• Summary

  • Radically empathic advice. Produced by WBUR.
    Copyright Trustees of Boston University
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Episodes
  • Redux: Trust Your Body
    Mar 28 2025

    This episode was originally released on June 11, 2018.

    Her doctor categorized her as overweight when she was 5 years old. Her grandmother always introduced her as the “chubby one.” As an adult, she vacillates between moderation and binge-eating, restricting food some weeks, and gorging on cake and ice cream during others. “It’s only when my pants are nearly impossible to button that I force myself to lose weight,” writes the letter-writer who calls herself Body Negative. “And then the pattern starts all over again.”

    The sinister cycle of dieting and binge-eating plagues many American women. The body positivity movement promotes fat acceptance and attempts to reverse body-shaming, no matter one’s size. But Body Negative is skeptical, writing, “I struggle with how to be body positive after years of being told it’s wrong to be my size and weight. Is there such a thing as unconditional body acceptance?”

    Hilary Kinavey, M.S., L.P.C., and Dana Sturtevant, M.S., R.D., the co-owners of Be Nourished, join the Sugars to offer Body Negative and women like her some hope. Ms. Kinavey and Ms. Sturtevant present new definitions of health and discuss alternatives to the “dieting mind.” Ms. Kinavey explains that before body acceptance is achievable, “most of us who have experienced a lot of body shame … and weight stigma have healing work to do.”

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    42 mins
  • Redux: Sex & Aging
    Mar 15 2025

    This episode was originally released on May 25th, 2018.

    When two women in their sixties start losing interest in sex, their sex-starved partners become increasingly frustrated. Both women blame old age for their waning libidos. But is their diminished sex drive because of age or something else?

    The erotic lives of senior citizens are typically made invisible by our culture, which can lead to confusion and misinformation. Dr. Pepper Schwartz, the love and relationship columnist for AARP, joins the Sugars to dispel certain myths about sex and aging: Do libidos change after menopause? How does the aging body affect the way we feel about sex? Should medical interventions be considered for a declining sex drive?

    Dr. Schwartz is a professor of sociology at the University of Washington and has written more than 25 books on love and sexuality. She’s also an on-air expert for Lifetime TV’s “Married at First Sight.”

    The Sugars Recommend “Our Souls at Night,” by Kent Haruf

    “Scary Old Sex,” by Arlene Heyman

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    37 mins
  • Episodes We Love: Rapid Fire — Love & Money
    Mar 1 2025

    This episode was originally released on July 21st, 2018.

    When it comes to love, money is supposed to be no object. But there’s no disentangling love from anything in our lives, and income is no exception. So how do you assess the role money should play in a relationship, and what happens when your desires and means change over time?

    In this episode, five letter writers want to know how to discuss money with their romantic and familial partners. How do I stop resenting my husband for his low income? How do I ask my stay-at-home wife to get a job? Should I feel obligated to share the wealth with my fiscally irresponsible parents? The Sugars answer these questions and more in rapid-fire style.

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    44 mins

Featured Article: The Best Relationship Podcasts for Navigating the Ups and Downs of Love


Whether you're still in the exciting beginning stages of a new relationship or have been married for decades, everyone could use a little relationship advice once in a while. So, queue up one of these listens, grab a pair of headphones to share with your partner, and listen in. These shows—some of the best relationship podcasts out there—can support you through rocky times and good times alike, no matter how long you've been together.

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