Most of us dislike or even fear conflict with loved ones. Without it, however, you won't achieve sustained intimacy with your partner.

This week, Andrew talks to writer, psychologist and Jungian analyst Polly Young-Eisendrath, the author of Love Between Equals: Relationship as a Spiritual Path. They explore the challenges and possibilities of building partnerships based on respect, freedom and real dialogue.

Andrew and Polly discuss:

• What “real dialogue” means—and how to practice mindful curiosity with your partner.
• How and why to stop avoiding conflict with your partner.
• Projective identification in relationships.
• What to do if you’re feeling defeated or distant in your relationship.

Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D., is the founder of the Center for Real Dialogue in Vermont and the author of 19 books. Her work combines psychoanalytic thinking, mindfulness, and Buddhism to illuminate the inner work required to love with both strength and humility. She is also the host of the popular podcasts Enemies: From War to Wisdom and Waking Up is Not Enough: Flourishing in the Human Space.

If You’re Looking for More…

You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50: Join here

This week, supporters will hear: ⭐ The Benefits of a Conversation Between the Spiritual and Psychological ⭐ Three Things Polly Young-Eisendrath Knows to Be True ⭐️AND access to all our previous bonus content—a rich archive of insight and inspiration

Follow Up

Attend Andrew's new men's retreat, Reconnect With Yourself, this autumn in the Brandenberg countryside near Berlin: Learn more here

Read Polly Young-Eisendrath’s book Love Between Equals: Relationship as a Spiritual Path

Visit Polly Young-Eisendrath’s website

Listen to Polly Young-Eisendrath’s podcasts:

• ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom
• Waking Up is Not Enough: Flourishing in the Human Space

Follow Polly Young-Eisendrath on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter.

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

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 £4.50: 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

Are you one of the many people who end up shocked by the ultimate similarity of romantic relationships that felt very different starting out? Why is it that we find the same patterns repeating, the same problems coming up over and over?

In this classic episode, Andrew talks to author and attachment theory specialist Tara Blair-Ball. Tara explains how attachment theory - which is grounded in analysis of how we bonded to our mother as infants - can explain these patterns.

Andrew and Tara emphasise that rather than dwelling on the particular faults of partner A and partner B, we can try to understand how our earliest relationships in life have determined later ones. This will help us make the changes that can lead to more meaningful and more fulfilling relationships.

Tara Blair Ball is a Certified Relationship Coach, as well as the author of several books on love and relationships. Her content on relationship and dating has been viewed more than 6 million times.

If You’re Looking for More….

You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.

This week supporters will hear:

• Three Things Tara Blair Ball 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

Attend Andrew's new men's retreat, Reconnect With Yourself, this autumn in the Brandenberg countryside near Berlin.

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

Take a look at Tara Blair Ball’s website

Read Emerson Eggerichs’ book Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs

Read Gary Chapman’s book The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts

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

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

What does it mean to be truly seen and accepted in your sexuality? For those who identify as bisexual—or who experience sexual fluidity—the path to self-understanding and relational honesty can be filled with challenges, uncertainty, and social stigma.

This week, Andrew talks with DIANE HASSALL, a Relationship and Psychosexual Psychotherapist, about how we explore and express our sexual identities within intimate partnerships. Together, they consider how to stay true to yourself, even when your sexuality doesn’t conform to the narrow definitions the culture has offered you.

Andrew and Diane discuss: ⭐ What bisexuality and sexual fluidity really mean ⭐ How to have honest conversations with your partner about identity and attraction ⭐ The importance of curiosity and compassion when exploring new facets of yourself

Diane Hassall is an Accredited Member of the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT) and the founder of the therapy practice, Your Time to Talk. She specialises in working with clients exploring gender, sexual, erotic and relationship diversity, and also trains and supervises other therapists in psychosexual and relationship work.

If You’re Looking for More…

You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.

This week, supporters will hear: ⭐ The Importance of Sexual Fantasies ⭐ Three Things Diane Hassall Knows to Be True ⭐️AND access to all our previous bonus content—a rich archive of insight and inspiration.

Follow Up

Attend Andrew's new men's retreat, Reconnect With Yourself, this autumn in the Brandenberg countryside near Berlin: Learn more here

Visit Diane Hassall’s therapy practice: yourtimetotalk.net

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

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 £4.50.

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