Finding Love After Divorce: Natalie & Glen's Unconventional Love StoryFinding Love After Divorce: Natalie & Glen's Unconventional Love Story
Anonymous Andrew
Andrew talks with married couple Natalie Vartinian and Glen Nielsen about their unconventional path from friendship to marriage, including age gaps, non-monogamy and deep personal work. Their conversation touches on trauma patterns, dating over 50, and practical tools for building healthier, more honest relationships.
1:03:39•25 Oct 2026
Finding Real Love After Divorce: Natalie & Glen’s Second-Chance Story
Episode Overview
- Rushing into relationships without clarity often leads to years of trying to change a partner instead of accepting who they are.
- A ‘relationship autopsy’ of the last three relationships can reveal recurring patterns and the kind of person you repeatedly attract.
- Writing out your ideal relationship, ideal partner and ideal self helps you stop settling for ‘close enough’ and start dating with intention.
- Trauma often repeats itself through similar partners and situations, so healing work is essential if you want different outcomes.
- Dating apps are optional; rebuilding an enjoyable dating life can include meeting people in person, slowing down and focusing on quality over quantity.
“We’re always trying to change the person we’re with in some way, and it starts early, man. It starts with dating.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober and still open their hearts to love again? This conversation follows Natalie Vartinian, an intimacy and relationship coach, and her husband, somatic trauma therapist Glen Nielsen, as they share how a decade-long friendship turned into marriage, despite a 17-year age gap, past divorces and a history of unconventional relationships.
The chat has a relaxed, story-style feel, but it’s packed with practical ideas for anyone over 50 who’s dating, divorced, or rebuilding after addiction.
Glen talks about being “married at 17… divorced when I was 27” and how repeated relationship pain finally pushed him to “really figuring this out.” Natalie describes her “year of sexploration”, dating multiple people and trying different relationship styles so she could base decisions on “actual data and experience versus just theory.” Together they talk honestly about being “monogamish”, bisexuality, and why they chose to temporarily close their relationship to build a solid foundation.
They also get into the patterns that trip people up: codependency, the “Superman complex”, repeating trauma bonds, and what Glen calls the “nice guy effect” where men lose themselves trying to keep everyone else happy. One of the most useful parts is Natalie’s framework: a “relationship autopsy” of your last three relationships, writing out your ideal partner, ideal relationship and ideal self.
Glen adds that trauma often repeats “trying to heal itself”, so awareness is key if you want different results next time. For anyone sober, separated or simply exhausted by “fast food dating” and swipe culture, this episode offers realism without doom: you’ll hear two people who did the messy inner work, designed a relationship that fits them, and now help others do the same.
If you’re dating later in life, are you settling for “close enough”, or finally getting clear on what you actually want?
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