I'll Still Be Your Financial Partner, But I'm Done Being Your Wife

After a nearly forty-year relationship, they've decided to split. But given the many laws in America that favor married couples, they've decided to try an unconventional arrangement: living 300 miles apart but remaining legally married. They come to Esther wondering how, after decades of emotional enmeshment, they can disentangle their romantic connection while continuing to function like business partners. Esther helps them move into their next phase of life by coaching them past long-held relational patterns so that they can instead offer each other gratitude, regret, and distance. Producer’s Note: When our anonymous guests do a session with Esther for the podcast, it is an act of generosity for everyone who listens. These sessions are meant not only to support the people in the room with Esther, but all of us who learn from their stories. Our stories have many chapters, and what you hear is just one moment in someone’s journey. So even though the sessions are anonymous, please remember that real people are behind them and they may be reading your comments. Relationships are undergoing a massive cultural shift. We've never been more connected, and we've never felt more disconnected. We crave understanding and collective experience. We want to be seen but we're optimizing for isolation. Esther believes that the only way to improve our relationships is to remember the basics of being together. This is why she's inviting you to join her for an immersive experience: her international tour, Strangers, Friends, and Lovers. Tickets are selling fast. Get yours now at estherperel.com/tour. Also, please join me on Entre Nous, my new home on Substack for anyone who wants to live, love, and work with more connection and imagination. I invite you to sign up and become a free or paid member at estherperel.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices