Why Affairs Happen: Core Wounds, Self-Worth & the Psychology of Infidelity with Christina Ketchen

Why do people have affairs — even good people in relationships that look fine from the outside? And what happens to everyone involved when infidelity blows a life apart?In this episode of The Scarlet Edit, I sit down with relationship and self-love coach Christina Ketchen for an honest, nuanced conversation about infidelity — what drives it, what it reveals about us, and how it changes everyone it touches.We unpack how core wounds — our earliest needs to be seen, heard, loved, and safe — lead us to repeat familiar emotional patterns in relationships. Christina has coached hundreds of people through divorce and betrayal, and I reflect on my own experience as the other woman and what that affair taught me about self-worth, shame, and what I actually needed from love.We explore:Why most affairs don't begin with bad intentions — and what's really driving the infidelity underneathThe three roles in every affair — the one who cheated, the one who was cheated on, and the other woman — and how each carries their own griefHow shame after infidelity and self-forgiveness are more connected than most people realizeWhat limerence is, why affair relationships feel so intoxicating, and how to tell the difference between limerence and real loveThe difference between setting boundaries in relationships and actually enforcing themWhy some of us are more comfortable in sadness and chaos than in healthy love — and what that says about our core woundsReclaiming your self-worth after an affair no matter what role you playedThis conversation is about compassion, not judgment. Whether you've had an affair, been cheated on, or been the other woman — your grief is real and your healing matters.If this episode resonates:Listen next:I Had to Walk Away: Ending a Long-Term AffairI Had an Affair: How it Feels to Tell the World You Were the Other WomanThe Truth About Affairs: Sexless Marriages, Emotional Validation, and Modern LoveGuest: Christina Ketchen — Relationship and Self-Love CoachNew episodes every Thursday.💌 Business inquiries: [email protected]