Couples Therapy in Seven Words
with Dr. Bruce Chalmer and Judy Alexander
with Dr. Bruce Chalmer and
Judy Alexander
with Dr. Bruce Chalmer and Judy Alexander
with Dr. Bruce Chalmer and
Judy Alexander
This podcast began as a conversation between two people who care deeply about relationships — and who happen to be married to each other.
The podcast grew out of Bruce’s first book about relationships, Reigniting the Spark, where he wrote about a simple framework for understanding what couples therapy is really about:
Be kind, don’t panic, and have faith.
Those seven words became shorthand for the kind of emotional steadiness and generosity that help relationships endure. When the book was published, the conversations continued — this time with Judy at the table, bringing her own perspective, humor, and lived experience to the dialogue.
Over time, that conversation expanded. Today, we talk not only with each other but with authors, therapists, educators, and thoughtful voices from around the world. Some episodes are just the two of us thinking aloud together. Others are interviews that bring fresh perspectives into the room.
Whether we’re speaking with a guest or talking across the table at home, the goal is the same: to explore intimacy, conflict, desire, and growth with clarity, curiosity, and a bit of laughter.
Bruce is a licensed psychologist specializing in couples therapy. For decades, he has worked with partners navigating betrayal, desire, conflict, and the often unspoken tensions that shape long-term intimacy.
He is the author of several books on relationships, including Reigniting the Spark, It’s Not About Communication, Betrayal and Forgiveness, and The Passion Paradox. He has also created self-paced video courses, especially for people who want to work on their own before (or maybe instead of) starting couples sessions.
His work focuses on emotional clarity — helping couples understand what’s happening beneath the surface of their struggles.
On the podcast, Bruce brings the same thoughtful inquiry he brings to his clinical work — occasionally drifting into theory, and just as often being gently brought back by Judy.
Judy spent many years as a teacher and principal, guiding students and families through the complex realities of growth, learning, and relationship. Her instinct for clarity — and her willingness to ask the question beneath the question — shape the tone of the podcast as much as any clinical theory.
Judy’s perspective is grounded, direct, and often disarmingly funny. When Bruce begins to analyze, Judy translates. When the conversation grows abstract, she brings it back to lived experience.
She is also the author (under her pseudonym Laria Zylber)of The Blue Tent, a book of biblical erotica, a creative exploration of desire, voice, and sacred storytelling.
Relationships are complicated. They are also one of the most meaningful parts of our lives.
We hope this podcast offers something steady — a place to think clearly, laugh honestly, and approach intimacy with both courage and kindness.