Sami WunderCEO, Dating and Relationship Coach For Ambitious Women / 1200+ client success stories / Mum / Wife

Honeymoon is over, now true relationship starts

23 Feb 2026 · 1 min

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1:05

In this monologue, Sami Wunder explains that the early stage of dating—often called the honeymoon phase—creates a false impression of a relationship’s long‑term viability. During this period, partners behave at their best, experience excitement, and enjoy a rosy view of each other. However, true connection and commitment are tested once couples begin living together and handling everyday life. When partners share daily routines 24/7, they encounter ordinary tasks, discomfort, and inevitable clashes over opinions, values, and perspectives. These ordinary challenges are where most relationships begin to falter, because the initial honeymoon glow fades and the real work of partnership emerges.

Chapters

In early dating, it's basically the honeymoon phase, and this means that men are at their best behavior, you have butterflies in your stomach, and things mostly feel really, really good. But that honeymoon phase is not the real indicator of the capacity to do connection and commitment, because let's face it, when you are in a real relationship with somebody, life is not a red carpet walk. Of course, life has its high moments, it has its red carpet moments, it has moments of fun pleasure and joy and highlights. But the truth is, when you start living with somebody 24/7, you have to do the ordinary things together. And when you navigate those ordinary things together, challenges come up, discomfort comes up, uncomfortable situations come up, clashes come up, difference in opinions come up, difference in values come up, differences in the way you see things and the way he sees things comes up. And this is where most relationships start to falter.