Podcasts · Office Hours with Arthur Brooks

How to Stay in Love with Your Soul Mate, with Special Guest Ester Brooks

· 1 h 09 min

Episode How to Stay in Love with Your Soul Mate, with Special Guest Ester Brooks

0:00 1:09:02

Thirty-five years ago, I somehow convinced an extraordinary woman to marry me. Our relationship began like any other—attraction, a leap of faith, and eventually the decision to embark on the unknown journey ahead of us together.

In this episode of Office Hours, my wife, Ester Munt-Brooks, and I reflect on what we’ve learned over 35 years of choosing each other—from the risks we took early on, to why love is much more than a feeling. Drawing on the wisdom of Thomas Aquinas, we explore what it truly means to love—and how that understanding can transform every relationship.

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Where to find Ester Munt-Brooks:

• Website: https://www.fevaloryalegria.org/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/estermunt

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FAITHWITHJOYTALKS/

Where to find Arthur Brooks:

• Website: https://arthurbrooks.com/

• In-person Retreats: https://retreats.arthurbrooks.com/

• Newsletter: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/newsletter

• X: https://x.com/arthurbrooks

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthurcbrooks/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArthurBrooks/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGuyFRjJQFGCKzfHTBvWM6A

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-c-brooks/

• Email: officehours@arthurbrooks.com

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(08:55) Arthur and Ester’s love story

(14:02) The risks they took to give it a shot

(19:30) How Ester came to embrace marriage

(24:36) The next stage: Marriage and children

(28:05) St. Thomas Aquinas’s definition of love

(45:20) What’s coming up in future episodes on love

(46:04) The three big love lessons

(49:26) Q&A: Personalizing a morning routine for your needs

(55:06) Q&A: How to think about faith while dating

(57:54) Q&A: How having children impacts happiness

(1:02:30) Q&A: How to meet people in person

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Referenced:

• The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/the-meaning-of-your-life

• Meaning Membership: https://hub.arthurbrooks.com/the-meaning-membership

• Arthur’s newsletter: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/newsletter

• The Happiness Scale: https://learn.arthurbrooks.com/the-happiness-scale

• The Pursuit of Happiness with Arthur Brooks: https://www.thefp.com/s/the-pursuit-of-happiness-with-arthur

• The Meaning of Your Life Retreats: https://retreats.arthurbrooks.com

• ...References continued at: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/office-hours

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/.

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