This episode is an invitation to think outside of normative relationships and even potentially lead you to question what we've been taught about love, commitment, connection, and relationships

Polyamory and kink are often misunderstood or even stigmatized, but here’s the truth: the more we understand the spectrum of human desire, the more permission we give ourselves to date — and love — more authentically.

EPISODE TIMELINE

• 00:45 - Intro & expanding relationship perspectives
• 03:30 - Eric's background as a relationship therapist
• 05:20 - Demystifying kink and non-monogamy
• 08:45 - Defining consensual non-monogamy
• 11:30 - Understanding kink beyond stigma
• 14:15 - Developing self-agency in relationships
• 18:40 - Primary vs reactive emotions
• 24:30 - Communication pitfalls and solutions
• 29:15 - Navigating jealousy and insecurity
• 36:20 - Steps for exploring non-monogamy
• 42:00 - When partners disagree about non-monogamy
• 47:30 - Exploring kink safely
• 54:00 - Final advice: Interrogate your desires

IN THIS EPISODE WE EXPLORE

• How to develop self-agency in relationships - the key to all relationship success
• The crucial difference between primary and reactive emotions that transforms communication
• Why "interrogating yourself" is essential before exploring non-monogamy or kink
• How jealousy can become a pathway to growth rather than relationship destruction
• Essential resources for safe exploration of alternative relationship dynamics

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson
• Polysecure by Jessica Fern

• The Ethical Slut by Janet Hardy
• Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
• Bad Sex by Nona Willis Aronowitz

"It's through this self-interrogation that we learn about ourselves and then we can communicate that to others and then we suddenly are living a more satisfying life. I love this topic, again, not because I feel like the way of the future is kink or the way of the future is non-monogamy or polyamory, but because it is crucial in all of our lives, I believe, that we look into things that society might have said, no, don't look in this box or don't look in this box."

- Eric Fawcett

CONNECT WITH ERIC

Eric Fawcett is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist specializing in helping intimate partnerships effectively navigate concerns ranging from communication, to sexuality, to trust ruptures, and beyond. Before pursuing his MFT degree, Fawcett spent three decades as a recording artist, as a creative entrepreneur, and as a published writer and speaker addressing the relational joys and challenges of the collaborative process.

Fawcett has long believed that the training that relational therapists receive prepares them to work with people-systems far beyond couples and families. In his private practice — Attune Relational Wellness — Eric also works with organizations seeking to increase trust and cohesion among its members. Eric is an enthusiastically affirmative LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC ally and advocate, and welcomes clients regardless of faith tradition or socio-political viewpoint.

More about Eric at his private practice website: www.attunerelational.com

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