Peggy Vaughan


Peggy Vaughan was an American author and speaker on infidelity issues.
Vaughan became known in 1980 when she and her husband, James Vaughan, shared their story of overcoming infidelity on the Phil Donahue Show and in the book, "Beyond Affairs."
Over the next 30 years, Vaughan became known "as an internationally recognized expert in the area of extramarital affairs." Public reaction led Vaughan to create the Beyond Affairs Network "to help others whose marriages were impacted by infidelity."
In 1989, Vaughan published The Monogamy Myth," which challenged prevailing attitudes and assumptions about extramarital affairs with the goal of "helping people be better prepared to either prevent affairs or to recover if it happens." A follow-up edition of this book was published in 2003 with the subtitle "A Personal Handbook for Recovering from Affairs."
In addition to appearances on The Phil Donahue Show, Vaughan also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Montel Williams Show, CNN, CBS's 48 Hours, and Fox News.
In 1991, Vaughan and her husband began conducting public seminars on "recovering from affairs," later organizing the handouts from those seminars into a handbook for couples. In 1992, the Vaughans wrote Making Love Stay, which shared their insights about long-term relationships.
In a 1999 keynote at the Smart Marriages conference, Vaughan shared her perspective on rebuilding marriage after an affair:

  • Answer all questions and hang in through the inevitable emotional turmoil.
  • Sever contact with the third party and build trust through actions, not promises.
  • Make a commitment to honesty and ongoing honest communication.
  • Accept the fact that monogamy is an issue that's never settled "once and for all."
After a four-year battle with cancer, Vaughan died at her home in La Jolla, California on November 8, 2012. Upon her death, many of her writings were donated to the public.