Trapped In Their Own Story

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

Esther Perel Global Media

Society & Culture, Education, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Self-improvement

4.7 • 16.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This is a classic session of Where Should We Begin? Their whole relationship is based on one big misunderstanding, with infidelity on both sides. Years later, they still can't see the other's perspective. Esther is returning to SXSW on March 14th for a special live episode of Where Should We Begin. Visit http://voxmedia.com/sxsw to learn more and preregister. Producer’s Note: When our anonymous guests do a session with Esther for the podcast, it is an act of generosity for everyone who listens. These sessions are meant not only to support the people in the room with Esther, but all of us who learn from their stories. Our stories have many chapters, and what you hear is just one moment in someone’s journey. So even though the sessions are anonymous, please remember that real people are behind them and they may be reading your comments. Also, please join me on Entre Nous, my new home on Substack for anyone who wants to live, love, and work with more connection and imagination. I invite you to sign up and become a free or paid member at estherperel.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What you are about to hear is a classic session of where should we begin with Esther Perel.
0:05.7	None of the voices in the series are ongoing patients of Esther Perel's.
0:10.1	And each episode is a one-time counseling session.
0:13.3	For the purposes of maintaining confidentiality, names and some identifiable characteristics
0:18.8	have been removed.
0:20.3	But their voices and their stories are real.
0:28.8	I got in the water in the very early morning before the sun had risen, and the water was pitch black.
0:36.1	I started swimming, and I felt the water hollowing out around me
0:41.0	and felt like something really big was swimming below.
0:45.6	I'm Phoebe Judge, and this is Love.
0:49.0	A show about the surprising things that love can make us do.
0:53.5	More than 100 episodes available now on This Is Love.
1:03.0	I just remember her saying, like, well, if you knew the truth, you wouldn't be able to hand it.
1:07.0	They've been together for almost two decades.
1:11.6	We met each other when we were in eighth grade and we got together our senior year.
1:19.6	Pretty much been together ever since.
1:23.6	They've been disconnected from each other for a long time.
1:31.1	It's always kind of been rocky. It's always kind of had its ups and downs.
1:34.1	And I feel like I was one of his priorities.
1:40.7	They each have acutely aware of how they wanted something more from the other.
1:46.2	More attention. More desire, more affirmation.
1:50.4	And after years of complaining about the lack of affirmation,
	...

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