Letters from Esther #66: Meet Me In the Public Square

My annual conference, Sessions Live 2025: Mating in the Metacrisis, begins on Friday, April 25, at 9am EST.

Register now to reserve your virtual spot, access the Sessions Live app, connect with fellow attendees, and join the live event—plus, enjoy on-demand access to event recordings for 90 days.

Click here to register for Sessions Live 2025.

Shall We Begin?

For nearly four decades, I’ve worked to bring the insights of the therapy room into the public square. Through books, podcast episodes, and conversations that cut across borders, disciplines, ideologies, and identities, I’ve spent most of my life in dialogue with all of you about what it means to love, to hurt, to fight, to repair, and to live.

What I see, again and again, is that the things we think are private—our anxieties, longings, shame, and questions—are in fact universal. That people crave language for their experience. That when we talk about the hard things, we create the possibility for healing, together.

This is the spirit behind my annual conference, Sessions Live.

JOINING TOGETHER

Sessions Live is my answer to our current era of digital disconnection, deep polarization, and cultural overwhelm. It’s what I can offer at a time when therapists—as well as teachers, coaches, partners, parents, all of us—are holding more than ever.

Sessions Live is a gathering for those who want to explore how we live, love, and connect in an era of rapid change. It’s a place for cultural conversation and professional reflection. It’s an environment in which mental and relational health meet art, technology, embodiment, and the paradoxes of our time.

Together, we’ll explore Mating in the Metacrisis: Connection, Polarization, and Eroticism in a World on Edge—with the voices I turn to for clarity and depth. While every piece of programming is designed to bring relational insights to a wider audience, there is one that I want to highlight today, on the theme of bringing therapeutic insights into the public square.

THE PUBLIC SQUARE

When I started my podcast, Where Should We Begin?, in 2017, it was considered taboo in the West to have the public listen in on therapy sessions, even ones that are one-time, anonymous sessions with people who are not, and will never be, my clients. In 2019, couples therapist Orna Guralnik took the next step by featuring couples sessions on American television. While our projects are different, they are united by a shared idea: When people hear and see others’ relational challenges and their possibilities for healing, it reduces stigma, shame, helplessness, and loneliness.

I am so pleased to share that Orna and I will be in conversation at Sessions Live—our first time coming together this way.

Ours will be one of many conversations taking place over two days. And, to take it a step further, I’ve decided that part of bringing these insights into the public square is making sure that all of the conversations we are having at this year’s event don’t just happen in Brooklyn, New York, where the event is taking place.

This year, the entire event is available virtually, wherever you are in the world and for 90 days after. I’ve had the chance to spend time with our virtual community already and I am touched by the perspectives many of you have already shared with me. When we are together, our screens feel like a portal, a place where we come together, our own public square.

I hope you will join us there.

Register for Sessions Live 2025 now.

Let’s Turn the Lens on You

Sessions Live would not be possible without the generous support of our partners, including our headline sponsor, Dipsea.

Dipsea is a revelation in the world of audio storytelling—a sensual, relationally intelligent platform that redefines erotic content with elegance, depth, and psychological nuance. Their immersive, voice-acted narratives center pleasure, consent, and emotional resonance. What sets Dipsea apart is not just the quality of its production, but its commitment to juicy storytelling that celebrates diverse identities, kinks, and relationships. It’s not just about turning you on—it’s about tuning you in.

I cannot think of a better way to “turn the lens on you” this month than to share Dipsea’s exclusive gift with subscribers of Letters From Esther.

More from Esther

EROTIC INTELLIGENCE: CULTIVATING DESIRE AND ALIVENESS IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS | learn more

Join me amidst the wonders of Paros, Greece, for my next in-person event on October 8–13, 2025. During this six-day retreat, my expert guest facilitators and I will share fresh perspectives and actionable tools to help you experience new erotic breakthroughs—with or without a partner.

Register today to discover:

• An exploration into frameworks for greater connection, communication, and understanding
• Powerful group work and hands-on activities to practice essential skills and practices for fostering deeper intimacy
• A supportive emotional container in which you can show up as you are and experience a true safe space

Whether you feel stagnant in your long-term relationship, wish to feel more alive in your life, or want to learn to cultivate intimacy without a partner, this retreat is your opportunity to go deeper into the work and expand your erotic intelligence.

Click here to learn more and reserve your spot.

Conversation Starters‍

A compendium of highly recommended sources of inspiration and information

TO READ:

• Diana Hill’s Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most is a powerful examination of “life force”—and how your genius can become your problem when not directed with wisdom. Drawing on ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and Buddhist psychology, Hill offers a refreshing guide to sustainable growth rooted in presence, courage, and care.
• Francesca Hogi’s How to Find True Love is a powerful reimagining of modern romance, reminding us that true love isn’t something we find—it’s something we build. With clarity and compassion, Hogi invites us to let go of the myth of the perfect partner and instead cultivate the mindset, heartset, skillset, and soulset to co-create lasting, meaningful relationships.

TO LISTEN:

• Smart Girl Dumb Questions is a curiosity party in the form of a podcast. Host Nayeema Raza asks Mark Cuban if billionaires can solve our social problems, Cleo Abram if the future is too bleak to have babies, and Neil deGrasse Tyson if horoscopes matter in dating (and other pressing questions about astrophysics). In a recent episode, two 11-year-olds explain why they feel more present on their screens than IRL . . . inspiring even more questions. Tune in on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.