I want to make a habit out of routines that make me feel good and improve my quality of life. The way I habitually check my phone first thing in the morning now, I will habitually grab a book, start a meditation, play some music, feed my senses in other ways. Maybe some coffee while I journal. Maybe extra cuddles and expressions of physical touch with my partner.
Celestial Summer is an adult graphic novel with odes to Black music, spiritually and protective saints. A provocative story that weaves the Black and Brown community together and forces you to engage in self reflection.
Why don’t you cheat? The question that turned TikTok against Travis. Usually, when TikTok graciously allows our content to be viewed by many people, I am typically under fire. One simple clip in which Travis answers “Why don’t you cheat?” have caused the tables to turn.
My whole life I have struggled to be a disciplined reader. I was shocked that I was literally devouring Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship: Us by Terrence Real.
This week Stephanie and Travis discuss how hectic things have been in recent weeks. Are we as a culture addicted to the grind? It always feels like after we complete a task we will finally rest only to start a new unexpected task. Is being busy our norm even if we complain about it all the time? Cause if i ain't one thing it's another right?
This week Stephanie and Travis discuss how her views on gifts as a long language may have changed. How should we address our partner when a personal need is not being met in a relationship without discrediting all the other ways your partner shows up for the relationship.
This week Travis and Stephanie dive into a little love in the media and discuss Brittany Renner’s body count and the new season of Love is Blind. Is 35 “bodies” at the age of 31 a lot when you do the math? Lydia is easy to hate, but is Uchee the true villain?
We’re back! Did you suspect something was majorly wrong that we took such a long break? Well we break down exactly why we took a break and catch you up with what we’ve been up to. We reveal our baby girl's name.
This week Stephanie and Travis are once again joined by Author, Lorraine Avila. Lorraine was previously on WSLEO via zoom and it was absolutely crucial to have her on in person for a more intimate conversation. Lorraine was able to open up about her own romantic life while chit chatting about Love is Blind 4. Clearly we are all obsessed with the Netflix reality show.
Travis and Stephanie had a little April fools fun, although they love Les Chat pod very much, they will all be staying in their lane. This week they discuss Jonathan Majors allegations and how our biggest mistakes do not define us.
This week Stephanie and Travis welcome back Jojo & Dayra of Les Chat Podcast. They all compare relationship norms and their ideal Sunday. These vary in queer vs. hetero relationships as well as for couples with and without kids. Yet there are also similarities.
Episode 080 was a complete derailment of the outline. Wow. They had every intention to focus on the topics, but their recent “discussions” took over. They spent a great chunk of time debating their roles in the relationship, if they should shift, and comparing their roles to “how everyone has always done it.”
After celebrating 7 years of marriage last week and giving our minds and bodies rest, we are back. We jump right in discussing how we had a tense “discussion” yesterday. After 7 years of marriage we still like each other very much, but we still let each other down. We are human.
This week we answer various listener submitted questions such as our opinion on dating apps, long distance relationships, and alone time while in a relationship. We also talk about the appropriate amount of making out. Some think making out is childish. Some consider making out foreplay. How do you feel about making out and has your stance changed while in a relationship? Talking about intimacy is becoming less and less taboo, but where do we draw the line? How do we choose which details we keep to ourselves?
We’re back! Despite being sick I refused to skip another week. I get on Travis for not buying “just because” flowers, but he disagrees. I also almost slept on the couch because of his snoring recently. A new study about married couples sleeping arrangements was conducted by the New York Times last month. Travis is still 100% against it, while my opinion has shifted.
What are the boundaries of healthy co-parenting? Is it appropriate to go on dates without the child? When is forcing a relationship actually bad for the child? We got inspired by a tiktok of a woman asking her baby daddy to go out to celebrate their break up anniversary.
It’s been a rough week in our parenting that is following the tough week I had with my gut health. So yeah, ya girl is tired. However, I am also so grateful. Gratitude and grace have kept me going the past couple of weeks. Travis and I have experienced extended moments of feeling disconnected this past week. Travis tried to use humor to reconnect, I was just not feeling it. Sometimes, the things we love about our partners are annoying during stressful times.
How do you know when it is time to end a relationship? In hindsight, what signals were you ignoring that prolonged a doomed relationship? I reflect on how low self esteem may have contributed to my cheating ways in high school. Travis reflects on how relationships can turn into a security blanket. So you keep it even when it's obviously time to get rid of it. The reasons to end a romantic relationship apply to ending platonic friendships and cutting family off as well. Boundaries should be honored by everyone in your life.
This week we discuss an alternative definition of self love. Love isn't just grand gestures and admiration. It is the day to day work and acts of service that make living life easier and more enjoyable. What ways are we showing ourselves love? It is beyond “self care” and hobbies. Self love isn’t always pretty.
This week we discuss Gabrielle Union's “controversial” statement that she felt “entitled” to cheating because she paid all the bills in her previous marriage. Are the blogs feeding the “battle of the sexes” we discussed in recent episodes? Or was she completely wrong for that statement?
Happy New Year from the WSLEO family to the world. This week we reflect on our year, the year ahead, and how our very different brains can use the same tools for personal growth. While setting the bar too high at the beginning of the year can be a recipe for disaster, there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of “new year new me” energy to set goals. There is something super attractive about vulnerability. If you haven't already, prioritize talking with your partner about how you envision 2023.
They are back! COVID hit their home for the third time in the past 2 years, but they are fully recovered and ready to do all things WSLEO. They had a lot to cover and shared their thoughts and perspectives on the passing of Stephen tWitch Boss, the Tory Lanez and Meg Thee Stallion trial, the unfortunate yet predictable impact of men becoming an extra child in a marriage, and TWO “Oh So Y’all Can Relate” submissions. Yes this is a long one!
This week Stephanie shares some gems she has encountered in Yung Pueblos new book Lighter. We have discussed extensively how our childhoods impact our perception and our behavior, but what about tough moments now? How can self awareness and great communication skills prevent us from falling into and staying in toxic patterns? As creatures of habit, we have to be intentional in our attempts to be better and do better.
Stephanie and Travis are back after a heavy couple of weeks. Stephanie has a PSA about how our emotions are all over the place right before that time of the month. “Did You Know” Men make up their minds about marriage pretty fast? Umm in what universe?
Stephanie and Travis are back after taking a week off to recharge and recalibrate. What is the logic behind why we can be super productive while we are clocked in at work, but then lack productivity while working on personal projects? Is it just decades of conditioning? Are we burnt out? Whatever it may be, Stephanie and Travis are working on developing a new relationship with productivity.
This week Stephanie and Travis reflect on which love language they use to love their friends. Stephanie’s “friendship love language” may be outdated considering how her life has evolved. Travis unfortunately wasn’t able to identify his “friendship love language”. Maybe from a lack of friendships or a lack of expressing love.
Did you know, “married women are more than twice as likely to use a vibrator than non-married women?” Great more rhetoric that implies your sex life dies when you get married. It’s honestly not surprising anymore. But what if we flipped that idea on its head? Team work makes the dream work, sometimes a vibrator is on the team.
What in the world convinced two 21 year olds to get married while the rest of us were trying to figure out the right water to shots ratio to avoid a hangover? Tabitha and Pete Fields try to help Stephanie and Travis make sense of it. Six years, one baby, buying and selling a home, and moving to a different state later, they still like each other.
This week Stephanie and Travis discuss our inner child vs. our adaptive child. One is curious, creative, and forgiving, the other is living out a trauma response. One can be nurtured and celebrated in our adulthood and intimate relationships, the other is a relationship killer. Is our intimate partner responsible for healing our childhood trauma? Or is it our job to reparent ourselves?
It’S jUsT a PiEcE oF pApeR. Dig into the WHY you are opposed to marriage. Are you truly just holding onto a false sense of control? Are you believing the false narrative that sex suddenly stops? Whatever your reasoning, talking negatively about marriage in front of married people is wack. Stephanie and Travis discuss other people's problems when they give their two cents on the Nia Long and Ime Udoka scandal.
In reflecting on their week, things got a bit heated between Travis and Stephanie. It was about food, again. They aren't immune to the recurring disagreements. Just like many of you, they struggle with eating the food at home. This issue is not made any easier by the fact that Travis finds no joy at all in preparing a meal. Stephanie sees it as a more serious issue, no one wants to eat food prepared by someone who didn't put love into it, and possibly made it while harboring negative feelings.
Would you look at that… they’re talking about sex AGAIN. But who's complaining? Y’all love it here! How long should good sex last? The answer might depend on what you define as sex. Depending on who you ask, it can be a whole experience. Stephanie and Travis discuss how they unlocked a new level in their sex life. Finding new ways to be sexual nearly 8 years later is pretty satisfying… see what we did there? We all have experienced wanting sex to last longer or even end faster, Stephanie and Travis give their tips on how to make both happen. Somehow a Viagra and Adderall story makes it into the convo.
Stephanie and Travis did one of their favorite things this past week, enjoy a king sized bed with hotel linens and the air conditioner on blast. The past almost 3 years have been pretty hectic for most of us. Let’s be intentional with getting back to doing the things we love with the people we love.
Let’s focus on non-sexual intimacy, cause if we really think about it, if we get good at it, we might actually have more sex. Are we masking a desire for intimacy by blaming it on a “high sex drive”? Stephanie and Travis discuss how learning how to connect without sex can improve your sex life and can also come in handy when sex isn’t an option. Despite having a healthy sex life, Stephanie craves some improvement in the non-sexual touch department.
Letting things go does not mean to ignore your big feelings, it doesn't mean to remove accountability when your partner lets you down. It means that you do not allow those big feelings to take up so much space.