You Don't Own Your Partner @estherperel

Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

Tell me: What are your thoughts on this?

P.S. Did you see the announcement for the live webinar I'll be holding exclusively for Sessions Live attendees on Tuesday May 5th? This Zoom with me is included with your Sessions Live ticket.

We still have some seats remaining: https://sessionslive2026.estherperel.com?utm_medium=social

$Conversations From Sessions Live: Paul Browde I Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel On this weeks episode of Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel: Esther presents two conversations you have to hear from her clinical conference, Sessions Live. First up, listen in as psychiatrist and narrative therapist Paul Browde traces his journey from secrecy to aliveness. Growing up queer under apartheid and later diagnosed with HIV, Browde shares how stigma, silence, and shame shaped his early life and professional path. Through storytelling, erotic healing, and spiritual practice, he reclaims pleasure not as indulgence, but as a portal to connection, presence, and transformation. These panels were recorded at Esther Perel’s Annual Sessions Live event, entitled Mating in the Metacrisis: Connection, Polarization, and Eroticism in a World on Edge. For more information on the event and how you can watch it now, please go to www.estherperel.com About Where Should We Begin?: Every Monday morning, step into the office of iconic psychotherapist Esther Perel and listen in as real people in search of insight bare the raw, intimate, and profound details of their stories. From breakups and open relationships to workplace conflicts and fractures in the family, it’s a place to hear our own stories reflected in the lives of others.$ $Is It Possible to Stay Together If You Voted Differently? Where Should We Begin? With Esther Perel On this weeks episode of Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel: They met dancing, and it was love at first sight. But only after they began dating did they realize the vast differences between them: differences in their core values, religious beliefs, political affiliations, sexual identities, and immigration statuses. And yet, they love each other deeply and hope to start a family together. He comes to Esther wondering how to raise children with someone who holds such different values from him and his family. Her question is deeper: by loving him, is she betraying herself? Chapters 00:00 Can Two Worlds Really Share One Relationship? 00:28 What’s Actually at Stake Emotionally? 00:46 What Happens When Desire Begins on the Dance Floor? 02:29 Can Love Survive Political Fault Lines? 03:38 Are They Truly Compatible? 06:48 How Much of Childhood Do We Carry Into Love? 15:43 Is Faith a Bridge or a Barrier? 18:36 Why Did That Dance Matter So Much? 21:59 When Does Love Become a Moral Question? 25:26 Whose Values Shape a Child? 27:05 Can Difference Become a Strength? 33:01 What Are They Saying Without Words? 44:13 How Do You Ask for What Feels Risky? 50:06 When Does a Couple Become an Island? 51:47 What Future Are They Really Choosing? About Where Should We Begin?: Every Monday morning, step into the office of iconic psychotherapist Esther Perel and listen in as real people in search of insight bare the raw, intimate, and profound details of their stories. From breakups and open relationships to workplace conflicts and fractures in the family, it’s a place to hear our own stories reflected in the lives of others. About Esther Perel: Psychotherapist, relationship expert, and New York Times bestselling author Esther Perel is recognized as one of today’s most insightful and original voices on modern relationships. Fluent in nine languages, she helms a therapy practice in New York City and serves as an organizational consultant for Fortune 500 companies around the world. Her celebrated TED Talks have garnered more than 40 million views and her bestselling books, Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, are global phenomena translated into more than 30 languages. Esther is also the host of the hit podcast Where Should We Begin? which is available on Apple Podcasts. Learn more at EstherPerel.com (https://bit.ly/45LV1ed )or by following @EstherPerelOfficial on Instagram or Subscribe to my community on Substack for bonus content:https://bit.ly/3OjqBd4$ $Love in the Time of AI with Kashmir Hill | Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel A recent session was a threshold moment for Esther where she found herself doing couples therapy with a man and his AI companion. To explore the questions it raised, Esther sits down with New York Times technology reporter, Kashmir Hill, who has spent years reporting on the growing world of AI relationships. They explore the psychological pull of these systems, the design choices behind them, and the deeper human needs they tap into. When a chatbot can mirror your thoughts, validate your feelings, and never turn away, where does connection end and illusion begin? Please note, the Times sued OpenAI in 2023, accusing it of copyright infringement. The company has denied those claims. Chapters 00:00 What Happens When an AI Understands You Better Than People? 01:37 Is Falling for AI Just Roleplay or Something More Real? 02:31 When Does an AI Stop Being a Tool and Become a Companion? 03:24 Why Did Ayrin Fall in Love With Leo? 04:15 What Makes an AI Relationship Feel So Safe? 05:30 Are You Falling in Love With AI or With Yourself? 08:06 What Happens When Your AI Forgets You Overnight? 10:02 Why Would Someone Leave an AI for a Human Relationship? 11:08 What Can Human Love Offer That AI Can’t? 13:23 Why Did Antonio Choose His AI Companion Over People? 15:40 Should an AI Be Able to Reject You? 17:55 Who’s Really in the Relationship You or the Company Behind the Bot? 19:34 What Are You Giving Away When You Confide in AI? 20:43 Can AI Become Part of a Polyamorous Relationship? 22:00 Is Talking to an AI Companion a Form of Cheating? 23:20 Is AI Romance More Like Porn or Betrayal? 23:34 When Does an AI Relationship Become “Real” Love? 24:05 Is AI Changing the Meaning of Love and Ethics? 25:49 Can Love Exist Without Reciprocity? 27:25 Are AI Companions Designed to Keep Us Addicted? 29:27 Why Does Text-Based AI Feel So Intimate? 31:56 Do AI Companions Cure Loneliness or Deepen It? 34:31 How Do We Keep AI From Replacing Human Connection? 36:29 Are We Turning AI Into a Spiritual Oracle? 39:25 What Happens When We Hand Our Agency Over to AI? 42:44 Will AI Bring Us Closer Together or Further Apart? About Where Should We Begin?: Every Monday morning, step into the office of iconic psychotherapist Esther Perel and listen in as real people in search of insight bare the raw, intimate, and profound details of their stories. From breakups and open relationships to workplace conflicts and fractures in the family, it’s a place to hear our own stories reflected in the lives of others. About Esther Perel: Psychotherapist, relationship expert, and New York Times bestselling author Esther Perel is recognized as one of today’s most insightful and original voices on modern relationships. Fluent in nine languages, she helms a therapy practice in New York City and serves as an organizational consultant for Fortune 500 companies around the world. Her celebrated TED Talks have garnered more than 40 million views and her bestselling books, Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, are global phenomena translated into more than 30 languages. Esther is also the host of the hit podcast Where Should We Begin? which is available on Apple Podcasts. Learn more at EstherPerel.com or subscribe to her Substack Entre Nous for bonus content.$

Vogue Shared the 5 Most Googled Relationship Questions of 2025

Esther Perel Tells Us Why Were Drawn to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelces New Heights Interaction

Esther Perel Says Theres No Formula for Dating

Does Esther Perel Agree with Reese Witherspoon on the Role of RomComs?

Fathers Day - Regardless of Your Relationship With Your Father

$1 Relationship 2 Truths My Polyamorous Partner Betrayed Me: Where Should We Begin? With Esther Perel On this weeks episode of Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel: She’s reeling from a relationship that brought both deep love and deep betrayal. After discovering that her boyfriend had been lying about the terms of their polyamorous arrangement, she’s left struggling to reconcile the intimacy they shared with the deception that shattered it. Esther helps her understand how to integrate these two truths and the transformative power of honoring both love and pain in the journey toward healing. Chapters 00:00 What happens when two truths collide? 00:34 How do love and loss blur together? 01:09 The Polyamorous Journey: Can openness protect a heart or break it? 01:38 The Betrayal Unfolds. 02:49 How do you hold on when nothing feels certain? 03:50 Seeking Context and Understanding 07:00 The Infidelity Revealed 07:58 How do you face the person who broke your trust? 11:44 What helps when everything hurts? 18:38 How do you move through messy emotions? 23:07 The Coexistence of Love and Lies 24:56 What do you do when every feeling is real at once? 29:28 The Revelation and Its Aftermath 31:59 Reflecting on the Relationship 42:17 What can the body express that words can’t? 44:43 What meaning do you find in the end? About Where Should We Begin?: Every Monday morning, step into the office of iconic psychotherapist Esther Perel and listen in as real people in search of insight bare the raw, intimate, and profound details of their stories. From breakups and open relationships to workplace conflicts and fractures in the family, it’s a place to hear our own stories reflected in the lives of others. About Esther Perel: Psychotherapist, relationship expert, and New York Times bestselling author Esther Perel is recognized as one of today’s most insightful and original voices on modern relationships. Fluent in nine languages, she helms a therapy practice in New York City and serves as an organizational consultant for Fortune 500 companies around the world. Her celebrated TED Talks have garnered more than 40 million views and her bestselling books, Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, are global phenomena translated into more than 30 languages. Esther is also the host of the hit podcast Where Should We Begin? which is available on Apple Podcasts. Learn more at EstherPerel.com(https://bit.ly/3NWZ4OA) or by following @EstherPerelOfficial on Instagram. For more exclusive bonus content, join Entre Nous with Esther Perel on Substack (https://bit.ly/46eA0Ja).$