Think long distance relationships never work? Think again! In Indepartners, two behavioral scientists talk about the advantages and opportunities that come with a permanent, loving relationship – that happens to take place in two different cities.
Dr. Lisa Finkelstein and Dr. Kurt Kraiger have successfully navigated their careers while being, in their words, the happiest couple they know. As Lisa and Kurt explore the dynamics of love at a distance, couples living apart or living together will discover ways to be more intentional and get the most out of their relationships – and their personal lives.
Listen as Lisa and Kurt explore topics like intentionality, communication, and the value of rituals over holidays in a 30-minute format combining personal experience, humor, and relatable examples.
New episodes will drop on the 14th of each month.
Indepartners in Captivity: We’re NOT doing THAT again!
Indepartners Lisa and Kurt share how they navigated Kurt's open-heart surgery recovery, transforming caregiver and patient roles to strengthen their relationship.
14 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
Hey, Neighbor! Stories of Same-City LATs with Dr. Laura Funk
Sociologist Dr. Laura Funk discusses with Kurt and Lisa the meaning, trust, and commitment in same-city LAT relationships for older couples.
14 Jul 2026
A Portfolio of International Lovers: Gloria and Igor's Story
Gloria and Igor share their international love story, detailing their journey and insights into building a successful "indepartnership" across borders.
14 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT
Tables Turned: Relationship Researchers Put the Indepartners under the Microscope
Relationship researchers Brie Muzzy and Brad Sagarin interview Lisa and Kurt about the dynamics of intentional long-distance relationships.
14 May 2026
Retreat Apart, Grow Together
Coming to you from the studio (Lisa) and his closet (Kurt), the Indepartners begin this episode talking a bit about their recent SIOP conference. SIOP is where they first met many years ago and still holds a special meaning to them as individuals and as a couple. After the intense people-time at the conference and a grinding week finishing out their semesters, Lisa and Kurt are about to embark separate retreats. Learn a little bit more about why they do these retreats, the different fr...
14 Apr 2026
It's right there in the name: Ideas on Independence
The theme of independence appears in most episodes of Indepartners, but in this episode Lisa and Kurt go all in examining the (many) benefits and (some) challenges that come with independence in their personal lives and in their relationship. After defining the concept (hey, they’re nerds!), they talk about the joy and opportunity independence brings. And they share the occasional pushback they get for pursuing independence. They also touch on stumbling blocks that can happen when coupl...
14 Mar 2026
Us in Flux (The one where Kurt goes to the hospital)
Kurt and Lisa are back for Season 2 of Indepartners, kicking off a month later than anticipated and with an episode they definitely didn't plan to start off the season with. Overnight and with no prior signs of trouble, Kurt started January 3 with some scary symptoms that turned out to be endocarditis, a bacterial infection in his heart. Lisa and Kurt tell the story of how his time in the hospital unfolded, how they pivoted their plans for January, and what happens when couples living apart a...
17 Nov 2025
You Got Questions? We Got Answers!
Hosts Kurt and Lisa discuss listener questions and reflect on their conversations from the season, revealing agreements, disagreements, and key learnings in this unscripted episode.
14 Oct 2025
From George Glass to Jimmy Crafts: Michelle and Jim’s Story
Michelle and Jim share their story as high school sweethearts who pursued separate careers in broadcasting and journalism while supporting each other's dreams, in this interview.
14 Sept 2025
LAT but not least: An interview with Vicki Larson
Award-winning journalist Vicki Larson discusses the dynamics and appeal of Living Apart Together relationships in this insightful interview.
14 Aug 2025
Memphis? But you won’t even go to Brooklyn! Mindy and Austin’s story
Host Mindy and guest Austin share their long-distance relationship success story, proving the Indepartners lifestyle overcomes geographical challenges.
14 Jul 2025
New Orleans, Boston, and Blueberry Hill: Karon and Steve’s Story
Karon and Steve share their experiences navigating two phases of long-distance relationships, highlighting lessons learned and strategies for success in an interview with the hosts.
14 Jun 2025
Valentines Schmalentines: Your Relationship, Your Rituals
Hosts Lisa and Kurt discuss the importance of creating unique rituals within a relationship, allowing couples to celebrate life in personalized and meaningful ways in this episode.
14 May 2025
Tom Petty Was Wrong: The Waiting Is Pretty Great
Anticipation is one of the most underrated emotions. There is a natural cycle to indepartnerships involving not only anticipation of the next time together, but savoring of the limited time together and reminiscing about the joy of being together. In Episode 4, Lisa and Kurt give their take on these three stages of the cycle. They nerd out over scientific research supporting the well-being benefits of each element. In segment one they talk about anticipation, emphasizing the emotions and beha...
14 Apr 2025
Indepartners Communicate: Lisa and Kurt Hate the Phone
It’s no big news that communication is important to great relationships, but when you are indepartners, communication is the relationship most of the time! This makes it especially important to be intentional and communicate about communication (so meta); intentional not just what you communicate about, but also how you do it and how often. In Episode 3, Lisa and Kurt break down these three elements. In the first segment, they discuss the different mediums of communication. ...
14 Mar 2025
Cheers to Intentionality
In Episode 2, we discuss intentionality, a word that came up so much in Episode 1 that Lisa invented a drinking game. A key benefit of choosing to live apart is the opportunity to design the relationship you want; as nerdy psychologists we explore what intentionality means and then how many opportunities there are to deliberately craft a relationship that works for both people - and strengthens them as a couple. In the second segment, we share insights about being intentional every day whethe...
14 Feb 2025
Myths: Busted!
Date: February 14, 2025 Show Title: Indepartners Episode Title and Number: 1. Myths: Busted! In their season lau...
26 Jan 2025
Indepartners Trailer
Think long distance relationships never work? Think again! In Indepartners, two behavioral scientists talk about the advantages and opportunities that come with a permanent, loving relationship – that happens to take place in two different cities. Dr. Lisa Finkelstein and Dr. Kurt Kraiger have successfully navigated their careers while being, in their words, the happiest couple they know. As Lisa and Kurt explore the dynamics of love at a distance, couples living apart or living togethe...
Inside a recent episode
Indepartners in Captivity: We’re NOT doing THAT again!
Published 14 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And so it was kind of exploring something new together. I mean, again, I can hear the eye rolling like that people play games all the time. We just never have done this before. People do puzzles all the time. We've never done this before. So just like having something that was different to us, even though they were like ordinary things, but they're like living apart. We don't always do ordinary things. And so ordinary things become kind of fun. So, yeah, we really enjoyed that a lot. Yeah. So three of the nights were kind of dedicated shows or documentaries. And then there was the game night. I think that would be the one concrete suggestion I made is even if you don't, again, you don't have to schedule every single day, but let's say we're going to watch this TV show together on Tuesday and on Thursday or Friday, we're going to do games or puzzle, whatever. […]
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