Hopeful Aromantic

This week we’re breaking down romantic tropes and myths vs. true intimacy using scenes from THE DRAMA (2026). Warning: there are light character development spoilers within, but the main plot twist will not be revealed, however feel free to bookmark this one and come back to it if you want to go into the movie totally blind.In this episode, we explore:Romance as performanceWhy intimacy can’t be rushedHow intensity gets mistaken for intimacyBuilding trust in relationshipsKey parts of a strong relationship foundationHomework at 41:55 - Shadow workResources mentioned:THE DRAMA, Kristoffer Borgli (2026)I Stumbled Across My Boyfriend's ChatGPT and It Ended Our Relationship, Lindsey HallThe State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity, Esther PerelMore movies: CERTIFIED COPY, Abbas Kiarostami (2010)SICK OF MYSELF, Kristoffer Borgli (2022)COMRADES, ALMOST A LOVE STORY, Peter Chan Ho-Sun (1996)IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, Wong Kar Wai (2000)PAST LIVES, Celine Song (2023)BEFORE SUNSET, Richard Linklater (2004)SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, Ingmar Bergman (1974)FORCE MAJEURE, Ruben Östlund (2014)THE ONE I LOVE, Charlie McDowell (2014)Shadow Work: Meeting the Shadow, Connie Zweig, Jeremiah AbramsThe Dark Side of the Light Chasers, Debbie FordExistential Kink, Carolyn ElliottSend in your relationship-related question to be potentially featured on a future episode! You can send in a short ~1 minute voicenote or short written question to [email protected], with the subject line: Podcast question.Book a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

Writer Carina Hsieh coined the term situationship in Cosmopolitan back in the 2010’s as “a hookup with emotional benefits”. It’s 2026 and it seems like since then, people have only grown more uncertain, more fearful, yet crave that emotional closeness more than ever. How did we get here, but more importantly, how do we move forward?In this episode, we explore:Romantic propagandaThe myth of not getting your feelings involvedThe anxiety that comes with freedomOur low trust society and antisocial behaviorUnsuccessfully managing doubt and the search for certaintyThe role of meaning makingHomework at 36:53 - Avoidance AuditResources mentioned:NEXT (2007)What Love Is, Carrie JenkinsWALL STREET (1987)Is the 'Situationship' Ruining Modern Romance?, Carina HsiehYou don’t have to gamble for gambling to ruin your life, Hannah HorvathEscape from Freedom, Erich FrommWe Do This ‘Til We Free Us, Mariame KabaBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

When it comes to dating, all you have to do is find that one person, The One, and then all will be well. Right? What if I told you that was the easiest part? If all you do is work on becoming the version of you who can be in that relationship, it will all flow. This week we will get into the energetics and mechanics of finding someone who matches your freq.In this episode, we explore:Quantum leaps as unsustainableBecoming an energetic match to your goalsWhy maintaining results requires an inner transformationWhat is means when you lose opportunitiesExpanding beliefGetting vs. maintainingCreating momentum through tiny changesLetting relationships be easyHomework at 36:12Resources mentioned:Feelings WheelMap of ConsciousnessBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

Social skills are an art and not a science. While dating, friendship, and relationship building often feel confusing and overwhelming, the greatest tool we can rely on is our intuition. This week we unpack limiting ways of seeing relationships so we can turn inwards instead.In this episode, we explore:Questioning common relationship adviceThe limitations of reducing people to typesHow white supremacy culture influences and limits relationship buildingHow fear of the unknown motivates a dependency on external authorityHow we benefit from questioning everythingThe importance of cultivating intuition for connectingHow to vet people through feeling into itHomework at 46:26Resources/Book mentioned:Dismantling RacismWhite Supremacy CultureCodependent No More, Melody BeattieBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

***My apologies! The file I uploaded got a little deep fried and I didn't have time to re-record it. Sorry for the audio quality this week.It’s my birthday week! I’m looking back on my last year of evolution and learning to finally chill out and let go of control. We dive into how I implement taoism and anticapitalism into personal growth and relationship building.In this episode, we explore:The power of non-actionChanging our relationship to timeDiscerning intuition vs. anxietyThe futility of controlCreating space for receiving and integrationEmbodying identityBook mentioned:How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, Jenny Odell4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver BurkemanRest is Resistance: Free Yourself from Grind Culture and Reclaim Your Life, Tricia HerseyBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

What purpose and function does a crush serve if we remove it from dominant narratives of romance, attraction, and pursuit? How can we learn more about ourselves from crushing? And how can aromantic and asexual frameworks expand what it means to have a crush?In this episode, we explore:The creative processCrushes as a form of playRedefining crushes outside of dominant normsImagination as a tool for liberationCrushes as reflections of self-discoveryBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

Straight forward, no-nonsense, no-bullshit dating advice.In this episode, we explore:How overthinking in dating prevents us from presenceHow to filter out bad dating adviceThe importance of knowing yourselfUnderstanding your values, wants, needs, and patternsThe power of saying noHow to not settle: being strict and braveRelationship energy leaksHow committing to yourself sustains momentumResources:Values ListValues exerciseNeeds ListFeelings wheelBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

Happily ever after is just a myth and fantasy. Our culture tells us that marriage will bring us lifelong happiness, fulfillment, and most of all, a deep sense of security… but does it really? The stories we’re sold about love, relationships, and romance teach us to put our sense of security outside of ourselves, when in reality it’s something that exists within.In this episode, we explore:Romance myths upholding marriage as relationship securityIllusions of security in modern societyParallels between money and loveThe risks of outsourcing your sense of safetyCultivating an inherent sense of self-worthWanting without needingPractical advice for relationship clarityBooks/Articles mentioned:Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage, Stephanie CoontzA History of Marriage, Elizabeth AbbottThe Sociology of Begging Someone to Marry You, Telling the BeesWhat Love Is: And What it Could Be, Dr. Carrie JenkinsBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

So you want to overhaul your life? Look no further. We only want things because it’s possible to have them, otherwise we wouldn’t have the desire. Consider this your high level how-to guide on how to totally transform your reality.In this episode, we explore how to:Make a decision and commit to itExpand your sense of possibilityChange your beliefsNotice your patterns and break themTake aligned action and experimentLet go and surrenderMovies mentioned:Groundhog Day (1993), Harold RamisEverything Everywhere All At Once (2022), Daniel Scheinert & Daniel KwanBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

Ghosting: we’ve all experienced it, and most of us have done it to others. In today’s hyper-connected world, the expectation to always be available and transparent over communication has complicated what it means to end things. How do we deal with silence? When might we be over-communicating? And how do we handle uncertainty with compassion?In this episode, we explore:Relationship endings"Communication" as a broad, catch-all, phrase that isn’t specific enoughDiscerning intent and actionNavigating uncertainty in datingModern communication anxietyThe blame game and victim mentalityThe importance of tolerating uncertaintyBooks/Resources mentioned:Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men, Lundy BancroftCrucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when Stakes are High, Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al SwitzlerPath to Action from Crucial ConversationsFeelings WheelBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3https://victoriayeung.coach/

What do we do when we want to get closer to people but it just feels way too scary? All relationship building requires some degree of risk and uncertainty, and in order to navigate that, it requires us to befriend the fear we feel.In this episode, we explore:Friction-Maxxing: Embracing discomfort for growthVulnerability and taking small risks of rejectionHow to process fear instead of avoiding itTrust as the foundation for strong relationshipsAnarchist calisthenics: deliberate small acts of disobedienceBeing brave in the face of uncertaintyBooks/Articles mentioned:In 2026, We are Friction-Maxxing, Kathryn Jezer-MortonPlatonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends, Marisa G. FrancoFighting for Our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women’s Relationships, Danielle Bayard JacksonThe Burnout Society, Byung-Chul HanThe Short Instructional Manifesto for Relationship Anarchy, Andie NordgrenTwo Cheers for Anarchism, James C. ScottBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.Let’s connect! @hopefularomantic on ig <3

We all know the phrase “if he wanted to, he would”, but how many times have we wanted to, and we didn’t? The reality is that our wants are shaped by the world we live in, and as much as we would like it to be, it’s never really all that simple.There are journal prompts at the end of the episode to help you get more clear on what you want. Enjoy!In this episode, we explore:Internet advice overloadDesires, wants, and shouldsThe vulnerability of desireThe power of refusalChanging your paradigmsThe pursuit of “normal”How socialization shapes our desiresBooks/Documents mentioned:"On Our Best Behavior", Elise Loehnen"Feminist Theory: From Margins to Center", bell hooks"The Short Instructional Manifesto for Relationship Anarchy", Andie Nordgren"Am I a Lesbian?", Angeli LuzBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.

Have you ever met someone in a relationship with someone they don’t fully accept? What’s going on there? How do we end up in these situations and what do we do if we’re in one right now? Acceptance in all forms is foundational for healthy relationships and as always, it all starts with ourselves.In this episode, we explore:The role of acceptance in relationshipsDating projects and potentialUnderstanding compatibility and compromiseThe process of getting to know someoneIdentifying non-negotiables in relationshipsTaking responsibility for your own feelingsNavigating relationship conflictBook mentioned:You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For: Applying internal family systems to intimate relationships, Richard C. SchwartzDownload the core values discovery exercise.Book a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.

What does it mean to do something in a performative way? How is that different from being authentic? and how can we tell the difference?In this episode, we explore:The rise of performative behaviorUnderstanding authenticity vs. performanceThe importance of discernment in relationshipsIntent vs. actionShifting internal beliefs for external changeBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.

Even when it feels like the odds are stacked against us, we still have choice and agency. Practicing the ability to find and cultivate hope is an essential skill, especially in today’s turbulent world.In this episode, we explore:Survival states and how they limit our ability to seeCapitalism as a force that restricts imaginationModern dating as a survival gameSustainable action and creationThe importance of acting with intentionFinding possibility and hopeMovie/Books mentioned:No Other Choice (2025), Park Chan WookCapitalist Realism, Mark FisherWe Do This Til We Free Us, Mariame KabaBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call ⁠here⁠.

In the beginning... there was nothing. And nothing is where everything is born. Welcome to the first episode of the Hopeful Aromantic podcast <3In this episode, we explore:Redefining love and relationshipsUnderstanding emotional intimacyAromantic and asexual identities as a paradigmAbsence as a site of possibilityEmbracing space and stillnessSurrender and letting goBooks mentioned:Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture, Sherronda J. BrownEnding the Pursuit: Asexuality, Aromanticism, & Agender Identity, Michael ParamoAbsence, Byung-Chul HanBook a free 30-minute coaching consult call here.