Reimagining Love with Dr. Alexandra Solomon

With 215 episodes of Reimagining Love under her belt, Dr. Alexandra is announcing a pause of the podcast. In this episode, she shares why she made this decision, what’s happening in this transition (which is NOT an ending!), and the invaluable lessons she’s learned from you, the listener, along the way. Thank you so much for listening to the show! Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon: Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274 Access Resources, like quizzes and courses: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/resources Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530 Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s Loving Bravely newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/ Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ Resources worth mentioning from the episode: Reimagining Love episode: Step Into Your Purpose: Using Righteous Anger for Good in a Broken World with Shannon Watts https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/step-into-your-purpose-using-righteous-anger-for-good/id1588419386?i=1000713205840 Join Esther Perel's annual clinical conference Sessions Live 2026! Learn in person in Brooklyn, New York or virtually on May 15th and 16th. Use code SOLOMON50 for $50 off a virtual ticket or SOLOMON100 for $100 off in-person. Get your tickets at https://sessionslive2026.estherperel.com/Learn more about the Options Transition to Independence Program which offers education, vocational, independent living, and emotional support for young adults with complex learning needs. https://www.experienceoptions.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This solo episode is going to explore a fear that many of us carry inside our intimate relationships but rarely say out loud: the fear of settling. What is it? Where does it come from? And most importantly, what does it cost us? Dr. Alexandra will offer you a reframe that is both clarifying and hopeful. We are going to reimagine what acceptance actually means – not as a passive giving-up, but as one of the most powerful and underrated tools available to us in love.  In this episode, you will hear about: The cost of comparison and how to shift from external comparison to internal reflection. How the word “settling” is working against you. What Acceptance is and is not, and how to determine whether you are acting in the spirit of acceptance or resignation. How to tend to the grief that is often built into Acceptance. Grab a pen and paper! Dr. Alexandra has included a writing exercise in this episode, designed to guide you towards acceptance - both of yourself and your partner. Resources worth mentioning from the episode: Reimagining Love episodes: Relational Ambivalence: Should I Stay or Should I Go? Part 1 https://dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/relational-ambivalence-should-i-stay-or-should-i-go-part-1-rerelease/ Relational Ambivalence: Should I Stay or Should I Go? Part 2 https://dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/relational-ambivalence-should-i-stay-or-should-i-go-part-2-rerelease/ Inviting a Reluctant Partner into Relationship Work https://dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/inviting-a-reluctant-partner-into-relationship-work-re-release/ “I Think I’ve Outgrown My Relationship!” https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/i-think-ive-outgrown-my-relationship Is There an “Effort Mismatch” in Your Relationship? https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/is-there-an-effort-mismatch-in-your-relationship Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon: Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274 Access Resources, like quizzes and courses: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/resources Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530 Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s Loving Bravely newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/ Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ Join Esther Perel's annual clinical conference Sessions Live 2026! Learn in person in Brooklyn, New York or virtually on May 15th and 16th. Use code SOLOMON50 for $50 off a virtual ticket or SOLOMON100 for $100 off in-person. Get your tickets at https://sessionslive2026.estherperel.com/Learn more about the Options Transition to Independence Program which offers education, vocational, independent living, and emotional support for young adults with complex learning needs. https://www.experienceoptions.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

They unpack the overfunctioning/underfunctioning dance in long-term relationships and where it shows up, from chores to emotional labor. Cultural forces and gendered expectations that shape these roles get examined. Practical shifts, relational agreements, and ways to reframe the pattern are discussed to help couples rebalance. Resources and tools to try are mentioned.

Mark Groves and Kylie McBeath join Reimagining Love to share the story of their relationship—the story that inspired their book, Liberated Love: Release Codependent Patterns and Create the Love You Desire. In this conversation, they get vulnerable about how they moved from breaking up to fostering breakthroughs; a journey they nurtured through what they call 'a sacred pause.' In the sacred pause, they identified the patterns that blocked their ability to find authentic love so that they could build a new relationship rooted in safety and interdependence. Resources worth mentioning from the episode: Liberated Love: Release Codependent Patterns and Create the Love You Desire by Mark Groves and Kylie McBeath: https://bookshop.org/p/books/liberated-love-release-codependent-patterns-and-create-the-love-you-desire-kylie-mcbeath/40bfe21a1c3c84ad?ean=9781250908957&next=t& After purchasing Liberated Love, access the PDF Workbook and free Meditation: https://markgroves.com/book Reimagining Love episode, "My Partner Wants to Take a Break. What's Next?" https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-partner-wants-to-take-a-break-whats-next/id1588419386?i=1000756951793 Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon: Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274 Access Resources, like quizzes and courses: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/resources Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530 Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s Loving Bravely newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/ Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ Join Esther Perel's annual clinical conference Sessions Live 2026! Learn in person in Brooklyn, New York or virtually on May 15th and 16th. Use code SOLOMON50 for $50 off a virtual ticket or SOLOMON100 for $100 off in-person. Get your tickets at https://sessionslive2026.estherperel.com/Learn more about the Options Transition to Independence Program which offers education, vocational, independent living, and emotional support for young adults with complex learning needs. https://www.experienceoptions.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A deep dive into what makes relationship breaks so painful and why culture offers few roadmaps. Research on ambiguous separations and the risks of breakup-reunion cycles gets highlighted. Practical seven-step best practices are outlined for structuring a purposeful separation, including time limits, clear agreements, therapy, and self-reflection.

Dr. Alexandra Solomon, clinical psychologist and author focused on relationships and intimacy. She explains how one partner getting sober reshapes a relationship. She urges slowing down, using relational self-awareness, and practical steps to rebuild sober sexual connection. She also suggests love practices like nightly appreciations and when to try couple therapy.

Alicia Muñoz, certified couples therapist and author of Stop Overthinking Your Relationship, shares tools for slowing rumination and repairing connection. She describes types of overthinking, the SLOW practice to notice and welcome feelings, and how rumination shapes the relational field. Short, practical conversations about presence, accountability, and choosing growth over blame.

A solo deep dive into rebounds and the cultural myths that shame quick dating. She outlines why time alone is not enough and reframes readiness as time plus intentional processing. Hear four post-breakup paths, surprising research on rebound benefits with caveats, and a 9-task framework to date with relational self-awareness while holding grief and openness.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, licensed psychologist and founder of Therapy for Black Girls, talks about making mental health accessible for Black women. They discuss finding a good therapist, why culturally relevant spaces matter, and healing after breakups. They also address managing FOMO as a single parent and lessons from pandemic-era clinical work.

Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, clinical psychologist and author who studies couples and in‑law dynamics, joins to unpack the wife‑husband‑mother‑in‑law triangle. Short takes on why conflicts flare, the Six mother‑in‑law types and Three daughter‑in‑law styles, the VAULT method for values‑based boundaries, and clear steps partners can take to protect their relationship amid family pressures.