. Left unaddressed, lack of sleep can lead to debilitated health, lowered resilience, and decreased performance in all aspects of life.

    Psychologist, author and spiritual teacher Philip Carr-Gomm’s latest book is The Gift of the Night. The book combines an extensive knowledge of sleep science and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with techniques drawn from spiritual traditions and insights from the emerging field of psychedelic therapy.

    In this episode, Andrew and Philip discuss the sleep difficulties that can come with growing older, reframing your understanding of sleeplessness, and some of the practical techniques that can create a better night’s sleep.

    This is Philip Carr-Gomm’s second appearance on The Meaningful Life. Philip is an expert in psychosynthesis, an “awe-inspiring territory that has the power to transform us”. He believes that something magical happens when the worlds of modern psychology and ancient spiritual teachings are brought together. He has studied Druidry extensively and from 1988-2020 was the leader of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. He has a degree in psychology and has trained in psychotherapy, play therapy, Montessori education, yoga nidra, mindfulness meditation and sophrology. Philip recently created an online school, The Art of Living Well, to offer courses combining psychological and spiritual understanding.

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    Unhelpful Myths About Sleep.Three Things Philip Carr-Gomm knows to be true.AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Download Andrew's new FREE guide: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things.

    Read Philip Carr-Gomm’s new book, The Gift of the Night: A Six-Step Program for Better Sleep.

    Listen to Philip Carr-Gomm’s 2021 interview with Andrew on Creating an Authentic Life

    Take a look at Philip Carr-Gomm’s website

    Find out more about the courses offered at Philip’s online school, The Art of Living Well

    Follow Philip on Instagram at @philipcarrgomm and on Facebook at @philip.carrgomm

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • Better sex, coping with strong emotions, healing your inner child and harnessing the power of compassion: these were some of the big themes that spoke to The Meaningful Life listeners in 2023.

    Jon from the Marshall Method team of therapists is Andrew’s special guest for this New Year’s Day episode. Andrew and Jon each choose their favourite episodes, and share highlights from them.

    These are the episodes chosen by Andrew and Jon as their 2023 favourites:

    What is the Feeling Trying to Tell Me? with Karla McLaren.

    Healing Your Lost Child with Robert Jackman

    Tantra: How to Make Your Lovemaking More Connected with Jan Day

    Slay Your Dragons With Compassion with Malcolm Stern

    How to Heal Stubborn & Inexplicable Health Problems with Sharon E. Martin

    Rites of Passage and Mentoring: How to Become an Adult with Conroy Harris

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    Highlights from interviews with Avrum Weiss on Anxiety, and with Olivier Clerc on Forgiveness.AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Book a counselling session with Jon or with one of the other Marshall Method team.

    Get Andrew’s NEW free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things.

    Read Andrew’s book I Love You But I’m Not In Love With You

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • Christmas isn’t usually thought of as a romantic holiday, but this week Dr Cheryl Fraser explores some of the ways you and your partner can share intimacy, sensuality and thrill over the winter break (however you choose to celebrate).

    Andrew and Cheryl discuss:

    Making the most of beautiful moments.Finding the strength to say no. Planning ahead so things go how you’d like them toAvoiding the people-pleasing trap.Giving your partner a “sexy stocking”.

    Dr Cheryl Fraser is the author of Buddha’s Bedroom, the host of the Sex, Love and Elephants podcast, and the therapist behind the Become Passion online immersion program for couples. Cheryl has helped thousands of couples jump-start their love life and create passion that lasts a lifetime. She lives in Vancouver, and is regularly featured in Mindful and Best Health magazines. Cheryl was also a Fulbright scholar, and has studied meditation and Buddhism for twenty-five years, in both the Tibetan and Theravaden traditions.

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    Top Resolutions for Better Sex and Communication in 2024.AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Learn more about Dr Cheryl’s online immersion program for couples, Become Passion, and join the waitlist.

    Sign up to receive Lovebytes, Dr Cheryl’s tips and techniques to help you create love that lasts a lifetime.

    Read Dr Cheryl’s book, Buddha’s Bedroom

    Listen to Dr Cheryl’s podcast Sex, Love and Elephants

    Follow Dr Cheryl on Facebook and YouTube

    Read Andrew’s book I Love You But I’m Not In Love With You

    Read Andrew’s blog Seven Secrets for Making Marriage Last

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson taught a path of self-reliance and self-knowledge. He emphasised self-knowledge and mindfulness as paths to happiness; also, self-reliance, cooperation, non-conformity, originality, adaptability, and receptiveness.

    This week, Andrew talks to author and teacher Mark Matousek about how Emerson’s twelve essential teachings hold the answer to living an authentic and fulfilling life, one that is in harmony with our souls.

    Key principles include:

    Each person creates their own reality. Obstacles are teachers in disguiseYour character is your destinyWonder and awe are the keys to the kingdomNonconformity is the greatest virtueNature is the doorway to GodLife without self-knowledge is not worth living.

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    When you're falling, dive.Three things Mark Matousek knows to be true.AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Read Mark Matousek’s new book, Lessons from an American Stoic: How Emerson Can Change Your Life.

    Read When You're Falling, Dive: Lessons in the Art of Living by Mark Matousek.

    Visit Mark Matousek’s website.

    Follow Mark Matousek on Facebook @mark.matousek

    Read Andrew’s book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • The idea of “imposter syndrome” has found its cultural moment - we hear it talked about constantly, and many of us resonate with the idea of feeling like a fraud in our work or relationships.

    In this episode, Susan Schwartz PhD returns to the podcast to help explore the concept of imposter syndrome in more depth. Susan and Andrew discuss

    The ways imposter syndrome is rooted in childhood.Painful experiences of imposter syndrome in our romantic relationshipsThe difference between presenting different aspects of who we are VS suffering from imposter syndrome. The related concept of the “as-if” personality - the individual who goes through life pretending they have a meaningful identity, when at heart, they feel that they do not. This person faces a “conundrum around whether to hide or expose the truth of who they are”.

    Susan Schwartz is a Jungian analyst who trained in Switzerland and lives in the USA. She teaches in numerous Jungian programs, workshops, and lectures in the USA and worldwide. She is also a clinical psychologist and member of the International Association of Analytical Psychology. Her new book is Imposter Syndrome and The ‘As-If’ Personality in Analytical Psychology.

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    Ageing, the “As If” personality and Narcissism.Three things Susan Schwartz knows to be true.AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Read Dr Susan Schwartz’s latest books:

    Imposter Syndrome and The ‘As-If’ Personality in Analytical Psychology

    The Absent Father Effect on Daughters, Father Desire, Father Wounds.

    Listen to Andrew’s previous interview with Dr Susan Schwartz on Fathers and Daughters

    Visit Dr Susan Schwartz’s website

    Follow Dr Susan Schwartz on Facebook and Instagram

    Read Andrew’s book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there https://bit.ly/TheMeaningfulLifeSubstack

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • Setting boundaries can seem really hard - you wonder how the other person will react, and whether you’re strong enough to manage such a task. You’re perhaps not even sure of the difference between boundary-setting and laying down an ultimatum.

    Relationship expert Krystal Mazzola Wood likes to focus on the good news. If you CAN learn to set healthy boundaries, your relationships will grow stronger, livelier and more sustaining.

    In this episode Andrew and Krystal discuss how recovering people-pleasers can approach boundary-setting, how to practice setting boundaries and how to find the boundaries that are non-negotiable for you.

    Krystal Mazzola Wood is a practicing licensed marriage and family therapist. She works with clients at her private practice, The Healthy Relationship Foundation, which she founded to help people experience greater self-love and deeper intimacy with others.

    Krystal is also the author of a number of relationship guides. Her latest book is Setting Boundaries: 100 Ways to Protect Yourself, Strengthen Your Relationships, and Build the Life You Want Starting Now!,

    Krystal also maintains a weekly blog, Confidently Authentic, which focuses on balanced, mentally healthy dating and relationship advice.

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    How to Deal with ResentmentThree things Krystal Mazzola Wood knows to be true.AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Buy Krystal Mazzola Wood’s books:

    Setting Boundaries: 100 Ways to Protect Yourself, Strengthen Your Relationships, and Build the Life You Want Starting Now!The Codependency Recovery PlanThe Codependency Workbook

    Visit Krystal Mazzola Wood’s website The Healthy Relationship Foundation

    Read Krystal Mazzola Wood’s blog Confidently Authentic

    Follow Krystal Mazzola Wood on Instagram @krystal_mazzola.

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • Nobody dreams of becoming a stepmother. Yet for Michelle Brown, a blogger and step-parenting expert, being a step-mother feels like something she was meant to do.

    Michelle has a unique bond with her step-son, and through her writing she has also become a light in the darkness for many new step-parents struggling to make things work. Michelle is the first to admit, however, that step-parenting can be painful and exceptionally complex.

    In this week’s episode, Andrew and Michelle discuss:

    How society sees step-parentsThe challenges of running a blended family.Dealing with your partner’s ex (your step-child’s other parent).Defining your role in your step-child’s life.Parenting your biological child alongside your step-child.Looking after your marriage as a step-parent

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    ⭐️What I learned having breakfast with my ex-husband.

    ⭐️Three things Michelle Brown knows to be true.

    ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50.

    Read Michelle’s writing on step-parenting at www.theponderingnook.com and on Medium

    Listen to Michelle’s podcast, The Pondering Stepmom Podcast

    Follow Michelle on Instagram and Facebook @theponderingnook and on Twitter @MichellePonders

    Read Andrew’s book The Happy Couple’s Handbook: Powerful Life Hacks for a Successful Relationship https://andrewgmarshall.com/book/the-happy-couples-handbook-powerful-life-hacks-for-a-successful-relationship/

    You might also enjoy last week’s episode with therapist Terry Gaspard on Making Your Second Marriage Work.

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

  • The divorce rate for second marriages is in most countries higher than the rate for firsts. If you’re onto a second or third marriage (or if you’re contemplating one) you’ll need a strong toolkit.

    In this episode, Andrew welcomes marital therapist Terry Gaspard back to the podcast for a second interview, this time to discuss the particular challenges of second marriages. These can include:

    Unfinished business with ex-partnersDealing with debts and handling moneyBlending familiesFinding time and space for sex.

    Terry Gaspard, MSW, LICSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience in counselling and writing. Her latest book is The Remarriage Manual, and she is also the author of Daughters of Divorce.

    Sponsor

    This week's episode is sponsored by Biyaku: a sexuality app with the motto: ''Let your libido drive you.'' The app shares a huge variety of practices, including meditations, breath-work, Kegel exercises and even body movement that are specifically designed to help you connect with your libido.

    Download the app (iOS or Android) for a free trial for 7 days and see the effects for yourself.

    Subscriber Content This Week

    If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

    ⭐️How to know if it's a small issue (and not sweat it) or a big one to be resolved

    ⭐️Three things Terry Gaspard knows to be true.

    ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just ÂŁ4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall

    Buy Terry Gaspard’s new book The Remarriage Manual https://movingpastdivorce.com/the-re-marraige-manual/

    Read Terry Gaspard’s first book, Daughters of Divorce https://movingpastdivorce.com/order-daughters-of-divorce/

    Visit Terry Gaspard’s website https://movingpastdivorce.com

    Follow Terry Gaspard on Twitter/X @MovePastDivorce and on Facebook @movingpastdivorce

    Listen to Andrew’s previous interview with Terry Gaspard on Daughters of Divorce: the Long-Term Impact of Marital Breakdown

    Read Andrew’s book The Happy Couple’s Handbook: Powerful Life Hacks for a Successful Relationship https://andrewgmarshall.com/book/the-happy-couples-handbook-powerful-life-hacks-for-a-successful-relationship/

    Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there https://bit.ly/TheMeaningfulLifeSubstack

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall