A psychologist, who is part of a group, has revealed that “not once” considered a multiple relationship until a co-worker confessed that he had feelings for her.
Dr. Nicole LePera, a clinical psychologist in the US who posts online as @the.holistic.psychologist, opened up about their relationship on the Annie Macmanus podcast. Changes.
Dr. LePera often posts about her own experiences for her 6.6 million followers, including how she ended up having issues with her wife Lolly and co-worker Jenna Weakland.
He met Jenna at the first event he ever held, which was a free guided meditation in Los Angeles.
“She was someone who was in the community for a long time, I knew her [social media] mango, so when he came up to me, I said, ‘I know you,’” he said.
He hired Jenna to work in the business, and after she and Lolly moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, the three of them ended up spending a lot of time together.
“At some point, months later, things started to get really difficult and conflicting between us, a lot of bitching and biting at each other,” he said.
One morning, Dr. LePera and Jenna were discussing how to get over it, and the co-worker revealed that she had romantic feelings for the two married women, who had been together for seven years.
Jenna said she was confused because she had never been in anything other than a monogamous relationship before and she didn’t know how the other two women would react.
“Not even once [had Lolly and I] thought or talked about, or even heard about, a more plural or multiple relationship,” said Dr. LePera. But he added that he was touched by Jenna’s admission.
Over several months, the three of them changed their dynamic to a more romantic space.
Dr. LePera initially came out as gay when she was 19, and her mother did not speak to her for three months afterward.
So revealing to the world that she was in a relationship with two people at the same time was something that made her very nervous, both because of the reaction towards the three of them and because of the possible setback in her business.
But the psychologist felt that she was being inauthentic by not being open about it and wanted to help others who might be in a similar situation.
In August 2022, Dr. LePera officially revealed her relationship status and shared a photo of herself and her two partners on Instagram.
“I’m in a throuple. A three-person committed relationship,” she wrote in the caption.
On that day, his Instagram account lost its largest number of followers.
But since then, she has continued to speak out about the positive aspects of her relationship, writing in a post: “There are so many advantages to having a lifelong relationship with more than one human being.
“More than a throuple, we are a family, best friends, a team. I love building life with you angels.”
Dr. LePera said people don’t fit into a box called a “partner,” and while she’ll never actively try to convince people to switch to multiple relationships, the relationship allows her to be authentic.