Reimagining Love with Dr. Alexandra Solomon

Latest Episodes:

Love and Loss: Expanding Compassion as You Grieve with J.S. Park Aug 27, 2024

Show notes

Loss and grief are universal and profoundly human. The death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, a trauma that drastically shifts the trajectory of a life—each spurs a unique grieving process that can be difficult to navigate for both the people grieving and their support systems. As a chaplain at a Level One Trauma Center in Florida, J.S. Park provides emotional and spiritual care for and comfort to those experiencing grief. His support of patients at the end of their lives, and of the loved ones who remain, adds tremendous impact and compassion to his most recent book, As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve.

In this episode, J.S. shares with Dr. Alexandra what his education and experience have taught him about the “right” things to say and the ways to support grieving loved ones. He offers deeply considered insights into our misguided fear of bringing up the deceased, the impact of loss on the past and the future, and how to care for both a loved one and oneself during the grieving process.

Relevant Links:

Order J.S.’s book, As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve - https://bookshop.org/p/books/as-long-as-you-need-permission-to-grieve-j-s-park/57fcd4c8cd69b6da?ean=9781400336845&next=t&
Connect J.S. on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jspark3000
Order Dr. Alexandra's latest 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/2e7045884bea4a5f?ean=9781683736530&next=t&
Subscribe to Dr. Alexandra’s Newsletter - https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/sign-up
Submit a Listener Question - https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274

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/

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Safe Conversations: The Healing Power of Listening with Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt and Dr. Harville Hendrix Aug 20, 2024

Show notes

What happens when we listen and are listened to more fully, forging a deeper connection? Decades of research tell us that the brain undergoes physiological changes when we begin to “talk without criticizing, listen without judgment, and connect beyond difference.” This is the definition of dialogue coined by today’s guests, Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt and Dr. Harville Hendrix.

Doctors Hunt and Hendrix are internationally recognized couples therapists, educators, speakers, and a married couple themselves. Through decades of research, they developed the Imago Relationship Therapy method, which is taught to therapists around the globe. In this episode, they speak with Dr. Alexandra about moving from monologue (turning the conversation to focus on oneself) to dialogue (keeping the conversation focused on the speaker), and how listening and ensuring true understanding of a speaker’s meaning has enormous benefits to our relationships and our brains.

Relevant Links:

Harville and Helen’s new book, How To Talk to Anyone About Anything - https://harvilleandhelen.com/books/how-to-talk-with-anyone-about-anything/
Learn more about Imago Relationship Therapy - https://harvilleandhelen.com/initiatives/what-is-imago/
Explore Safe Conversations, A Methodology for Connecting - https://safeconversations.com/
Order Dr. Alexandra's latest 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/2e7045884bea4a5f?ean=9781683736530&next=t
Subscribe to Dr. Alexandra’s Newsletter - https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/sign-up
Submit a Listener Question - https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274

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Ten Essential Skills for Navigating Conflict (Part Two) (Re-release) Aug 13, 2024

Show notes

In this two-part series, Dr. Alexandra shares ten essential skills for couples struggling with routine conflict in their relationship. Offering strategies from her couples therapy practice, Dr. Alexandra provides new language and ways of thinking about arguments that promote empathy and care, shifting couples into a "we" perspective so that they can move through hard times as a team.

Relevant links:

Listen to Part One of the Conflict series: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-essential-skills-for-navigating-conflict-part-one/id1588419386?i=1000555568444

Access the Conflict Skills worksheet: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/worksheets

Couples therapy directories:

Gottman Referral Network: https://gottmanreferralnetwork.com/
Therapist.com: https://therapist.com/
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

Domestic Violence Resources: https://ncadv.org/resources

Order 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/2e7045884bea4a5f?ean=9781683736530&next=t

Subscribe to Dr. Alexandra’s Newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/sign-up

Submit a Listener Question: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274

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Ten Essential Skills for Navigating Conflict (Part One) (Re-release) Aug 06, 2024

Show notes

Relevant links:

Access the Conflict Skills worksheet: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/worksheets

Couples therapy directories:

Gottman Referral Network - https://gottmanreferralnetwork.com/
Therapist.com - https://therapist.com/
Psychology Today - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

Domestic Violence Resources - https://ncadv.org/resources

Subscribe to Dr. Alexandra’s Newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/sign-up

Submit a Listener Question: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274

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The Parent-Child Bond: Removing Blame & Accessing Joy with Dafna Lender Jul 30, 2024

Show notes

Family therapy expert Dafna Lender and Dr. Alexandra explore the complexities of the parent-child relationship. With 25 years of experience, Dafna has a deep understanding of how a child’s difficult behaviors and a parent’s reactivity can clash and land a family into a therapist’s office. Dafna explains how to disrupt this cycle by removing blame, exploring the parent’s attachment history, and bringing a sense of joy and playfulness back into the relationship.

Relevant links:

Integrative Attachment Family Therapy: A Clinical Guide to Heal and Strengthen the Parent-Child Relationship by Dafna Lender: https://bookshop.org/p/books/integrative-attachment-family-therapy-a-clinical-guide-to-heal-and-strengthen-the-parent-child-relationship-through-play-co-regulation-and-meaning-m/a8ea123505c9fa8e?ean=9781683736844&next=t&
Engage further with Dafna’s work online: https://www.dafnalender.com/
Order Dr. Alexandra's latest 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/2e7045884bea4a5f?ean=9781683736530&next=t
Subscribe to Dr. Alexandra’s Newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/sign-up
Submit a Listener Question: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274

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Midlife Transitions: How to Lean in Rather than Resist the ‘Messy Middle’ with Chip Conley Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

When it comes to life stages, “midlife” often gets the short end of the stick. We speak about adolescence and retirement as vistas rich with opportunity and possibility while we joke about midlife and its related crises. However, when we adopt an affectionate perspective, opportunity and joy prove to be just as possible in this “messy middle” stage.

Many transitions take place over the decades following age 50. These milestones are no less impactful than those we celebrate, such as graduation and marriage, and yet most of us lack rituals to mark these evolutions and help us build communities of support in this time of great potential.

Chip Conley was a disruptive force in the hospitality industry for decades. In 2018, he combined his experiences mentoring at Airbnb with his own midlife transition to launch the Modern Elder Academy (MEA). Today, the world's first “midlife wisdom school” offers luxurious, personal growth retreats in Baja California and New Mexico. Chip is also the author of seven books, including his most recent, Learning to Love Midlife.

Whether you are approaching midlife, are in the midst of it, or if midlife is in your rearview mirror, Chip’s affectionate and curious approach to this often overlooked and undervalued stage will illuminate new outlooks and possibilities for how we lean into life’s transitions.

Relevant Links:

Read Chip’s latest book Learning to Love Midlife: https://chipconley.com/my-books/
Learn more about Chip and get his free Anatomy of a Transition resource on his website: https://chipconley.com/
Learn about the Modern Elder Academy: https://www.meawisdom.com/
Order 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/2e7045884bea4a5f?ean=9781683736530&next=t
Subscribe to Dr. Alexandra’s Newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/sign-up
Submit a Listener Question: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274

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Ditch the “Shoulds”: How Feminism Improves Your Love Life with Kara Loewentheil Jul 16, 2024

Show notes

Research shows that gender socialization plays out most rigidly in our intimate relationships. How do we learn to separate our thoughts and actions from our socialization? In this episode, podcaster, author, and feminist coach Kara Loewentheil joins Dr. Alexandra for an expansive conversation that confronts the ways in which patriarchy influences our thoughts, beliefs, and actions.

Relevant links:

Take Back Your Brain: How a Sexist Society Gets in Your Head--And How to Get It Out a New York Times Bestseller by Kara Loewentheil:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/take-back-your-brain-how-a-sexist-society-gets-in-your-head-and-how-to-get-it-out-kara-loewentheil/e41c0c123c578524?ean=9780593493953&next=t&

Listen to the Unf*ck Your Brain Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unf-ck-your-brain-feminist-self-help-for-everyone/id1229434818

Order 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/2e7045884bea4a5f?ean=9781683736530&next=t

Subscribe to Dr. Alexandra’s Newsletter:

https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/sign-up

Submit a Listener Question:

https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274

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Relational Ambivalence: Should I Stay or Should I Go? (Part Two) (Re-release) Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

In the second part of the "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" series, Dr. Alexandra continues the conversation about Relational Ambivalence and offers listeners eight things they can do to help them move from stuckness to clarity.

Relevant links:

Listen to Part One of this series:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relational-ambivalence-should-i-stay-or-should-i-go/id1588419386?i=1000660888558

Get the Relational Ambivalence worksheet:

https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/worksheets

"Should I Stay or Should I Go?" article by Dr. Alexandra:

https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/blog/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go-relational-uncertainty

E-course for therapists & coaches: “Loving Bravely: Helping Clients who are Single, Dating, and Single Again”:

https://catalog.psychotherapynetworker.org/sales/pn_c_afc001347_15_lovingbravely_email-105645

Mark Groves Ted Talk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/mark_groves_you_were_born_to_love_you_evolved_to_fit_in

Book: Deliberate Practice in Emotion-Focused Therapy (Essentials of Deliberate Practice) by Dr. Rhonda N. Goldman:

https://www.amazon.com/Deliberate-Practice-Emotion-Focused-Therapy-Essentials/dp/1433832852/ref=sr_1_1?crid=L7QAJ78C3X9T&keywords=rhonda+goldman&qid=1659051680&sprefix=rhonda+goldman%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1

Order 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/2e7045884bea4a5f?ean=9781683736530&next=t&

Subscribe to Dr. Alexandra’s Newsletter:

https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/sign-up

Submit a Listener Question:

https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274

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Relational Ambivalence: Should I Stay or Should I Go? (Part One) (Re-release) Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

On today's episode, Dr. Alexandra explores the complicated question that many of us have faced at some point in our lives: Should I stay in this relationship, or should I leave? If you're unsure of what the wisest path forward is, and you're hoping to proceed with compassion for your partner and yourself, this episode is for you.

Relevant links:

Get the Relational Ambivalence worksheet:

https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/worksheets

"Should I Stay or Should I Go?" Relationship Uncertainty - Accompanying Article by Dr. Alexandra:

https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/blog/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go-relational-uncertainty

Order Dr. Alexandra's newest 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/2e7045884bea4a5f?ean=9781683736530&next=t&

Subscribe to Dr. Alexandra’s Newsletter:

https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/sign-up

Submit a Listener Question:

https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mental Health and Relationships in Post-Roe America with Shefali Luthra and Dr. Pooja Lakshmin Jun 25, 2024

Show notes

June 24th marks the two-year anniversary of The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Because Reimagining Love is a show devoted to relationships and helping people cultivate relationships founded in empowerment and care, Dr. Alexandra wanted to shine a light on the pervasive and pernicious impacts of the Supreme Court’s decision on individuals, couples, and families in the United States. In fact, abortion has become virtually unavailable or significantly restricted in 21 states leaving pregnant people and their loved ones across the country facing the fears and roadblocks in their attempts to access reproductive healthcare.

In this episode Dr. Alexandra facilitates a roundtable discussion with two strong voices in the field who help us better understand the mental health and the relational health effects of living in Post-Roe America– and how restriction of access to abortion exacerbates economic and racial inequality.

Shefali Luthra is a health policy journalist who recently released her first book, Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America, and Dr. Pooja Lakshmin is a perinatal psychiatrist and the author of Real Self Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness.

Shefali and Dr. Pooja’s powerful insights will resonate with listeners who have experienced these impacts firsthand as well as those watching the landscape unfold from afar.

Relevant Links:

Read Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/undue-burden-life-and-death-decisions-in-post-roe-america-shefali-luthra/73f42ae31030c1a4?ean=9780385550086&next=t&

Read Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included) by Dr. Pooja Lakshmin:

https://www.amazon.com/Real-Self-Care-Transformative-Redefining-Wellness/dp/0593489721/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1666384701&sr=8-1

The UCSF Turnaway Study:

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2022/06/423161/ucsf-turnaway-study-shows-impact-abortion-access

Two years after Roe’s overturn, there are more abortions in America — but they’re harder to get by Shefali Luthra on the 19th :

https://19thnews.org/2024/06/two-years-roe-overturn-abortions/

Connect with Shefali on X:

https://x.com/shefalil?lang=en

Learn more about Dr. Pooja’s work: