About this episode
Terry Real is a nationally recognized family therapist, author, and teacher. His book I Don't Want To Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression , the first book ever written on the topic of male depression, is a national bestseller. His new book, Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship is a New York Times bestseller. Sponsors: Cresset prestigious family office for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: https://cressetcapital.com/tim (book a call today) Ramp easy-to-use corporate cards, bill payments, accounting, and more: https://ramp.com/tim (Get $250 when you join Ramp) Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim (New clients get 3.50% base APY from program banks + additional 0.65% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance.) Terms apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 11/27/25 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB. Experiences will vary. Outcomes not guaranteed. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. Timestamps: [00:00:00] Start. [00:05:51] The pumpernickel story. [00:09:44] Wise adult, wounded child, and adaptive child. [00:11:25] Relational mindfulness. [00:12:11] Remembering love. [00:13:29] Why do we remain loyal to bad relationships? [00:16:58] The RLT stance on taking a position as a therapist. [00:18:46] Objectivity battles. [00:24:11] Entering into compassionate curiosity about your partner’s subjective experience. [00:29:40] Normal marital hatred. [00:34:19] Taking the first steps toward repair. [00:37:03] Empathizing with someone whose reality doesn’t match yours. [00:39:45] Should you stay or should you go? Understanding relational reckoning. [00:43:41] Leveraging a resistant partner toward therapy. [00:46:03] The preconditions that must be addressed before RLT can be effective. [00:48:37] Understanding covert depression in men. [00:52:52] Determining underlying depression. [00:54:36] Favored modalities for working with trauma. [00:55:04] Parsing the patriarchy. [00:59:35] Taking care of your relationship’s biosphere without being codependent. [01:03:23] Terry’s prescription for overcoming my own faulty childhood templates. [01:07:05] Pondering gender expectations and expressions. [01:13:06] Were Terry’s distinctly different boys raised similarly? [01:15:05] A good Morani vs. a great Morani. [01:16:53] The greatest achievement of Terry’s life. [01:18:44] Advice for people who want to be better parents than the ones they had. [01:21:17] The typical format of Terry’s men’s group therapy. [01:23:56] Full-respect living, group guidelines, and boundaries. [01:25:07] Comparing and contrasting Relational Life Therapy (RLT) with Internal Family Systems (IFS). [01:27:54] Modern relationship challenges — from polyamory to monogamy. [01:29:53] The research is clear: Humans are born to be intimate. [01:32:16] Toxic femininity and the new world order. [01:34:40] Relational empowerment vs. individual empowerment. [01:35:45] One up, one down. [01:37:50] From grandiosity to baseline: Relational joy vs. gratification. [01:43:06] How to learn more about Terry’s work. [01:45:16] Recommended reading. [01:49:09] Terry’s billboard. [01:49:34] Parting thoughts. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast . 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