122: Part 6/8, Polyamory, Parenting, and the Art of Staying Yourself: Designing a Relationship that Works Series

122: Part 6/8, Polyamory, Parenting, and the Art of Staying Yourself: Designing a Relationship that Works Series

What if the real secret to a lasting relationship isn't the structure — monogamy, polyamory, swinging, or anything else — but the willingness to approach with love? In this episode, Andrea and Janelle sit down with John Holle and Katie Wise, a Boulder-based couple married for 17 years who have experimented with nearly every relationship format imaginable. From open play and live-in partners to raising teenagers inside a radically honest household, their story is less about labels and more about curiosity, growth, and choosing each other again and again. It's messy, tender, funny, and surprisingly wise. There's a nod to play therapy, the book "Polysecure", Tamera and the documentary, "The Village of Lovers." You'll hear:

-How their childhoods--chaotic divorce and big-time care--impacted their own choices

-About the Burning Man that began their foundation

-The intense chapter of a household with three adults and two kid

-Navigating jealousy, attachment styles, and the myth that one person must meet every nee

-Why community, coaching, and conscious conversation have been essential to their marriag

-Why the structure matters less than the love residing inside

Learn more about John's mediation practice at consciousfamilyfirm.com.

Katie's band can be found online at

Katie Wise + Bhakti Explosion

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