The AutSide Podcast

Today’s episode explores the concept of relational ecosystems, proposing a move away from the traditional two-person couple as the primary unit of social stability. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, suggests that true belonging occurs through distributed care and shared living environments where support is constant rather than negotiated. By highlighting the economic and material pressures that make the dyadic model unsustainable, Dr. Hoerricks advocates for communal networks that offer collective resilience. These systems prioritise parallel presence and ambient connection, allowing individuals to feel supported without the intensity of constant one-on-one interaction. Ultimately, she envisions a matristic kinship that fosters a deeper sense of security within a broader, more flexible community structure.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/beyond-the-couple-relational-ecosystemsLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode explores a unique approach to customised monogamy that focuses on relationships forming naturally before any formal rules are established. Rather than relying on rigid structures or milestones to define a bond, the author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, describes an innate durability that emerges when an intimacy feels functional from the very beginning. These connections do not seek external validation or formal labels because they already possess a self-sustaining and reliable shape. Dr. Hoerricks emphasises that fidelity acts as care, protecting a partnership that is already stable rather than trying to fix one that is broken. Ultimately, she suggests that some of the strongest bonds are those that develop without urgency, prioritising steady presence over the pressure to conform to traditional relationship designs.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/beyond-the-couple-customised-monogamyLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode explores the nature of queerplatonic bonds. The author of the source articke, Jaime Hoerricks, PhD, argues that these are deep, sustaining forms of autistic attachment that arrive “already whole” and are “inhabitable from the start.” Dr. Hoerricks emphasises that these relationships do not require escalation, as they are not prefaces to something else like a romantic or sexual partnership, and intimacy is already present as a steady warmth. She seeks to validate these relationships and examine the harm that occurs when they are dismissed or told they “don’t count,” stressing that the relationship is held together by belonging, not pursuit. Ultimately, she defines queerplatonic bonds as complete in themselves, where there is no pressure for transformation or question of what the relationship is becoming.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/beyond-the-couple-queerplatonic-bondsLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode explores the concept of polyamory, reframing it as a form of “Gestalt-Preserving Intimacy.” The author of the source article, Jaime Hoerricks, PhD, challenges the widely held belief that emotional care and attention are finite resources that diminish when distributed across multiple relationships. Instead, Dr. Hoerricks focuses on the lived experience where multiplicity does not lead to collapse or dilution, emphasising that more than one relationship can exist simultaneously without any thinning or weakening of the connections. She posits that the body recognises and maintains this continuity and steadiness, contradicting the cultural narrative that portrays offering care in multiple directions as a necessary loss or division.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/beyond-the-couple-many-wholes-notLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode introduces the concept of relationship anarchy as a framework for care. Authored by Jaime Hoerricks, PhD, the source article focuses on the psychological and bodily relief that comes from engaging in relationships without the need for ranking, definition, or hierarchical expectations. Dr. Hoerricks argues that eliminating these pressures allows the “felt whole” of a person or connection to remain intact, resisting the common societal demand to categorize or legitimize bonds. Ultimately, she explores how this lack of external validation fosters continuity and allows relationships to exist based on their own internal rhythm.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/beyond-the-couple-relationship-anarchyLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe