Soulmates: Going Beyond The Love Story

— The best universal definition of a soulmate is feeling deeply connected to another person but not in a dependent or needy way. Your soulmate is your fellow traveler on the journey of life—you need one another to grow beyond the limitations of your individual selves. The guiding principle in a relationship between soulmates is that needs are equally met because a soulmate relationship should challenge you to move from selfishness to giving. The signs you've met your soulmate are kind of infinite and can overlap with the different kinds of soulmates you encounter in your lifetime. An important truth about relationships is that you have to create love and nurture soulmate connections. Love isn't delivered to us because we believe we deserve it. We must work at being loving and then we'll receive love in return.

Valeria Teles interviews Dr. Michael Tobin — the author of "Riding the Edge, A Love Song to Deborah." — The book chronicles a six-month transformative journey in 1980 when Deborah, an Arab American, and Michael, an American Jew, bicycled across Europe, Lebanon, and Israel where they confronted the challenges of love, war, and identity.

Dr. Michael Tobin has been a marital and family psychologist for 45 years. He's been with his life partner, soulmate, and wife, Deborah, for 47 years. They are the parents of four and the grandparents of 14. He is the founder of the award-winning website, www.wholefamily.com where you can find numerous articles about relationships. He is also the author of a book on marital affairs.

Dr. Michael has been an author and playwright since he was twelve when he wrote a monumental play about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising that had over 20,000 actors on stage at one time. For logistical reasons it was never produced. On his way to becoming a psychologist, he was a former US Army officer, glacier climber, marathon runner, and restauranteur. He also claims to be the first entrepreneur to introduce granola to Connecticut.

To learn more about Dr. Michael Tobin and his work, please visit: https://www.drmichaeltobin.com & https://www.wholefamily.com

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.