The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall

Are narcissists capable of love? Is it possible for them to achieve emotional transformation through therapy? And what does it mean to be the partner of a narcissist? Jungian psychoanalyst and friend of the podcast DR SUSAN SCHWARTZ joins Andrew this week to discuss her new book, An Analytical Exploration of Love and Narcissism: The Tragedy of Isolation and Intimacy.  Drawing on Jungian concepts and the myth of Narcissus and Echo, Susan explains: How we misunderstand narcissism The creative energy of the narcissist The ways narcissists can be deeply vulnerable How narcissists can learn to be emotionally intimate. Dr Susan Schwartz is a Jungian analyst who trained in Switzerland and lives in the USA. She teaches in numerous Jungian programs, workshops, and lectures in the USA and worldwide. She is also a clinical psychologist and member of the International Association of Analytical Psychology. Her other books include:The Absent Father Effect on Daughters, A Jungian Exploration of the Puella Archetype  and Imposter Syndrome and The ‘As-If’ Personality in Analytical Psychology. 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: Why are narcissists so compelling? Three Things Susan Schwartz 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 Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Read Dr Susan Schwartz’s new book, An Analytical Exploration of Love and Narcissism: The Tragedy of Isolation and Intimacy  Visit Dr Susan Schwartz’s website Follow Dr Susan Schwartz on Facebook and Instagram Listen to Andrew’s previous interviews with Dr Susan Schwartz: Daughters and Fathers, and Imposter Syndrome.  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   

How can we have more meaningful, connected sex? Many couples today are stuck in a low-sex or no-sex dynamic, while others struggle to break a routine that feels unbearably dull. In this classic reissued episode, Jan Day, a relationship expert and psycho-spirital teacher,  discusses “Living Tantra”. Andrew and Jan cover how to “resensitise” in a world where there is not enough touch. Coming off autopilot and being open to depth and mystery can lead to a richer connection with the world and with our partners. Jan Day has been teaching and leading workshops in Europe and Hawaii since 1999. Her life and work have been influenced by both Eastern and Western spiritual teachers. She was a sanyassin of Osho for 15 years. Over a period of 20 years Jan trained and then taught with Alan Lowen, founder of _The Art of Being®. The Living Tantra series of workshops that she offers is based on the Body, Heart & Soul®_ series created by Alan. She has also been influenced by and/or worked with Jack Kornfield, David Deida, Ron Kurtz, Ken Wilber, Genpo Roshi, Thomas Hübl and Ammachi. 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: Andrew's favourite exercises from Jan's book to try yourself Three things Jan Day 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 Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Read Jan Day’s book Living Tantra: A Journey into Sex, Spirit and Relationship  Visit Jan Day’s website to learn more about the courses and workshops she offers.  Read Andrew’s book Have the Sex You Want: A Couple’s Guide to Getting the Spark Back  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 

If you’re feeling exhausted and unmotivated, clinical psychologist and author Dr Diana Hill suggests that you may be channelling your energy in the wrong direction. Many of us feel that we do too much, and yet get nowhere - this is because we are misdirecting the precious resource of our energy.  In this episode, Andrew and Diana discuss: The high-achiever at work whose patterns backfire in relationships. Running away from discomfort and how this keeps us stuck.  “Genius energy” - our unique, inherent strengths that show up in our talents and gifts.  How to reclaim and better direct your energy Diana Hill, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and a leading expert on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Drawing from the most current psychological research and contemplative wisdom, Diana bridges science with real-life practices to help people grow fulfilling and impactful lives. She is the author of four books including I Know I Should Exercise, But..., The Self-Compassion Daily Journal, ACT Daily Journal, and her latest, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most (September 2025). She's the host of the Wise Effort Podcast and her insights have been featured by NPR, Wall Street Journal, and Psychology Today. 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: Wise effort at work.  Three things Diana Hill 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 Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Learn more about Diana Hill: Read her book: Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most. Listen to her podcast: The Wise Effort Show Visit her website: www.drdianahill.com Follow her on social media: @drdianahill on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.  InsightTimer: https://insighttimer.com/drdianahill  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   

If you could write a letter to your own anxiety, what would it say? This is just one of the ways therapist Dr Kathleen Smith befriends her anxiety and in the process, moves it into the back seat of her life.  If you can’t sleep, can’t focus and are constantly pushing down the frustrations you experience in your relationships, you will know that you probably need to deal with your anxiety. In this classic reissued episode, Andrew and Kathleen discuss how to go about doing this, and the paramount importance of observing and understanding before leaping into action.  Kathleen Smith is a therapist and author from Washington D.C. She writes the Anxious Overachiever newsletter on Substack, and is the author of Everything Isn’t Terrible, a book about anxiety She is a graduate of Harvard and George Washington Universities, and has written for publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and  Psychology Today. Kathleen has a private therapy practice in Washington, DC, and is the host of the TV show Family Matters, produced by the University of the District of Columbia.  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: Three Things Kathleen Smith 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 Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things Buy Kathleen Smith’s book Everything Isn’t Terrible: Conquer Your Insecurities, Interrupt Your Anxieties and Finally Calm Down Take a look at Kathleen Smith’s website https://kathleensmith.net  Read Kathleen Smith’s Substack newsletter The Anxious Overachiever  Follow Kathleen Smith on Twitter @fangirltherapy and on Facebook @kathleensmithwrites 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   

With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), we now know almost everything there is to know: except perhaps who we are and actually what matters to us. With notifications pinging and algorithms grabbing our attention, THAT kind of clarity perhaps feels even harder to find.  In this episode, author and entrepreneur SOREN GORDHAMER discusses with Andrew what AI has already changed about the experience of being human, and how we can prepare for an AI-dominated future. Soren and Andrew discuss: Reclaiming your time and attention from digital overwhelm  Truth and storytelling in the age of AI Your lived experience vs AI’s advice.   Soren Gordhamer is founder and host of Wisdom 2.0, which explores living with greater mindfulness, wisdom, and compassion in the modern age. He spent a year walking through parts of the world on an environmental walk, three years teaching meditation to incarcerated teens in NYC, and is an investor in start ups including OpenAI and Anthropic. A partner at Wisdom Ventures, Soren is currently focused on the impact AI will have on our world, and how our society can prepare.  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: Working with what is.  Three things Soren Gordhamer 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 Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Read Soren Gordhamer’s book,  THE ESSENTIAL: Discovering What Really Matters in an Age of Distraction Visit Soren Gordhamer's website: www.sorengordhamer.net Follow Soren Gordhamer on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom2events/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Wisdom2confraction X: https://x.com/wisdom2conf Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wisdom2conference 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 

“Narcissist” has become the insult of choice for many of us caught on the wrong side of arrogance, self-absorption or monotonous bragging. Narcissism is more complex than that, however, and an empathetic understanding of it can make it much easier to deal with partners or family members with narcissistic traits, or with full-blown narcissistic personality disorder. In this week's classic reissued episode, clinical psychologist  Dr Ruth Ann Harpur discusses with Andrew the origins of narcissism, the “Echo” phenomenon, and why partners of narcissists need to focus more on their own needs and sense of self.  Dr Ruth Ann Harpur specialises in relationships and issues of narcissism. She qualified as a clinical psychologist in 2009 at the University of East Anglia, and also trained in cognitive behaviour therapy at the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre and in schema therapy at the Dutch Institute for Schema Therapy. She has a popular YouTube channel where she offers helpful videos on aspects of relationships and narcissism. If You’re Looking for More…. You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts or Spotify) 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: ⭐Dating again after a painful break-up ⭐Three things Ruth Ann Harpur 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 new men's retreat, Reconnect With Yourself, this autumn in the Brandenberg countryside near Berlin  Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Follow Dr Ruth Ann Harpur on YouTube, Instagram, X or TikTok @drruthannharpur  Visit Dr Ruth Ann Harpur’s website, where you’ll find resources for the general public and for therapists on relationships and narcissism Read the poetry of David Whyte, which is discussed in the bonus content this week.  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   

Many of us believe that suffering is inevitable. We endure the inner turmoil associated with stress, shame, depression or loneliness and try to soldier on. Author PETER RALSTON believes, however, that most suffering can be avoided.  In this week’s episode, Andrew and Peter discuss the dynamics of the mind that set the stage for distress and get us into trouble. Peter explains: How mental states of suffering are created How to recognize when you cause them, and  How to stop suffering-inducing thought patterns and beliefs. Peter Ralston is the author of a new book called Ending Unnecessary Suffering: How to Create a Powerful, Complete and Peaceful Life.  He is also a founder of the consciousness movement in the San Francisco Bay area and the creator of the Art of Effortless Power, an internal martial art based on effortlessly effective interaction.  Born in San Francisco but raised primarily in Asia, Peter began studying martial arts at the age of 9 in Singapore. By the age of 28 he had black belts or expertise in almost every martial art there is and was developing his own Art of Effortless Power. In 1978 he became the first non-Asian ever to win the World Championship full-contact martial arts tournament held in the Republic of China. The founder of the Cheng Hsin Center and the author of several previous books, including The Book of Not Knowing, he currently lives outside of San Antonio, Texas. 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 Create Purpose Three Things Peter Ralston 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 new men's retreat, Reconnect With Yourself, this autumn in the Brandenberg countryside near Berlin  Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Read Peter Ralston’s new book, Ending Unnecessary Suffering: How to Create a Powerful, Complete and Peaceful Life Learn more about Peter Ralston on his website Follow Peter Ralston on Facebook @OfficialRalston 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   

Most of us have a conversation we’re avoiding: a child coming out to their parent, a family losing someone to terminal illness, a friend noticing early signs of dementia. There are moments when we simply must talk, listen and be there for one another. DR KATHRYN MANNIX, a consultant in palliative care medicine, has spent her career having what she describes as “tender conversations” with bereaved families. Her book, Listen: How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations, is a guide to broaching difficult subjects with those we care about. In this classic reissued episode Andrew and Kathryn discuss why it is we so often don’t say what needs to be said. They look at how to be brave in the face of discomfort, how to sit with silence, and how to speak from a place of gentleness and care.  Dr Kathryn Mannix has spent her medical career working with people who have incurable, advanced illnesses. She is also the author of the bestselling With the End in Mind: How to Live and Die Well. Kathryn is a qualified cognitive behavioural therapist and started the UK’s first CBT clinic for palliative care patients. 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: 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 new men's retreat, Reconnect With Yourself, this autumn in the Brandenberg countryside near Berlin.  Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things. Read Dr Kathryn Mannix’s  books: Listen: How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations and With the End in Mind: How to Live and Die Well  Listen to Dr Kathryn Mannix’s previous appearance on this podcast, What You’ve Been Told About Death Might Be Wrong Follow Dr Kathryn Mannix on Twitter and Facebook @drkathrynmannix 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   

At some point in our lives, we all step into the void. Something so big happens that we struggle even to make sense of it.  This week Andrew is in conversation with artist JESSA FAIRBROTHER about finding our way through the pain of these unwanted experiences without getting trapped in repeating loops.  We discuss: How grief over the loss of her parents and experiences of infertility have shaped Jessa’s work as an artist.  Finding value and beauty inside the void. The cultural concept of the happy ending.  The transformative power of art.  Jessa Fairbrother is a British visual artist whose work spans stitch, photography, performance and drawing. The body is her main material. The artist book of her work Conversations with my mother, is held in collections at Tate Britain, the V&A, London and The Museum of Fine Art, Houston. Her companion piece, Role Play (Woman with Cushion) is included in Acts of Creation: On Art and Motherhood, a Hayward Touring exhibition travelling the UK throughout 2024-2025. Jessa became an RWA Academician in 2023. In 2025 she was awarded a DYCP award from ACE to expand her interdisciplinary writing and is authoring her experimental hybrid memoir. She works from her studio in Bristol and the Wye Valley, UK. 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: The Healing Power of Making Things With Your Hands Three Things Jessa Fairbrother 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 new men's retreat, Reconnect With Yourself, this autumn in the Brandenberg countryside near Berlin  Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Visit Jessa Fairbrother’s website  Follow Jessa Fairbrother on Instagram @jessfairbrother Read “Letting Go of IVF”, by Jessa Fairbrother, on the Wellcome Collection website 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   

Are you being held back by darker moments from your past? Would you like to find the courage to shine a light on some of the tragic or shameful moments that you don’t like to think about? In this classic reissued episode, author and therapist MALCOLM STERN joins Andrew to discuss his book Slay Your Dragons With Compassion. Malcolm and Andrew talk about confronting your fears and working through blocks in a way that is compassionate to yourself and others. Malcolm Stern is a psychotherapist with over thirty years of experience in the therapy room. His book is the result of his professional experience, but also of working through personal tragedy: his daughter Melissa took her own life in 2014, leading Malcolm to question every aspect of his work and life. 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 Break the Spell You’re Under Three Things Malcolm Stern 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 new men's retreat, Reconnect With Yourself, this autumn in the Brandenberg countryside near Berlin  Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Read Malcolm Stern’s book Slay Your Dragons With Compassion: Ten Ways to Thrive Even When It Feels Impossible.  Visit Malcolm Stern’s website  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