EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
344 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 134 ratingsThis podcast is all about Couples and the 3C’s: Communication, Conflict, Connection. These are not skills you automatically have when you get into a relationship, but that need to be developed to overcome the inevitable challenges that will come up. Couples who listen to the podcast say, “are they watching us?!” because of how extremely relatable and practical to your day-to-day life together these topics are! Hosts Jocelyn and Aaron Freeman are authors of The Argument Hangover and their programs and workshops have reached over a million people. They are parents to baby Skye Noël and live in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Episodes
Marriage Trials to TRIUMPH: Our Story Overcoming the HARDEST 2 Years + How We Became STRONGER Than Ever: Episode 340
April 23, 2024 10:00 - 34 minutes - 26.1 MBThe last 2 years could have torn us apart and made us turn against each other. It felt like life was throwing everything at us at once, all while we had a newborn baby. In this episode, you’ll hear: Our personal journey of what trials we faced over the last 2 years How exactly we triumphed after these challenges and got stronger than EVER What social psychology says about overcoming stressors and adversity 4 areas of wisdom to guide you through anything you face as a couple As you lis...
Who’s to Blame? Determining Your Part in Marriage Issues: Episode 339
April 16, 2024 10:10 - 27 minutes - 20.7 MBWho's to blame for your frustrating problems and patterns in your relationship? It's obviously your partner, right... they're the problem. No… blaming them doesn't get you anywhere, in fact it makes things worse and more difficult to get out of. If there's one thing that is inarguable in social psychology it's that relationships are bi-directional.Meaning, your attitude, actions, and choices affect your partner's attitude, actions, and choices, and vice versa. Unfortunately many coupl...
Navigating Power Struggles With Your Partner: Episode 338
April 09, 2024 10:10 - 32 minutes - 25.8 MBThere are disagreements in your relationship, and then there are Power Struggles! These power struggles are more detrimental and have deeper rooted contributing factors. They keep you from being the best team possible and being able to come up with mutually beneficial solutions for your family. In today’s episode we dive into: How to define a power struggle The goal of interdependence, rather than co-dependence or independence Contributing factors to being in a power struggle Communicat...
Issues With the In-Laws: Episode 337
April 02, 2024 10:10 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBYour family is a source of support, love, and acceptance. Now there are certainly times that our perception of actions from family members make us forget those underlying intentions. Of course this can be even more true when you are interacting (or dealing with) your partner’s family members (your in-laws)! There is always the grand idea that two sides of a family can come together and just magnify the sense of community, family, and support, but that doesn’t always happen. It can be comm...
Communicate Better, De-escalate Conflicts, Repair Faster After Arguments: Episode 336
March 26, 2024 10:10 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBThe basis of a strong marriage is how well you handle 3 “stages” of interactions. These 3 stages are before, during and after conflicts. The before stage is all about communication and being able to prevent conflicts from even happening. The during conflict stage is about de-escalating tensions and potential conflicts. The after stage is about how you repair when conflicts to happen (because they will) In this episode you will hear the tools you will need to master each of the 3 stages and...
6 Keys to Become More Emotionally Intelligent Partners: Episode 335
March 19, 2024 10:00 - 24 minutes - 17.4 MBEmotional Intelligence (or lack thereof) can truthfully be a make it or break it factor for a marriage. It’s a big part of what helps you be connected, navigate hardship and disagreements, and embrace your differences. It’s also what can cause feelings of “walking on egg-shells” or be what escalates simple miscommunications into big conflicts. Yet nowadays this term can be used too conceptually, and you know we are all about making things useful and practical! In this episode you’ll hear:...
5 Foundations for a Strong Marriage: Episode 334
March 12, 2024 10:10 - 35 minutes - 28.6 MBYou can’t build a strong marriage on a weak foundation. But do you know what the ingredients for a rock-solid foundation are? Well don’t worry, we’re covering that today and we’re certain this will open up some great conversations for you two. In this episode you’ll hear: The 5 foundations to a strong marriage Specific examples so that you can have these conversations with your partner How these can help guide you when you disagree and/or encounter hard moments Also, make sure you...
How Your Psychology Helps OR Hinders Your Marriage (Perception & Memory Bias): Episode 333
March 05, 2024 10:10 - 25 minutes - 18.5 MBYou don’t often “think about your own psychology”, life is just happening and you are responding. So when it comes to interactions with your partner, it's easy to defend yourself when your perspective is brought into question. The cycle continues when you go back and forth about who remembers events more accurately. Your perception and memory are all a part of your psychology. These are actually very complex cognitive functions that can easily make errors and include bias you are not even...
3 Mistakes Women Make in Marriage: Episode 332
February 27, 2024 10:10 - 18 minutes - 16.1 MBFrom the thousands of coaching sessions, DMs, and emails that we receive, we tend to see themes come up in marriage. You would be surprised to learn how common certain topics are for couples, that all seem to come up in the same weeks and months. We are not here to hypothesize about why that is, but just make these themes known. This is the highly anticipated followup episode from last week’s on mistakes men are making. Lately we have been noticing themes around Women and mistakes they are...
3 Mistakes Men Make in Marriage: Episode 331
February 20, 2024 10:10 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBFrom the thousands of coaching sessions, DMs, and emails that we receive, we tend to see themes come up in marriage. You would be surprised to learn how common certain topics are for couples, that all seem to come up in the same weeks and months. We are not here to hypothesize about why that is, but just make these themes known. Lately we have been noticing themes around men and mistakes they are making in marriage. These are not character flaws but just patterns of behavior that we see ad...
Not Everything Needs to Be A Thing: Discerning Between Tension & a True Issue in Marriage: Episode 330
February 13, 2024 10:10 - 30 minutes - 21.8 MBThe scenario is that your partner makes a comment, you sense they are a little irritated. They may very well have a frustration but have expressed it with a mild (level 2) upset. Yet you are not in a conflict or argument. But as you talk back and forth, you start giving explanations and justifications and an early onset of defensiveness starts to create a divide. This is a critical moment where you could even say to each other “this doesn’t have to become a thing …” Often these moments are...
The Bare Minimum to Expect in a Marriage (from yourself): Episode 329
February 07, 2024 10:10 - 16 minutes - 11.4 MBWhat is the bare minimum to expect in a marriage? You likely read that question and think about your expectations about your partner… However this is actually about what to expect from yourself! There are a lot of social media comments on relationship posts that judge the portrayal of a partner. That shows that most people think about what changes a partner needs to make in order to better meet one’s own needs. But that is quite backward. In this episode you will hear 6 traits that are th...
The ‘7 Year Itch’ When Marriage Dissatisfaction Peaks & What You Can Do About It (At Any Point): Episode 328
January 30, 2024 10:00 - 30 minutes - 21.9 MBYou have heard about the "7 Year Itch" in a marriage. Though that was the name of a Marilyn Monroe movie in 1955, studies have shown that a couples satisfaction in marriage hits a low around 10 years into a marriage. Whether you’ve been together 2 years, 10 years, or 30+ years, you’ll get a lot out of this episode by understanding what couples lose sight of and causes an increase of dissatisfaction. We dive into: What the studies say about the “peak of dissatisfaction” being around year ...
Attachment Styles Part 2: Overcoming Avoidant and Anxious Pasts and Tendencies: Episode 327
January 23, 2024 10:10 - 33 minutes - 24.2 MBAre attachment styles fixed? This is the essence of all the questions and messages we received after last week’s episode on attachment style, behaviors, and needs. This required a Part 2 episode this week where you will hear how to overcome your avoidant or anxious style pasts and tendencies. Not only is attachment style not fixed, it’s a range, and can be very situational. You may have created a secure relationship experience for both of you, but circumstances and your environment can ha...
Understand Your Attachment Styles, Needs, and Behaviors: Episode 326
January 16, 2024 10:10 - 30 minutes - 21 MBAttachment is a key term and principle for relationships and refers to the way in which you bond and connect with your partner. The theory of Attachment Style has become much more popular in recent years from its conception by John Bowlby in 1969. Though many are familiar with the Secure and Insecure categorizations and the insecure types of avoidant, anxious, and fearful; people are not so familiar with the attachment needs and behaviors that are as critical. All of this as a theory can ...
Passion, Closeness, and Commitment: Maintaining the 3 Components of Love in Marriage: Episode 325
January 09, 2024 10:10 - 35 minutes - 27.3 MBWhat is Love in a very practical sense? We hear people say “we fell in love” or “we fell out of love”... so what is causing this experience of love? Or why do couples start to feel more like roommates? As the years pass, it can be easier to fall into what is called “empty love” or “friendship love” and miss the 3rd element of love that we all crave. So dive into today’s episode where you’ll hear: The 3 components of love Variations of relationships that have one or 2 components but are...
How to Do the “Yearly Check-in” to Start off 2024 as a United Team: Episode 324
January 03, 2024 10:10 - 31 minutes - 23.7 MBThe one thing that the beginning of a year allows you to do is draw a clear line in the sand. It’s a psychological distinction to review your last 12 months and see how well you executed on your game plan. Some do this for work, for individual achievements, as sports teams, and it is very powerful to do for your marriage. In this episode you will hear how to go through a Yearly Check-in to start off your new year. This will allow you to reestablish your core values, set your vision and go...
How Parenthood Has Affected Our Marriage + The Biggest Challenges We See Couples Face: Episode 323
December 27, 2023 16:16 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBParenting definitely shifts priorities, but that shouldn’t mean we de-prioritize our marriage, right? This week was our daughter’s 2nd birthday and we were reflecting on our own parenting journey up until this point. We know from many couples that parenting really does shift many things in a marriage, even studies have shown that satisfaction goes down in the first 5 years of becoming parents. Though there are so many great positives that also come with being a parent, in this episode you ...
How to VALIDATE Your Partner! Why This Is Important But Difficult When You Don’t Agree: Episode 322
December 19, 2023 10:10 - 21 minutes - 15 MBIf you have listened to the podcast at all you probably have thought “Yes, I get the importance of validating my partner but HOW exactly do I do that?” Even if this is your first time listening you likely have the same question about how to have your partner feel validated in their experience especially when you do not agree with their feelings or details of an event! Validating a partner is a difficult thing to do because you will not always see (or experience) events the same way. You a...
How to Get On a “Winning Streak” in Your Marriage & Move Beyond a Hard Season: Episode 321
December 12, 2023 10:10 - 24 minutes - 18.8 MBAll Work & No Play Makes For A Dull Marriage. If you’re like most of the couples we talk to, you’ve been working at overcoming patterns and challenges that have kept you stuck and in frustrating cycles. Many couples even say, “I’m so exhausted” or “When do we get back to more fun times?” If you have ever seen the movie Moneyball, it’s just clicking in a few key aspects so that you can get on a winning streak! In this episode you will hear a brief answer for why you might feel like you’re o...
What Men Need in Marriage That is Often Overshadowed and Unexpressed to Their Partner: Episode 320
December 05, 2023 10:10 - 25 minutes - 20.7 MBWe were not going to leave the men out from last week’s episode about what women need in a marriage. This episode is about what men need that is often overshadowed and not expressed. Just so you know, the answer is not going to be sex… we have our own issue with accounts that tote sex as men’s only need in a marriage (but you will hear that in the episode)! In this episode you will hear about the need of Harmony and how that is a key need for men, even if they would not have said it that w...
What Women Need in Marriage That is Often Overlooked and Difficult to Describe to The Partner: Episode 319
November 28, 2023 10:10 - 25 minutes - 20.6 MBIn this insightful podcast episode, dive into the heart of successful marriages and discover a nuanced perspective on meeting the emotional needs of women, a crucial but often overlooked aspect. Women generally prioritize people and nurturing, while men care more about things and problem-solving. This difference poses a challenge to men in grasping the seemingly ever-changing emotional needs of their partners and introduces a vital skill: Emotional Attunement. You will hear a vivid contra...
Steps to Rebuild a Marriage Part 2: Places You Can Get Off Track: Episode 318
November 20, 2023 10:10 - 22 minutes - 18.2 MBIf you plan to be married for a long time, you need to work through hard seasons, course-correct, and commit to make changes. These are the times that you need to take steps to rebuild the marriage and start a chapter. This is PART 2 of the “Steps to Rebuild a Marriage” episode #312 as we got so many messages about this topic. In this episode we will briefly remind you of the steps to rebuild, which we have shortened from 8 to 6. Then we will dive further into 4 ways that you can easily g...
Does Emotional or Physical Intimacy Come First? A Chicken or the Egg Dynamic in Marriage: Episode 317
November 14, 2023 10:10 - 35 minutes - 28.7 MBMeeting each other’s needs is the basis for a great relationship. This can get complex especially when it comes to the need of intimacy in a marriage, a fundamental need that often takes different forms for men and women. While some men seek physical intimacy to feel connected, their female partners emphasize the need for emotional intimacy. In this episode you will hear the significance of first establishing emotional safety (in its various forms) before either type of intimacy can be cr...
5 Ways to Be a Exceptional Partner, No Matter the Circumstances You Face: Episode 316
November 07, 2023 10:10 - 27 minutes - 21.4 MBIt's not that difficult to show up as a great partner when everything is going smoothly in your life. Being an exceptional partner has much to do with how you show up in the face of challenges and things not going how you planned. In this episode you will hear 5 ways to be an exceptional partner that will be demonstrated through aligning your words and actions, being responsible for the attitude you bring to the environment, how you show up in support, focusing on the satisfaction of your...
Leadership in Marriage and Trusting Each Other: Episode 315
October 31, 2023 10:10 - 31 minutes - 25.9 MBDisconnection and dissatisfaction can often stem from a power struggle for leadership, especially if it’s been absent. This episode highlights the unique marriage challenges in contemporary relationships, where misconceptions about domination and disengagement can create more conflicts. Leadership within a marriage is not about control but influence and the initiative to guide. This episode explores essential leadership values including a just cause, trust within the team, accountability...
Crucible Moments in Marriage That Can Change Things For Better or Worse: Episode 314
October 25, 2023 10:10 - 25 minutes - 20.9 MBIn this thought-provoking episode, you'll explore the intriguing concept of "crucible moments" and where you have already experienced them in your own relationship. These pivotal junctures, situations, or decision points test the strength of your bond and commitment, with choices leading to breakthroughs or declines in your relationship. You’ll hear real-life examples, from navigating the newborn stage to handling heated arguments or even a big financial loss. This episode encourages you t...
4 Non-Negotiables For a Fulfilling & Lasting Marriage: Episode 313
October 17, 2023 10:10 - 28 minutes - 22.7 MBIn this podcast episode, the fifth step in rebuilding a marriage takes center stage – expressing and agreeing to non-negotiables. Overall this is a crucial step for building trust and granting forgiveness. You will hear 4 non-negotiables that we feel are paramount to a strong and lasting marriage. Those steps are individual responsibility, emotional intelligence, open communication, and developing the traits of flexibility and resilience. You will discover how these keys lead to a stronger, ...
Steps to Rebuild a Marriage: Episode 312
October 10, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 29.1 MBAre you facing a difficult season in your marriage, feeling weighed down, worn out, or dissatisfied by challenges and conflicts? This type of season is not uncommon for marriages. Though it seems complex and ominous to tackle, there are specific patterns that have brought you both to this place. In this episode you'll explore the process of revitalizing a marriage mired in challenges, resentment, and conflicts and provides you with crucial steps to navigate this journey. You'll learn the ...
Making & Keeping Agreements For Times of Conflict, Even When Your Partner Isn’t: Episode 311
October 03, 2023 10:10 - 24 minutes - 19.2 MBIn this episode, you'll explore the critical role of agreements during times of conflicts in your own marriage. Just like any game, your marriage really only works on the adherence to certain rules or guidelines, then everyone can have fun playing the game! While your marriage involves various agreements for different aspects of life, the most vital ones are those designed for navigating conflicts. These agreements, treated as laws, encompass actions for you to take or avoid when emotions ru...
Relationship Satisfaction and Stability: What Really Keeps Couples Together? Episode 310
September 26, 2023 10:10 - 23 minutes - 18.8 MBWhat truly determines the health and success of a romantic relationship? While popular resources online suggest differences in personality traits, attachment styles, past traumas, or external stressors as contributing factors, the episode sheds light on a more precise concept – "relationship stability." Psychologists have coined this term to better measure long-term success in relationships, ultimately linked to the duration of the partnership along with a sense of fulfillment, not dr...
Staying in Love With Each Other as the Years Pass: Episode 309
September 19, 2023 10:10 - 18 minutes - 14.2 MBIn this heartfelt podcast episode, you'll explore the crucial difference between falling in love and staying in love. The hosts share insightful points on making your partner feel seen, appreciated, adored, respected, and accepted over time. They also emphasize the importance of navigating the natural ebbs and flows of intimacy, remaining receptive to each other's needs, course-correcting when necessary, and investing the effort required for enduring love. This episode provides you with a ro...
Protecting Your Kids From Predators Online & Locally Through Teaching Consent + How Trafficking Ends With What We Do at Home: With Expert Rosalia Rivera: Episode 308
September 05, 2023 10:10 - 48 minutes - 27.6 MBWe know this can be a hard conversation, but it’s critical in order to protect our children from the very real threats and predators. You might think that trafficking is something that is distant or would not affect your area or town. But as you’ll learn from today’s guest, Rosalia Rivera, the abuse and trafficking of children occurs mostly in plain sight, in areas near and around you. But this episode is not to put you in fear; in fact, it’s to empower you to have specific ACTIONS to tak...
3 Inescapable Truths About Marriage That Lead to More Happy or Hard Days: Episode 307
August 30, 2023 10:10 - 21 minutes - 17.8 MBAfter you dive into the episode, be sure to sign-up for the 30-Day Couples Challenge starting Sept 1st! This is the best step to consistently add to your love account levels and be more connected on a daily basis. Of course not all relationships are the same because of the personality dynamics that are unique to the two of you and also the specific events or challenges that you face in your marriage. This is where the episode really makes a claim; that you will face challenges in your lif...
Loving Your Kids Without Losing Yourself with Guest Expert Dr. Morgan Cutlip: Episode 306
August 24, 2023 10:15 - 48 minutes - 28.3 MBBecoming a mother is a transformative and in some ways challenging journey. Everyone focuses on the actions of being a parent and not enough on the identity shifts and emotional journey that it really is. Today’s guest expert, Dr Morgan Cutlip, wrote the book, Love Your Kids Without Losing Yourself. In today’s interview with her, you’ll hear: Why “balance” is bologna and what to seek instead The core inner conflicts a mom faces, and likely doesn’t expect The impossible standards we set...
Ending the “Stand-Off” After a Big Blow Up: Episode 305
August 22, 2023 07:10 - 23 minutes - 17.9 MBPicture this: you and your partner on vacation at your favorite spot, yet you haven't exchanged a word in three days. The silent tension, the "stand-off," can feel like it's tearing your relationship apart, whether it's a recurring pattern or a prolonged icy silence. But fear not, because in this episode, we dive into the fascinating realm of how our minds can play tricks on us, especially in the heat of a relationship blow-up. Discover the cognitive twists and turns that can lead to misunde...
3 Steps to More Proactive Communication in Your Day-to-Day Life Together: Episode 304
August 15, 2023 07:10 - 25 minutes - 20.8 MBProactive communication allows you to have more harmony, ease, and unity in your relationship. But what does that really mean, is it just speaking your mind more often? We all know that “our partner can’t read our mind,” but how many of us try to just survive the chaos of life without communicating enough with our partner? Or worse, communicate “reactively” once there’s already tension, frustration, and miscommunications. Today’s episode gives you 3 helpful steps to focus on more proacti...
How You Were RAISED Affects How You HANDLE These 4 Dynamics in Your Marriage: Episode 303
August 08, 2023 07:10 - 26 minutes - 20.6 MBJoin us in this episode as we dive deep into the intricate ways your upbringing shapes your approach to 4 crucial dynamics of your marriage. You will hear the subtle yet profound influences of your past on how you navigate these dynamics with your partner. We all recognize the power of our formative experiences, from childhood to early romance, and their lasting effects on us, but what can you really do about it, right? We'll explore how your emotional regulation, sense of responsibility,...
The Relationship Advice Your Friends Won’t Give You: Stop Acting From Your Feelings, Act From Your Commitment: Episode 302
August 03, 2023 07:10 - 16 minutes - 13 MBHaving good friendships is critical to your fulfillment in life and plays a big role in your marriage as well. However, not all of your friends will tell you the hard truth and some of the things that you really need to hear if you are to get out of a hard season in your relationship. It’s also unlikely that your friends are relationship coaches so there is a key piece of advice that you will not hear from any of them, that you really need to hear. This episode is all about how you need t...
Do a Mid-Year Check-in on Your Life & Marriage Priorities. A Great Conversation Starter From Our Impromptu Staycation! Episode 301
August 01, 2023 07:10 - 20 minutes - 16.2 MBWe went on an impromptu staycation this weekend… just us! And we used some of our time (besides playing, flirting, and relaxing) to have some meaningful conversations. We like to call them “check-ins.” This one in particular happened to be getting on the same page about our life and marriage priorities for the rest of the year. Do you and your partner feel on the same page about what your priorities are? If you don’t take some time a few times per year, you can just be going about the mot...
Top 3 Sources of Marriage Dissatisfaction For Men & How to Prevent Them: Episode 300
July 25, 2023 07:00 - 26 minutes - 21.5 MBThis highly anticipated episode is finally here! Today we dive into underlying frustrations and areas of dissatisfaction for men that we want to be mindful of in our relationship. Remember, these aren’t to blame one person. We both can participate in meeting each other’s needs, preventing frustrations, and talking through the patterns that are interconnected. After you dive into the episode, be sure to sign-up for the 30-Day Couples Challenge starting August 1st!
Top 3 Sources of Marriage Dissatisfaction For Women & How to Prevent Them: Episode 299
July 19, 2023 17:14 - 29 minutes - 23.1 MBGetting married and choosing to do life with someone means that you're also saying, “I am going to care about your needs, I am going to care about whether you’re satisfied or not, and I am going to do my best to meet the standards we’ve set for a partnership.” When this stops happening for various reasons, then the fulfillment and satisfaction for that partner can start to go down. So today’s episode is really about boosting satisfaction in the partnership by understanding the top sources ...
How to Have a Relationship Check-in That’s Constructive and Time Efficient (Our Updated Family Meeting Process): Episode 298
July 09, 2023 12:00 - 29 minutes - 23.7 MBAll great teams “huddle” often, whether a sports team or a professional team. But how often do you guys check-in? Today’s episode covers how to have a weekly, quarterly, and yearly check-in. This is a major update to our process we shared in 2021, which was a SUPER popular episode. You’ll hear the 5 questions to ask each other every week, what to discuss about your relationship every quarter of the year, and big picture topics to stay on track on a yearly basis. We promise, these can be a...
Learning and Wisdom from Our Personal Life: Updates on Building a Home, Parenting Journey, Selling a Property, Challenges, and Faith: Episode 297
July 03, 2023 07:15 - 1 hour - 50.5 MBLife will always have challenges and we believe it’s about how you respond to them as well as how well you learn and grow. This is a huge aspect of maintaining a healthy relationship, how you handle challenges as a team. Hopefully you know that we are not here to sugar coat anything or give you any advice that is not practical or useful in your daily marriage. So in this episode we share updates from the last 18 months as it was the hardest season we have had as a couple. It is our intent...
The Difference Between Repair and Resolution After a Conflict: Episode 296
June 27, 2023 07:10 - 20 minutes - 15.9 MBIn this episode we unravel the crucial distinction between repair, finding a solution, and resolution in relationships. Repairing conflicts, rather than simply reducing the frequency of them, is a powerful indicator of a healthy and lasting partnership. You will hear the misconception that finding a solution automatically leads to resolution, and why the emotional aspect of repair is equally vital. By understanding the formula of Repair + Solution = Resolution, we provide you with the tools ...
Better Identify Your Needs Rather Than Just Expressing Your Frustrations: Episode 295
June 20, 2023 07:10 - 29 minutes - 23.8 MBWe all know that relationships can be challenging, especially when it comes to expressing our needs. Ever found yourself in a situation where you're feeling frustrated but can't quite put your finger on why? You're not alone. In this episode, we dive into the importance of identifying and expressing your needs within a romantic partnership. We'll explore why simply venting your frustrations isn't enough and how it can lead to misunderstandings and communication breakdowns. By learning to ...
“Read the Room” Navigate Your Responses Based on the Present Mood: Episode 294
June 13, 2023 07:15 - 16 minutes - 12.9 MBIn this episode we tackle a common challenge in relationships: expressing strong emotions to our partners without considering the present mood. We've all been there, feeling the urge to let it all out, only to realize it may not be the best time or could escalate tensions further. That's why we're here to guide you through the art of discerning the mood before speaking up. By understanding the momentum and direction of the interaction, you can make informed choices that either diffuse the ...
Kids Witnessing Your Arguments? 3 Keys to Keep it Healthy and Let Go of the Guilt: Episode 293
June 06, 2023 07:10 - 19 minutes - 14.8 MBAs parents, we know that feeling of guilt from knowing that our kiddos saw or heard the argument. But instead of guilty, we want you to become motivated to focus on the 3 keys in this episode. Make sure they see you: DE-ESCALATE the rising emotion and conflict Implement a constructive pause, and not a rupture Fully REPAIR after an argument For more detail on these principles, get our 2 popular guides: De-Escalating Conflicts & Regulating Emotions guide here: Making Up & Moving Forw...
Specific Ways That EFFORT Declines in a Marriage and 5 Ways to Step it Up: Episode 292
May 30, 2023 07:15 - 27 minutes - 21.7 MBThe 30-Day Couples Challenge starts THIS week, so sign up here: https://mycoupleschallenge.com/ In this episode, we dive into the subtle ways that effort can dwindle once we've achieved our goals. Think about athletes reaching their peak or accomplishing a major milestone in your personal life—there's a loss of that initial hunger and drive. The same can happen in your marriage, but it's trickier because there isn't a clear finish line or “scoreboard” to tell us how well we’re doing. By...
Steps to Work Through a Hard Season in a Marriage: Episode 291
May 23, 2023 07:10 - 26 minutes - 20.8 MBYou know that conflicts will happen in a marriage, this truth should not be resisted or avoided. However what if that same conflict comes up again and what if that turns into a pattern that shows up over and over again? This is what creates a hard season in marriage. But if this goes on for multiple weeks, months, or even years then you feel as if nothing is going to change and you lose hope in the marriage. Some people see ending the marriage as the only option, because honestly who woul...