The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall cover art

The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall

The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall

By: Andrew G. Marshall
Listen for free

Hello, I am a marital therapist, communications trainer and author. I have thirty-five years helping couples and individuals make better relationships. I have written twenty-plus self-help books which include the international best-sellers ‘I love you but I’m not in love with you’ and ‘How can I ever trust you again?’ My books have been translated into twenty languages. I trained with RELATE the UK’s largest counselling charity. Perhaps it has been turning sixty but I have become interested in spiritual as well as psychological questions. Who am I? What are my values – as opposed to my parents, my teachers and the wider society? What makes my life meaningful? What do I believe about life, the universe and everything? Although my clients might come to me because of destructive arguments, falling out of love and infidelity, they are also interested in having more meaningful relationships and a more meaningful life. So what is the meaningful life? Why do we so easily lose our way and get lost in depression, anxiety, doubt, addictions and obsessions: the swamplands of the soul? One thing I know for sure is that there is not one answer. Each of us has to find out for ourselves what makes our life meaningful. But we can learn from each other, share our experiences of how to navigate the journey, how to endure and learn from the swamp, and finally how to find solid ground. I have decided to use my original training in radio and journalism to interview witnesses for what makes life meaningful. Each week, I invite someone who is a therapist, academic, self-help coach or who has an enlightening personal story to share their knowledge or experiences. I hope our discussions will help you discover what makes your life meaningful and find more purpose and contentment.Copyright 2023 All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Spirituality
Episodes
  • Irene Fehr: Why Desire Disappears in Committed Relationships

    Irene Fehr: Why Desire Disappears in Committed Relationships
    Jun 29 2026
    Why do women stop wanting sex? Why is it so hard to recapture the intoxicating desire of those wonderful early weeks and months of your relationship? Irene Fehr has spent a decade working with couples as a sex and intimacy coach. Her specialty is women’s libido and sexual desire in long-term relationships. In this episode Andrew and Irene discuss the nature of desire. Unless we understand what compels and creates desire at different life stages, we will not be able to create a passionate, connected sexual life that meets both partner’s needs. As well as understanding desire, there are also practical steps you can take to rekindle your connection. Fencing off time away from your children (including the controversial act of locking the bedroom door) is key; as is taking small amounts of time each day (rather than weekly date nights) to spend in complete, uninterrupted togetherness. And if you are one of our wonderful Apple, Spotify or Patreon paying subscribers, this week’s bonus material sees Andrew and Irene discussing Seven Common Traps for Couples Making Love. Irene Fehr is a sex and intimacy coach. Her articles and advice on sex, female libido and sexual pleasure are regularly featured in publications including Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan and Thought Catalog. 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: ⭐️Three things Irene Fehr 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 Take Irene Fehr’s free video course on How to Want to Have Sex Again Learn more about Feed Your Libido, Irene Fehr’s signature online program for women. Visit Irene Fehr’s website Follow Irene Fehr on Twitter and YouTube @ignitedwoman and on LinkedIn. Read the books discussed in this episode: Women’s Anatomy of Arousal by Sherrie Winston, and The New Male Sexuality by Bernie Zilbergeld. Find out more about Betty Martin’s Wheel of Consent Listen to other The Meaningful Life episodes on sex and relationships: Tracey Cox on Great Sex After Fifty and Dr Terry Real on Five Traps that Undermine Your Love 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
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
  • David Kessler: Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief

    David Kessler: Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief
    Jun 22 2026

    David Kessler is one of the world’s best-known experts on grief, yet nothing could prepare him for the loss of his beloved son at the age of 21. Just as he’d advised his clients for decades, David attended grief groups, saw a therapist and sat with his pain.

    In this episode, Andrew and David discuss how society wants us to grieve versus the reality of loss. We will likely never “get over” the loss of someone close to us, nor will we learn life lessons that somehow compensate us for our pain. It is possible, though, to locate meaning in how we survive and experience loss.

    Andrew and David also explore Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s famous and now much contested “five stages of grief” (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) and discuss how useful they are in today’s landscape.

    David Kessler’s new book is Finding Meaning:The Sixth Stage of Grief. His previous books have been praised by Saint (Mother) Theresa, and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. He has co-authored two books with Louise Hay and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. David also creates online communities who take courses together to learn more about the process of grieving.

    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:

    ⭐️Three things David Kessler 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

    Join David Kessler’s online healing group, Healing the Five Areas of Grief.

    Visit David Kessler’s website to explore resources including videos, webinars, books and training courses.

    Follow David Kessler on Twitter and Instagram @IamDavidKessler and on Facebook @DavidKessler.

    Read Andrew’s book on grieving the loss of his partner My Mourning Year

    You may also wish to listen to Andrew’s interview with palliative care physician and author Dr Kathryn Mannix, What You’ve Been Told About Death Might Be Wrong.

    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

    Show More Show Less
    48 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
Andrew G Marshall is insightful and compassionate. The guests are almost always engaging and friendly.
The podcast tackles subjects from relationships, personal growth and communication, to the psychology of fairy tales. Andrew himself, guides the listener through the topics with clarity, occational light hearted humour and enthusiasm.
Listeners can write into the podcast with a problem to be discussed, this is one of my favourite aspects of the show.
Definitely in my top 3 podcasts. The new episodes are available on a Monday morning, giving me a 'thought for the week', in which I contemplate the weeks' subject and put into practice some of the subject matter that has 'landed with me' from the pod.
Food for thought delivered in a clear and entertaining way.

Wonderful. Thoughtful. Entertaining.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.