Meet The Expert: Esther Perel

In this edition of Meet the Expert, Ophira Eisenberg, host of NPR's Ask Me Another at The Bell House in New York, talks Esther Perel, a renowned couples therapist and host of the podcast Where Should We Begin?. Having just finished its third season, the podcast documents Perel as she leads live counseling sessions with real couples coping with sexlessness, infidelity, and loss.

Despite the inherently intimate setting, Perel said her patients aren't afraid of opening up. "We're not here to make a performance, we're here to have a session," she explained. "You forget about everything else. You just delve. You go into the trenches."

Perel lead a Valentine's Day-themed game of "Guesstimators," quizzing Eisenberg and musician Jonathan Coulton on little-known statistics regarding fidelity, marriage rates, and sharing a bed. And while Valentine's Day ("The annual day for you to take stock of the quality of your romantic investments," according to Perel) has its detractors, the relationship expert has some advice for improving the experience.

"Instead of Valentine's being about this one and only person, you should Valentine us all," she said. "It should be a relationship day for the love of all."

Heard on Michael Ian Black Is Back, All Right! [Copyright 2019 NPR]