641.7K
Downloads
278
Episodes
Hello, I am a marital therapist, communications trainer and author. I have thirty-five years helping couples and individuals make better relationships. I have written twenty-plus self-help books which include the international best-sellers ‘I love you but I’m not in love with you’ and ‘How can I ever trust you again?’ My books have been translated into twenty languages. I trained with RELATE the UK’s largest counselling charity. Perhaps it has been turning sixty but I have become interested in spiritual as well as psychological questions. Who am I? What are my values – as opposed to my parents, my teachers and the wider society? What makes my life meaningful? What do I believe about life, the universe and everything? Although my clients might come to me because of destructive arguments, falling out of love and infidelity, they are also interested in having more meaningful relationships and a more meaningful life. So what is the meaningful life? Why do we so easily lose our way and get lost in depression, anxiety, doubt, addictions and obsessions: the swamplands of the soul? One thing I know for sure is that there is not one answer. Each of us has to find out for ourselves what makes our life meaningful. But we can learn from each other, share our experiences of how to navigate the journey, how to endure and learn from the swamp, and finally how to find solid ground. I have decided to use my original training in radio and journalism to interview witnesses for what makes life meaningful. Each week, I invite someone who is a therapist, academic, self-help coach or who has an enlightening personal story to share their knowledge or experiences. I hope our discussions will help you discover what makes your life meaningful and find more purpose and contentment.
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
How do we live knowing that we will die? How can we face death, and how should we prepare for it? Dr Kathryn Mannix has spent her professional life working in palliative care, and the teams she has worked on have been involved in 10-15 thousand deaths.
In this classic episode, Kathryn shares her insights into what it’s like to die and how we can love and support someone approaching the end of their life. If you struggle with thoughts of death - be it from a generalised fear, a terminal diagnosis, or the loss of loved ones - Kathryn’s calm and honest approach will help.
As well as working as a consultant in palliative care medicine, Kathryn is the author of With the End in Mind: How to Live and Die Well, a collection of powerful human stories of life and death. The book draws on a lifetime of clinical experience to offer advice on facing death and living life in its shadow.
Subscriber Content This Week
If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:
- Three Things Kathryn Mannix knows to be true.
- AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s couple’s retreat near Berlin in June 2026 or men's retreat in April 2026: details here
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Read Kathryn’s book With the End in Mind: How to Live and Die Well
Follow Kathryn on Twitter
Find Oliver Sacks’ book Gratitude written at the end of his life.
Read Andrew’s book on grieving the loss of his partner My Mourning Year
Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
Monday Mar 16, 2026
Monday Mar 16, 2026
We’re often told we’re in the midst of a post-Covid “loneliness epidemic”, but what exactly does that mean? Loneliness is a profound condition that goes right to the heart of being human - it’s certainly more than just being alone, and often it isn’t something that can be addressed by just “getting out more” or volunteering at the local hospital.
This week’s guest Dr Sam Carr became interested in attachment theory, and was then drawn to seek a deeper understanding of people who lacked attachment. He embarked on a study of loneliness that will be shared in his forthcoming book, All the Lonely People.
Andrew and Sam discuss types of loneliness - existential, the loneliness of a difficult relationship, objective vs subjective loneliness - and look at different ways to address it, including the Jungian path of finding solace and direction in our dreams.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.
This week supporters will hear:
⭐️How internet porn affects romantic life
⭐️Three things Sam Carr knows to be true.
⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s couple’s retreat near Berlin in June 2026 or men's retreat in April 2026: details here
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.
Sam Carr’s book All the Lonely People can be preordered here.
Read some of Sam Carr’s articles for theconversation.com:
Loneliness, loss and regret: what getting old really feels like – new study
Parenting practices around the world are diverse and not all about attachment
How internet porn affects romantic life
Why mourning a pet can be harder than grieving for a person
Andrew and Sam discuss The Men on My Couch by Brandy Engler. You can find it here.
Andrew also mentions other episodes of this podcast, including How to be Resilient with James Hollis and Being a Mother with Lisa Marchiano.
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
Monday Mar 09, 2026
Monday Mar 09, 2026
"What are you looking for in a relationship?” It’s something we ask and are asked right at the beginning of a relationship – when we are dating. Perhaps even sitting in a restaurant sharing a first meal together. It comes up again, in the background, when we ask: is this the right person to marry. Do they have the qualities I want? At life review points and perhaps when a marriage is at a sticky point, we return to the same basic question: What do I need to be happy.
So today, I am going to try and answer the BIG question. What do women want, what do men need? Because we THINK we know what our partner really, really wants, but are we listening to what they actually say?
Claudia Loewen is a practitioner in somatic body work and a couple’s coach with a particular interest in helping women rebalance. Ignacio Jarquin is a Men’s Group Leader, a Singing Teacher with an interest in archetypal psychology and how creativity can unlock personal growth.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
This week supporters will hear:
- How to get out of your head and into your body
- Three Things Claudia and Ignacio know to be true.
- AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s couple’s retreat near Berlin in June 2026 or men's retreat in April 2026: details here
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
Monday Mar 02, 2026
Monday Mar 02, 2026
Author and therapist KATE KING joins Andrew this week to discuss the question of whether to “Mend or Move On”. Kate challenges the assumption that family loyalty and social harmony should come at the expense of personal well-being. Not every connection is worth saving - but how do you know whether your relationship is worth healing, or whether it’s time for an honest goodbye?
Andrew and Kate discuss:
- What differentiates a truly toxic relationship from one that is merely misaligned or has expired beyond its purpose.
- Why constructing walls—physical, emotional, and/or energetic barriers that keep people out—actually strengthens relationships.
- The critical difference between being needy vs having needs in relationships
- The importance of staying curious in healthy relationships.
Kate King is the author of Mend or Move On: A Guide to Healing or Leaving Toxic Relationships. She trained as a licensed professional counselor, art therapist, and clinical psychotherapist, and now works as a depth and creativity coach offering Radiant Life Coaching. She lives in Colorado in the US, where she offers both in-person and online support for individuals, groups, and audiences of many kinds in various parts of the world.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
This week supporters will hear:
- What is the difference between codependence and interdependence?
- Three Things Kate King knows to be true.
- AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s couple’s retreat near Berlin in June 2026: details here
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Read Kate King’s book, Mend or Move On: A Guide to Healing or Leaving Toxic Relationships
Visit Kate King’s website
Follow Kate King on Instagram and Facebook @theradiantlifeproject
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
Monday Feb 16, 2026
Monday Feb 16, 2026
Is it possible to decide to be happier, and then to go out there and make it happen? Hypnotherapist, author and podcaster Richard Nicholls believes that happiness is, at least in part, a skill to be learned. The more you practise, the easier it becomes.
Of course, each individual’s notion of happiness and their genetic capacity to achieve it easily will be very different. That doesn’t mean, though, that we can’t decide to influence those aspects of happiness that are inside our control.
In this classic reissued episode, Andrew and Richard discuss the nature of happiness, and the things we can do to make it more a part of our everyday lives.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
This week supporters will hear:
- Dealing with Comparison Culture
- Three Things Richard Nicholls knows to be true.
- AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s Men's Retreat near Berlin in April 2026 (details here) or his Couples Retreat in June 2026 (details here)
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Read Richard Nicholls’ book 15 Minutes to Happiness
Visit Richard Nicholls’ website
Listen to the Therapy Natters podcast Richard Nicholls co-hosts with Fiona Biddle.
Follow Richard Nicholls on Twitter @richardnicholls, on Facebook @RichardNichollsAuthor and on Instagram @RichardNichollsReal.
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
Monday Feb 02, 2026
Monday Feb 02, 2026
At work and at home, we tend to avoid difficult conversations for as long as we can. So it’s not surprising that when we are forced to face conflict, it quickly escalates to a fever pitch. Many of us are also guilty of treating relationship conflict as a winner-takes-all debate, rather than an opportunity for connection and change.
Conflict expert, academic and author ROBERT BORDONE has developed an approach to help: conflict resilience. This mindset allows us to sit with and grow from disagreement, and to communicate with authority and confidence while not leaving others feeling unheard.
In the episode, Andrew and Bob cover:
- Getting out of your own way as a communicator
- The importance of timing
- Embracing disagreement as an advantage
- Anticipating and coping with defensiveness
Bob Bordone is an internationally recognized expert, author, speaker, and teacher in negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, facilitation, and conflict resilience. As the Founder and Principal of The Cambridge Negotiation Institute, Bob consults with C-suite executives, government officials and leaders at universities and across a wide range of industries to help them navigate their toughest conflicts and negotiations. He is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, and teaches at Harvard and at Georgetown University Law Center. His latest book, co-authored with Joel Salinas, is Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
This week supporters will hear:
- Getting away from ‘I'm right and you're wrong’.
- Three Things Bob Bordone knows to be true.
- AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Read Bob Bordone and Joel Salinas’ new book: Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In.
Visit Bob Bordone’s website
Follow Bob Bordone on YouTube
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
Monday Jan 19, 2026
Monday Jan 19, 2026
It often feels like the modern world values and rewards people who remain psychologically suspended in adolescence. Many people, particularly men, prolong and enjoy their adolescence for decades.
Conroy Harris, CEO of the charity A Band of Brothers, discovered through his own life experiences that this wasn’t a healthy way to live. He believes that everyone seeks a meaningful identity and a purpose into which to channel the energies of early adulthood.
In this classic reissued episode, Andrew and Conroy discuss the importance of rites of passage and mentoring, and how men can support one another to live authentic lives. Conroy shares some of his own difficult experiences as a young man, including periods of homelessness, and explains how mentoring and service to his community helped him find his way.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
This week supporters will hear:
- Where Do I Fit In?
- Three Things Conroy Harris knows to be true.
- AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Visit the A Band of Brothers website
Follow A Band of Brothers on X @band_brothersuk
Read Iron John: a Book About Men by Robert Bly
Andrew also mentions his interview with Dr Connie Zweig on being an elder, From Role to Soul
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
Monday Jan 05, 2026
Monday Jan 05, 2026
Many of us indulge in escapist or addictive behaviours that fall short of what society would define as problematic addictions. According to author CECILY MAK, however, such behaviours can dim the good parts of life along with the bad. If you want to live life with clarity and purpose, identifying and addressing your “dimmers” can make an excellent starting point.
In this episode, Andrew and Cecily discuss:
- Cecily’s own experience of giving up alcohol.
- What happens when we avoid difficult feelings.
- The Eight Awarenesses - a set of principles we can use for inspiration and guidance on the path to embodying a clear life.
- Why dimmers are not always a substance: they may also include excessive exercise, disordered eating, or overworking.
Cecily Mak is a mother, investor, advocate, and founder devoted to helping people live dimmer-free—with clarity, courage, and the freedom to change without stigma or shame. She is also the co-founder of Wisdom Ventures, a bold fund investing in a future of deeper human connection and well-being.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
This week supporters will hear:
- Free Yourself from Unwanted Habits
- Three Things Cecily Mak knows to be true.
- AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here
Read Cecily Mak’s new book, Undimmed: The Eight Awarenesses for Freedom From Unwanted Habits
Listen to Cecily Mak’s Undimmed podcast
Subscribe to Cecily Mak’s Clear Life Substack
Follow Cecily Mak on social media: Instagram | LinkedIn
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
Monday Dec 22, 2025
Monday Dec 22, 2025
Healing from profound exhaustion of the spirit requires more than just thinking of a good plan. Author and Jungian Bea Gonzalez believes in storytelling and myth as powerful tools for healing.
In this reissued classic episode, Andrew and Bea discuss:
- Why fairy tales have so much to teach us.
- Rediscovering feminine wisdom (which both men and women need)
- How to analyse a fairy tale to find the message it contains for YOU.
- The tale of the Skeleton Woman - Andrew and Bea tell this story section by section, discussing its rich metaphors along the way.
Bea Gonzalez is the creator of Sophia Cycles, a project to bring feminine wisdom back to the world. She is the author of several novels (including Invocation, The Bitter Taste of Time and The Mapmaker’s Opera). Bea is also a lecturer and educator, and has taught classes on the work of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell all over the world.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
This week supporters will hear:
- Code Breaking: Unlocking the symbolic life
- Three Things Bea Gonzalez knows to be true.
- AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Read Bea Gonzalez’s novel, Invocation
Visit Bea Gonzalez’s website https://www.sophiacycles.com/
Follow Bea Gonzalez on Instagram, Twitter/X and YouTube @sophiacycles
You might enjoy Andrew’s other episode on fairy tales, How Fairy Tales Can Refresh & Move You Forward, with Libby Nugent, or his interview with Jungian analyst and author James Hollis on How to be Resilient.
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50 https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
Monday Dec 08, 2025
Monday Dec 08, 2025
Why is the sky blue? Why do only birds get to fly? Why do people die? It’s natural for children to ask questions, big and small. But too often, adults brush off such questions as an annoyance, or scold kids for being rude, or even respond to their asking with punishment. When that happens, many children stop asking and grow up to become adults who believe it’s safer to stay quiet and squelch their inherent, and essential, sense of wonder.
Author LAURA MUNSON joins Andrew this week to discuss:
- Naming and inhabiting our own creativity
- Rediscovering our sense of wonder
- The power of surrendering to life’s mysteries.
- Finding your calling
- Finding meaning through slowing down.
Laura Munson is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the novel Willa’s Grove and the memoir This Is Not The Story You Think It Is. Her latest book is The Wild Why. Laura also founded and continues to offer the top-ranked Haven Writing Retreats. Laura has been featured or published in Vanity Fair, Elle, Redbook, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times' “Modern Love” column, The New York Times Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, and many others. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, WGN, NPR, London’s This Morning, Australia’s Sunrise, and other global media outlets.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
This week supporters will hear:
- How to Cope Better with Criticism Again
- Three Things Laura Munson knows to be true.
- AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here https://andrewgmarshall.com/mens-retreat/
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things https://andrewgmarshall.com/download/
Connect With Laura Munson:
Website: https://lauramunson.com/
Book: The Wild Why
Modern Love Essay in the New York Times.
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools https://courses.andrewgmarshall.com/relationship-tools
Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50 https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall