Elephant Talk Podcast

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.