How you listen changes everything | Paul Browde | #063 Mastering Change

In times of increasing isolation, how we listen matters. This week on Mastering Change, we speak with Paul Browde – psychiatrist, storyteller and couples guide – whose work explores how listening shapes what can be said, and how the stories people tell shape how they live. Paul reflects on the changes he has seen since the pandemic. More fear. More loneliness. A growing difficulty for many people to engage in ordinary human conversation. In this context, listening becomes more than a skill. It becomes the foundation for connection. He also challenges how couples often arrive in therapy. When a relationship is framed as a problem, both people become stuck inside that story. When it is approached as something to face together, new possibilities begin to open. In this episode: Why listening and telling are inseparable What has shifted in how people relate since Covid Listening as a full-body experience, not just words How secrecy can limit what becomes possible in therapy Why relationships may be better understood as something to face, not fix The role of the therapist in holding possibility alongside pain A thoughtful conversation on connection, therapy and the stories we live inside. Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, mental health and distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Show Notes: –  Free Live Event (June 2nd) – Paul Browde's upcoming course with the Academy of Therapy Wisdom: On June 2nd 2026 free 90-minute introductory session: The Heart of Elderhood: How to Age Consciously and Help Others Do The Same:– Esther Perel's Sessions Live: Paul will be participating in this event.  Use code Browde100 for $100 off the in-person event registration or code Browde50 for $50 off a virtual ticket. – Four Directions of a Queer Man - Men’s Retreat: This retreat in California still has spots available: – Transform Trauma Oxford 2026:   Paul Browde will be speaking at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026 alongside Gabor Maté, Bessel van der Kolk, Dan Siegel, Ruth Lanius, Janina Fisher and many more.– Website: www.paulbrowde.com – Instagram: @pbrowde Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.