Love Letters

In Part 2 of a two-parter about video games and change, Meredith talks to Celeste Sangiorgio, a psychologist and researcher who thinks about video games a lot. Celeste happens to be co-creating a video game that’s meant to help us navigate relationships. Join this conversation about “The Last of Us,” “Cupid Parasite,” and a bunch of games that focus on love. Meredith will also talk about hew new favorite, a game about DADDIES. Even you non-gamers will enjoy.ALSO, we’re some episodes into the season. Do you have thoughts about the stories we’ve shared about how people have changed? Have you learned anything? Found anything surprising? Do you have your own thoughts about change – or stories you want to share about how you made positive change in your own life? Call and leave a message! You can be anonymous if you want. Call 401-484-0590. Tell us anything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Anthony Ureña, video games are more than simple entertainment or a way to pass the time. Games have actually changed him, he says. They’ve taught him who he is. They’ve shown him how to take the best next steps.Through a story about dating, loss, love, and resilience, Anthony explains how games have seen him through the most important relationship transitions in his life. Let’s all Pokemon Go! with him. (And Pac-Man with him. And Final Fantasy with him. And ... you get the point.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Love can be addictive. When Heather Mason leaves her relatively happy marriage to follow her heart, she has no idea that the mysterious South African photographer she’s following will teach her so much about herself.This is a story about a woman who learns she can’t change others, but can be happier and healthier on her own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This season, we’ve been talking about how to change. We’ve wondered: can a big move really change you? Or are you the same inside, just with new, prettier scenery? Frances Mayes, author of “Under the Tuscan Sun,” has opinions about this. Decades ago, she moved to Italy and changed her life. After she wrote about her experience, other people followed her lead. Almost 30 years after "Under the Tuscan Sun" was published (and about 20 years after the movie), Mayes still sees many strangers stopping by her home in Cortona. They leave notes of appreciation and small gifts, making a small altar at the bottom of her driveway. They praise her for inspiring them to embrace change and find beauty in the world. In this episode, Meredith talks to Mayes about the power of geography, her novel “A Great Marriage,” and whether she believes real, internal change is possible by shifting your surroundings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meredith sits down with Dr. Steven Hyman – a brain expert at The Broad Institute – for a talk about the meaning of change … and whether it’s actually possible. Are people capable of change – in life and relationships? If so, how? Dr. Hyman explains the plastic brain, how it works, how eating a great sandwich in Chicago can be the best thing ever, and why Meredith once thought she looked like Reese Witherspoon. We also catch up with a very special Love Letters couple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can moving to a new place change you? Consider the story of Kelly, from Western Australia, who never quite fit in around her small hometown – before, during, or after her marriage. She says she was the victim of Tall Poppy Syndrome; as she strived to grow taller and more beautiful, everyone wanted to chop her down. What was the fix? Moving to one of the most beautiful places in the world (Italy). Kelly explains how leaving town changed her – and her relationship with her ex-husband – in this episode about how geography affects our ability to be our best selves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her late 20s, Funmi Adejobi was stuck in fight-or-flight mode. She’d been caregiving for her mom after a medical emergency – and every phone call felt like it would bring bad news.Forget dating. Funmi could barely relax on her own.But then … she took a clown class, which reminded her how to PLAY. How to be silly and ridiculous. That's when everything changed.Hear Funmi’s story about how she became a happy clown – one who’s open to love – on the season premiere of the Love Letters podcast.This whole season, we’re trying to answer one big question: Can people change?Funmi did. Let’s all learn how, together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Season 10 of Love Letters, host and advice columnist Meredith Goldstein explores whether people can change... in life, love, and relationships. Can old dogs learn new tricks? Can a troubled relationship improve over time? Can we be better to each other - and ourselves?Season 10 launches January 14. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this enlightening conversation, Kimberly Roten, a policy expert on LGBTQ+ rights, Alex Chen, a director of legal advocacy for LGBTQ+ issues, and Willie Burnley Jr., a progressive city councilor, delve into the groundbreaking non-discrimination ordinance in Somerville. They discuss the implications for polyamorous relationships, the complexities of legal recognition for diverse family structures, and the need for greater public understanding of alternative partnerships. Their insights illuminate the evolving nature of commitment, family, and the fight for inclusivity.

A bonus episode from Boston Globe podcast Say More with Shirley Leung. Sex educator Emily Nagoski didn’t set out to be an expert on stress. But it turns out, stress is affecting peoples’ sex lives, big time. After helping her sister Amelia through two life-threatening burnout episodes, the two got together to write a book about the science of stress and how it leads to burnout. For them, the journey to understanding stress became a deeper quest for sisterhood and meaning. Emily talks to Shirley about completing the stress cycle, the problem with self-care, and the connections between stress, sleep, and orgasm. Email us at Saymore@globe.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices