EPISODE 181 Interview with Jim Fleckenstein. Jim Fleckenstein became a relationship coach and educator because of his own life experiences. After the end of his 25-year marriage in 2000, he put the skills he’d gained from his successful non-profit career and his insatiable curiosity to work on relationships. He began a rigorous self-education process that included reaching out personally to leading researchers. His efforts quickly bore fruit. He created an organization that focuses on self-education, scientific research, and helping people have successful relationships. Along the way, Jim developed a unique approach to relationships based on proven methods he encountered over his years of study. Ultimately, he formalized this approach as his Affirmative Intimacy(tm) method.