Today, Dr. Alexandra and fellow psychologist, author, and podcast host Dr. Tracy Dalgleish are digging into a dynamic that is notoriously difficult to navigate - if, of course, all the stereotypes and jokes and rhetoric are to be totally believed. Except in this conversation, they’re handling it with the compassion, nuance, and understanding that all relationships deserve. They are dissecting the dynamic between a woman, her husband and her mother-in-law, and the complexities often found in that triangle.

Dr. Tracy’s book You, Your Husband, and His Mother explores this dynamic in such an insightful way and her offerings guide this conversation. She provides tools to help you understand the dynamics at play and to shift those dynamics in the most effective way we can: namely, by seeing our own patterns in relation to others’, meeting those patterns with compassion and understanding, and changing up our own dance moves.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why this dynamic can be so challenging, as well as the ways each vertice of the triangle might show up to shape the dynamic
• Strategies for prioritizing your relationship amidst family pressures
• Dr. Tracy’s Six Types of Mothers-in-Law and Three Styles of daughters-in-law
• About Dr. Tracy’s VAULT method, which is an acronym that breaks down the steps you can take with your partner to shake up the dynamics of this triangle

Resources worth mentioning from the episode:

• You, Your Husband, and His Mother: Create a Healthy Relationship with Your Mother-in-Law--and Your Spouse--in Five Simple Steps by Dr. Tracy Dalgleish: https://bookshop.org/p/books/you-your-husband-and-his-mother-create-a-healthy-relationship-with-your-mother-in-law-and-your-spouse-in-five-simple-steps-dr-tracy-dalgleish/ff98565f5a7ef87a
• Follow Dr. Tracy D on IG: https://www.instagram.com/drtracyd/?hl=en
• Dr. Tracy D's podcast Dear Dr. Tracy: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dear-dr-tracy/id1452433255
• Reimagining Love episode, Love, Acceptance, & Growth: The Insights We Glean from Couples Therapy with Dr. Tracy Dalgleish: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/podcasts/love-acceptance-growth-the-insights-we-glean-from-couples-therapy/
• NYT article on Mankeeping that Dr. Tracy references: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/well/family/mankeeping-definition.html

Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:

• Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274
• Access Resources, like quizzes and courses: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/resources
• Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530
• Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s Loving Bravely newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/
• Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/

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What would change if, instead of prioritizing romantic relationships, we made friendships the center of our lives? NPR's Rhaina Cohen joins Reimagining Love to explore the possibilities embedded within that question. In her new book, Rhaina invites us into the worlds of people who've organized their lives around deep friendship and, in doing so, challenge our ideas and assumptions about which relationships should be at the heart of a fulfilling life.

Resources worth mentioning from the episode:

• The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center by Rhaina Cohen
• Listen to "Dear Friend," the song inspired by Rhaina's book
• Connect with Rhaina online
• "Parent–adult child estrangement in the United States by gender, race/ethnicity, and sexuality" from the Journal of Marriage and Family

Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:

• Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274
• Access Resources, like quizzes and courses: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/resources
• Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530
• Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s Loving Bravely newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/
• Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever found yourself caught in a whirlwind of infatuation, unable to discern between love and obsession? In this conversation, Dr. Alexandra and journalist and author Amanda McCracken discuss limerence, a state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings. Drawing from her compelling new book, When Longing Becomes Your Lover, Amanda shares her personal journey through the complexities of limerence, shedding light on how modern dating practices and social media amplify this intense emotional state. Beyond the macro/cultural factors, you will hear about the individual risk factors that can lead to patterns of limerence, such as painful early experiences and certain neuro-wirings/diagnoses, like ADHD and autism. You will also hear about how Amanda approached healing from her limerent patterns and opened herself up to a healthy, reciprocal intimate partnership.

Resources worth mentioning from the episode:

• When Longing Becomes Your Lover: Breaking from Infatuation, Rejection, and Perfectionism to Find Authentic Love: A True Story of Overcoming Limerence by Amanda McCracken https://bookshop.org/p/books/when-longing-becomes-your-lover-breaking-from-infatuation-rejection-and-perfectionism-to-find-authentic-love-a-true-story-of-overcoming-limerence-a/ef0e30a5bd30e10b?aid=116429&ean=9781546008538&listref=2026-most-anticipated-memoirs-and-essay-collections&next=t
• Learn more about Amanda McCracken: https://www.amandajmccracken.com/
• Follow Amanda McCracken on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thelonginglab
• Listen to The Longing Lab Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-longing-lab/id1606581375
• Dr. Tom Bellamy’s Living With Limerence: https://livingwithlimerence.com/about/
• Reimagining Love episode Crushes, First Love, and Heartbreak: Supporting Teens Through Relationship Milestones with Lisa A. Phillips https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crushes-first-love-and-heartbreak-supporting-teens/id1588419386?i=1000704425459&l=ru

Continue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:

• Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274
• Access Resources, like quizzes and courses: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/resources
• Order Dr. Alexandra’s book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530
• Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra’s Loving Bravely newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/
• Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.