Meet Anna Elton

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anna Elton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anna, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

We all experience ups and downs, and as we get older, it can become easier to fixate on what’s going wrong rather than what’s going right. Some people look at the cup as half full, others as half empty. I’ve always believed the cup is just right. For me, optimism comes from finding joy in small moments. If we don’t have fun along the way, what’s the point?

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Sexologist, and much of my work focuses on helping individuals and couples understand how intimacy, desire, and connection evolve over time. I write, teach, and speak about relationships in the modern world—where technology, cultural pressures, and shifting expectations often reshape how people connect with one another.

What excites me most is making complex psychological and relational concepts accessible. Whether it’s through therapy, teaching graduate students, or writing for a broader audience, my goal is to give people tools they can actually use in their everyday lives.

I have two books coming out in 2026 that reflect this mission: Couples Therapy in the Digital Age (PESI Publishing, March 2026), an academic text designed for therapists and graduate students, and The Formula of Desire (New Harbinger, August 2026), which explores how desire is formed, sustained, and restored in relationships.

In addition to my writing, I’ll be speaking on a panel about sexual wellness in Miami this December, and in early 2026 I’ll begin my book tour for The Formula of Desire. The first stop will be Salt Lake City, Utah, where I’ll appear on Good Things Utah for a Valentine’s Day segment.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, I’d say the three qualities that made the biggest impact on my journey were perspective, persistence, and self-acceptance. First, always focus on your own journey and not someone else’s. If you want to compete, let it be with yourself by striving to be just a little better than you were yesterday. Second, don’t let perfection get in the way of progress. Waiting for things to be perfect often keeps people from moving forward, while “good enough” allows you to grow and improve over time. Finally, remember that all emotions are valid. We can’t always be happy, positive, or “on.” Life is like a pulse, with natural ups and downs. If you’re having a bad day, trust that tomorrow can bring a better one. My advice for anyone starting their journey is to honor where you are, focus on steady progress, and remember that you don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of the journey.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed, it often feels like a cloud of worries, deadlines, and to-do lists hanging over me. What helps is slowing down and taking one thing at a time. I start by asking myself if this is a hypothetical worry or an actual problem I need to address.

If it’s hypothetical, I think through what I could do if it ever becomes real, and once I have that plan in mind, I can let the worry go. If it’s an actual problem, I make a concrete plan of what needs to be done, when, and how. If I can handle it immediately, I do it. If not, I schedule it for a specific time, like Thursday at 5 pm, with the exact steps mapped out. That way, it’s no longer circling in my head. The key is to separate the “what ifs” from the “what nows.” Once you make that distinction, overwhelm feels far more manageable.

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Calos Velez

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