Today’s episode is about absolute dedication, and it’s very romantic.

If you’ve listened to the show before, you know that I often begin interviews by asking how my guests met, but that I like to get past all that so we can explore the challenges that couples face. My view is that we have plenty of happily ever after romance stories in our culture, and we really don’t need any more of those.

But then I interviewed Amy and Matt. Now I’m not saying this is a happily ever after story. These two have their challenges just like anyone, and in fact, the second hour of this interview was all about those challenges. But the story of how these two met and fell in love is just so touching that I couldn’t resist posting an episode about their early romance.

If you want to hear about challenges, I’m posting the second half of the interview for patreon subscribers of $2 or more, and you can find that at Patreon.com/together.

I’m also excited to say that we’re posting part two of our interview with Dr. Helen Fisher later this week. In part one of that interview we talked about the biological underpinnings of our experience of love, and in part two, we get into Dr. Fisher’s advice for singles.

That episode and this one were both made possible by Match.com. Super big thanks to match for their sponsorship. If you would like to take advantage of the exclusive offer their providing our listeners -  7-days free to use their site, just go to match.com/together.

Today’s episode is a bonus that I’m very excited to release! I’ve wanted to interview Dr. Helen Fisher ever since I saw her extraordinary Ted talk about The Brain In Love. She is so insightful and dynamic in all of these talks that I knew she would make a great guest.

And I gotta tell you, this is the benefit of having a sponsor like Match.com - It turns out Dr. Fisher is their chief scientific advisor, and they were able set up an introduction for me.

We had a blast doing this interview, and I think you’re going to enjoy it. We’re releasing it in two parts. In the first half, we learn about Dr. Fisher as a person, and her views on the broader sociological and biological motivations driving our behavior around dating and love. We discuss monogamy vs. polyamory, jealousy, divorce, and the roots of this feeling we call love.

In the second half of the interview which I’ll release as a bonus episode next week, we get down to the finer details for each of us as individuals, including Dr. Fishers advice to singles in search of a partner. You’ll definitely want to check that out..

You might want to check out Dr. Fisher’s book that she mentions in the interview: Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray (Completely Revised and Updated with a New Introduction).

If you’d like to take advantage of the special offer that Match is making to listeners of our podcast: 7 days free to search anyone on Match, just go to match.com/together and register for your account there.

Today’s episode is about god being at the center of a marriage. This is an idea that I’ve wanted to explore for quite some time. We’ve touched on it in previous episodes, but this is the most in depth conversation I’ve had with a Christian couple. What I love about this conversation is that David and Heather are not academics or preachers. This is an idea that’s at the center of their lives, but that they don’t spend a lot of time articulating it in their day-to-day. So the conversation very much comes from the heart, and I think that makes it very genuine.

If you would like to check out David’s podcast, you can find it at: http://davidpmariano.com/podcasts/

If you’d like to take advantage of the special offer that Match is making to listeners of our podcast: 7 days free to search anyone on Match, just go to match.com/together and register for your account there.

Today’s episode is a focus on the early phases of a relationship. I’ve always thought that a willingness to work on the inevitable challenges in a relationship is the greatest possible expression of romance.  Our guests today Lucy and Phillipe are recently engaged, and it’s their joyful newness coupled with that willingness to do the work that made this episode seem like a good fit for Valentine’s week.

Lucy also happens to be a close friend of our podcast. She has written a couple of articles for magazines:

http://together.guide/im-unicorn-couples-search/

http://together.guide/doctors-orders-no-sex-now/

And I am very excited to announce that she is also releasing her new web series: Unicornland on Vimeo tomorrow. Unicornland is an 8-episode webseries about a woman exploring her sexuality post-divorce by dating couples. You can find that at unicornlandseries.com

Thanks to our sponsors today, Match.com. You can take advantage of their special offer of seven days free by going to match.com/together.

Today’s episode marks the first time we’ve had a couple back for a second appearance on the show. Chris and Esther first appeared in episodes 29 and 30, which were titled: Polyamory and Divorce, A Story About Love, and Non-Monogamy is Hard Because Relationships Are Hard. In those episodes they explained the nature of their non-monogamous relationship, and shared the main challenge they were facing at the time which had to do essentially with maintaining relationship agreements.

If you’ve listened to the show at all, you know that my view is that conflict in a relationship is inevitable, and that it’s an opportunity to create depth. These two exemplify that messy reality perfectly. There’s no tidy solution to this interview, and this relationship is very much in process. But these two love each other, and They’re very much together.

In other news, I’m excited to announce that thanks to our sponsors this month, Match.com, we’re launching a feature on the Sports Byline Radio Network. It’s a series of shorts features about relationship fundamentals. Let me know if you happen to hear it. I’d love to know what you think.

If you would like to take advantage of the special offer of 7 days free that Match is offering our listeners, just go to: www.match.com/together

Also, please consider supporting our crowdfunding campaign at patreon.com/together - we’re on a mission to crush shame, and every penny helps. Thank you!