Esther Perel on the relationship baggage we bring to work

Esther Perel on the relationship baggage we bring to work

From ReThinking by TED

March 3, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

Esther Perel discusses the relational baggage we carry into our work and its impact on collaboration and culture.

Esther Perel is a psychotherapist known for her innovative approach to relationships. In this episode, Adam and Esther discuss the relational baggage we all carry through our lives and into our work, and how our differing personalities and relationship styles can affect collaboration and culture. They break down the differences between relationship- and task-oriented personalities, and consider the fine balance between risk-taking and rule-following that makes for a healthy relationship with ourselves and others. Featured guest Follow Esther Perel on Instagram , Substack , and at estherperel.com/ Connect with the team Follow Adam on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at adamgrant.net/ Subscribe to Adam’s Substack Watch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard . Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith. For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at&nbsp…

People in this episode

Host: Adam Grant

Guest: Esther Perel

Topics covered

  • relationships
  • workplace culture
  • collaboration
  • personality types
  • risk-taking
  • task-oriented
  • relationship-oriented

Keywords

  • Esther Perel
  • Adam Grant
  • relationship baggage
  • workplace
  • collaboration
  • personality styles
  • risk-taking
  • task-oriented
  • relationship-oriented

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TED, Cosmic Standard, Instagram, Substack, YouTube, Acast, ted.com

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