Love Talks

Astera Brylka

Want to learn more about romantic relationships? ......and how to make your present or future relationship or marriage happier and more fulfilling than the last one? In this podcast, we explore topics related to love, romantic relationships, and intimacy that we are all curious about but afraid to ask.

  1. A Treacherous Enemy Inside Me: My Endometriosis Story

    06/03/2021

    A Treacherous Enemy Inside Me: My Endometriosis Story

    Have you ever heard of endometriosis? Do you know anything about this chronic illness or have you just heard about it for the first time in your life? As March is the Endometriosis Awareness Month, I want to share my endo story with you. While this topic may seem to be far away from the love and relationships scope of this podcast, it really is not. Endometriosis often heavily affects romantic, sex, and family life of those that have been diagnosed, and I do not mean only women but their partners or husbands as well. Every 1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK—and these numbers are similar worldwide—is diagnosed with endometriosis. It is usually a long way to get this diagnosis confirmed, as on average it takes between 7 and 9 years. Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which endometrial-like tissue implants itself outside of the uterus, most commonly in diffeent parts of the reproductive system, but not only. Each case of endometriosis is different in terms of the symptoms that are present and their severity. However, the most typical symptoms of this illness include: • Painful and heavy periods; • Chronic pelvic pain, that lasts between periods; • Painful bowel movements, painful urination, and blood in urine; • Deep pain during sex; and • Chronic fatigue. If you want to learn more about endometriosis, and my story of being diagnosed and what this diagnosis changed in my life, this episode is for you!

    34 min
  2. Romantic Relationships Across Cultures

    08/12/2020

    Romantic Relationships Across Cultures

    Marriages and comitted long-term relationships in which each partner comes from a different country and culture are these days not uncommon. With people easily moving around the world (well, at least before the COVID-19 outbreak) for work and study purposes, meeting a love of our life somewhere far away from our home country has become much more likely in the last 10-15 years than ever before. The expansion of the internet and a variety of different communication apps allow us stay in instant touch with our partner on a daily basis, even if we are thousands of miles apart from each other. The COVID-19 pandemic, although restricted our physical movement around the globe, has brought people together in the virtual space. Many of them would have never met otherwise, as they live in different countries or even on different continents, yet some have found their soulmates this way, amidst the outbreak and lockdown. But are the cross-cultural relationships that easy and carefree as they seem to be? How is it to have a partner or spouse whose cultural and often religious background differs from what we are used to and what is familiar (and predictable) to us? In this episode of the Love Talks, Ashish Parekh and I talked about the challanges and benefits of cross-cultural marriages with Melanie Goel from Germany 🇩🇪 , whose husband comes from India 🇮🇳. Melanie shared with us her insights and perspective on how to get well along as a couple regardless of the cultural and religious differences, and what mindset to adopt to make your cross-cultural relationship or marriage happy and fulfilling for both partners. She also offered some great tips on how to deal with some of the challanges that are pretty inevitable when people from different cultures fall in love with each other but which are possible to overcome and make the relationship even stronger in the long run.

    38 min
  3. To Divorce or Not To Divorce?

    01/12/2020

    To Divorce or Not To Divorce?

    What to do if no amount of work that we have dedicated to fixing our relationship or marriage seems to be enough? How to recognise that we have reached the point of no return and admitting that our relationship or marriage is not going to work no matter what is the most reasonable thing to do at that point? When should we let go and part with our partner or spouse? When enough is really enough? Making a decision about getting a divorce or breaking up a long-term relationship is never easy. In fact, this is the last resort that many of us would think of, even if we strongly feel and are aware that our relationship or marriage has been bringing to us (and our partner) more pain than joy for quite a long time. Giving up on a relationship or marriage is always a difficult decision that changes our lives and leaves a bitter aftertaste. It is always a loss that leaves deep marks on our souls. But, at the same time, a divorce or break up is not the end of the world and many divorced men and women alike still find a new romantic partner that they can have a happy life with. Many would say that for a man, it is much easier to make a decision about getting a divorce than for a women. It is commonly believed that women, especially when there are children involved, are less willing to think about divorcing their husbands or leaving a long-term partners, because of a variety of reasons. But is that really so? Are men really so much more ready to give up on a relationship or marriage easily? In this episode of the Love Talks, Ashish Parekh and I hosted Eric Chasen from the US 🇺🇸 and Sibin Varghese from India 🇮🇳 who shared with us their stories and described the process of getting to the point when they both realised that their marriages had ended and divorce was inevitable.  We discussed: 🎯 How we can try to fix our marriage or long-term relationship beforestarting to  consider a divorce or break up;  🎯 What are the common signs that a marriage or relationship is irreversibly broken and a divorce or break up is likely the most reasonable step to take;   🎯 How to handle emotionally a divorce and where to look for support;  🎯 What are the practicalities of the divorce process that one should take care of and how to do that;  🎯 How to achieve an agreement on the issues related to the custody of minor children;  🎯 How to co-parent with your ex-spouse or ex-partner for the benefit of your children.

    47 min

About

Want to learn more about romantic relationships? ......and how to make your present or future relationship or marriage happier and more fulfilling than the last one? In this podcast, we explore topics related to love, romantic relationships, and intimacy that we are all curious about but afraid to ask.