<p>Esther Perel is on a mission to make us feel less alone. The world renowned psychotherapist says we've lost touch with the village but she's here to help us reconnect. </p><p>Esther chats to Yumi Stynes about how to foster a community and stop putting pressure on romantic partners to fulfil our needs. She shares her own story of seeing her parents build a village as refugees, and how she learnt to lean on her chosen people when her family needed it most.     </p><p>If you’re feeling isolated or just want to bolster your community, this episode offers practical way to find and maintain your village.   </p><p>This episode will answer questions like: </p><ul><li>What is a village?</li><li>How can I build a village?</li><li>How does having a strong community impact romantic relationships?</li><li>How did Esther Perel build a strong community?</li><li>What's at stake when we don't have a village?</li><li>How can we all combat loneliness?</li><li>How do we ask for help?</li></ul><p>What to listen to next: </p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ladies-we-need-to-talk/deepa-paul-ladies-we-need-to-talk/105817082" target="_blank">Deepa Paul on opening her marriage</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ladies-we-need-to-talk/emotional-labour-rose-hackman-/105495734" target="_blank">Emotional labour with Rose Hackman</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ladies-we-need-to-talk/ladies-we-need-to-talk-relationship-resus-marriage-couples/105409880" target="_blank">Relationship resuscitation — coming back from the brink</a></p><p>You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.  </p><p>What to read next:  </p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-22/esther-perel-on-building-a-village/106144018">Building a village means showing up even when it feels hard, says Esther Perel</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-09/why-kate-chose-to-stay-flat-after-breast-cancer-surgery/106087348" target="_blank">Why Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgery</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-16/how-turia-pitts-body-image-changed-after-birth/105463742" target="_blank">How Turia Pitt's body image changed in motherhood</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-28/loving-someone-with-an-addiction-or-dependence/105921866" target="_blank">What loving someone with an addiction or dependence can look like</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-04/the-price-of-perfectionism-for-women/105585186" target="_blank">The dark side of being a perfectionist</a></p><p>This episode contains references to Esther Perel, village, community, friends, romantic relationship, marriage, resentment, therapy, couples therapy, Mating in Captivity, Where Should We Begin, personality styles, extroversion, introversion, love language.</p>