Elephant Talk

Andy speaks with Bing Liu, director of the 2018, Oscar nominated documentary Minding the Gap.    They discuss how boys become men and the masculine script in America through the lens of Bing’s childhood growing up in suburban Illinois, without a loving father figure.   

Wrapping up season 2, Andy shares his thoughts on Elephant Talk.

Winding down season two, we bring you another follow up to an earlier ET conversation. Jo and Jacob appeared in episode 10, and were disappointed with how we set up their conversation. It didn’t reflect their experience. We invited them back to learn where we went wrong. We’re thankful they reached out! 

From Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the ET summer road trip, come two elderly couples who share their secret sauce to partnership. And because of listener interest, we follow up with Stacie from episode 13, about her decision not to have children in her relationship with Kenyon. Enjoy!

Ever wondered what the world of coupledom looks like from a bartender’s perspective? Elephant Talk spoke with three bartenders last year to learn what role the bartender plays in couples’ lives.

Andy turns the lens on himself. In the spirit of Elephant Talk’s mission to be open, honest, and real about our relationships, we bring you a conversation with Andy and his ex-wife, Carol. They talk about their marriage and what went wrong.

Our conversations today span the arc of relationship--from moving in together for the first time, to reconnecting and finding love again after decades. Alex and Zack discuss their decision to live together after two years of long-distance relating.    Michael and Robin from episode eight, come back to share their marriage counseling philosophy. They talk about gratitude, relationship performance art, and getting couples off the fence of ambivalence.

Witnessing change is our subject today. We hear all the time, we’re not supposed to “fix” our partner, but how do we move away from that to something else? Our couples today, Hilary and Pierre and Alexander and Janice, have been married a long time. They both have practices that keep them curious about their partner and help them evolve together rather than apart.

We all have trauma of one sort or another. How does our trauma impact our relationships? Keith and Annie have been together for a number of years. Their partnership has some risk taking and adventure. And, like so many of us, childhood trauma is in there also...and it offers them an opportunity to look at how they relate to one another.

Larry and Macy found each other later in life and delighted in their shared eccentricities--chihuahuas, jello, and colorful clothes. Then, Larry was diagnosed with colon cancer. Their path through his illness is nothing less than truly inspiring and shows us the power of words.   BDSM...Master/Slave...are you feeling uncomfortable or perhaps excited? Meet Orpheus and Indigo. Married more than two decades, their relationship is an example of how great communication equals amazing intimacy.  

Sara Connell is a domme, a sex educator and a polyamorous transgender woman. She hosts the Queer Sex Ed podcast. Our producer, Kim Poletti, talked with her about her experience coming out as bisexual and then as a trans person. Jonathan and Daniel opened up about their experiences coming out as gay in small-town Texas. They’ve been dating two years and describe the support each gives the other as they evolve individually.

Elephant Talk met these two couples on the road last summer in Texas. Bob and Peggy have been married 40 years and keep their relationship light-hearted by using humor and not taking things personally. They’ve enjoyed an adventurous life together from dinner at the White House to living abroad for a decade.    James and Jacy met as teenagers and married seven years later. As newlyweds in their early twenties, they represent a smaller number of couples in the US choosing to marry early. More couples are waiting until later in their twenties to tie the knot. James and Jacy share their story of dating, breaking up, and coming back together.

This episode is about things that can divide us...step children, politics, race. And, it’s about how these two couples choose their common love over the areas of tension, every single day. Katie and Talyn are a biracial couple and Talyn is a step-parent to Katie’s children.    Richard and Parie are step-parents to each others children. They also have very different political beliefs. Both couples demonstrate moving beyond their differences in support of the greater love they share.

Marypat and Kurt have been married 21 years. In addition to their deep love for one another, they also have significant areas of disagreement including finances and how to raise their kids. This episode explores their love story and challenges. We follow their conversation with a counseling session between Dr. Susan Heitler and Marypat and Kurt. We hear how language can be a powerful tool for re-writing our story and bringing collaboration back to the relationship.

Despite a diagnosis of brain cancer, Kevin was an optimist and continued to "make it a great day" every day until the end. This is a story of finding love and letting it go. A story of how we learn to let love in. A story of Emily and Kevin and life after his passing.

Sometimes one plus one equals four. Two different couples show how their gifts to the world are multiplied as a couple. Sienna and Aldo run a small artisanal chocolate company and became first-time parents shortly after we spoke. Raj and Gaby used their relationship as a tool for self-growth. Now, they counsel other couples on how to be proactive about relationship health.

Human beings are wired for connection. Disabled people have the same desire for connection as non-disabled people. Dr. Danielle Sheypuk is a disability-rights advocate and psychologist who specializes in dating, relationships, and sexuality among disabled people. She crusades to normalize disability within the dating world, and shatter the stereotypes and prejudices about disabled people. The possibility for steadfast love and a hot sex life is there for everyone.

Amy Baglan is on a mission to evolve the online dating world. Using her startup experience and her passion for yoga and the mindful life, she founded YogaDates in 2012, which grew into the online dating site MeetMindful. MeetMindful is a place where individuals can connect with people interested in health and wellness, mindfulness, personal growth, or spirituality. Our host, Andy Horning, sat down with Amy to learn more about the seeds of MeetMindful and how it has impacted her own dating life.