OurVoices with Kristin Kalbli

Your financial support helps make this content possible. If you would like to contribute to the podcast, please donate here. Our guest Jason shares his story of high conflict divorce after his wife's coming out. He describes how he navigated serious unfounded accusations, being arrested in front of his children based on those accusations, and the consequences of all of it for his children. He also...

If you would like to support this episode, please donate here .  On today's Season 6 opener, Chump Lady Tracy Schorn talks about cheating, double lives and closets (of all kinds), and the toll being a chump can take on an unsuspecting spouse or partner. Tracy cuts through the nonsense and calls a spade a spade: cheating is the "theft of your reality" and it sets up an abusive power dynamic. With t...

Dr. Blanchard is widely known for his typology of transexuals and as the originator of the term Autogynephilia, a controversial paraphilia which describes a heterosexual male's propensity to be sexually aroused by the idea of themselves as women. Dr. Blanchard was the psychologist in the Adult Gender Identity Clinic at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry—now part of the CAMH (Centre for Addiction a...

In this episode, our guest describes the domestic abuse she endured at the hands of her husband, who was also closeted. She shares the danger signs of domestic abuse, her risky exit from her marriage, and how she now uses her experience to become an advocate for both Straight Partners and Domestic abuse survivors.

Philippa wasn't sure what it meant for her marriage when her husband came out to her as transgender/non-binary. The road after disclosure was a rocky one, and at times, Philippa didn't think her marriage would survive. She describes how, with a commitment to treat each other with respect and honesty through the process, they arrived at a marriage that does not require a massive compromise on eithe...

Kirsten Duncan, host of the Unexpected Launch podcast, talks about her husband's disclosure that he is gay, how her entire life as she knew it changed in that moment, and how listening to other peoples' stories of navigating big life challenges helped her move forward. She shares the questions and doubts she has about her history, and why it's so hard to talk about having a spouse come out.

Ryan King returns to the podcast to answer your most common questions about closeted narcissists, their motivations and behaviors. He speaks from his own experience and his experience working with other closeted, married (to women) men. He uses what he's observed to bring clarity and validation to Straight Partners.

Zoë Kors is a sought-after sex and intimacy coach. She gives us a road map to heal our sexual selves after relationship betrayal. After sexual betrayal, there is an opportunity to reimagine our sexual expression, whether that's with an existing partner or with a new partner. We explore what is possible for women and men when they embrace their authentic sexual selves and choose pleasure, intimacy,...

Dr. Michael Plank is a pastor and professor. When his wife disclosed that she is a lesbian, their lives as church leaders seemed to hang in the balance. With the help of a qualified trauma therapist, Michael had to find a way to the bottom of his anger, and back out again, in order to heal and find a healthy co-parenting relationship with his former wife.

Shannon Thrace talks about how sex and intimacy with her spouse changed when they transitioned genders. In this frank, vulnerable and explicit conversation, Shannon shares how gender transition impacted her sexual relationship with her partner, as well as their connection to each other's bodies. Her memoir, 18 Months: A Memoir of a Marriage Lost to Gender Identity, can be purchased here: https://w...

Marta Kauffman, creator of the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, joins us to talk about the inspiration behind her characters, how the idea to give them gay husbands came about, and how her characters, as portrayed by Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, survive and thrive after late in life divorce.

2/3 of Mixed Orientation Couples will try to stay together post disclosure or discovery. Often they try opening their relationships as a way to keep their families together. Guest Libby Sinback is the host of the Making Polyamory Work Podcast. She gives us a 101 tutorial on open relationships, and how to proceed with mindfulness, respect, and realistic expectations.

Janice and her husband were members of the US military during the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" era. That enforced secrecy, combined with being southern, Baptist, and African American, meant her husband had no safety to come out as gay. In this episode, Janice describes what it was like to live with a husband who began living a double life immediately after they married, the impact his secrecy had on her...

Christian therapist Candice Czubernat never expected to be working with Straight Partners as part of her LGBT+ affirming therapy practice. But many of her LGBT+ clients were told the same thing she was told by a pastor as a young woman: if they prayed hard enough and lived a righteous life, the gay would go away. When that didn't happen, the Straight Partners of her LGBT+ clients ended up in thera...

In this open and heartfelt conversation with Jonathan Williams, son of transgender writer and speaker Paula Stone Williams, he shares his own journey through disbelief, anger, resentment, and finally, acceptance that his father was a trans woman. As an Evangelical pastor who followed in his father's footsteps, having a transgender parent was a career ending development. Jonathan shares how he jour...

Fitness entrepreneur, energy healer, transformation and empowerment coach Priscilla Tuft has a gift for guiding people through radical transformations. And she's been through one of her own as the wife of former WWE Champion wrestler Gabe Tuft. In this episode, Priscilla describes her journey after Gabe came out as transgender and transitioned to Gabbi. She talks about being in the closet with Gab...

Ryan King knew he was gay from the time he was six years old. Despite this, he married a woman. In this double-length episode, Ryan sheds light on the abusive, narcissistic tactics he used to keep his unsuspecting wife trapped in their affectionless marriage, in the hope that other Straight Partners will recognize the signs of a closeted spouse. Under the pseudonym "Sean," he created the thread "A...

Dr. Debi Silber is the founder of the Post Betrayal Transformation Institute and is a holistic psychologist, a health, mindset and personal development expert, the author of Trust Again: Overcoming Betrayal and Regaining Health, Confidence and Happiness . Today on the show, we talk about Post Betrayal Syndrome, the impact betrayal trauma has on the body and the psyche, and how people can heal from...

Welcome to OurPath, formerly the Straight Spouse Network. Today on the show, founder Dr. Amity Pierce Buxton, Executive Director Kelly Hollimon, and board member Tiffany Butler discuss the rebranding of the Straight Spouse Network as OurPath, Inc. They answer all your questions about why the organization decided to adopt a new name and rebrand, how the process unfolded, and how they envision the n...

Deborah Simmons is co-author of the pre-published book, "What's a Good Man to Do? A Candid Conversation about Sexuality." Today she shares how to open up to dating again after traumatic relationship experiences. She advises men how to navigate their desire for women during the #MeToo era, and shares tips for honesty in discussions around our own sexualities in new relationships. She shares advice...

Psychotherapist Ross Rosenberg is an expert in clinical narcissism, narcissistic personality disorders and sociopathy. Today he discusses what happens when a narcissistic or sociopathic individual intentionally hides their sexuality with the intention of harming others or for personal gain. "Sexual orientation is independent of psychopathology," he says, but "the sociopath who needs to fit into so...

Married couple Stephanie and Debbie Hayton get personal in their discussion of Debbie's gender transition, candidly sharing how it impacted their relationship and their family. Debbie tried to suppress her desire to transition until she no longer could. Stephanie tried to keep the family together as best as she could. This vulnerable interview highlights the fact that transition impacts every memb...

As a young, gay African American male from a Christian background, Nigel Ashford believed he would have to marry a woman to make his family and God happy. He didn't think about the potential wife in the scenario: "To be honest I wasn't thinking about the other person. I hate to say it, but the only thing I was thinking of was 'how do I make my family and God happy? What do they want me to do? What...

Today, Layla Ali, a 19-year-old closeted lesbian from a conservative Muslim family, speaks about growing up as a gay Muslim, and the pressure she feels to marry a man. In fact, Layla isn't even her real name, and we used a voice actress to portray her, because it is not safe for her to come out publicly. Layla talks about how marrying an opposite sex partner is expected of her, and she was headed...

Today on the show, a self-identified Trans Widow speaks about the gender transition of her husband. Initially, she made efforts to accept her husband's need to cross dress, even accompanying him on nights out while he was dressed as a woman. But when he announced his intention to fully transition, she knew the marriage she had tried so hard to maintain had to end. She shares how negotiating bounda...