The world's most famous couples therapist spends her entire work day with other people

"I have been interested in psychology since I was about 14. I wanted to understand myself, my family, and my surroundings. So, becoming a therapist was quite an obvious choice for me. I started working with large groups, then moved to families, then couples. In particular, I was interested in interracial, intercultural, inter-religious couples and families - families in cultural transition. What is sexuality in the culture, and how does it enter into the family culture and the couple's relationship?"

"I spent 35 years in my therapy office, alone. At one point, I started to feel that the office was getting small. Therapy is not democratic; it's not accessible to many people who need it. I wrote "Mating in Captivity" (2006) and "The State of Affairs" (2017). Then, I started bringing people into the sessions, and that's the podcast. "Where Should We Begin?" was doing live anonymous couples therapy sessions at scale, all over the world, for free."

Esther Perel became a therapist after developing an interest in psychology at age 14, seeking to understand herself, family, and surroundings. She worked with large groups, families, and couples, focusing on interracial, intercultural, and inter-religious relationships and families undergoing cultural transition. She spent 35 years in private practice and later broadened reach with books, a podcast of live anonymous couples sessions, and public stage events. She created a playful card game during the pandemic and recorded courses on conflict and desire. She mixes travel with family and friends and continues developing tours and other projects.

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