Esther Perel

Yes.

I was violently ill.

Not that people want to think about that right now.

No, I need to say it violently because I remember thinking when I started to get sick, nothing can stop me from doing this interview, but something stopped me.

And I feel very happy I got another chance.

Joining us for a second time, world-famous psychotherapist best known for her extensive work on relationships, love, desire and intimacy, Esther is the best-selling author of Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs.

She has posted Where Should We Begin podcast for nearly 10 years, a podcast with millions and millions of listeners worldwide.

Esther serves as an organizational consultant for Fortune 500 companies and is fluent in nine languages.

Esther's TED Talk, Rethinking Infidelity, a talk for anyone who has ever loved, is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Last time we had Esther on the show, we talked about embracing the imperfections of your relationship, how your emotional state affects the people you love, and how the thing that initially attracts you to someone so often ends up being a reason for tension.

Esther grew up watching her parents, survivors, who deliberately and fiercely chose joy in the face of everything and somewhere in that learnt that love isn't just something that happens to us, it's something that we tend to.

You've carried that lesson into every room, every conversation and every life you've touched.

You didn't just study intimacy, you lived it, honoured it and gifted it back to the world.

We are so happy you're back with us again today.

So it is nearly 20 years since Mating in Captivity, a book around desire and intimacy.

So interested to learn or hear from you what has changed in the space of intimacy and desire and what has stayed the same over the last 20 years.

I'm sure it's something you've thought about a lot.

That's something I'm so fascinated to go and listen to.

But can you give us a brief sort of summary of that chat?

Um, we all thought we would sort of try and bring a question to you from our own lives or relationships.