The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall

Sometimes things feel way too complicated. You’re working hard, taking care of your family, you have enough money - but things still just don’t feel right. You push on, looking forward to your next holiday or a night out with friends, but the day to day is grey and exhausting. Wellness practitioner, CEO, yoga instructor and clinical social worker Julie Wald specialises in working with people who are close to burnout. She cuts through the wellness noise all around us to zero in on what it is we actually need to change in order to feel good. And it isn’t the big things like careers, partners or home. It’s HOW we live each day. Andrew and Julie also discuss Julie’s four pillars of wellness: ⭐️ Movement ⭐️ Stillness ⭐️ Touch ⭐️ Nourishment Julie Wald is the founder and CEO of Golden, a global leader in wellness education and employee self-care programs. She is the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, Inner Wealth: How Wellness Heals, Nurtures and Optimizes Ultra-Successful People. In August, Women We Admire named her one of The Top 100 Women Leaders in Healthcare of 2021. Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter and join the community there. Read Inner Wealth, Julie Wald’s new book. Visit Golden, Julie Wald’s website. Follow Julie Wald on social media: on Instagram @hey.its.golden, and on Facebook and LinkedIn @heyitsgolden Get in touch with Julie Wald at [email protected] 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. Read Andrew’s advice on keeping a journal of your life and emotions Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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

David Kessler is one of the world’s best-known experts on grief, yet nothing could prepare him for the loss of his beloved son at the age of 21. Just as he’d advised his clients for decades, David attended grief groups, saw a therapist and sat with his pain. In this episode, Andrew and David discuss how society wants us to grieve versus the reality of loss. We will likely never “get over” the loss of someone close to us, nor will we learn life lessons that somehow compensate us for our pain. It is possible, though, to locate meaning in how we survive and experience loss. Andrew and David also explore Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s famous and now much contested “five stages of grief” (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) and discuss how useful they are in today’s landscape. David Kessler’s new book is Finding Meaning:The Sixth Stage of Grief. His previous books have been praised by Saint (Mother) Theresa, and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. He has co-authored two books with Louise Hay and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. David also creates online communities who take courses together to learn more about the process of grieving. Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter and join the community there. Join David Kessler’s online healing group, Healing the Five Areas of Grief. Visit David Kessler’s website to explore resources including videos, webinars, books and training courses. Follow David Kessler on Twitter and Instagram @IamDavidKessler and on Facebook @DavidKessler. Read Andrew’s book on grieving the loss of his partner My Mourning Year You may also wish to listen to Andrew’s interview with palliative care physician and author Dr Kathryn Mannix, What You’ve Been Told About Death Might Be Wrong. 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 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

Shame is one of the emotions we find hardest to talk about. It can feel paralysing, and is linked to despair, imposter syndrome, fear and the sense of an impending doom. This week’s guest, psychologist and author Dr Stephan Poulter, is the author of Shame Factor: Heal Your Deepest Fears and Set Yourself Free. Andrew and Dr Poulter discuss how shame makes us feel - paralysed, unclean, not good enough, defective - and how we can reduce its impact on our lives. As Dr Poulter states, “the best analogy is this gold brick inside you. Shame covers it with mud. Our work is to hose off the mud, and find the gold brick”. Dr. Stephan B. Poulter, Ph.D is a psychologist, author and public speaker working in Los Angeles. He is also a theological seminary graduate and a former police officer. Dr Poulter has worked with hundreds of individuals, couples and families, and regularly speaks on parenting, adolescent and spiritual/psychological issues. Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter and join the community there Buy Dr Stephan Poulter’s books, including Shame Factor: Heal Your Deepest Fears and Set Yourself Free, The Art of Successful Failure and The Father Factor. Follow Dr Stephan Poulter on Twitter @StephanPoulter and on Facebook @DrStephanPoulter-PsychotherapistandAuthor Read Andrew’s blog on how keeping a journal can help you manage difficult emotions: Top Twelve Benefits of Journaling Fear is a close companion to shame. You may also enjoy Andrew’s interview with Thom Rutledge on Embracing Fear in Four Steps 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

Teenagers have a big reputation for being hard to talk to. How can you find that spark of connection with your teen? Is there a way to set up a channel of communication so that you can help them through the rough patches? In this episode Andrew talks to Australian teacher and author Daisy Turnbull about her new book, 50 Questions to Ask Your Teens. Daisy shares insights from her work as a teacher, as well as from her own teenage years growing up in a household where both parents had high-profile and demanding careers. Building a habit of positive communication with teenagers is possible, according to Daisy. Strategies include: ⚡️Asking “what do you think about that?”, and “tell me more?”. ⚡️Having some family rituals, such as a gratitude practice around the dinner table. ⚡️Choosing your moment: car-trips are perfect as they don’t require direct eye contact and are timebound. Andrew and Daisy also discuss the impact of social media on teens, building kids' independence and confidence, managing your career around your family and sharing parenting responsibilities. Daisy Turnbull is an author, teacher, mother and Lifeline volunteer who lives in Sydney, Australia. Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter and join the community there. Read Daisy Turnbull’s books 50 Questions to Ask Your Teens and 50 Risks to Take With Your Kids. Follow Daisy Turnbull on Twitter @ms_dzt Watch "It's Not About the Nail", the hugely popular YouTube video mentioned by Daisy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg 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. Read Andrew’s book on building a stronger relationship as parents: I Love You But You Always Put Me Last: How to Child-Proof Your Marriage Listen to some of our other parenting episodes: Philippa Perry on on What You Wish Your Parents Knew & What You Hope Your Children Learn, Lisa Marchiano on Being a Mother, Jack Underwood on Becoming a Father, Anita Cleare on Positive Parenting Amanda Seyderhelm on Coping With Childhood Grief. 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

Finding meaning and fulfillment in the second half of life requires us to make a conscious transition. We must explore “the unconscious denial and resistance that erupts around key thresholds of later life” if we are to be happy as elders. In this episode, psychotherapist and author Connie Zweig, PhD talks with Andrew about how to become an elder who is filled with purpose and vitality. She explains the concept of “shadow-work”, and how it can help you: ⚡️Repair the past and be fully present ⚡️Accept yourself as you are ⚡️Rediscover the creativity you may have lost along the way. ⚡️Move “from role to soul”. Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a retired psychotherapist, writer, and Climate Reality Leader. Known as the Shadow Expert, she has written several books about shadow-work, as well as her newest best-seller on aging as a spiritual practice, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul. The Inner Work of Age won both the 2021 American Book Fest Award and the 2021 Best Indie Book Award for best inspirational non-fiction. Connie has been doing contemplative practices for more than 50 years, and is a wife, stepmother and grandmother. After all these roles, she’s practicing the shift from role to soul. 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 £4.50. If you're interested in joining one of Dr Connie Zweig's groups, you can email her at The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul. Take a look at Dr Connie Zweig’s other books Visit Dr Connie Zweig’s website Follow Dr Connie Zweig on Twitter @InnerWorkofAge and on Facebook at @Dr.ConnieZweig. Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Read Andrew’s blog “How To Avoid the Silver Divorce” 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

Everything is always changing, and nothing is ever the same. If we think about it, we all know that. But we tend to live differently, as though we can hang onto the same fixed self, the same ways of doing things, and the same people around us. Alan Lessik, author and Zen practitioner, is an expert in change. He is known by his friends as someone who takes fearless leaps into new jobs, new countries and new possibilities. He has regularly made life-changes so huge they felt like jumping off a cliff. In this episode, Andrew and Alan talk about how we deal with change, and the usefulness of the “backward step”. They discuss Alan’s practice of Zen meditation, and Alan shares the following quote from Eihei Dogen, founder of Zen Buddhism in Japan: “You should stop searching for phrases and chasing after words. Take the backward step and turn the light inward. Your body-mind in itself will drop off and your original face will appear. If you want to attain just this (suchness), immediately practice just this (suchness).” Alan Lessik is a writer and novelist, zen practitioner, amateur figure skater, and LGBT activist. He has worked in the US and over twenty-two other countries and has served in leadership positions in numerous non-governmental organizations, university and governmental entities. Alan’s debut novel, The Troubleseeker, was a finalist for the 2017 LGBTQ Fiction Award given by the Publishing Triangle. He recently moved from the US to Berlin, where he is working on two new novels. 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 £4.50. Find out more about Alan Lessik’s writing and work on his website Watch Alan Lessik’s figure-skating videos on YouTube Follow Alan Lessik on Twitter @AlanLessik Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier If you are interested in meditation and mindfulness, you might also like to listen to Andrew’s interview with Dr Henry Emmons on how to Bring More Calm and Joy Into Your Life 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 dread parties, can’t face job interviews, or won’t start scary conversations with your partner, this is the episode for you. Dr Wendy Suzuki is a neuroscientist and an international expert on anxiety and the brain. Her new book, Good Anxiety, unpacks the science of everyday anxiety in a way that helps us manage it. In this episode, Andrew and Wendy discuss: ⚡️What “good anxiety” is, and how to channel it in the right direction. ⚡️How anxiety can lead to productivity and creativity. ⚡️Meditation, tea-drinking, and the jujitsu move that turns anxiety around. Dr. Wendy Suzuki is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University and a celebrated international authority on neuroplasticity. She was recently named one of the 10 women changing the way we see the world by Good Housekeeping. Her TED talk has more than 31 million views on Facebook, and her first book Healthy Brain Happy Life was recently made into a PBS special. 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 £4.50. Read Dr Wendy Suzuki’s book Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion Visit Dr Wendy Suzuki’s website Connect with Dr Wendy Suzuki on social media: find her on Instagram @wendy.suzuki, on Twitter @wasuzuki and on Facebook @WendyASuzuki Read Andrew’s blog on how keeping a journal can improve your life: Top Twelve Benefits of Journaling If anxiety is a topic of interest for you, you may also enjoy Andrew’s conversation with Richard Paterson: No More Overthinking 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

“Within your mind, body and soul YOU have an untapped potential that wants to be unleashed. It calls to you in your dreams and whispers to you when your mind goes silent. It is relentless because it knows you are capable of more than you give yourself credit for” (George Mumford) George Mumford used his insights into pain, mindfulness and performance to enrich the careers of athletes including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. George then realised that his ideas could help people “from locker rooms to board rooms, Yale to jail”, and so took his work beyond the sporting arena, including writing a book, The Mindful Athlete. In this episode, Andrew and George discuss mindfulness, George’s journey through pain and addiction, and George’s five superpowers: ⚡️Mindfulness ⚡️Concentration ⚡️Insight ⚡️Right Effort ⚡️Trust 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 £4.50. Read George Mumford’s book, The Mindful Athlete Take The Mindful Athlete course Subscribe to George Mumford’s YouTube channel Follow George Mumford on Twitter @gtmumford and on Facebook Read Andrew’s advice on keeping a journal of your life and emotions Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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

Some of us try our best never to think about death, while some of us “live in death’s basement”. Composer, academic and psychoanalyst Paul Attinello lived through the suffering and loss of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. After testing positive for HIV, he built a creative and achievement-filled life, over which death nevertheless always loomed. Then, the advent of lifesaving medications changed everything. Paul had to define a whole new relationship with mortality, as well as experiencing a profound sense of loss for what life might have been like without the spectre of HIV. In this episode, Andrew and Paul discuss music, psychoanalysis, and the different ways humans live with the knowledge of their own mortality. Paul Attinello is an academic and psychoanalyst based in Newcastle University’s International Centre for Music Studies. He also taught at the University of Hong Kong and UCLA, living and working on four continents in the past three decades. 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 £4.50. Find out more about Paul Attinello's work and writing here Take a look at Paul Attinello’s research work Watch Psychosocial Wednesdays, a YouTube channel hosted by Paul Attinello and his colleagues. It offers weekly salons on Jungian ideas and other aspects of psychoanalysis. Read Andrew’s memoir on grieving the loss of his partner, My Mourning Year Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier:

Is society setting you up to fail in your marriage? World-renowned relationship therapist Terry Real sees a toxic culture of individualism troubling society at every level. We are told to strive for personal productivity and perfection, ignoring the fact that we exist in a web of crucial relationships. In this episode, Terry describes research showing that the mind exists in a social context, and that couples in fact co-regulate each other’s nervous systems. Getting this right is very tricky, though, if you grew up without enough emotional support. The survival strategies that got you through childhood may, in fact, “torch your personal relationships”. Andrew and Terry discuss the five most common traps that can undermine your relationship: 🚩 Needing to be right 🚩 Controlling your partner 🚩 Unbridled self-expression 🚩 Retaliation 🚩 Shutting down We can overcome these, however, by tapping into our wiser, more collaborative self. If we can find the “us” rather than the “I”, we can achieve the warmer, more intimate relationships many of us long for. 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 £4.50. Buy Terry Real’s new book Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship (out 22 March 2022). Take a look at Terry Real’s other books, including The New Rules of Marriage and How Can I Get Through to You? Visit Terry Real’s website https://terryreal.com Follow Terry Real on Facebook and YouTube @TerryRealRLI Read Andrew’s blog “Three Secrets of a Happy Relationship” Read Andrew’s book Can We Start Again Please? Twenty Questions to Fall Back in Love 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

Lots of us are afraid of the very word: fear. We’d rather say anxiety, or worry, or panic. Yet according to Thom Rutledge, fear underlies most difficult emotions, and is a close companion to shame. Fear plays into just about every decision we ever make in our lives. To defeat fear, according to Thom, is neither possible nor desirable. Instead we need to live beyond its control, and to understand it. Rather than squashing down the voices of panic and dread, we can face up to them, explore them and respond. In this episode Andrew and Thom explore: ✅ The meaning of fear ✅ How we can understand fear in our own lives ✅ How our family background shapes our experience of fear ✅ Four ways we can start to “embrace fear”. Thom Rutledge has been a psychotherapist for more than 40 years and is the author of several books, including Embracing Fear, The Self-Forgiveness Handbook, Earning Your Own Respect, The Greater Possibilities and What Love Is. He draws on professional training and experience as well as his own personal experience in recovery and personal growth to work with his clients. Thom and his colleague, Dr. Allen Berger, co-host their own weekly podcast, Emotional Sobriety. 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 £4.50. Visit Thom Rutledge’s website Read Thom Rutledge’s books, including Embracing Fear. Listen to Emotional Sobriety, a podcast co-hosted by Thom Rutledge and Dr Allen Berger. Follow Thom Rutledge on Twitter @ThomRutledge Read Andrew’s blog on how keeping a journal can help deal with difficult emotions: Top Twelve Benefits of Journaling If anxiety is a topic of interest for you, you may also enjoy Andrew’s conversation with Richard Paterson: No More Overthinking 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

“So he’s become the real love of my life. But if I’d been following my old ways of looking for men I wouldn’t have noticed him”. If you’re following your heart and trusting to the universe in your search for midlife love, you may need to take a step back and rethink your approach. This week’s guest, Dr Mairi Macleod, is the founder of Dating Evolved, a science-based dating consultancy. Mairi helps women look for partners in a more thoughtful and successful way. We are often told to “trust your gut” when it comes to relationships, but Mairi explains why this approach can be unrewarding. In this episode, she describes to Andrew how her own love life was going somewhat disastrously, and how this inspired her to use her training as an evolutionary biologist to create a science-based strategy to find a partner. Andrew and Mairi also discuss confidence, enjoying the journey and having a good hard think about why you’re attracted to a certain kind of person. Dr Mairi Macleod is an evolutionary biologist, consultant, speaker, and science writer. She runs online programs and coaches women in small groups to help them build happy, loving relationships. 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 £4.50. Join Mairi Macleod's free Masterclass: "Getting Ready for Successful Dating - for Women over 50" on April 4th at 7pm BST You can find out about Mairi’s Dating Evolved programs, read her blog, and sign up for her upcoming Free Masterclass at https://www.datingevolved.com If you’d like to read Mairi’s “5 Science-Based Ways to Find the Man You Need”, download your free e-copy here Join the Dating Evolved Facebook Community and ask all your dating questions. Follow Mairi Macleod on Twitter @dr_mairi and on Facebook @MairiMacleodPhD Read Andrew’s book The Happy Couple’s Handbook: Powerful Life Hacks for a Successful Relationship You may also enjoy Andrew’s conversation with Cate Mackenzie on the art of flirting 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 mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation” (Henry Thoreau). Therapist Simon Roe has based his life’s work on helping men live an authentic life. After himself going through a period of quiet desperation in his mid-thirties, Simon went on to help men break the silence, find “the song inside” and overcome their experiences of depression, violence and loneliness. Simon has also worked extensively with boys and their fathers to create rites of passage that can help boys claim a strong, authentic sense of their developing manhood. Simon Roe originally trained as a body psychotherapist, and is also a co-leader of the Mandorla Men’s Rites of Passage programme. He has worked extensively with perpetrators of domestic violence, and is a Respect approved trainer and supervisor. Simon has completed a foundation course in Process Oriented Psychology. Simon and Andrew also discuss the idea of answering “the call to adventure”, an idea powerfully captured in this poem by Rainer Maria Rilke: Sometimes A Man Stands Up During Supper Sometimes a man stands up during supper and walks outdoors, and keeps on walking, because of a church that stands somewhere in the East. And his children say blessings on him as if he were dead. And another man, who remains inside his own house, dies there, inside the dishes and in the glasses, so that his children have to go far out into the world toward that same church , which he forgot. Follow Up I'll be attending a workshop on masculinity in times of change and crisis with Simon Roe & his colleague William Ayot in Feb/Mar 2023. I'd love you to join us. Details are here 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. Visit Simon Roe’s website Learn about the Kingfisher Project, a community dedicated to rites of passage for boys aged 13-16. Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Read Andrew’s thoughts on what to do if you or your partner feel like you’re in the throes of what society would call a midlife crisis 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 help our children understand grief and loss? How can we recover as adults, if no-one helped us make sense of grief and loss as a child? Amanda Seyderhelm is an expert in innovative creative play therapy for children, and the author of a book called Helping Children Cope with Loss and Change. Amanda changed careers to work in play therapy after a life-threatening illness changed everything for her. In this episode Amanda and Andrew discuss: 🌈 How to talk to children who are grieving. 🌈 How storytelling plays a part in personal and family grief. 🌈 Your “backpack of grief”: what’s inside, and how it’s affecting your life. 🌈 How children & adults learn to “grow around their grief” rather than recovering. 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 £4.50. Take a look at Amanda Seyderhelm’s website Buy Amanda Seyderhelm’s book Helping Children Cope with Loss and Change at a 20% discount for The Meaningful Life listeners. Just use code FLA22 at checkout. Follow Amanda Seyderhelm on Twitter @TheKidDecoder on Instagram @amandaseyderhelm and on LinkedIn. Read The Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell on his Life and Work Read Continuing Bonds: New Understandings of Grief by Dennis Klass If you’re interested in diving deep into parenting, listen to Lisa Marchiano of the This Jungian Life podcast speaking with Andrew about meaning and motherhood. Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier. 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 could write a letter to your own anxiety, what would it say? This is just one of the ways therapist Dr Kathleen Smith befriends her anxiety and in the process, moves it into the back seat of her life. If you can’t sleep, can’t focus and are constantly pushing down the frustrations you experience in your relationships, you will know that you probably need to deal with your anxiety. In this episode, Andrew and Kathleen discuss how to go about doing this, and the paramount importance of observing and understanding before leaping into action. Kathleen Smith is a therapist and author from Washington D.C. She writes the Anxious Overachiever newsletter on Substack, and is the author of Everything Isn’t Terrible, a new book about anxiety. She is a graduate of Harvard and George Washington Universities, and has written for publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and Psychology Today. Kathleen has a private therapy practice in Washington, DC, and is the host of the TV show Family Matters, produced by the University of the District of Columbia. 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 £4.50. Buy Kathleen Smith’s book Everything Isn’t Terrible: Conquer Your Insecurities, Interrupt Your Anxieties and Finally Calm Down Take a look at Kathleen Smith’s website Read Kathleen Smith’s Substack newsletter The Anxious Overachiever Follow Kathleen Smith on Twitter @fangirltherapy and on Facebook @kathleensmithwrites Read Andrew’s blog on how keeping a journal can improve your life: Top Twelve Benefits of Journaling If anxiety is a topic of interest, you may also enjoy Andrew’s conversation with Richard Paterson: No More Overthinking 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

“Don’t look for a match - light one”: being single needs to stop being seen as failure, and start being viewed as a fulfilling, meaningful, loving life choice. Shani Silver’s new book, The Single Revolution, is all about changing your mindset and embracing the single existence. In this episode Shani and Andrew discuss the emotionally exhausting and often dangerous world of online dating. After realising that dating apps were adding nothing to her life, Shani deleted them all from her phone and has spent the last three years writing about singlehood, and supporting the many people out there fed up with the stigma of being single. As Shani writes, “We aren’t here on Earth to struggle through singlehood for years on end. We’re allowed to live a whole lot more than that”. Shani’s work is all about creating an authentic, happy life in which “finding someone” is not the primary purpose. Shani Silver is an author and podcaster based in New Orleans. She has been featured on NPR and the BBC discussing what it means to be single. Shani hosts the podcast A Single Serving and her latest book is The Single Revolution. Shani’s podcast subscribers are also able to join her Facebook group and community. 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 £4.50. Buy Shani Silver’s book, The Single Revolution: Don’t Look for a Match, Light One Listen to Shani Silver’s podcast, A Single Serving Take a look at Shani Silver’s website Follow Shani Silver on Twitter and Instagram @shanisilver Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Read Andrew’s blog on how to start keeping a journal 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

Many of us are brought up to see sacrifice and exhaustion as the route to success. Julia Paulette Hollenbery’s mission is to help us all realise that in fact “pleasure is the essential nourishment you need for productive work, happy relationships and vibrant health”. Julia also believes that pleasure is not hard to find. There is an abundance of pleasure available to us all, in every moment and with every interaction. What Julia describes as “the universe of deliciousness” is everywhere around us. In this episode Andrew and Julia discuss the healing power of pleasure, including Julia’s seven medicines to heal and to rediscover the innate pleasure of being. Andrew and Julia talk about recovering from trauma, and the extent to which society pushes us to live in our minds rather than our bodies. Julia Paulette Hollenbery is a body therapist and author. She has a degree in English Literature and is trained in the Grinberg Method of Bodywork, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, and Family Constellations (a kind of body psychotherapy). 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 £4.50. Read Julia Paulette Hollenbery’s book The Healing Power of Pleasure: Seven Medicines for Rediscovering the Innate Joy of Being Take a look at Julia Paulette Hollenbery’s website Follow Julia on Twitter @JuliaHollenbery, on Facebook @juliapaulettehollenbery and on Instagram @julia.paulette.hollenbery Listen to Andrew’s discussion with therapist Fenella Hansen on “Dealing with Trauma” Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier: https://bit.ly/wakeupandchange 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 wise? Do we grow in wisdom as we age? Pioneering neuropsychiatric researcher Dr Dilip Jeste has spent years investigating the biological and cognitive roots of wisdom. In this episode, Andrew and Dilip discuss what we mean when we talk about wisdom, and whether we can, in fact, grow wiser. Dilip describes what he has established as the key components of the wise individual: ⭐️ Self-reflection ⭐️ Empathy and compassion (including for yourself) ⭐️ Emotional regulation and resilience ⭐️ Gratitude ⭐️ Openness to new experiences ⭐️ Spirituality Andrew and Dilip also talk about cultural differences in the treatment of older people, and how we miss out when we ignore the wisdom of our parents and grandparents. Dr Dilip Jeste is a neuropsychiatrist, as well as the author of Wiser: The Scientific Roots of Wisdom, Compassion and What Makes Us Good. Dilip has spent more than 20 years studying aspects of wisdom and healthy aging, and is a professor of psychiatry and neurosciences and the director of the Center for Healthy Aging at UC San Diego. He is also a past president of the American Psychiatric Association. 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 £4.50. Read Wiser: The Scientific Roots of Wisdom, Compassion and What Makes Us Good Visit Dr Dilip Jeste’s website Follow the UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging on Twitter @UCSDHealthAging and Facebook @ucsd.healthy.aging Listen to The Meaningful Life episode Growing Old is the Best Thing that’s Going to Happen to You with author and aging expert Kathleen O’Brien. Read Andrew’s blog on The Top Twelve Benefits of Journaling Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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

My guests this week - Lisa Arends and Helen Tower - know just about everything there is to know about the painful subject of infidelity, because they have lived it through it themselves. Both have written extensively about their experiences. Lisa’s is a story of the most extreme and dramatic betrayal: ten years ago her husband ended their 16-year marriage with a text message, after which she never saw him again. Lisa rebuilt her life and has a new partner. Helen’s experience involved her partner’s lengthy affair with a co-worker. After initially separating from her husband, Helen came to the decision to try and rebuild the relationship. She and her husband recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, and the journey toward recovery continues. Both Helen and Lisa agree that recovering from infidelity is all about strengthening the self. The journey to a new life and a new relationship (whether that’s with the unfaithful partner or someone new) hinges on doing the work to achieve self-knowledge and personal strength. This week’s episode is a fascinating three-way conversation featuring two totally different experiences of infidelity. It is essential listening if infidelity has been a part of your experience, but it also has much to offer if you’d like to feel stronger and more empowered in your relationship. Lisa Arends is a data scientist, former middle school math teacher and accidental expert on divorce. She is passionate about empowering, motivating and inspiring people as they move through difficult transitions and life situations. Lisa blogs at Lessons from the End of a Marriage. She lives outside of Atlanta with her husband and two adorable pit bulls. Helen Tower writes and blogs about infidelity (Helen Tower is the pen name she uses to protect her family). In 2018 Helen discovered her husband of twenty-two years was having an affair, and eight months later published her story as Sailing Through Infidelity: A Story of Love and Forgiveness. 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 £4.50. Read Lisa Arends’ blog Lessons from the End of a Marriage Follow Lisa Arends on Facebook @LESSONSFROMTHEENDOFAMARRIAGE, on Twitter and Instagram @stilllearning2b and on YouTube. Helen Tower blogs at Sailing Through Infidelity Read Helen Tower’s books, including Sailing through Infidelity: A story of love and forgiveness. Listen to Helen Tower's podcast Sail Through and Beyond Infidelity https://open.spotify.com/show/0191IgpffJkLcxebwTm5S5?si=DYMn9S--QPOi5LT2HxRZag&dl_branch=1&nd=1 Follow Helen on Facebook @HelenTowerAuthor, on Instagram @helentowerstaycalm and on Twitter @sailinginfidel1 Read Andrew’s books on infidelity recovery: Why Did I Ever Cheat? Help Your Partner (and Yourself) Recover From Your Affair How Can I Ever Trust You Again? Infidelity: From Discovery to Recovery in Seven Steps I Can’t Get Over My Partner’s Affair: 50 Questions About Recovering from Extreme Betrayal and the Long-Term Impact of Infidelity Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on: Twitter https://twitter.com/andrewgmarshall Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AndrewGMarshallTherapy YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF5gT7ru5sblpFaU2-iWTTw

Most of us have a conversation we’re avoiding: a child coming out to their parent, a family losing someone to terminal illness, a friend noticing early signs of dementia. There are moments when we simply must talk, listen and be there for one another. Dr Kathryn Mannix, a consultant in palliative care medicine, has spent her career having what she describes as “tender conversations” with bereaved families. Her new book, Listen: How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations, is a guide to not shying away from difficult subjects with those we care about. In this episode Andrew and Kathryn discuss why it is we so often don’t say what needs to be said. They look at how to be brave in the face of discomfort, how to sit with silence, and how to speak from a place of gentleness and care. Dr Kathryn Mannix has spent her medical career working with people who have incurable, advanced illnesses. She is the author of the bestselling With the End in Mind: How to Live and Die Well, as well as her new book, Listen. Kathryn is a qualified cognitive behavioural therapist and started the UK’s first CBT clinic for palliative care patients. 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 £4.50. Read Dr Kathryn Mannix’s books: Listen: How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations and With the End in Mind: How to Live and Die Well Listen to Dr Kathryn Mannix’s previous appearance on this podcast, What You’ve Been Told About Death Might Be Wrong Follow Dr Kathryn Mannix on Twitter and Facebook @drkathrynmannix Read Andrew’s blog Help Me Be a Better Listener Read Andrew’s book on starting a deeper conversation with your partner, Can We Start Again Please? Twenty Questions to Fall Back in Love Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

A year’s worth of ideas about living a meaningful life is a lot to digest. Over 2021, we touched on trauma, reimagining death, recovering from infidelity, creating a business, parenting, gratitude, and so much more. In this retrospective episode, Andrew and podcast engineer Michael Dooney each choose their top five. These are the episodes that stayed with them, influencing and changing the way they think about life and relationships. In the bonus material for supporters, Andrew and Michael discuss the best ways to put what you loved about each episode into practice in order to change your own life for the better. 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 £4.50. Listen to Andrew and Michael’s 2021 highlights: Caroline Madden on Infidelity: How to Rebuild Trust Elaine Dundon on Stop Being a Prisoner of Your Thoughts Philip Carr-Gomm on Stop Living the Provisional Life and Start Creating an Authentic One Hannah Martin on How to Believe in Yourself and Start Your Own Business Lisa Marchiano on Being a Mother: a Journey of Self-Discovery Philippa Perry on What You Wish Your Parents Knew & What Your Children Hope You Learn Kathryn Mannix on What You’ve Been Told About Death Might be Wrong Eleanor Mills on How to Reinvent Yourself at 50 (or Any Age) James Hollis on How to be Resilient Chester Elton on How Gratitude Could Revolutionise Your Life 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 often have you heard masculinity described as “toxic”, “fragile”, or “in a crisis”? JJ Bola - writer, former youth worker, and UNHCR Ambassador - tries to go deeper in understanding how society is failing boys and men. In this episode, JJ Bola describes masculinity as a performance that we require boys to learn; along the way stifling their individuality and emotional health. Different societies have different myths about masculinity, and JJ Bola is able to draw on his experiences as a Congolese man growing up in London to show how diverse these ideas are. If we could discard the performance of masculinity and allow boys to grow up free and to be who they are, we are likely to see the benefits in love and sex, politics, competitive sports and mental health. JJ Bola was born in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He grew up in London and has written two novels - No Place to Call Home and The Selfless Act Of Breathing - as well as three collections of poetry - Elevate, Daughter of the Sun and WORD - and a non-fiction book about masculinity and the patriarchy, Mask Off: Masculinity Redefined. This week’s episode takes a slightly different format: Andrew interviews JJ Bola at the annual MANN SEIN conference in Berlin, an international gathering to talk about masculinity in today’s world. 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 £4.50. Find out more about the MANN SEIN annual conference in Berlin/online. Read JJ Bola’s books: Mask Off: Masculinity Redefined, No Place to Call Home, The Selfless Act Of Breathing and Refuge (which collates his 3 volumes of poetry). Follow JJ Bola on Twitter and Instagram @JJ_Bola Listen to Andrew’s other conversations on masculinity: ⭐️Jed Diamond PhD on “Your Personal Creation Story” ⭐️Joe Horton on “Men, Fathers and Meaning” ⭐️Matthew Fray on “How Good People Mess Up Their Marriages” ⭐️Warren Farrell PhD on “The Boy Crisis” Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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

Becoming a parent is impossible to prepare for. Jack Underwood describes “feeling that there should have been more paperwork. We signed a form or two and then they just sort of let us take you away. A human child”. Parenthood changes our relationships, our view of the world, our sense of self. It’s rare in the whirlwind of night wakings and nappies, though, that anyone has the time to sit down and think about what exactly it is that’s happened to them. In this episode, Andrew talks to Jack Underwood, a poet, writer and critic, about how and why he writes about fatherhood, his interest in the concept of uncertainty, and the complexities of modern masculinity. Jack Underwood lives and works in London. As well as being a poet and author, he works as a senior lecturer in creative writing at Goldsmiths University of London. His most recent collection of poetry is A Year in the New Life, which in October 2021 was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. Jack Underwood is also the author of Not Even This, a meditation on the theme of uncertainty inspired by his anxieties about becoming a parent. His 2015 debut collection of poetry, Happiness, won the Somerset Maugham Award. 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 £4.50. Read A Year in the New Life or Not Even This: Poetry, parenthood & living uncertainly or Happiness by Jack Underwood Follow Jack Underwood on Twitter and Instagram @jundermilkwood Get Andrew’s advice on creating change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier If you’re a lover of poetry, you could also listen to Andrew’s interview with Brighton poet John McCullough on Seven Ways Poetry Could Make Your Life Richer, Deeper and More Meaningful 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

Stepping into a bath of ice isn’t the obvious pastime for a Northern winter. But if you do it the right way, the extreme cold can be: ❄️ Empowering - diving in means turning off the voices of procrastination. ❄️ Relaxing - staying in the bath requires you to work on physical relaxation. ❄️ Mindful - the cold focuses you hard on the now. ❄️ And, extremely healthy - there is evidence for cardiovascular benefit. Dr Josephine Worseck is a molecular biologist, yoga teacher, naturopath and exponent of cold exposure. The Wim Hof method she teaches is based on the three pillars of breathing, cold and mindset. In this episode Josephine speaks with Andrew about what led her from a successful career as a scientist into a new life helping people find their true potential and lead the lives they want. Andrew and Josephine also talk about the art of breathing, and take listeners through a powerful relaxation exercise. Josephine Worseck is based in Potsdam, Germany. She spends her days teaching clients the benefits of cold exposure, and also guides groups up mountains, leads freezing outdoor swims and teaches yoga and breathing methods. 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 £4.50. Visit Josephine Worseck’s website. Buy Josephine Worseck’s book Die Heilkraft der Kälte (currently only available in German). Follow Josephine Worseck on Instagram @josephineworseck and on Facebook as @DrJosephineWorseck Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Read Andrew’s blog on how to start keeping a journal, in which you can reflect on failure and growth: https://andrewgmarshall.com/top-twelve-benefits-of-journaling/ 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 would your life change if you suddenly had all the money in the world? This was the experience of John Lefebvre, who was catapulted from an ordinary existence as a lawyer and musician into a life of untold wealth during the dotcom boom of the 2000s. John’s life of luxury came to an abrupt halt in 2007, however, after the FBI stormed his home and arrested him for money laundering, racketeering and conspiracy. John pled guilty, paid a fine of $40 million, and served 45 days in a Manhattan jail. Over the last two decades John has given away well over $50 million. He says that money is like dope – it takes more and more to achieve the same rush, until you just can’t get high on it anymore. He became convinced that eventually the only rush that remained was sharing wealth with others and experiencing their joy at being set free from cares and concerns. John has since found meaning in music, writing (he is the author of two books), spiritual exploration and climate activism. He has worked closely with David Suzuki and supports Vancouver’s Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education. John maintains that the earthly existence that has miraculously befallen each of us is actually the complete answer to anybody’s wildest dreams, and that we must start taking basic care of everyone on Earth. 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 £4.50. Visit John Lefebvre’s website Buy John Lefebvre’s books Good With Money and All’s Well: Where Thou Art Earth and Why Visit the blog John Lefebvre cofounded, DeSmog.com, which is dedicated to exposing climate misinformation. Follow John Lefebvre on Facebook @thoughtfulspecies and on Twitter @thoughtfulspec Read Andrew’s advice on keeping a journal of your life and emotions at https://andrewgmarshall.com/top-twelve-benefits-of-journaling/ Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier: https://andrewgmarshall.com/book/wake-up-and-change-your-life-how-to-survive-a-crisis-and-be-stronger-wiser-and-happier/ 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

Some of us are afraid of it, some of us gave it up decades ago, and some of us are trying desperately to master it. The art of flirting is a form of relationship magic, and it can bring so much happiness into our partnerships and our lives. Flirting opens us up to silliness, fun and joy. In this episode Andrew talks with flirting coach and psychosexual therapist Cate Mackenzie about why we should master the skills of flirting. Andrew and Cate talk about the ways in which your childhood might have left you finding the physical cues involved in flirting difficult, and how to overcome this. Andrew and Cate discuss: ⭐️Flirting for those coming out of long-term relationships and starting to date again ⭐️Flirting for those burnt by the dating scene ⭐️Flirting for couples who’ve given up on it ⭐️The sometimes thorny issue of flirting and boundaries. Cate Mackenzie is a psychosexual therapist and couples counsellor. Cate runs courses in flirting and dating for pairs and individuals. She is regularly heard on BBC Radio ‘Woman’s Hour’ and ‘Five Live’, and is also famous as the Dating Coach on ‘The Undateables’ (Channel 4), the Flirting Coach on ‘The Jeremy Vine Show’ (Channel 5) and the Psychosexual Therapist on ‘Kinky Britain’ (Channel 4). Cate has her own podcast, Love, Pleasure and Joy with Cate Mackenzie, for which she has interviewed the likes of Ruby Wax and Russell Kane. 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 £4.50. Buy tickets for Cate Mackenzie’s online course, Flirt Coaching at Love School, starting in Feb 2022. Listen to Cate Mackenzie’s podcast, Love, Pleasure and Joy with Cate Mackenzie Visit Cate Mackenzie’s website Follow Cate Mackenzie on LinkedIn and Twitter @CateMackenzie and Instagram @Catemmackenzie Find out more about Betty Martin Read Andrew’s book The Happy Couple’s Handbook: Powerful Life Hacks for a Successful Relationship Read Andrew’s blog on Three Secrets of a Happy Relationship: 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

“You’re only old once” says aging expert and author Kathleen O’Brien, and the wisest path is to embrace the freedom and wisdom of being an elder. In this episode, Kathleen challenges us to: Tell everyone our age Ignore talk of “aging gracefully” Learn to love our aging appearance Celebrate our eccentricities Expect younger people to respect us See time and death as our allies Kathleen O’Brien, 73, is the author of Reclaim Your Right To Grow Old. She has researched aging for over 13 years and teaches classes on her aging philosophy through the University of Denver’s continuing education program. She has also worked in advertising, television, video production and academia. Kathleen lives in Denver, Colorado, and writes regular blogs on her blueprint for aging at growoldbehappy.com. Follow Up Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Read Kathleen O’Brien’s book Reclaim Your Right to Grow Old Visit https://www.growoldbehappy.com - Kathleen O’Brien’s blog. Follow Kathleen O’Brien on Twitter @Kat_O_Brien and on Facebook and Instagram @GrowOldBeHappy. Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Read Andrew’s blog “How To Avoid the Silver Divorce” 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 a serial people-pleaser? Do you find all your self-worth at work? Or do you gravitate towards difficult partners, with problems you feel driven to fix for them? These are some of the signs and symptoms of codependency. Codependency has a big impact on how we feel about ourselves, and may mean we keep repeating destructive relationship patterns. In this episode, Andrew and psychotherapist Michelle Farris discuss the signs and symptoms of codependency, and Michelle identifies seven key signs you may be codependent. Michelle also shares her personal history of overcoming codependency. Michelle Farris is a licensed psychotherapist who specialises in “helping codependent people create healthy relationships without sacrificing their big heart”. Michelle is the author of several e-books and online courses, and has been featured in Psych Central, Bustle, Your Tango, The Good Men Project, The Daily Positive, and Boss-Moms to name a few. In her private practice, Counseling Recovery, Michelle believes that growth doesn’t have to take years and loves seeing her clients learn to trust themselves and create healthy relationships. 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 £4.50. Visit Michelle Farris’ website Get Michelle Farris’ free relationship checklist and video Get Michelle Farris’ Self-trust Solution Journal Follow Michelle Farris on Twitter @mshellMFT, on Facebook @CounselingRecovery, on Instagram @counseling_recovery and on YouTube as Michelle Farris, Relationship Therapist. Find information about Alcoholics Anonymous and Codependents Anonymous Listen to Andrew’s interview on Good Boundaries: The Foundation of Happy Relationships with Graham Johnston and Matt Wotton Read Andrew’s blog “How to Heal from Trauma: Six Key Ways to Deal With Trauma” Read Andrew’s book on making meaningful change in your life Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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

Have you found the freedom to explore the rich landscape of your erotic self? Or did your childhood leave you feeling restricted and repressed by a sex negative mindset? In this week’s episode Andrew talks to Silva Neves, a psychosexual psychotherapist, about: Why people DON’T fully explore their sexual selves Why labelling people “sex addicts” is unhelpful, and The liberating mindset of sex positivity. Silva Neves works with couples experiencing a wide range of sex and relationship issues, including sexual trauma, infidelity, and compulsive sexual behaviours. He regularly appears in the British media and was featured on the BBC Three’s television series, Sex On The Couch. Silva is a COSRT-accredited and UKCP-registered psychosexual and relationship psychotherapist, and a trauma psychotherapist. His private practice is based in Central London and online. 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 £4.50. Visit Silva Neves’ website Visit Silva Neves’ site on sex positivity Get advice from Silva Neves via his Psychology Today blog Read Silva Neves’ book Compulsive Sexual Behaviours, A Psycho-Sexual Treatment Guide for Clinicians Learn about the course Silva Neves teaches at CICS - an Online Diploma in in Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Follow Silva Neves on social media: Twitter @SilvaNeves3; and Instagram and Facebook @silvanevespsychotherapy Read The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perel Read The Men On My Couch: True Stories of Sex, Love and Psychotherapy by David Rensin and Brandy Engler Read Andrew’s book Have the Sex You Want: A Couple’s Guide to Getting Back the Spark Read Andrew’s blog How To Have the Sex You Want 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

Matthew Fray is the author of the viral article “My Wife Divorced Me Because I Left the Dishes By the Sink”. His divorce left him emotionally crushed: struggling not to cry all the time, and finding it hard even to breathe. In this episode Andrew and Matthew talk about the lessons of Matthew’s failed marriage, and about how Matthew is using his own experiences in his coaching work with men experiencing relationship difficulties. According to Matthew, “the things that destroy our relationships work like cancer…by the time we detect the problem, it’s already too late”. His work is based around helping men to see the problems earlier, and to build the emotional toolkit so many of them are missing. Matthew Fray works as a relationship coach and as a writer. He blogs at Must Be This Tall To Ride and has a book coming out in April 2022, called This Is How Your Marriage Ends. 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 £4.50. Pre-order Matthew Fray’s book This Is How Your Marriage Ends: A Hopeful Approach to Saving Relationships Read Matthew’s blog Must Be This Tall To Ride Read Matthew’s articles on The Good Men Project: Follow Matthew on Twitter @MBTTTR and on Facebook @matthewfrayMBTTTR Read Andrew’s blog “Three Secrets of a Happy Relationship” Read Andrew’s book Can We Start Again Please? Twenty Questions to Fall Back in Love Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on: Twitter https://twitter.com/andrewgmarshall Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AndrewGMarshallTherapy YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF5gT7ru5sblpFaU2-iWTTw

Your last encounter with a poem may well have taken place in a grim classroom, perhaps a painful dissection of WB Yeats or Matthew Arnold. Poetry can be something entirely different, however, and prize-winning poet John McCullough gives us poetry that is a source of joy, mindfulness and sheer fun. John McCullough “guides us through a world of déjà vu, doubt and rapture” (Helen Mort). His poetry gives us “fresh insight into vulnerability and suffering”, according to the judges of the Costa Poetry Award. His poems reference Kate Bush, Lady Gaga, birdlife, Grindr and My Little Pony, while exploring love, loneliness and issues like homelessness and homophobia. In this episode Andrew and John talk about the ways poetry can make your life richer, deeper and more meaningful. Poetry helps us live in the moment, it offers a rest from relentless rational thinking and it helps us to process our experiences and make sense of them. John McCullough's latest book of poems, Reckless Paper Birds, won the 2020 Hawthornden Prize for Literature and was shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Award. He has also won the Polari First Book Prize and his collections have been named Books of the Year in The Independent, The Guardian and The Observer. He is featured regularly in magazines such as Poetry London, Poetry Review and The New Statesman. Most recently, his poem 'Flower of Sulphur' was shortlisted for the 2021 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem. John lives in Hove with his partner and two cats, and teaches creative writing at the Open University and the University of Brighton. 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 £4.50. Read Reckless Paper Birds, John McCullough’s Hawthornden Prize winning collection. Find out about John McCullough’s other books. Follow John McCullough on Twitter @JohnMcCullough_ and Instagram @mrjohnmccullough Get Andrew’s advice on creating change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier. Listen to Andrew’s interview with author Josh Cohen on “How to Live: What You Can Learn From Your Favourite Literary Character”. 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

Many of us, particularly women, experience endless frustration because we don’t feel heard. At work and at home, it seems like we are constantly interrupted and rarely feel in control of a conversation. This week Viv Groskop, journalist, podcaster, stand-up comedian and author of How to Own The Room and Lift As You Climb, talks with Andrew about how to speak so that people will listen. Diving into the world of stand-up taught Viv about pacing, pausing and gauging people’s reactions; but most importantly, about quieting your own ego and tuning into your audience. Andrew and Viv discuss why exactly it is that many women struggle to be heard. At the practical level, it is crucial to enter the discussion assertively. We also need to make sure we are not self-sabotaging by pre-judging our own contribution as “not good enough”. Viv Groskop hosts the chart-topping podcast How to Own The Room. She has written five books and this year will be a judge for the International Booker Prize. She is a regular guest presenter on BBC Radio 4 and has appeared on Woman’s Hour, Today and Front Row. Viv is also a fluent Russian speaker and is a trustee of Pushkin House, the independent centre for Russian culture in London. 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 £4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall Listen to How to Own the Room, Viv Groskop’s podcast: https://vivgroskop.com/podcast/ Read How to Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking, Lift As You Climb: Women, Ambition and How to Change the Story, Au Revoir Tristesse: Lessons in Happiness from French Literature and Viv Groskop’s other books Visit Viv Groskop’s website: https://vivgroskop.com Follow Viv on Instagram and Twitter @VivGroskop Read Andrew’s blog How to Be a Better Listener https://andrewgmarshall.com/help-better-listener/ Get Andrew’s book on communicating better with your partner Help Your Partner Say Yes: Seven Steps to Achieving Better Co-operation and Communication: https://andrewgmarshall.com/book/help-your-partner-say-yes-seven-steps-to-achieving-better-co-operation-and-communication/ 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

We all know that good boundaries are pretty much essential if we want happy relationships. There is a lot of confusion, though, about what exactly a boundary is and how to make it work. Can we have too many boundaries? Should we ever compromise on the boundaries we set? This week Andrew talks about boundaries with Graham Johnston and Matt Wotton, psychotherapists and co-founders of the London Centre of Applied Psychology. Matt and Graham share their own experiences of creating good boundaries in both love and parenting, and what it means if we are struggling to get this right. Our ability to set boundaries is linked closely to our attachment style: those with an anxious attachment may allow their boundaries to crumble too easily; while those with an avoidant attachment can have so many rigid boundaries that they struggle to let anyone in. Andrew also shares a prayer for good boundaries, which he often uses with marital therapy clients: 'I am me and You are you. It's a miracle that we've found each other But I'm responsible for my stuff And you're responsible for yours' 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 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. 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. Read The Mindful Athlete by George Munford. Read the poem “On Marriage” by Kahlil Gibran. Read Andrew’s book on making meaningful change in your life, which also discusses attachment theory Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and be Stronger, Wiser and Happier. Read Andrew’s blog Three Secrets of a Happy Relationship: 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

Is your home environment helping you to live the life you want, or does it get in the way? Clutter - the piles of stuff we don’t need and don’t use - can be a major block to our desire for clarity and meaning. If we dig deep into the reasons we hold onto possessions, we can learn some uncomfortable lessons. Are we struggling to leave behind past relationships, past selves? Do we need more help to cope with grief and loss? Or are we endlessly waiting for a special occasion, so we can bring out the “good china”, rather than celebrating the beauty in the everyday? Tracy McCubbin’s story is full of warmth and inspiration: growing up with divorced parents, one of whom was a hoarder, she “turned her psychic wound into her business”. She built a hugely successful company to help her clients create home environments that support them in their lives. Tracy is also the Co-Executive Director of OneKid OneWorld, a non-profit helping schools stay open in Kenya and Central America. 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 £4.50. Buy Tracy McCubbin’s book Making Space, Clutter Free: The Last Book on Decluttering You’ll Ever Need. Visit Tracy McCubbin’s website: www.dclutterfly.com Follow Tracy on Instagram, Facebook @dClutterfly and as Tracy McCubbin on Youtube Take a look at the charity of which Tracy is Co-Executive Director, OneKid OneWorld. If you struggle to talk to your partner about issues like clutter, read Andrew’s blog Three Secrets of a Happy Relationship Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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

Have you ever experienced a strange, inexplicable coincidence that left you feeling “like a grand, mysterious character in a story?” One that seemed to suggest a particular relationship was “meant to be”, or, on the flipside, that it was time to let go? This week Andrew talks to Jungian analyst Robert Hopcke about synchronicity: the strange coincidences that make us feel like the universe is sending us a message, or trying to turn our lives around. These coincidences have the potential to help us find the meaning we’re seeking. Synchronistic events can offer a sense of underlying wholeness in our lives. They often happen in times of transition, and help us move to the place we need to be. They offer us the opportunity to recognise the symbolic quality of everyday life, and to be alive to the symbolism that everyday objects, events and people present. Robert Hopcke is a Jungian analyst, author and a licensed marital therapist in private practice in Berkeley, California. He is the author of two books on Jung’s concept of synchronicity - There Are No Accidents and There Are No Accidents in Love and Relationships - and a number of other books about Jung. 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 £4.50. Read Robert Hopcke’s book There Are No Accidents: Synchronicity and the Stories of Our Lives Read Robert Hopcke’s book There Are No Accidents in Love and Relationships: Meaningful Coincidences and the Stories of Our Families Take a look at Robert Hopcke’s website Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Read Andrew’s blog on journaling and find out how writing can help you bring more meaning into your life 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

For Andrew, it is the writings of Dr James Hollis, one of the world’s most eminent Jungian analysts, that have “sustained me through my dark times”. James Hollis' books also regularly help Andrew’s marital therapy clients to create change in their relationships and recover from infidelity. For the 50th episode of The Meaningful Life With Andrew G. Marshall, Andrew speaks to James Hollis about what it means to be resilient - how do we discover and develop the strength nature gives us to “walk through the forest” when we inevitably hit dark times? Bookshops and the internet are full of “five steps to happiness” style self-help manuals, telling us that if only we wake up earlier, change jobs, or eliminate caffeine, we will solve all our problems. In fact, life is fractious and difficult, and requires us to persist. The best way to do this is not an external solution, but to find and trust the strength within ourselves. James Hollis is a Washington D.C. based Jungian psychoanalyst and the author of seventeen books. He was Executive Director of the Jung Educational Center in Houston, Texas for many years and Executive Director of the Jung Society of Washington (JSW) until 2019. He also worked as a Senior Training Analyst for the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and as a Director of Training of the Philadelphia Jung Institute. 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 £4.50. Take a look at James Hollis’ website. Read Andrew’s review of James Hollis’ book Swamplands of the Soul: New Life in Dismal Places. Read Andrew’s review of James Hollis’ book Living an Examined Life: Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey. Read Andrew’s review of James Hollis’ book Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times. Read Under Saturn’s Shadow: the Wounding and Healing of Men by James Hollis. Listen to Lisa Marchiano of the This Jungian Life podcast speaking with Andrew about meaning and motherhood. Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier. 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

According to Dr Warren Farrell, the world is facing a “boy crisis”. Suicide, ADHD and weak educational outcomes are among the problems boys and their parents face. Many bright boys are experiencing a “purpose void,” feeling alienated, withdrawn, and addicted to immediate gratification. Andrew and Warren discuss why boys are struggling and what parents, teachers, and policymakers can do to help our sons become happier, healthier men and fathers and leaders worthy of our respect. Dr Farrell is an author and academic specialising in men’s issues. He has been chosen by The Financial Times of London as one of the world’s top 100 thought leaders, and by the Center for World Spirituality as one of the world’s spiritual leaders. He is also the only man ever elected three times to the Board of the National Organization for Women in New York City. Dr Farrell has been interviewed by Oprah, Barbara Walters and Larry King, and has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. This week’s episode takes a slightly different format: Andrew interviews Warren Farrell at the annual MANN SEIN conference in Berlin, an international gathering to talk about masculinity in today’s world. 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 £4.50. Find out more about the MANN SEIN annual conference in Berlin/online. Learn more about Warren Farrell on his website: https://warrenfarrell.com Read Warren Farrell’s book The Boy Crisis: https://warrenfarrell.com/product/the-boy-crisis/ You can follow Warren Farrell on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram @drwarrenfarrell Read Andrew’s book on how to be a great parent and have a happy marriage, Can We Start Again Please? Twenty Questions to Fall Back in Love: https://andrewgmarshall.com/book/can-we-start-again-please-twenty-questions-to-fall-back-in-love/ Watch Andrew’s video on the Ten Golden Rules of Happy Parenting: https://youtu.be/Ksk6PQSGhQs 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 jogging along, not really noticing how time is passing? Avoiding the big questions by spending hours on distractions that don’t really add much to your life? For most of us, if we knew death were around the corner, we would most likely use our time differently. Oliver Russell was one of the first people in the UK to be infected with COVID-19. All of his major organs shut down and a police officer was ready to visit family with the news of his death. Oliver was already struggling to deal with the long, empty-seeming days of the new retiree, the needs of his aging mother, and an over-reliance on alcohol. COVID tore this troubled existence apart. After a long, frightening journey to the edge of death, he was pushed to make major life changes. Oliver stopped using alcohol, transformed his social circles so that they were positive and rejuvenating, and found a new appreciation of the small pleasures of life. 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 £4.50. Read Andrew’s advice on dealing with painful feelings Read Andrew’s thoughts on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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

Have you been told “just be yourself”, only to feel confused about what exactly that means? This week Andrew discusses with Dr Linda Berman seven important starting points for finding your authentic self. Linda Berman is a writer, artist and retired psychotherapist. Before her retirement she worked privately, including in a psychiatric hospital, and for the NHS. Linda was also a counsellor and supervisor with Relate for many years. Linda has written a book, Beyond the Smile, exploring the importance of photographs in people’s lives and in psychotherapy. She has degrees in literature, psychotherapy, and fine art, and also a PhD, for which she researched the effects on survivors of telling the Holocaust story. Linda writes a weekly blog about mental health, psychotherapy, life and relationships. 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 £4.50. Read Linda Berman’s blog waysofthinking.co.uk - it covers mental health, psychotherapy, life and relationships. Take a look at Linda’s book Beyond the Smile: the Therapeutic Use of the Photograph Follow Linda on Twitter @LindaBerman4 Read Andrew’s advice on keeping a journal of your life and emotions at https://andrewgmarshall.com/top-twelve-benefits-of-journaling/ Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier: https://andrewgmarshall.com/book/wake-up-and-change-your-life-how-to-survive-a-crisis-and-be-stronger-wiser-and-happier/ 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

Half of all women have experienced pain during sex. Yet the subject remains taboo, and help and understanding from the medical profession can be very hard to find. In this week’s episode Fran Bushe, author of My Broken Vagina, shares her funny, moving quest to fix her sex life (and yours). During her journey toward understanding vaginismus, Fran was advised by doctors to have a glass of wine to loosen up, male friends suggested she just hadn’t tried the right penis yet, and she even visited a Sex Camp. Andrew and Fran discuss how understanding the vagina better can enhance sex lives for women and men. They also talk about how to overcome pain during sex, move past the idea of penetration as “real sex”, and find a deeper level of pleasure for both of you. 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 £4.50. Read Fran Bushe’s book My Broken Vagina: One Woman’s Quest to Fix her Sex Life, and Yours Get tickets for Fran’s one woman show Ad Libido at the Soho Theatre in August/September 2021. Follow Fran on Twitter and Instagram @franbushe Find out more about vaginismus from The Vaginismus Network Read Andrew’s blog Three Secrets of a Happy Relationship Read Andrew’s book Have the Sex You Want: a Couple’s Guide to Getting the Spark Back 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

Diet culture is everywhere: it’s impossible to avoid exposure to “clean eating”, fat phobia and the thin ideal. Yet as Kate Daigle tells Andrew this week, it’s not possible to live a meaningful life whilst being fully immersed in diet culture. These are limiting beliefs that shrink people’s worlds. In this episode Kate Daigle, a specialist in supporting people to recover from eating disorders, talks with Andrew about people’s increasingly unhealthy relationship with food. Kate also shares her personal journey of recovery from eating disorders, and explores what it means to have an eating disorder. An eating disorder can be a constant, “reliable” companion, offering relief and a high similar to other addictions. Eating disorders are also likely to point to an underlying attachment wound. Kate Daigle is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) and a Licensed Professional Counselor. She is also a speaker and published author supporting people in recovery from eating disorders and body image issues from a Health at Every Size (HAES) perspective. Kate is based in Denver, Colorado and has been in private practice since 2010. In addition to her professional work, Kate volunteers in her local community to raise awareness about the prevalence and treatment of eating disorders and works to reduce the shame and stigma that are often associated with these disorders. 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 £4.50 Read Kate Daigle’s book The Clinical Guide to Fertility, Motherhood and Eating Disorders: From Shame to Self Acceptance Visit Kate’s website and read her blog Follow Kate on Facebook @KateDaigleCounseling and Instagram @katedaiglecounseling Read Andrew’s blog “How to Heal from Trauma: Six Key Ways to Deal With Trauma” Read Andrew’s book on making meaningful change in your life Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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

We spend a lot of time feeling very serious about seeking meaning in our lives; but is it possible that the secret lies in making the search more fun? Can we say a creative, mutually affirming “yes” more often? And when do we need a self-protective “no”? This week Andrew and improv comedy star Pippa Evans have lots of fun together as they compare the strategies of improvisational comedy with those of therapy. Perhaps the most interesting lesson from improv: “be in the moment that is, not the one you thought would come along”. Pippa Evans is a comedian and writer known for her skills in improvisational comedy. She was a core member of the improv team behind the award-winning stage show Showstopper: The Improvised Musical which toured the UK and abroad, and has regularly appeared on BBC radio. Pippa likes to “use jokes to find connection”, and teaches courses on improvisation and the ways it can help improve our relationships with ourselves and with others. She has recently written a book called Improv Your Life: An Improviser’s Guide To Working With Whatever Life Throws At You. Among her many other accomplishments, Pippa is also the co-founder of the Sunday Assembly, a church for non-believers. 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 £4.50. Read Pippa Evans’ new book Improv Your Life: An Improviser’s Guide to Working With Whatever Life Throws At You Take a look at Pippa’s website Find out more about the Sunday Assembly, a church for non-believers co-founded by Pippa and fellow comedian Sanderson Jones. Follow Pippa on Twitter and Instagram @IAmPippaEvans Get Andrew’s book on rejuvenating your relationship when you feel you’ve lost the spark: Can We Start Again Please? Twenty Questions to Fall Back in Love Read Andrew’s advice on building a happy relationship with your partner: Three Secrets of a Happy Relationship https://andrewgmarshall.com/three-secrets-of-a-happy-relationship/ 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

Men with sex or pornography addictions and problematic sexual behaviours need support to find the root of their pain. Eddie Capparucci helps these men find and listen to their inner child, and to figure out why that child is creating pain and upheaval in their lives. Eddie is a therapist certified in the treatment of sexual and pornography addiction. He and his wife, Teri, have a private practice working with men struggling with sex/porn addiction, as well as with their wives who are dealing with betrayal. Among his many clients, Eddie has worked with professional athletes including NFL and MLB players and television personalities. This week Andrew, Eddie and Teri discuss finding and speaking to your inner child, and the power of this process to heal relationships and restore hope. 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 £4.50. Take a look at Eddie Capparucci’s Inner Child Recovery Process on his website. Find out about Eddie’s online community for those recovering from sex/porn addiction: www.GoingDeeper.co Follow Eddie on Twitter @ECapparucci Read Andrew’s books on infidelity recovery: Why Did I Ever Cheat? Help Your Partner (and Yourself) Recover From Your Affair How Can I Ever Trust You Again? Infidelity: From Discovery to Recovery in Seven Steps I Can’t Get Over My Partner’s Affair: 50 Questions About Recovering from Extreme Betrayal and the Long-Term Impact of Infidelity 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 hard truth is that if you don’t allow yourself to fail, you won’t live a full life. Giles Paley-Phillips sees failure as a fascinating moment of opportunity. Failure offers the chance to take stock, re-evaluate, dust yourself down and give things another try. Giles has a book and a podcast, both titled Blank, in which he asks highly successful people to share their experiences of going completely blank. According to Giles, it might be frightening, but “blank is a very creative place to start”. In this episode, Andrew and Giles explore what it means to allow yourself to fail in life and in your relationships, why failure must not be the end of your journey and how to go about picking yourself up when things go wrong. Giles Paley-Phillips is an author for children and adults, as well as a podcast host and producer. 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 £4.50. Listen to the Blank podcast with Giles Paley-Phillips and Jim Daly. Read Blank:Why it's fine to falter and fail, and how to pick yourself up again by Giles Paley-Phillips. Read Giles’ short verse novel One Hundred and Fifty-Two Days. Follow Giles on Twitter @eliistender10 Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier. Read Andrew’s blog on how to start keeping a journal, in which you can reflect on failure and growth. 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

Venus O’Hara plans to change the world, one orgasm at a time. She believes women are equally as sexual as men, and should have the time and space to embrace their multi-orgasmic potential. Venus is a British orgasm activist, author and feminist based in Barcelona. She has a hugely popular YouTube channel on which she discusses the female orgasm and leading a healthy and authentic orgasmic lifestyle. Venus and Andrew discuss many aspects of Venus’ journey, including her expertise in fetishism (which Venus sees as an intelligent, imaginative approach to sex, fascinating in its eroticisation of the non-sexual), and her career change from real estate sales to online businesswoman, writer and activist. 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 £4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall Watch videos on Venus O’Hara’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/venusohara/about Go to Venus O’Hara’s website and membership programme: https://venusohara.org Follow Venus on Twitter @venusohara1111 and Instagram @venusohara Take a look at the Pro 2 sex toy by Satisfyer: https://www.satisfyer.com/es/en/products/air-pulse-technology/air-pulse-stimulators/2/pro-2 Read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30186948-think-and-grow-rich Read Andrew’s book Have the Sex You Want: A Couple’s Guide to Getting Back the Spark: https://andrewgmarshall.com/book/have-the-sex-you-want-a-couples-guide-to-getting-back-the-spark/ Read Andrew’s blog How To Have the Sex You Want: https://andrewgmarshall.com/have-the-sex-you-want-frequently-asked-questions/ 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

Who is your favourite literary character? According to Dr Josh Cohen, an academic working in literary theory and also a psychoanalyst, this can be a very important question. Josh Cohen’s new book is How to Live. What To Do: In search of ourselves in life and literature. He believes that there are major similarities between psychoanalysis and great literature. For one thing, neither offers simple answers to complex questions. With books, you have the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of someone else, understand what makes them click and why they do what they do. With analysis, which is generally over several years, you do something similar with your unconscious, and come to understand yourself better. In this episode Josh and Andrew discuss the books that have stayed with them throughout their lives. They also touch on the essential quality of imagination in childhood, and why we all need to “be more Alice”. Josh Cohen is a professor of modern literary theory at Goldsmiths, University of London, and a psychoanalyst in private practice. He is the author of many books on aspects of modern life. 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 £4.50 Read Josh Cohen’s new book How to Live. What To Do: In search of ourselves in life and literature Read Josh Cohen’s book Not Working: Why We Have To Stop Read Andrew’s book reviews on Goodreads Get Andrew’s advice on creating change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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

“Think globally, act joyfully” is Isabel Losada’s motto. Her most recent book is The Joyful Environmentalist, which shows how one person can make a huge difference to the health of the planet. Few of us these days are strangers to climate anxiety, and Isabel’s approach is the ideal medicine: her aim is to show her reader every single way that we can take care of our natural environment: how we live and work, travel, shop, eat, drink, dress, vote, play, volunteer, bank - everything Isabel Losada is a British author, journalist and public speaker who combines humour with a serious look at her subject matter. She has worked as an actress, broadcaster and public speaker as well as a comedian and author. Isabel remains firmly committed to narrative non-fiction & swimming against the tide. 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 £4.50. Read The Joyful Environmentalist Take a look at Isabel Losada’s website Explore Isabel’s other narrative non-fiction Follow Isabel on Twitter Facebook and Pinterest @IsabelLosada and on Instagram @isabeljmlosada Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier: 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

“Midlife is when those dreams we had when we were young but put aside to earn a living or raise a family can finally be revisited; it’s never too late to be what you wanted to be”. This is the philosophy of Noon, a community for women in midlife created by Eleanor Mills. Eleanor experienced her own reckoning with midlife after leaving her job with the Sunday Times, confronting an empty nest and dealing with Covid. She embarked on a journey to explore new ways of living and find her “next act”. If you’re feeling lost or alone after decades of putting other people first, or are exhausted dealing with midlife stresses like divorce, bereavement, redundancy, difficult teens, elderly parents or health problems, then this is the episode for you. Eleanor and Andrew discuss shifting your perspective on midlife and seeing it as a space without a map. Unlike your twenties, thirties and even forties, there are few expectations around family and career, meaning you can chart your own way and be what you’ve always wanted to be. Eleanor Mills is a British journalist who has worked for titles including The Sunday Times and The Times. She was the editorial director of The Sunday Times and editor of its magazine until March 2020. Eleanor is also the founder of https://www.noon.org.uk and inherspace.co.uk 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 £4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall Visit the Noon website and community created by Eleanor Mills: https://www.noon.org.uk/about/ Follow Eleanor on Twitter @EleanorMills, on Instagram @eleanorkjmills and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-mills-88a8a827/ Find out more about Claire Du Bois and her Tree Sisters organisation: https://treesisters.org Take a look at Jarvis Smith’s business My Green Pod https://www.mygreenpod.com Read Raynor Winn’s book The Salt Path: https://bit.ly/3d7af1S Listen to Andrew’s interview with Kay Hutchison, author of My Life In 37 Therapies: https://bit.ly/3zUMLa3 Read Andrew’s advice on keeping a journal of your life and emotions at https://andrewgmarshall.com/top-twelve-benefits-of-journaling/ Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier: https://andrewgmarshall.com/book/wake-up-and-change-your-life-how-to-survive-a-crisis-and-be-stronger-wiser-and-happier/ 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

So many of us have experienced depression, and if not, we’re likely to have seen the people we love battle it. This week’s guest, Kate Lucey, specialises in writing about mental health. She talks candidly with Andrew about her own depression and the six-year journey she’s been on since her diagnosis: including physical symptoms and the effects on her personal relationships. Kate and Andrew also take a deep dive into what depression means - what might cause it, how therapy can help, and some exercises that have helped Kate to manage when feeling overwhelmed. Kate Lucey is an author, journalist and public speaker, who has been at the forefront of opening up the conversation about mental health. Kate also specialises in helping brands talk to millennials. Her most recent book is Get a Grip, Love: and Other Helpful Mental Health Advice “a candid book that uses a mix of colloquial chat, peer and personal experience, and expert advice to talk about tackling mental illness as part of the generation so often poked fun at for having feelings – and who often call themselves out for it, too”. 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 £4.50. Read Kate Lucey’s book Get A Grip Love Follow Kate on Twitter @KateLucey_ Read The Wisdom of Depression by Jonathan Zeuss Read Swamplands of the Soul by James Hollis Read Andrew’s blog “How to Heal from Trauma: Six Key Ways to Deal With Trauma” Read Andrew’s book on making meaningful change in your life Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and be Stronger, Wiser and Happier 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 the thought of cooking another family dinner is making you tired, this week’s episode might bring joy back to your kitchen. After all, at its best, cooking for friends and family is a powerful way to express love. Food can also help to create a sense of adventure and cultural curiosity in our children. In difficult times, eating together can be healing and rejuvenating. This week’s guest is Claire Thomson, a British chef and food writer who has written five cookbooks. Claire is known to many via her Instagram account @5oclockapron, which documents a family life centred on cooking together using a wonderful range of inspiring ingredients. 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 £4.50 Take a look at Claire Thomson’s website Get Claire’s book Home Cookery Year And follow Claire’s hugely popular Instagram account @5oclockapron Get Andrew’s advice on creating real change in your life and relationships in his book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and Be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Read Andrew’s book on building a stronger relationship as parents: I Love You But You Always Put Me Last: How to Child-Proof Your Marriage 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