Marriage Therapy Radio

Zach sits down with  Susan and Tim Bratton , a couple who’ve been together for 35 years and built both a marriage and a business dedicated to helping others experience more fulfilling intimacy. Susan, an internationally recognized intimacy expert, and Tim, her husband and business partner, open up about how their marriage nearly ended before they discovered that great sex and great connection are...

Zach talks with  Mike and Caroline Neubauer , the husband-and-wife team behind  Our Family Invests . From meeting on a Maui beach to building a life of real estate success, family adventure, and deep purpose, their story is equal parts romance, resilience, and intentional design. Mike, a former firefighter turned real estate investor, and Caroline, a realtor and hospitality professional, share how...

Zach talks with Brian and Toby, partners of 13 years, and dads of two daughters. They share openly about parenting, building a household on their own terms, and how their marriage has evolved through different phases, from dating in Manhattan to raising a family in Brooklyn. Brian and Toby talk about splitting household roles, setting expectations, and creating rules that bring freedom instead of...

Zach sits down with  Jennifer and  Andres , co-founders of  Those Coffee People , to share the remarkable story of how travel, serendipity, and coffee brought them together. Jennifer, originally from Connecticut, and Andres, a Colombian with family roots in coffee farming, met in a hostel in Peru and quickly discovered they were better together. What started as a whirlwind travel romance became a...

Zach sits down with Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith , co-founders of the RaabSmith Team , to talk about their journey from betrayal and addiction to building a thriving marriage and coaching practice. They share candidly about Matthew’s struggles with sex addiction and pornography, Joanna’s experience of betrayal trauma, and the long process of stabilizing their relationship. What began as survival s...

Zach takes the mic by himself to reflect on pets, parenting, politics, passion, and the practice of relationships. Using his playful “P’s and Q’s” framework, he explores everything from why he doesn’t have the “pet gene” to how parenting young adults is harder and more rewarding than raising little kids. Zach also shares candid thoughts on politics, relational responsibility, and the role of men i...

Zach sits down with writer and relationship coach  Matthew Fray  https://matthewfray.com/ ,  author of " This Is How Your Marriage Ends",  and his partner, Jen. Together, they share the story of how their friendship over bourbon turned into a deeper relationship, shaped by lessons learned from past marriages and the blind spots that can quietly erode trust. Matt opens up about how regret from his...

Zach sits down with Greg and Rachel Denning, parents of seven, world travelers, authors, and coaches who have built a marriage around adventure and intentional living. They share how their story began with adoption, grew through unexpected pregnancies, and expanded into a lifestyle of global travel and immersion experiences for their kids. From living on a shoestring in Nicaragua with six children...

Zach talks with Casey and Mike about their journey from young professionals in Washington, D.C., to building a life together in Seattle. Along the way, they share how floating homes, career shifts, parenting two kids, and Casey’s sobriety journey shaped their marriage. Casey opens up about her decades-long relationship with alcohol, the turning points that led her to become a sober coach and podca...

Zach talks with Sarah Rhoades and her boyfriend Grady, a young couple navigating the first year of their relationship. They share how a chance meeting at Grady’s backyard open mic, where he held a microphone for Sarah’s banjo, turned into an unexpected connection built on shared values, openness, and adventure. Sarah and Grady reflect on blending friend groups, learning from divorced parents, and...

Zach sits down with Billy and Melissa Hofacker, parents of five, homeschoolers, entrepreneurs, and deeply intentional partners. They share how their relationship evolved from survival mode to something they both now call a “ten.” Through structured connection points like weekly date nights and monthly marriage meetings, the Hofackers have built a resilient, emotionally intelligent partnership. Mel...

Zach sits down with his mother Joe and his stepfather Otis to explore their journey from painful pasts to a peaceful present. Joe and Otis reflect on their “practice marriages,” the controlling dynamics they each endured, and the moment they realized they wanted something different. They share how a foundation of friendship, autonomy, and mutual respect became the bedrock of their 25-year relation...

Zach sits down with Monica Tanner—coach, podcast host, and author of Bad Marriage Advice —and her husband Ben, a self-proclaimed private “civilian.” Together, they share how their 23-year marriage has evolved from survival mode to a deeply intentional partnership. The conversation moves from parenting young adults to debunking cliché marriage advice like “don’t go to bed angry” and “happy wife, ha...

Zach connects with listeners Paul and Symone during a road trip break near Austin. Speaking candidly from the front seat of their car, they reflect on their blended family, the nuances of a 20-year age gap, and the emotional work of learning to love each other's children. As Paul and Symone navigate the complexities of second marriages, they share how gardening becomes their safe zone, how compass...

Zach sits down with Anna Rahe , fascia expert and founder of Genius of Flexibility , and her husband Daniel for an honest, layered conversation about what it looks like to “raise the grade” in a long-term partnership. As Anna and Daniel explore the habits they’re unlearning—and the ones they’re trying to reinforce—they reflect on the small ways they grade their relationship, how conflict becomes a...

Zach sits down with couple Victoria Shalet and Adam James for a thoughtful and honest conversation about navigating the complexities of partnership. Drawing from their experiences in psychotherapy and performance, they unpack how their personal and professional worlds inform the way they connect, communicate, and occasionally clash. Through light banter and open reflection, they explore moments of...

Zach is joined again by clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Shannon Curry for a direct and thoughtful exploration of how language shapes conflict in relationships. Together, they dissect common but often misused terms like “narcissist,” “gaslighting,” and “codependent,” highlighting the real harm that can come from assigning labels without clear definitions or clinical backing. Shannon brings c...

Zach continues his conversation with clinical psychologist Dr. Shannon Curry for a vulnerable and intellectually engaging conversation that blends personal storytelling, relationship science, and unexpected insight. Shannon opens up about how her own relationship defied her expectations, thanks to what she learned from psychologist Tai Tashiro’s research on the three personality traits that lead t...

Zach sits down with  Dr. Shannon Curry —clinical psychologist, couples therapist, and founder of the Curry Psychology Group—for a nuanced discussion about what happens when couples “team up” against their therapist in session. Drawing on her forensic background and deep clinical insight, Shannon explores the subtle dynamics of triangulation, conflict avoidance, and the emotional strategies people...

Previously available only to our Patreon supporters , this special episode of So I Married a Relationship Expert is now being released to the full Marriage Therapy Radio audience. In this candid and heartfelt conversation, Zach interviews his longtime co-host, Laura Heck, and her husband, Ryan Heck, to explore what it’s really like to be married to a relationship expert. You’ll hear honest reflect...

Zach sits down with Baya Voce and Emmy Bush to talk about  falling in love hard and fast, hitting a wall after the wedding, and what it takes to rebuild a relationship rooted in honesty, health, and play.  The couple, known for their wildly creative wedding (think Burning Man meets RuPaul meets adult summer camp), dive deep into what really happened once the party ended. They speak candidly about...

Zach is joined by Darren and LaVerna Wilk to explore the journey of maintaining a thriving marriage through the transitions of parenting, fostering, and embracing the empty nest phase. With over 35 years of marriage and five daughters, they share insights on shifting from parenting to partnership, cultivating friendship, and keeping their relationship adventurous. They discuss planning intentional...

In this concluding episode of the guest-host series, Desirae Ysasi and Zach dive into the art of reparenting, integration, and communication in relationships. They explore what it means to revisit your childhood self while also allowing your younger self to guide you through present challenges. Desirae opens up about the overwhelm of parenting through work stress , sharing how her daughter’s recen...

Zach and  Desirae Ysasi  pick up where they left off—diving deep into the intersections of  race, identity, privilege, and emotional intimacy  in relationships and therapy spaces. What unfolds is a profoundly honest and vulnerable conversation about  belonging , the emotional labor of marginalized people, and what it means to truly listen and connect across differences. Desirae shares how her live...

Zach welcomes  Desirae Ysasi  for her first appearance as a guest co-host—and what unfolds is a warm, insightful, and occasionally awkward conversation about  parenting, marriage, culture, and therapist life . From Desirae’s daughter offering podcast advice (“don’t be weird”) to Zach’s reflections on parenting adult children, the two therapists pull back the curtain on their real lives. They explo...