Truck drivers embody independence. But even the most independent folks want to come home to the same thing— a strong and healthy relationship. Whether you’re in a  long-term marriage or just dating, the long hours spent driving can affect the relationships established back home. 

On this episode of Drive, Dr. Karin Anderson, an acclaimed psychologist, author, and podcaster specializing in relationships, joins Zac Elsts to discuss relationships on the road. Listen to learn more about how important personal relationships can still be successful ones and why independence is a major component of any healthy relationship. 

Compelling Quotes:

• [01:44] “A lot of the messages about relationships were also very disparaging because you weren’t in partnership at a certain age there was something wrong with you fundamentally.”
• [05:00] “I want to really reframe what may be seen sometimes as people going, oh my gosh, how do you guys make it work when you’re apart? So often that’s actually a strength because you’re not looking to that person to meet needs that really only you, as an individual can make.”
• [08:06] “Because they’re spending that 12, 14 hours a day away, alone by themselves, truck drivers know that they can’t always look to someone else to make them feel okay or to make them have a good day”
• [09:24] “When we start to date someone we have to do that with open eyes. We need to be careful that we are honoring this person’s profession, admiring them for their independence.”
• [14:39] “Once you’re in a partnership, we want to still maintain that high regard and high respect with that marriage and that partnership. And so thinking about, if I have to have this hard conversation, how will my partner best be able to receive what I’m trying to say?”
• [20:57] “If you know that gifts are your partner’s love language, and you’re gone, you can pick up a souvenir from where you traveled…and so when we’re planning these hard conversations, Maybe if we know we have to have a hard conversation, bring a gift because that’s our love language.
• [27:08] “All the research and psych shows that gratitude and happiness correlate.”