What if the biggest challenge in your relationships isn't finding the right person, but understanding the person doing the choosing? This week on QUESTION EVERYTHING, relationship therapist and bestselling author Vienna Pharaon joins Danielle to unpack the hidden wounds that shape our dating lives, relationships, and marriages. From the five core origin wounds we all carry to the surprising reason we keep repeating the same patterns, Vienna explains how childhood experiences quietly influence who we're attracted to, what we tolerate, and why some relationships feel impossible to leave. Together, they explore the difference between chemistry and compatibility, why awareness alone isn't enough to create change, how emotional maturity transforms relationships, and the questions healthy couples ask that most people avoid. Plus, Vienna shares her thoughts on modern dating, reality TV relationships, betrayal, healing, and the one question everyone should ask themselves about their childhood. In this episode, you’ll also learn:

Why Vienna believes most relationship problems start long before we meet our partners
The five core wounds shaping your dating patterns, relationships, and marriage
How childhood experiences influence who you're attracted to and why you stay
The surprising reason we often choose familiarity over healthy love
Why awareness alone isn't enough to break unhealthy relationship patterns
How to identify whether you're choosing someone from love or from a wound
The hidden connection between shame, emotional immaturity, and defensiveness
Why people-pleasing and shape-shifting can sabotage your relationships
How childhood attachment wounds show up in dating and long-term partnerships
Why emotionally mature couples handle conflict differently
The relationship questions healthy couples ask that most people avoid
Vienna's take on Love Island, Love Is Blind, and what reality dating shows reveal about modern relationships
Why "if they wanted to, they would" isn't always true
Vienna weighs in on Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet's romance and why she thinks they’ll last
The one childhood question that could completely change how you understand yourself and your relationships

Make sure to check out Vienna’s book The Origins of You, and follow her on Instagram @mindfulmft

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.