Latest / Libido Lounge / Improve Your RELATIONSHIPS Now with Proven Communication Secrets with Dr. Robin Buckley
Transcript
- 0:00So when couples talk about their relationships, you know, this this emotional part of the
- 0:04brain, the amygdala is firing.
- 0:06And I always describe the amygdala like a toddler on caffeine.
- 0:10But if you're looking for something that involves intimacy, it takes time.
- 0:14A lot of times what I have experienced is that couples who share very similar spiritual
- 0:20intimacies, they they do have stronger foundations because it's that value system.
- 0:25It's what grounds them as a couple.
- 0:27So it's not a matter of, oh, it's a threat and we can't do it.
- 0:30It's okay.
- 0:31Now how are we gonna work around that?
- 0:32Well, it's not possible to get everything from one person.
- 0:36So it's okay to say, that you know, my partner doesn't quite give me everything I want in the
- 0:43area of emotional intimacy.
- 0:44But there are times when the emotional intimacy is not as full as I want from him because he is
- 0:50very much driven by his rational brain and sometimes I don't want to be.
- 0:54Yeah.
- 0:55So that's when I call up my sister or I call up my best friend because they will absolutely,
- 1:00you know, let me do whatever I want with my emotions.
- 1:03And that's okay.
- 1:04It doesn't mean he's not the right partner for me.
- 1:06It doesn't mean he's cold by any means.
- 1:08It just means that I want something a little bit different or more.
- 1:12Ideally, suggest a couple that at the at the latest, they do a this is not something that
- 1:17you do once and you never think about again.
- 1:19If you're the founders of your relationship, how are you gonna make sure that it sustains
- 1:24all the ups and downs that are gonna come just like just like, you know, market values of a
- 1:27business?
- 1:28And you get to decide how to do that with all the tools possible.
- 1:32When people talk about marriage or a relationship being hard work, that is BS.
- 1:38Hey, everybody.
- 1:39Quick break in our episode to talk to you about our sponsor, MyLibidoDoc.
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- 2:20Now back to our show.
- 2:22Hey, everybody.
- 2:24Welcome to another episode on the lounge.
- 2:28I'm your host, certified sexologist and libido expert, doctor Diane, and I have a treat for
- 2:35you today.
- 2:36I have with me doctor Robin Robin Buckley, and we are going to talk about so many things
- 2:42today.
- 2:42Some of them we're gonna talk about sex versus intimacy.
- 2:45A lot of times these conversations are confused and I think so much of the time we focus on one
- 2:51of the two in these conversations and we forget that sex and intimacy are different and we
- 2:56forget that they're both important for the health and the maintenance of a relationship.
- 3:01So we're gonna break that down, talk about strategies for both, and one of the things that
- 3:06I think is so cool about doctor Robin's methodology, about what part of her
- 3:10methodology, is taking business structure and business systems and applying that same
- 3:17methodology to relationship.
- 3:18And I think this is so valuable because as an entrepreneur and as a business owner, what I've
- 3:24seen in business, I do apply to life.
- 3:26Right?
- 3:27I apply to conversations that that I have about the step kids.
- 3:31I apply it to things like scheduling time in my life and my day to day process for things like
- 3:38fantasy and pleasure and my partner and more.
- 3:41So I can see, like, how this is so important, and we're gonna break down some more of the
- 3:47nitty gritty today and tell you how to get doctor Robin's book and so many more things.
- 3:51So thank you so much for joining me today, doctor Robin.
- 3:54I'm so excited.
- 3:55This will be fun.
- 3:56Same here.
- 3:57Same here.
- 3:58So so much juicing is happening today, and let's start big picture.
- 4:03Right?
- 4:03So let's start with this conversation of intimacy versus sex.
- 4:07Can you help just kinda lay some foundational found foundational groundwork for how these
- 4:14things are different?
- 4:15Yeah.
- 4:16So intimacy is our connection to someone else, and it isn't necessarily only involving sex.
- 4:23In fact, there's different types of intimacy.
- 4:25There's emotional intimacy, there's intellectual intimacy, there's spiritual
- 4:29intimacy, and there's experiential intimacy.
- 4:32And I think for a lot of us, we forget.
- 4:35We just lump it under one category and the term intimacy is used synonymously to mean sex, and
- 4:42these are not the same things.
- 4:43As you as you can tell from this list, it's a lot more faceted than those two being
- 4:48interchangeable words.
- 4:50So intimacy, at least in my perspective and maybe yours as well, is that it creates the
- 4:56foundation for the potential for a really healthy sexual life.
- 5:02So it's very challenging to have a healthy sex life without intimacy, at least in the couples
- 5:09that I've worked with.
- 5:11Possible, but it's probably not a sex life that is sustainable.
- 5:15Yeah.
- 5:16And I think there's so much to be said there.
- 5:18I relate to all of that.
- 5:19I actually had a personal realization recently around, like, I get all my personal
- 5:24realizations when I'm snowboarding, and I was snowboarding a couple weeks ago, and so I was
- 5:28thinking about business, like, frequently.
- 5:30And I was like, maybe I should I really need to stop saying I'm a sex doc and start saying I'm
- 5:36an intimacy doc, and it's for exactly all those reasons because Yeah.
- 5:39All of those things are the things I talk to people about.
- 5:42And so I think defining that is so key.
- 5:45And one of the things in what you're saying is like, okay.
- 5:47Well, can sex be as deep and as fulfilling?
- 5:52I think, like, when people go and and have more just, like, flings and one night stands, there
- 5:58can be, like, some level fulfillment in that.
- 6:00Do you see, like like, though that is difficult in those scenarios to get into more like this
- 6:07other type of intimacy which can lead to the depth of sex?
- 6:11Absolutely.
- 6:12And I am not, you know, and as I perceive you aren't, I don't judge.
- 6:16If people want to go out and just have random, fun, non committal sex, as long as it's safe
- 6:21and consensual, have at it.
- 6:22%.
- 6:23Have no issues with that.
- 6:24But if you're looking for something that involves intimacy, it takes time.
- 6:29Takes time to know that person at that level, because very often, as strange as it might
- 6:34sound, intimacy is more vulnerable than sex for, I think, a good percentage of individuals,
- 6:40because it's really getting into the things that you value, and how you identify in terms
- 6:45of as a person, as a being.
- 6:48So it takes a more extensive time than maybe the one night stands or the sex just for fun.
- 6:56Again, each has its own place and each has its own choices, but to really develop that sense
- 7:01of intimacy is going to then broaden the level of sexual connection to a much deeper level.
- 7:08Yeah.
- 7:08I really like when intimacy is broken down into into me see.
- 7:13Right?
- 7:14And it's, like, so, like, a great example, like, when we, like, actually break it down and
- 7:18kind of make these side words out of the word of, like, what's really happening there.
- 7:23I'm like, yes.
- 7:23Like you said, it's, like, more vulnerable.
- 7:25Somebody is, like, seeing all the stuff, the stuff that we might personally put a label,
- 7:31good versus bad, and, you know, maybe there's shame and all those things.
- 7:35So, like, let's break this down even more, though.
- 7:37So you said with, like, your perspective of intimacy, did you name four different types?
- 7:42You named emotional, spiritual, sexual.
- 7:46What was the what was the other one?
- 7:48So there's emotional intimacy, intellectual intimacy, spiritual intimacy, and experiential
- 7:53intimacy.
- 7:54So can we talk about those a little bit more and like more on what those are and how do
- 7:59people begin to cultivate those different types of intimacy with their partner?
- 8:03Yeah, absolutely.
- 8:04So when we're looking at emotional intimacy, think that might be the one that is easiest to
- 8:09understand.
- 8:10Emotional intimacy is that safe place and safe experience of sharing your emotions, your
- 8:18feelings, your perspectives on different things, and knowing that you won't be judged in
- 8:25a negative way, that it is okay to not only share them, but express them, and and be have
- 8:32that connection.
- 8:33And again, I think that is one that that a lot of people can understand.
- 8:37And and keeping in mind that when we talk about intimacy, this isn't reserved just for our
- 8:43romantic relationships.
- 8:44This this is also within our friendships, and having that emotional intimacy.
- 8:49And one more qualifier, you might only have some types of intimacy with certain people.
- 8:54I mean, in my ideal world, and when I talk with clients, it's lovely if you can have all types
- 8:59of intimacy with your romantic partner, but sometimes that's not possible.
- 9:04And I don't think that means the relationship is bad or not going to work, it just means that
- 9:10maybe some social diversification is necessary so you find that intimacy with someone else.
- 9:15And I mean that, you know, through a friendship or otherwise.
- 9:18So emotional intimacy is sharing and being vulnerable.
- 9:23Intellectual intimacy is more around the sharing of ideas, and being able to have
- 9:29respectful debates with whoever it is that you want this intellectual intimacy with.
- 9:37And in the political climate of The United States, we this was a big challenge for a lot
- 9:41of friendships, a lot of family members, and a lot of couples, because there was differing
- 9:48sides and differing perspectives that really started to break apart some of the intimacy
- 9:53because people couldn't share it with that level of respect.
- 9:56So that was really challenging, and I'm hopeful that that gets better for a lot of people.
- 10:02Yeah.
- 10:03Spiritual intimacy, a lot of people hear this then, and they assume it's around religion, and
- 10:07it is not.
- 10:08Spiritual intimacy is around your values, and how you see the greater world, how you see your
- 10:14purpose in life, and being able to share that with a partner or with a friend, and ideally
- 10:22sharing it so that maybe that person can support you in achieving that.
- 10:26Not that they're gonna do it for you, but they can encourage you or they can keep you
- 10:30accountable if that's what you're looking for.
- 10:32They can they can be that that sounding board for you as you share kind of the greater
- 10:37greater ideas.
- 10:39A lot of times, what I've experienced is that couples who share very similar spiritual
- 10:44intimacies, they do have stronger foundations because it's that value system.
- 10:49It's what grounds them as a couple.
- 10:52And then experiential intimacy is, I don't know, I laugh because I think it's sometimes
- 10:56the most fun.
- 10:58It's what are you sharing in a very, for lack of redundancy, experiential way with someone?
- 11:05Are you going on trips?
- 11:07Do you go running with them?
- 11:09Do you go paint pottery?
- 11:10It doesn't matter what it is, but what are your shared experiences that bring you closer?
- 11:16Because it's those memories that again kind of weave themselves into the foundation of that
- 11:21relationship, whether it's a romantic relationship or whether it's a friend
- 11:24relationship.
- 11:25So as an example, in my family, our kids are all adult children now, but once a year, we
- 11:33take all of our kids and their significant others on some trip.
- 11:37So we don't exchange holiday presents.
- 11:39This is their present, and we do a big family trip, so there is that connection, and we have
- 11:43those memories.
- 11:44And my kids, long before they were adults, they have that history of of shared experiences,
- 11:50sometimes good, sometimes bad, that keeps that that experiential intimacy within our family
- 11:56unit.
- 11:58I I have so many questions going through my head, and, like, one of the so this is great.
- 12:01Like, I already love framework.
- 12:03Right?
- 12:04Because one of the things I'm initially thinking about and, like, listening to this is
- 12:08it was just it was just when I hear this, it's like, okay.
- 12:11These are all different areas from an intimacy standpoint when we are fulfilled, when we say
- 12:17have our intimacy needs met, right, that we can feel more supported, we can feel more alive, we
- 12:23can feel more excited about life, we can there's just so many things, right, that can
- 12:27come out of this.
- 12:29And so what I'm curious about, and maybe this gets into your framework, is is there a process
- 12:34then that you take people through to help, like, identify, like, oh, okay.
- 12:39Maybe I don't have this spiritual value based connection with my partner, and maybe I need to
- 12:45get that through my friend.
- 12:46Like, is there a process for helping people identify how they can get their needs met and
- 12:52with who?
- 12:53Yeah.
- 12:54Well, as objective as it sounds, because it is, with the couples I work with, we do a SWOT
- 13:01analysis.
- 13:02Okay.
- 13:02If you aren't familiar with that term, it's a very business based term, which looks at
- 13:07strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
- 13:10And it works in business because you can build off the strengths to address the weaknesses,
- 13:16strengths can also help kind of create, some kind of foundation to deal with any potential
- 13:20threats, and then you can see opportunities.
- 13:23And what I'll always say to couples who are like, I don't know, Doctor.
- 13:25Robin, can we really like, that seems a little too business y.
- 13:29I said, Well, if it works in business, why couldn't it work in a relationship?
- 13:32And towards intimacy, that's what we look at, is how can we use the strengths in the
- 13:38relationship to enhance each level of intimacy?
- 13:41And in order to do that, it's also identifying for each member of a couple, what does each
- 13:48type of intimacy look like for you?
- 13:50What are you sharing?
- 13:53Are you really strong in intellectual intimacy?
- 13:55How can we use that then to build spiritual intimacy if that's lacking?
- 13:59So we look at it in terms of where are the strengths in the couple, where are the
- 14:04challenges or the weaknesses, and then what are the opportunities to build on those?
- 14:08And are there any threats?
- 14:09As an example, sometimes, and I talk to a couple who has children, we talked about them
- 14:16as stakeholders, internal stakeholders, the couple is working to maintain, just like in
- 14:22business.
- 14:22And sometimes internal stakeholders are threats to experiential intimacy as a couple because
- 14:28they are time consuming, and they're financially consuming.
- 14:32So it's not a matter of, oh, it's a threat and we can't do it.
- 14:35It's okay, now how are we gonna work around that?
- 14:37So it's a very analytical way of breaking down where are the strongest points in a
- 14:44relationship, where are the challenges, and how can we foresee to avoid anything that could
- 14:49continue to damage the relationship.
- 14:51Yeah.
- 14:52I love it.
- 14:52I love the Swine Network in general.
- 14:54Basically, I think I just like I'm a scientist by, you know, by heart, and so anytime we can,
- 15:00like, be a you know, find, like, systematic ways of of helping people, it just makes it so,
- 15:06I think, linear and obtainable.
- 15:08Well, as you know, a lot of it goes back to just neuroscience.
- 15:12And when couples talk about their relationships, you know, this this emotional
- 15:16part of the brain, the amygdala, is firing.
- 15:18And I always describe the
- 15:20Just a quick break to let you know that eighty percent of women do not have orgasms from
- 15:25vaginal intercourse alone.
- 15:28So many people are not having the type of sex that is healing, that brings them closer, that
- 15:33brings them more connected, that is full of so much pleasure and passion that it can build
- 15:39bones, reduce stress, help serotonin, bring happiness, lower anxiety, improve sleep, and
- 15:45build a better connection with your partner.
- 15:48That is what hot and modern monogamy is, is modern monogamy that brings in all of that
- 15:54passion, that desire, that closeness, and that healing, and that's what you can get at the Hot
- 16:00and Modern Monogamy Club.
- 16:01So if you're interested in that and I can help you, please go to modernmonogamyclub.com.
- 16:07Now back to our show.
- 16:08And if we don't find a way to rein in the amygdala and get our logical part of our brain,
- 16:13the prefrontal cortex engaged, then the amygdala is going to take over, and that's
- 16:17where you see couples blow up, whether it's in sadness or in anger.
- 16:21But when you're looking at things strategically, whether it's through a SWOT
- 16:25analysis or otherwise, then your prefrontal cortex is there, and then you can talk about
- 16:29even really difficult things in a really calm way.
- 16:33Yeah.
- 16:33That's interesting, right?
- 16:34You were actually taking something that is highly emotional, like our emotional intimacy
- 16:39also be redundant, and we're actually taking that and we're saying, oh, we're gonna actually
- 16:44take the emotion out of the emotional intimacy so we process it.
- 16:49Right?
- 16:49So we can get emotional intimacy.
- 16:51This very cyclical thing that works.
- 16:54Yeah.
- 16:54I love that so much.
- 16:55So, you know, when do you typically find then in, like, your work where you do something
- 17:00this?
- 17:00So you're doing a SWOT analysis on these four different intimacy areas.
- 17:04When when do you find in your work then it's like, oh, this is something that that we're not
- 17:10actually able to say improve upon.
- 17:13Right?
- 17:13There's opportunity is, like, we just can't get to that opportunity to say, ugh.
- 17:18Like, we're gonna have this intellectual relationship that's just maybe not available.
- 17:23Is that what happens then is, like, then determining, like, because of something like
- 17:27that coming up, like, okay.
- 17:29You need to maybe find a way of getting this need met through a friendship or through a
- 17:33course, or is that kinda how it works?
- 17:36Yeah.
- 17:36For a lot of a lot of us in in our society, you know, we're raised on rom coms and Disney and
- 17:42Hallmark and these, wonderful relationships created by fate and destiny, and I don't buy
- 17:47into that one bit, I think that's what leads to disappointment for a lot of relationships.
- 17:52And we buy into the idea that our partner is the one person to give us everything, and
- 17:57whether you listen to Esther Perel or Renee Brown or any of these amazing, you know,
- 18:02theorists and researchers, this is just not possible.
- 18:06It's not possible to get everything from one person.
- 18:09So it's okay to say, wow, that you know, my partner doesn't quite give me everything I want
- 18:16in the area of emotional intimacy.
- 18:18I do hope that your partner gives you some in each area, but it doesn't have to be to the
- 18:22fullest extent.
- 18:23I adore my husband.
- 18:25I am very lucky to be best friends with my husband because we were best friends for twenty
- 18:29years before we were married, so it was an easy jump.
- 18:31But there are times when the emotional intimacy is not as full as I want from him because he is
- 18:38very much driven by his rational brain, and sometimes I don't want to be.
- 18:42Yeah.
- 18:42So that's when I call up my sister, or I call up my best friend, because they will
- 18:46absolutely, you know, let me do whatever I want with my emotions, and that's okay.
- 18:51It doesn't mean he's not the right partner for me.
- 18:53It doesn't mean he's cold by any means.
- 18:55It just means that I want something a little bit different or more, and it's great that I
- 18:59have other people so that it then doesn't become, oh, he can't do for me what I want, and
- 19:04then it spins out of control.
- 19:06And I think, you know, just like being able to name that and categorize it going into things,
- 19:11it's so much easier than to like recognize, like, oh, right.
- 19:15This is that thing that's happening where this need's not being met, and instead of making the
- 19:19partner bad, we just realize like, oh, they're showing up for them in, like, the way they're
- 19:24able to, and now I recognize this, and now I can just call my sister, like you're saying.
- 19:28Exactly.
- 19:29Exactly.
- 19:29It gives the power back.
- 19:31Mhmm.
- 19:31Now do you apply anything more from the sexual side of things to business at all?
- 19:38Or is it more just in these other types of intimacy categories?
- 19:40There's no area of relationship that escapes this framing.
- 19:44One of the biggest areas, or easiest strategies is, you know, we talk in business about annual
- 19:52reviews, and every year, a person gets to review with someone that is involved in their
- 19:59development how they're doing.
- 20:00Now, I do not recommend that couples do an annual review because that's too long, too long
- 20:05to wait.
- 20:06Ideally, I suggest to couples that at the latest, they do a quarterly review, but I love
- 20:12monthly reviews.
- 20:14And it looks very much like an annual review, where there is an agenda, and there are topics
- 20:19to cover, not only new topics that have come up, but consistent topics.
- 20:24And sexual life or intimacy is one of those steady agenda items each month, or each quarter
- 20:30if it has to be extended out.
- 20:32And it's a conversation of what is working, a little bit of a SWOT analysis, what's not
- 20:37working, what techniques have we tried that we wanna keep trying, what techniques really
- 20:44didn't work, but it gives a spot for couples to have the conversation.
- 20:48Because a lot of times, you know, it's you're walking past each other in the kitchen, how is
- 20:51your day good?
- 20:52How is your day good?
- 20:53And that's all you're getting.
- 20:54That's right.
- 20:54And that's not gonna enhance any level of intimacy, and certainly not gonna roll over to
- 20:59enhancing a sexual wellness.
- 21:01So when you actually know that's going be on the agenda, it gives you the opportunity,
- 21:05because a lot of times, I don't know about you, Diane, but when people are in bed with their
- 21:11partners, that isn't necessarily the time they want to have these dragged out conversations.
- 21:15It either detracts from what they're trying to accomplish, whatever that might be, or it
- 21:20becomes emotional because they're in that vulnerable space, and then it feels like
- 21:25criticism or disappointment, instead of, hey, we're in this, you know, we're sitting in our
- 21:30home office, or we're sitting at the dining room table, the kids are out of your shot, and
- 21:35I can just say, you know what, remember that two weeks ago?
- 21:37That didn't really feel very good, and I'd like to process how we can work around that.
- 21:41Again, couples sometimes pull back because they think it sounds way too sterile, but then
- 21:49again, if you can have those kind of conversations about really important emotional
- 21:55topics and lead to a solution, that's what makes it better.
- 21:59Yeah.
- 22:00It's amazing.
- 22:00And I've seen that too in my work that the bed is not oftentimes the place to have these kind
- 22:05of conversations.
- 22:06Like, it's like we have memories, and if it doesn't go, if it feels like stagnant or if it
- 22:12doesn't go or as well as you want or there's a moment of intensity, the next time you do wanna
- 22:17go and just be sexy and intimate and have your moments, then sometimes those memories come
- 22:23flooding back.
- 22:24Exactly.
- 22:25It's like that's a very real, like, it can create a very real, like, PTSD, almost trauma
- 22:30type of response in certain situations.
- 22:32Right.
- 22:32It is amazing when you, you know, you you see how the connections are.
- 22:36You know, you have these objective conversations, these rational, data based, you
- 22:41know, fact based conversations.
- 22:43It enhances intimacy at sometimes multiple levels, which then can enhance your your sex
- 22:48life.
- 22:49And to me, I, you know, I can't speak for everyone.
- 22:52That's the ideal.
- 22:53Like, I can I can get all of it by just using all the pieces instead of, we're just gonna use
- 22:58one piece and hope it ripples out, because that that isn't typically how things are done in
- 23:02personal life, and definitely not in business?
- 23:04No.
- 23:04Not in business and not in medicine either.
- 23:06Like, are looking for, like, one root cause.
- 23:09I'm like, well, maybe a strep throat, but there's you know, you look at, like, low
- 23:13libido, for example, and it's, like, yeah.
- 23:15It could be testosterone, but it's usually testosterone and circulation and neurological
- 23:20and emotional and on and on and on and on and on.
- 23:23It's, like, this there's not one cause here.
- 23:25And you're going use all the tools, you're going to go see a physician, you're also maybe
- 23:29going to go see a therapist or a counselor or a coach, and then maybe you're also going to take
- 23:33medications, you're going to use all the tools available.
- 23:35So when I work with couples, you know, I say, you don't rule out anything.
- 23:40Why wouldn't you wanna use everything at your disposal to get what you really want, or at
- 23:44least really close to it?
- 23:45Yeah.
- 23:46I love it.
- 23:47So we talked about SWOT analysis.
- 23:49We talked about our monthly reviews.
- 23:51Mhmm.
- 23:52What other business, and I, you know, we're gonna encourage people obviously to go get your
- 23:55book, which will have way more in it than we can get to today, but but can you give us
- 23:59another example of a, like, business type of framework that you've seen really apply to
- 24:04intimacy and sex?
- 24:04Really, really simple one.
- 24:07I ask all my couples from the very first session, tell me what you understand and what a
- 24:12mission statement is, and they can rattle off all their companies and their small businesses
- 24:17have mission statements, and they're all full of themselves because they know what the
- 24:21benefits are, and I said, okay, cool.
- 24:23So what's your relationship mission statement?
- 24:25And then I get deer in the headlights or just crickets in the background, and they're like,
- 24:28oh, well, no.
- 24:29That's not the same.
- 24:30I'm like, it is.
- 24:31All benefits you talked about, you know, keeping everybody unified under one goal and
- 24:36having a direction for the company and shared values, and articulation of that are all what a
- 24:43business can do, but why wouldn't you want the same things in your relationship?
- 24:47So couples will work on developing a mission statement, and then sometimes, as we progress,
- 24:53I will actually have them create a second mission statement, which is just about their
- 24:56sex life.
- 24:57So they create a sexual mission statement that is specific to that area of their life because
- 25:01sometimes that needs a more developed nuance than just their overall relationship mission
- 25:07statement, and it becomes a tool.
- 25:09I tell them, this is not something that you do once and you never think about again.
- 25:13Again, as your monthly review, you review your mission statement.
- 25:16What are some ways we supported our mission statement this month?
- 25:19What are some ways we were totally off track?
- 25:21And the same with the sexual mission statement.
- 25:23How did we support it, and how did we miss the mark, and how can we change that?
- 25:28It becomes an evaluation tool for all the important areas, the big umbrella of the
- 25:34relationship and that really specific important part for a lot of people around intimacy and
- 25:38sex.
- 25:39I love it, and I was about to even comment before you said it, the monthly review, because
- 25:43my partner and I actually did this.
- 25:45We created a couple mission statements.
- 25:47Oh, I love this.
- 25:48But here's the thing, as you were saying this, I immediately was like, but can I actually tell
- 25:53her what it is?
- 25:54Because we've not been doing the review.
- 25:55And I know that.
- 25:56Like, and like, I do that for my business.
- 25:58I do monthly reviews, and quarterly reviews, and yearly reviews, and all the things.
- 26:02But but so I was like, this is a perfect example of like, we created it, and now I need
- 26:06to talk to him tonight and be like, do you remember what that was?
- 26:09And we probably need to update it because it's been some years.
- 26:11Right.
- 26:12Exactly.
- 26:13But that's a really
- 26:13White weird shoe.
- 26:14Mean, it's Right.
- 26:15It's this dynamic, ever evolving.
- 26:18It isn't just you slap it on paper, and then it's good forever.
- 26:21That's crazy.
- 26:22Your relationship, I would hope, isn't like that.
- 26:25It's gonna continue to evolve and change as each of you do, so Yeah.
- 26:30Yeah.
- 26:30And I think it's so exciting.
- 26:31I a lot too about putting people in couples, putting each other on the same team again,
- 26:36right?
- 26:36Yeah, is.
- 26:37And I think so many times, it's like we get in these little things, right, these little spats,
- 26:42or these little moments that drift us apart, and it's so easy to forget that, hey, this is
- 26:47like you know, this is like teammate.
- 26:49This is like being on the same team.
- 26:51And I think that mission statement, like, in is a good way.
- 26:55It's one of, you know, many tools that really can help to, like, put people, like, back on,
- 27:00oh, this is why we're together.
- 27:01This is what we're doing.
- 27:02We're on the same team.
- 27:03This is what our team is about.
- 27:04This is what we stand for.
- 27:05When you think about it, you know, and again, we're talking in more of a traditional sense of
- 27:11a two partner relationship, and I know there's lots of different ways a relationship can look.
- 27:16But if we're going from that framework, you know, those two people are the founders of the
- 27:21relationship, just like co founders of a business would be working together.
- 27:25So if you're the founders of your relationship, how are you gonna make sure that it sustains
- 27:30all the ups and downs that are going to come, just like market values of a business, and you
- 27:35get to decide how to do that with all the tools possible?
- 27:38So good.
- 27:39So good.
- 27:40And I do like the sexual mission statement too.
- 27:42You know, I'm also thinking, yeah.
- 27:44We've, like, kinda defined, like, what our, like, sex goals are, meaning, like, frequency
- 27:48and things we wanna try and those kind of things.
- 27:51But we haven't, like, defined it from, like, a mission statement standpoint.
- 27:54So I I love you're giving me some fun ideas for our conversation after we celebrate with the
- 28:00celebrate life with kids later.
- 28:03I love to get it.
- 28:04So good.
- 28:05Okay.
- 28:06So, wrapping up part one here, and then we'll let everybody know that, hey.
- 28:10You can get part two by going to mylibidoclub.com.
- 28:13And in part two, we're gonna talk about CBT framework, cognitive behavioral therapy, and,
- 28:18like, some of the framework with that.
- 28:20Like, my understanding of CBT has always been, like, part of the the process with that is to
- 28:25get trauma and things that are more intense or maybe more activating to the nervous system
- 28:30more into the prefrontal cortex where we can process them and actually have conversations.
- 28:36Is that is that really what we're doing here with that?
- 28:38Yeah.
- 28:39It's actually applying deliberate strategies so that your brain becomes your ally in the
- 28:44relationship rather than your adversary.
- 28:46And that is as simple as I can make it.
- 28:48And so we're going to talk about that in part two, I think that's so important because a lot
- 28:53of times it's like the crazy thought that like gets into the brain, and we believe that
- 28:59thought, and the thought then creates all these feelings and it takes over.
- 29:02Yes.
- 29:02And all of a sudden, we're making these decisions about our life and our relationship
- 29:05just because we had a thought go by our brain and we didn't even have to believe it.
- 29:09Right?
- 29:10Exactly.
- 29:10Okay.
- 29:11So part two coming up.
- 29:12But before that, before that, like, let's tell everybody about your book that's coming out,
- 29:17how to access that, how to access, you know, just all your goodies.
- 29:21Right.
- 29:21So by the summer of twenty twenty five, my book, it's entitled, Marriage Incorporated,
- 29:28Building a Relationship with a Business Framework, is going to be out, and it talks
- 29:32about some of the strategies that we've talked about today, Diane, as well as a whole host of
- 29:36others.
- 29:37So it's based on over fifteen years of using this framework and really seeing it work in a
- 29:42way that, for some couples who have tried even traditional therapy, just didn't have the
- 29:46success.
- 29:47So that's going to be out, and if you have any questions about it, you can find me on
- 29:50Instagram, LinkedIn, or at my website, drrobynbuckley.com.
- 29:53And we'll have all of those links in the show notes.
- 29:56And then you had some other giveaway too, is that right?
- 29:58Yeah, absolutely.
- 29:59So when people reach out, we can absolutely schedule a complimentary fifteen minute
- 30:06coaching session.
- 30:07It's usually just something where I can really help very quickly identify some key goals that
- 30:13people want to accomplish, and give them a couple quick strategies.
- 30:17So it's just a way to really jump start your relationship.
- 30:21Perfect.
- 30:22Great gifts, and we'll find all that in the show notes.
- 30:24And before we wrap up today, is there any, like, final final thing you wanna say to
- 30:30everybody before we call it a wrap?
- 30:32Yeah.
- 30:32I I would say that when people talk about marriage relationship being hard work, that is
- 30:37BS.
- 30:38It is not hard work.
- 30:40It is diligence, nurturing, and dedication to the relationship every single day.
- 30:44But if you tell your brain it's hard work, and we'll be talking about this next, it will be.
- 30:49So stop telling yourself that and just apply the tools that will get you the relationship
- 30:53you want.
- 30:54I love that so much.
- 30:55I get very frustrated when people say the same thing, so we're totally in alignment there.
- 30:59So everybody, I hope you will go check out this book.
- 31:03This will be out basically any day now.
- 31:05And please go check out more of Robin's work and find me at mylibidoclub.com for part two.
- 31:11Thank you so much, Robin, for being here today.
- 31:13Thank you, Diane.
- 31:14This was awesome.
- 31:15Alright, everybody.
- 31:16This is another episode of The Lounge.
- 31:18Can't wait to see you again.
- 31:22Thank you for listening to the Libido Lounge.
- 31:24Please don't keep me a secret.
- 31:26Please share this with your friends.
- 31:28You can find me on YouTube, on Instagram, as well as how to work with me at mylibidodoc.com.