They met as community organizers in their neighborhood. She had just gotten out of a multi-year marriage to her ex-wife and began to forge new friendships. After about a year, something shifted for her and she began to develop feelings for him, sending her seemingly solid identity into a tailspin. After 15 years of identifying as a lesbian, she was in her fi ... Show More
Aug 3
I Love My Partner, So Why Can’t I Let Go of My Ex?
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 she never fully let go of, one caller finds herself overwhelmed by grief, longing, ... Show More
50m 59s
Jul 20
Is Using ChatGPT Hurting My Relationship?
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 marked by intense highs and low lows. She turns to AI, using it as a real-time coach t ... Show More
52m 29s
Oct 2023
Love in All the Wrong Places
At 35, Athena doesn't believe she deserves a meaningful relationship, feels disconnected from herself, and is involved in a 3-year affair. Brian suffers with fears his ex will spread toxic stories about him in a tightly-knit community, and has become withdrawn. Sven goes to work, ... Show More
49m 17s
Mar 2022
Can My Sugar Baby Be My Lady
Dear Steve and Shirley, I’ve been in a relationship with a woman for a year and I need some advice. She’s 35 and I’m 54 years old. When we met, I was legally separated and I was miserable, in a one bedroom apartment and depressed because my wife had a new boyfriend already. I wan ... Show More
13m 11s
May 2019
We're Just Friends, But We Could Be So Much More
Dear Steve and Shirley, I’m in a bad situation and I need your advice. A few months ago, I was in a great relationship and my man and I were happy. I had a male neighbor that I only talked to on social media. My man found out about us sending each other messages and he accused me ... Show More
14m 15s
Mar 2022
Beyond Girlfriend-Boyfriend
<p>Three months into the pandemic, Haili Blassingame was crafting an email to her boyfriend of five years, Malcolm, with the subject line “My Terms.” She wanted to break up. Haili had met Malcolm in college. At first she was “giddy about the cute guy with the deep voice who looke ... Show More
16m 20s
Feb 2025
Its Me, Tinx Live: My Friend Joined a Cult
<p>Another week, another first. I talk to a caller who had to drop a lifelong friend due to joining what she views as a cult. A woman who has some serious red flags to deal with in regards to a boyfriend that seems to be angry about nothing. Oh, and when is the best time to sl ... Show More
48m 41s
May 2022
69 - It's Not About Us, It's About Us - Building Relationship Wellness
When couples first come together, the thrill of meeting someone new combined with attraction creates a honeymoon period. By the time they exit the initial charge of getting together, they have often made unconscious systems of conflict resolution that are not sustainable in the l ... Show More
27m 18s