If you’re in relationship with a partner who is on the autism spectrum, the following may feel familiar:

• My partner seems to lack empathy and doesn’t care how I feel
• My partner misjudges me all the time - I can’t do anything right
• I can’t seem to find a way to communicate with my partner
• My partner feels attacked and criticised if I disagree
• We argue all the time and never resolve anything
• My partner just walks away when things get emotional
• We've been together for a long time and I am lonelier than I have ever been in my life

This week Sarah Swenson, a counselor specialising in working with neurodiverse couples, highlights some of challenges these couples face, and shares her ideas on how to build a happy relationship that can work for both partners.

Andrew and Sarah also discuss several listener letters on challenges faced by neurodiverse couples.

Sarah Swenson is a licensed mental health counselor based in Seattle, Washington. Her practice is focused on supporting the needs of neurodiverse couples in which one partner is or may be autistic.

If You’re Looking for More….

You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.

This week supporters will hear:

⭐️The problems with being highly intelligent.

⭐️Three things Sarah Swenson knows to be true.

⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

Follow Up

Attend Andrew’s mens’s retreat near Berlin in June 2026: details here

Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools

Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.

Visit Sarah Swenson’s website

Find out about Sarah Swenson’s online courses for neurodiverse couples.

Read Sarah Swenson’s Substack newsletter for neurotypical individuals whose partners are or may be autistic.

Find out about Sarah Swenson’s work counselling highly intelligent individuals.

Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.

Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall