Reimagining Love with Dr. Alexandra Solomon

Dr. Alexandra is in-studio with her husband, Todd, for this special two-part conversation about loving across potentially dealbreaking differences. Inspired by the Netflix show, Nobody Wants This, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, Dr. Alexandra and Todd reflect on navigating a faith difference, with Dr. Alexandra ultimately converting to Judaism in preparation for their marriage. They discuss the larger question: how can a couple go about navigating ANY potentially dealbreaking difference? In this second part of their studio conversation, Dr. Alexandra and Todd talk about scorekeeping, with gender roles, attachment styles and general disposition/worldview in mind, best practices for the “winner” and “loser” in a change/sacrifice scenario, how to approach making sacrifices to stave off resentment…and then the REAL juicy stuff: does Todd hate that Dr. Alexandra is now a Swiftie like him? Plus, hear her hot take on shelving conversations for later.Resources worth mentioning from the episode:Reimagining Love Episode, Nobody Wants This: How to Love Across Potentially Dealbreaking Differences (Part 1) with My Husband, Todd https://dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/nobody-wants-this-how-to-love-across-potentially-dealbreaking-differences-with-my-husband-todd/Watch the FULL IN-STUDIO CONVERSATION on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4R40kazeU4Q?t=9Reimagining Love Episode, Love Stories: Toddcast https://dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/love-stories-toddcast/Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass:  http://masterclass.com/backtoschoolContinue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274Order 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=9781683736530Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ 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.

Dr. Alexandra is in-studio with her husband, Todd, for this special two-part conversation about loving across potentially dealbreaking differences. Inspired by the Netflix show, Nobody Wants This, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, Dr. Alexandra and Todd reflect on navigating a faith difference, with Dr. Alexandra ultimately converting to Judaism in preparation for their marriage. They discuss the larger question: how can a couple go about navigating ANY potentially dealbreaking difference? You’ll hear their reflections on Dr. Alexandra’s decision to convert to Judaism, as they discuss the implications of being the 'sacrificing partner' versus the one being 'sacrificed for’. You will also hear how attachment differences and family of origin dynamics impacted their relationship and what they’ve learned from it all over the years. You’ll come away from this episode with:A deeper understanding of how interfaith dynamics can enrich or challenge relationships.Insights into the importance of communication in overcoming differences.Practical advice on navigating family of origin roles and attachment styles to enhance relationship intimacy.Resources worth mentioning from the episode:Reimagining Love Episode, Love Stories: Toddcast https://dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/love-stories-toddcast/Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass:  http://masterclass.com/backtoschoolContinue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274Order 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=9781683736530Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ 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.

Dr. Alexandra’s conversation with Dr. Kristin Neff is all about self-compassion, an essential tool for your emotional well-being toolkit (and that’s scientifically proven!). Dr. Kristen Neff, a trailblazer in the field of self-compassion research, introduces the three foundational pillars of self-compassion, illustrating how integrating all three of these elements empowers individuals to confront their inner critic and cultivate healthier connections.   The discussion delves into the biological and family of origin influences that shape our self-criticism, while also addressing the grief that may surface when embarking on a self-compassion journey.  You will also learn about Fierce Self-Compassion, and how we can lean into this action-oriented facet to be ambitious and to fulfill our life’s purpose.You’ll come away from this episode with:A deeper understanding of the three pillars of self-compassion and their impact on relationships. Insights into how practising self-compassion can cultivate self-love, foster connection, enhance intimacy, and reduce anxiety, shame, and isolationA new perspective on some common myths of self-compassion, such as:Are self-compassion and self-esteem the same thing? Is “self-compassion” just “self-pity” rebranded? Does practising self-compassion encourage people to not take personal accountability?Does embracing self-compassion mean we can’t be ambitious or want to come in first place?Strategies for integrating self-compassion into your routine, with a simple starting point that Dr. Kristin Neff herself practices dailyResources worth mentioning from the episode:Learn more about Dr. Kristin Neff and Self-Compassion: https://self-compassion.org/Join the Self-Compassion Community: https://self-compassion.org/self-compassion-community/Fierce Self-Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff: https://bookshop.org/p/books/fierce-self-compassion-how-to-harness-kindness-to-speak-up-claim-your-power-and-thrive-dr-kristin-neff/76d3f59a98e08da8?ean=9780062991065&next=tSelf-Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff: https://bookshop.org/p/books/self-compassion-the-proven-power-of-being-kind-to-yourself-dr-kristin-neff/a22f80fa1a9efa3b?ean=9780061733529&next=tManaging Back to School Stress on MasterClass:  http://masterclass.com/backtoschoolContinue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274Order 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=9781683736530Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ 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.

“The cost of that is courage, to live for love, in truth. It takes a lot of guts and the rewards are indescribable.”Dr. Alexandra sits down with bestselling author and coach Dr. Martha Beck to explore what it means to live “for love, in truth”, a mantra that can redefine the way we experience love and relationships. In a world filled with societal pressures and expectations, Martha shares her wisdom on how embracing authenticity can unlock profound joy and lead to fulfilling connections. Martha reflects on her unconventional journey through relationships, and the life-changing lessons learned from a spiritual experience she had while under anesthesia and from being shunned by her community in her young adulthood. Together, Dr. Alexandra and Dr. Martha Beck tackle a listener's poignant question about experiencing doubt in her relationship that’s full of “emotional complexities and longing”, leading her to question if her needs are being met.In this episode, you’ll learn:What Martha Beck means by her mantra, “For love, in truth,” and how to recognize when you’re living out of alignment with your truth.How to hold love and truth through moments of doubt and loss, and how to embrace doubt and loss as necessary aspects of growth.How to come back to peace when life feels overwhelming.How to balance compassion for your partner with holding your own truth, telling your own story, and tending to your personal needs. Resources worth mentioning from the episode:Learn more about Martha Beck: https://marthabeck.com/Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity and Finding Your Life’s Purpose by Martha Beck: https://bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-anxiety-curiosity-creativity-and-finding-your-life-s-purpose-martha-beck/6741d02da06f0869Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan’s Wilder Community: https://wildercommunity.com/Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass:  http://masterclass.com/backtoschoolContinue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274Order 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=9781683736530Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ 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.

In this two-part series, Dr. Alexandra will be taking you through how to take care of yourself and your relationship when your partner is struggling. Perhaps your partner is struggling with a job loss, a health diagnosis, a mental health challenge, the loss of a loved one, family drama, co-parenting with an ex, or something else entirely. Whatever it is, the theme is that there is some scenario that is taking up more of your partner’s bandwidth than usual, leaving less bandwidth for you and your relationship.In this second part, Dr. Alexandra is going to take you through five internal strategies to cope with the situation at hand – strategies designed to help you tend to and take care of yourself. Then she will take you through nine relational strategies that will help you and your partner maintain or restore your relationship even as your partner struggles. You’ll come away with this conversation with:A toolkit of five internal strategies to support your own emotional health while caring for your partner.Nine actionable relational strategies to enhance communication and understanding in your relationship.Insights on the significance of self-care for the non-struggling partner and how it contributes to relationship health.Food-for-thought on resentment, grieving, high-functioning co-dependency, celebrating small victories, and rebuilding after a dark period (and so much more!)Resources worth mentioning from the episode:Terri Cole’s Too Much: https://bookshop.org/p/books/too-much-a-guide-to-breaking-the-cycle-of-high-functioning-codependency-terri-cole-msw-lcsw/077213db5957f23e?ean=9781649631862&next=t&Reimagining Love episode, High-Functioning Codependency: From Managing to Loving with Terri Cole https://dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/high-functioning-codependency-from-managing-to-loving-with-terri-cole/Reimagining Love episode, Why Self-Compassion is an Essential Practice with Dr. Kristin Neff https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/why-self-compassion-is-an-essential-practice-with/id1588419386?i=1000733838918Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass:  http://masterclass.com/backtoschoolContinue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274Order 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=9781683736530Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ 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.

Explore the challenges of loving someone in distress, from job loss to grief. Dr. Alexandra delves into how such struggles impact relationship dynamics, framing the scenario with vital insights. Understanding the Recursive Relational Framework reveals how one partner's issues resonate throughout the relationship. The episode highlights the emotional labor of the non-affected partner and the significance of mutual support. Validating that it's okay for love to be hard, listeners gain coping strategies to enhance intimacy even in tough times.

What if the key to deeper intimacy lies in understanding the echoes of our past? Dr. Alexandra Solomon sits with Christine Hassler, a Master coach, podcast host, and author, to discuss how our family of origin roles shape our present connections, emphasizing the importance of inner child work and relational self-awareness. Christine shares her journey through the unhealthy patterns that surfaced in her own relationship with her partner, Stef, offering a raw look at the necessity of self-reflection in cultivating healthier dynamics.You'll come away from this episode with:A deeper understanding of how family of origin influences shape your current relationships.Practical strategies for engaging in inner child work to enhance self-awareness and relational dynamics.Insights into the importance of self-advocacy (especially as women!) and authentic communication in intimate partnerships.Perspective on how our professional roles and work offer yet another arena for us to notice and tend to old pain and create new ways of relating to ourselves and the world around us.Resources worth mentioning from the episode:Podcast - Life Coaching with Christine Hassler: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-coaching-with-christine-hassler/id1050321415Christine Hassler's The Women's Retreat in San Diego, Oct 17-19, 2025: https://christinehassler.com/womensretreat/“Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass:  http://masterclass.com/backtoschoolCouple Therapy Certification Course from PESI: http://pesi.com/dralexandraContinue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274Order 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=9781683736530Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ 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.

Noelle McWard Aquino, therapist and anxiety expert who wrote Anxiety Unpacked, maps three root causes of anxiety and how to spot them. Short conversations explore anxiety’s function, avoidance versus change, and how catastrophizing, control, or core shame show up. Practical strategies for relationships and partners are highlighted, with a hopeful, action-oriented tone.

Join Dr. Tasha Eurich, an organizational psychologist and best-selling author, as she unpacks the limitations of resilience in our chaotic world. She reveals the concept of a 'resilience ceiling' and discusses why even high achievers can struggle when their coping strategies fail. Learn practical tools to boost self-awareness, such as the 2-2-2 technique for managing overwhelm and how to balance life beyond just work. Dr. Eurich emphasizes the importance of acknowledging struggles as part of growth, offering insights into essential emotional needs for better relationships.

There are a few things we likely can all agree on: (1) we are living in a very polarizing time, (2) it’s hurting us, and (3) the way that we talk about politics is broken, given that we are all living in different information orbits. In this episode, Dr. Alexandra sits down with Mónica Guzmán who offers us some hope for the relationships in our lives that have suffered as a result of this polarization. She also offers us the perspective we need to help us stay grounded, even as the structures all around us fiercely demand our attention and invite our reactivity. The goal is not necessarily to seek to change each other’s view on the issues but to change our view on each other. And to see that “engagement is not endorsement”, as we work to enter into curious dialogue with the people in our lives and to perhaps notice the ways that we are not as divided as we believe we are.You’ll come away with:Strategies on how to approach the conversations with the people in your life that have historically gone sideways due to ideological misalignmentsInsights on maintaining curiosity and connection in the face of divisionTips for navigating the online dating landscape without compromising your values or limiting yourselfResources worth mentioning from the episode:Mónica Guzmán’s Reclaim Curiosity Newsletter: https://www.moniguzman.com/subscribeI Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Mónica Guzmán: https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-never-thought-of-it-that-way-monica-guzman/22293096?ean=9781637740323&next=t&next=t&affiliate=4380Managing Back to School Stress on MasterClass:  http://masterclass.com/backtoschoolCouple Therapy Certification Course from PESI: http://pesi.com/dralexandraContinue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274Order 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=9781683736530Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s newsletter: https://dralexandrasolomon.com/subscribe/Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ 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.