Polyamirite

Episode 020: G is for Grief & Gratitude

G is for Grief & Gratitude What do we do when love breaks our hearts and fills them at the same time? When grief sits beside gratitude — both insisting on being felt? In this episode of The ABCs of Polyamirite, Chelle explores the quiet relationship between two truths that shape every polyamorous life: love changes, and love remains. Grief arrives when a relationship ends, when compersion doesn’t land, when metamours drift, when imagined futures dissolve. Gratitude arrives when, despite all that, something inside you still whispers thank you for what was, and what still is. In non-monogamy, we’re told to focus on abundance and joy, but grief and gratitude are part of that abundance too. They’re the pulse of love in motion, the reminder that endings and beginnings share the same breath. What if grief isn’t an interruption of love, but its continuation? And what if gratitude isn’t the denial of pain, but the way we stay connected to what’s real? Through honest reflection, stories, and body-based practices, Chelle invites listeners to see grief and gratitude as co-conspirators in healing… two lenses that help us keep our hearts open, even when they ache. 💡 In this episode, you’ll learn how to: ✅ Recognize the many faces of grief in polyamorous relationships — from major losses to daily micro-griefs ✅ Discover how gratitude can soften grief without erasing it ✅ Map your gratitude network and honor the people who shape your polyamorous journey ✅ Reframe difficult emotions through appreciation and perspective ✅ Express gratitude creatively and physically — beyond words ✅ Practice holding both grief and gratitude in the same breath ✅ Understand how grief reshapes love, and how gratitude helps it keep flowing Grief is love transformed. Gratitude is that love, still glowing. Polyamirite | Relatable Content for Polyamorous Humans Music Credit: Kevin Burdick, “You Still Melt Me.” Art Credit: Kat Fiscaletti, @katfiscalettiart

Episode 019: F is for Fear

F is for Fear What happens when our hearts race, our stomachs drop, and our minds spin stories that keep us awake at night? In this episode of The ABCs of Polyamirite, Chelle unpacks one of the most primal, misunderstood, and unavoidable parts of nonmonogamous life: fear. Fear isn’t just panic or terror. In relationships, it can be the quiet hum beneath jealousy, the sharp edge behind anger, or the silence after a missed check-in. It can keep us small, reactive, and guarded — or, if we learn how to work with it, it can become one of our greatest teachers. But in the vulnerable, sometimes high-stakes arena of polyamory, fear doesn’t just disappear because we want to be “secure” or “enlightened.” In fact, opening our relationships can turn the volume up on every old wound, every cultural script, every “what if” we’ve ever carried. What do we do when fear starts to run the show? What if our fear is rooted in past trauma? What if it leads us to set rules, pick fights, or pull away from the people we love? This episode is a compassionate guide to navigating fear in non-monogamous relationships… not by pretending it isn’t there, but by getting curious about what it’s trying to protect. 💡 In this episode, you’ll learn how to: ✅ Understand fear as a survival response — and why it gets louder in polyamory ✅ Spot the hidden ways fear disguises itself as jealousy, anger, or disinterest ✅ Recognize how fear shapes behavior — from controlling rules to withdrawal ✅ Reframe fear as information instead of an enemy ✅ Build emotional regulation skills to work through fear before reacting ✅ Communicate fears in a way that invites connection instead of blame ✅ Discern when fear is telling you to pause versus when it’s inviting you to grow ✅ Use fear as a compass to clarify your values, boundaries, and desires Fear isn’t a sign you’re failing at polyamory. It’s a sign you’re human — and you’re stretching beyond what’s familiar. Polyamirite | Relatable Content for Polyamorous Humans Music Credit: Kevin Burdick, “You Still Melt Me.” Art Credit: Kat Fiscaletti, @katfiscalettiart

Episode 018: The Art of Bendy Love - Relationship Anarchy IRL

The Art of Bendy Love - Relationship Anarchy IRL What happens when we strip away the scripts we’ve inherited about love, commitment, and connection? In this episode of Polyamirite, Chelle sits down with Liam Powell, non-monogamist, relationship anarchist, and board member of Love Fest Events, to unpack the radical, intentional framework of Relationship Anarchy. RA often gets misunderstood as chaos or selfishness, but in reality, it’s about dismantling systems that tell us who and how we’re “supposed” to love—and building relationships rooted in choice, communication, and care. Together, Chelle and Liam explore what this looks like in practice: from rethinking entitlement and fairness, to navigating renegotiations with courage, to redefining what success in a relationship even means. This conversation goes beyond the buzzword to reveal how RA can be both grounding and expansive. Whether you’re curious about RA, reevaluating your own relationship structures, or simply looking for new ways to practice intentional connection, this episode will help you: - Understand what Relationship Anarchy actually is (and isn’t) - Distinguish between entitlement, fairness, and negotiated agreements - Explore the nuances of hierarchy - Learn how to approach renegotiation as an act of love, not loss - Reimagine what “success” in relationships can look like outside of mononormative scripts If you’ve ever wondered what it might feel like to create relationships from a place of choice rather than default, this conversation offers both heart and practice. Relationship Anarchy isn’t about doing whatever you want—it’s about courage, intention, and building connections that actually fit the people in them. Polyamirite | Relatable Content for Polyamorous Humans Music Credit: Kevin Burdick, “You Still Melt Me.” Art Credit: Kat Fiscaletti, @katfiscalettiart

Episode 017: E is for Empathy

E is for Empathy What happens when multiple hearts, stories, and emotions intertwine? In this episode of The ABCs of Polyamirite, Chelle dives deep into an emotional core of polyamorous relationships: empathy. In non-monogamy, empathy isn’t just a nice-to-have; it is a lifeline. It’s how we stay connected through joy and jealousy, connection and conflict. But how do we practice empathy when we’re also navigating our own needs, boundaries, and fears? From the subtle art of active listening to the messy reality of empathy fatigue, this episode is a practical, vulnerable exploration of what it really takes to feel with the people we love—without losing ourselves in the process. Whether you’re trying to understand your partner’s feelings, struggling to express your own, or just trying to show up with more care in a web of complex relationships, this episode will help you: - Understand what empathy actually is (and isn’t) in polyamorous relationships - Recognize the common empathy blockers—like jealousy, overwhelm, and self-protection - Practice empathy in a way that honors your own boundaries - Identify signs of empathy fatigue and learn how to recover - Build your capacity to receive empathy from others If you’ve ever wondered how to stay emotionally available without becoming emotionally exhausted, this one’s for you. “Empathy isn’t about being everything for everyone. It’s about being real, present, and rooted—even when emotions are big.” Polyamirite | Relatable Content for Polyamorous Humans Music Credit: Kevin Burdick, “You Still Melt Me.” Art Credit: Kat Fiscaletti, @katfiscalettiart

Episode 016: New Life Energy

New Life Energy In this episode, Chelle and her QPP Michelle have a heartfelt conversation exploring the meaning of “new life energy”... that sense of renewal, vitality, and possibility that can transform the way we live. They reflect on what it means to them personally, the subtle and surprising ways it shows up in their lives, and how practices of joy and gratitude help to strengthen and sustain it. Along the way, they also open up about the challenges of cultivating a true sense of belonging, both in themselves and within community, and how vulnerability, self-awareness, and connection play essential roles in that process. This is an honest exploration of growth, authenticity, and the energy that carries us forward into new seasons of life. As always, connection, not perfection! Polyamirite | Relatable Content for Polyamorous Humans Music Credit: Kevin Burdick, “You Still Melt Me.” Art Credit: Kat Fiscaletti, @katfiscalettiart