I'm Rachel Martin. You probably know how interview podcasts with famous people usually go.

There's a host, a guest, and a light Q&A, but on Wild Card we have ripped up the typical script.

It's a new podcast from NPR where I invite actors, artists, and comedians to play a game using a special

deck of cards to talk about some of life's biggest questions.

Listen to Wild Card wherever you get your podcast, only from NPR.

Kristen Navaar has been married for 16 years, a pretty long time. But in some ways, her marriage feels

brand new. Honestly, I don't know that my husband's ever actually known me because

I've never actually showed up authentically in our relationship, right? It's always been, how can I be a good wife?

And how can I minimize conflict and make sure that he has what he needs.

And so now that I'm sort of exploring these things and bringing myself out

and having conversations that I would probably wouldn't have been having before,

it's been really remarkable in terms of how much

more connected we feel to each other.

It can be scary to admit that your usual way of doing things no longer works for you,

but sometimes being honest about it, saying the uncomfortable thing makes life better,

for you and your relationship.

And Krista should know, she's a sex therapist, so she's an expert at talking about intimate,

uncomfortable things.

It validates that idea that we can't actually connect with

other people unless we are being vulnerable with other people.

In the course of doing this work professionally in talking to people about their lives, their partnerships, and the identities they hold in those partnerships,

Krista discovered that her most important client, it was herself.

...