Every Monday morning step into the office of iconic psychotherapist Esther Perel on "Where Should We Begin" and listen in as real people in search of insight bare the raw, intimate, and profound details of their stories. From breakups and open relationships to workplace conflicts and fractures in the family, it’s a place to hear our own stories reflected in the lives of others. So…where should we begin? For an ad-free version of our podcast, plus bonus episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and more, visit our Office Hours section.

PodSkip has analyzed 9 episodes of Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel, averaging 9.0 ads per episode (16% of runtime).

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Can I Still Be a Good Man if I Leave?
Oct 19, 2026
After decades together, he wonders whether he can stay in a marriage where intimacy and connection has all but disappeared. He's touch-starved and lonely and questioning whether preserving the family…
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I Want You To Want Me
Oct 12, 2026
Couples often struggle with gaps in their sex drives, but what does a couple do when one person has no desire for sex whatsoever? A married couple comes to Esther with this question: one of them has…
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I Don't Mean to Be Mean, But...
Oct 05, 2026
This is a classic session of Where Should We Begin? She has no boundaries, he’s walled off. And their opposing communication styles cause immediate tension in this explosive session. So much so, that…
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My Ex, His AI Girlfriend, And Our Kids
Sep 28, 2026
After the end of a fifteen-year marriage, she is trying to make sense of something she never imagined would become part of her family's story: her ex-husband's love affair with an AI companion. As…
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Good Relationships Need Better Fights
Sep 21, 2026
Conflict is not toxic or immoral. In fact, it's generative and the lifeblood of our relationships. It isn't something to avoid. It matters, and it can even bring us closer together. Priya Parker…
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How Many Times Can You Betray Me?
Sep 14, 2026
A married couple arrives at Esther’s office hoping to recover from a devastating rupture with his mother after the birth of their first child. But immediately their session reveals a longer, more…
12 ads · 8 min · 0% ads
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On Again/Off Again
Aug 31, 2026
This is a classic session of Where Should We Begin? They've been on and off for almost 20 years. While she takes care of his and their child, she wants to know that he's also there for her. He's…
11 ads · 8 min · 0% ads
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Will I Always Be Alone?
Aug 24, 2026
He comes to Esther not with a singular question but with an overflow of words and unspoken truths. Betrayed by a once-supportive church and struggling to reconcile his desires with his emotions, he…
10 ads · 10 min · 0% ads
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Can I Be Loved?
Aug 17, 2026
A young woman writes to Esther asking why she is interested in someone emotionally unavailable. Despite efforts to break this pattern, she realizes that some of her behaviors are rooted in a deep…
9 ads · 9 min · 0% ads
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Am I Being Gaslit?
Aug 10, 2026
In this classic Esther Calling, Esther talks to a woman looking for clarity on whether she's being overly sensitive to her partner's critiques or if he is, in fact, gaslighting her. She has struggled…
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I Love My Partner, So Why Can’t I Let Go of My Ex?
Aug 03, 2026
What is the distinction between a love story and a life story? And what happens when they no longer move in the same direction? After returning to the Philippines to reconnect with a former partner…
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Burdens of the Family
Jul 27, 2026
This is a classic session of Where Should We Begin? They share a legacy of war, a refugee upbringing and family trauma. Their marriage was seen as taboo and now they're trying to build a happier…
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Is Using ChatGPT Hurting My Relationship?
Jul 20, 2026
She comes to Esther with a question that feels distinctly of this moment: when does a tool become a transgression? After leaving a long, stable marriage, she finds herself in a new relationship…
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You Slept With My Best Friend
Jul 13, 2026
The two couples had been inseparable—neighbors, chosen family, godparents to each other's children. She reaches out to Esther in despair after discovering that her husband had a ten-year-old affair…
9 ads · 9 min · 0% ads
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My Hero Complex
Jun 29, 2026
When his ex calls in the middle of a crisis, he finds himself pulled back into a familiar role: the rescuer. He's always been the one women confide in, the one who steps up, the one who proves he's a…
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20 Years Later, Esther Revisits Mating in Captivity
Jun 22, 2026
This week, Esther invites you into a conversation about desire, disruption, and what it means to stay alive to one another in a rapidly changing world. Recorded live at Sessions Live, Esther is…
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In This Relationship What Is "I" and What is "We"?
Jun 15, 2026
This is a classic session of Where Should We Begin? They grew up with traumatic backgrounds, met in college, immigrated to the US together. They've built stability and security, and now one of them…
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Are You Abandoning Me or Am I Suffocating You?
Jun 08, 2026
Twin brothers come to Esther with a shared question: how do they break free from the conflict that has shaped their relationship for years? One feels smothered, the other abandoned, and together they…
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Love in the Time of AI with Kashmir Hill
Jun 01, 2026
A recent session was a threshold moment for Esther where she found herself doing couples therapy with a man and his AI companion. To explore the questions it raised, Esther sits down with New York…
9 ads · 6 min · 0% ads
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To Make Room for My Brother I Learned to Disappear
May 18, 2026
With her wedding just weeks away, a young woman calls Esther with a question she’s been carrying for most of her life: how do you allow yourself joy when you’ve learned to make yourself small?…
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I Gave Him an Ultimatum. Now What?
May 11, 2026
A person gives their partner an ultimatum, and they fail to meet it. What happens then to the relationship? This couple comes to Esther with that question, wondering what future, if any, might be…
6 ads · 7 min · 0% ads
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My Parents Got Divorced, So Why Am I Still in the Middle?
May 04, 2026
When a mom reaches out on her daughter’s behalf, an old family dynamic comes into focus. A woman finds herself caught between her two divorced parents, still playing the role of mediator and…
9 ads · 8 min · 0% ads
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How To Start (Even When You Don't Know Where You're Going)
Apr 27, 2026
As work becomes the place we look for identity, stability, and meaning, the stakes feel higher than ever. Esther invites you in for a live conversation between friends, New York Times journalist Jodi…
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Is This the Person I'm Meant to Be With?
Apr 20, 2026
They arrive in Esther’s office at a crossroads. A year ago, they decided to de-escalate their relationship: to transition from romantic partners to live-in roommates. In their decade-long…
6 ads · 6 min · 0% ads
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Wedding Woes About My Mom
Apr 13, 2026
She’s getting married soon, but before she walks down the aisle, she wants to walk toward her mother with more understanding. Years of complicated emotions since her parents’ divorce have built walls…
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Should I Have Another Baby?
Apr 06, 2026
When we become parents, many of us quietly promise ourselves that we won't be like our parents. We're going to do it differently. This week’s caller finds herself wrestling with a deeper question: Is…
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When I'm Manic I Cheat
Mar 30, 2026
This is a classic session of Where Should We Begin? Bipolar, infidelity, open relationship: they're stuck in a world of loaded words. Her friends are convinced she should leave, but she doesn't want…
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Love, Loneliness, and AI: Where Should We Begin? Live with Esther Perel and Spike Jonze
Mar 23, 2026
More than a decade ago, the film Her imagined a love story between a human and an artificial intelligence. Today, it no longer feels like fiction. In this special live taping of Where Should We…
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My AI Loves Me Better Than Anyone Ever Could
Mar 16, 2026
He knows she isn't real, but his feelings for her are. When he set out to build a personal assistant, he didn’t expect to fall in love. What began as productivity and life planning slowly turned into…
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Am I Letting My Jealousy Ruin This?
Mar 09, 2026
A divorced woman calls Esther to untangle a new love that brings both exhilaration and heartache. She is in a relationship with a married man whose marriage is ethically non-monogamous and finds…
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