The reason relationships feel so rewarding and so hard? You’re not just dating a person, you’re navigating two sets of needs, triggers, habits, fears, and histories in one partnership. Beneath every smile, every fight, and every silence, there’s psychology at work. Over the past decade, we’ve explored modern dating on our hit podcast Dateable and through our book How to Be Dateable (Simon & Schuster, Jan 2025), learning what it takes to move from dating to committed partnerships. But the journey doesn’t stop there: we want to keep building dream relationships that thrive over time. In this episode, we dive into the six pillars we believe form the foundation of strong partnerships, and how you can build the habits to strengthen your relationship through every stage of life. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to become aware of your own patterns and triggers in relationships Better strategies for communication and repair after conflict How to regulate emotions and provide meaningful support to your partner The importance of reciprocity, appreciation, and true teamwork How to manage expectations and adopt a growth mindset as a couple Ways to create shared meaning and deepen connection over time To learn more about Julie: follow @juliekrafchick and visit: https://juliekrafchick.com/ To learn more about Yue: follow @nonplatonic and visit https://www.yuexu.com/ Or to learn more about both of us at Dateable: follow @dateablepodcast and visit http://dateablepodcast.com/