(BEST OF) Esther Perel: Protecting Your Relationships During Chaos

We Can Do Hard Things

The stress, fear, and uncertainty of the world right now are seeping into our closest relationships. When collective pain goes unprocessed, it often shows up as distance, resentment, or disconnection with the people we love most — at a time when we need closeness more than ever.


In this conversation, Esther Perel helps us understand how stress and trauma drain our relationships of aliveness and desire, why resentment grows when life becomes all duty and efficiency, and how to stay connected and loving in hard times.


- Why your relationship isn’t broken — it’s exhausted- How resentment grows when efficiency replaces intimacy- Why desire disappears under responsibility

- Why your partner can’t be your whole village- What “behind every criticism is a longing” really means


About Esther:

Psychotherapist 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 30 million views and her bestselling books, Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, are global phenomena translated into nearly 30 languages. Esther is also an executive producer and host of the popular podcasts Where Should We Begin? and How’s Work? 


Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: 
Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

More description

The stress, fear, and uncertainty of the world right now are seeping into our closest relationships. When collective pain goes unprocessed, it often shows up as distance, resentment, or disconnection with the people we love most — at a time when we need closeness more than ever.


In this conversation, Esther Perel helps us understand how stress and trauma drain our relationships of aliveness and desire, why resentment grows when life becomes all duty and efficiency, and how to stay connected and loving in hard times.


- Why your relationship isn’t broken — it’s exhausted- How resentment grows when efficiency replaces intimacy- Why desire disappears under responsibility

- Why your partner can’t be your whole village- What “behind every criticism is a longing” really means


About Esther:

Psychotherapist 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 30 million views and her bestselling books, Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, are global phenomena translated into nearly 30 languages. Esther is also an executive producer and host of the popular podcasts Where Should We Begin? and How’s Work? 


Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: 
Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

2026-05-26 61 min
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