The Second Time Around

What does it really mean to make your marriage a priority? In this episode, LaShan and Makela explore the importance of protecting the relationship that serves as the foundation of the family. As careers, children, finances, ministry, and everyday responsibilities compete for our attention, couples can easily lose sight of the commitment that brought them together. Through honest conversation, bib...

In this Thanksgiving episode, we pull up chairs to a table that has changed shape over the years—because family doesn’t always look like the picture we grew up imagining. 🦃✨ As a blended crew with adult children, shifting traditions, and schedules that never sync, we’ve had to redefine what “family time” really means. We get honest about the messy, beautiful, emotional reality of gathering durin...

In this episode, a nod to Jon B.’s classic “They Don’t Know,” we dive into what it means to build real love in a world obsessed with filters, trends, and everybody having something to say about relationships they’re not in. 🎶💬 We open up about navigating the age gap between us and the 20- and 30-somethings in our lives, kids, couples, younger family members, and even the culture as a whole. What...

Can you hear the Emotions...” Don’t ask my neighbor?”  This episode is all about protecting what’s sacred in a world that wants access to everything. 🔐❤️ These days, everybody posts everything — relationships, arguments, screenshots, wins, losses… and opinions fly faster than love can grow. We open up about how we keep our relationship covered, grounded, and private in an era where oversharing is...

As we bring The Perfect 10 Month to a close, this episode is both a heartfelt toast to the decade behind us — and a hopeful nod to everything still ahead. In this final chapter of our anniversary celebration, we’re talking about legacy, longevity, and love that grows deeper with time. But this isn’t just a recap, it’s a vision cast. Together, we share our individual hopes, our unified dreams, and...

As we continue the Perfect 10 Month, we’re turning up the volume on love, memory, and music. This episode is a smooth, soulful ride through the soundtrack of our 10-year journey — the tracks that made us dance, cry, laugh, reflect, and fall deeper in love, time and time again. Inspired by the legendary R&B and gospel songs that marked each milestone, The Perfect 10 Playlist isn’t just a collec...

In Part 2 of “Between the Pulpit and the Spotlight,” we’re not looking back—we’re sitting right in the middle of one of the hardest seasons of our marriage. This isn’t about dating as ministers anymore. We’re married now. But life is life-ing, and ministry… it’s heavier than we imagined. This episode is raw. Not past tense pain—present tense pressure. We open up about: 💬 Facing unexpected challen...

This isn’t just another episode—it’s the rawest conversation we’ve ever released. We continue “The Perfect Ten Month” by going back to the beginning, before we were “us,” before the vows, before the clarity. When we were just two ministers trying to figure out how to honor our calling and explore a connection that almost got shut down before it ever had a chance to start. This is the real story be...

In Part 2 of “10 Moments That Made Us,” Makela shares her ten defining moments that shaped this love story—her version, her view, and her voice. This episode is honest, tender, and full of those moments only Makela can tell—from quiet realizations to full-circle affirmations. These aren’t just highlights; they’re the behind-the-scenes snapshots, the personal pivots, and the little things that mean...

This episode is the start of something special: The Perfect Ten Month—a celebration of 10 years of love, faith, growth, and grace. In Part 1, LaShan takes a moment to reflect and reveal the 10 moments that shaped this marriage and molded this ministry of love. This isn’t just a timeline—it’s a testimony. These moments are the quiet shifts, the major milestones, and the divine intersections that to...

🎙️ Sweet Love: Covering Each Other with Grace The Second Time Around Podcast – Season 2, Episode 13 Tagline: Grace. Growth. Gentleness… The Second Time Around. 🎶 “With all my heart, I love you baby…” – Anita Baker, Sweet Love (1986) This one’s for the couples learning that love isn’t just sweet—it’s sacrificial. That real love doesn’t just celebrate the best in each other… it covers the worst wit...

🎶 “Joy and pain... like sunshine and rain.” – Frankie Beverly & Maze (1980) Let’s be real—marriage isn’t always magic. Sometimes it’s messy, mundane, and full of moments that test your heart and stretch your faith. But even in those everyday tensions, grace still shows up. In this episode, we talk about how we’re learning to find God’s grace in the ordinary, not just the “Instagram-worthy” mo...

🎶 “Anytime… anyplace… I don’t care who’s around…” – Janet Jackson (1993) Let’s talk about grown love—the kind that still flirts, still surprises, and still gets butterflies… even after bills, babies, and busy schedules. In this episode, we explore what it takes to keep romance alive and fun flowing in a committed, God-centered marriage. It’s not about being perfect—it’s about being present, playf...

🎶 “Like sweet morning dew, I took one look at you… and it was plain to see, you were my destiny.” – Mary J. Blige & Method Man (1995) This week, we’re talkin’ about that ride-or-die, God-ordained, built-for-purpose kind of love. The kind that doesn’t just survive life—it builds legacy through it. In this episode, we unpack what it really means to walk in Kingdom purpose as a couple. This isn’...

🎶 “You’re all I like, you’re all I want, you’re all I need, you’re all I love.” – Guy This week, we’re drawing from a New Jack Swing classic and a timeless truth: when love is real, you fight for it… with faith. In this episode, we discuss how prayer became our lifeline during the challenging seasons of our marriage, the moments when communication broke down. When grief hit, when life got heavy,...

🎶 “No more pain… no more drama in my life…” – Mary J. Blige (2001) This week, we’re not just quoting the Queen—we’re living the lyrics. In this episode, we’re talkin’ all about boundaries—not the buzzword, but the biblical blueprint that helps protect your peace and preserve your relationship. Because you can’t build real love in chaos... and you sure can’t grow in God when your heart’s full of n...

🎶 “Slow down, baby… lovin’ ain’t going nowhere…” – Mary J. Blige, What’s the 411? (1992) Mary said it best. Real love takes time, especially when you’re learning to trust again. In this episode, we open up about what it really took to rebuild trust in our marriage, after carrying the scars of past hurts and our own missteps. From honesty and emotional safety to prayer and patience, we share what...

🎶 “All this love is waiting for you…” Sometimes love doesn’t show up the way you planned—but when God writes the story, the ending is always worth it. In this episode, we’re opening up about how we found our way back to love after heartbreak—and how God gave us the grace to heal, forgive, and try again. It wasn’t easy. Trust had to be rebuilt. Pride had to fall. And faith had to lead the way. We...

🎶 “We laugh just a little too loud… stand just a little too close…” Love hits different when you’ve lived long enough to know: sometimes laughter is ministry, and growth doesn’t come without a few bumps. In this episode, we get real, and really funny, about the quirks, inside jokes, and “you had to be there” moments that make our marriage what it is. But it’s not all laughs. We also discuss the l...

🎶 “Talkin’ bout us, baby…” We’re dating with purpose this time, and that means having the kind of conversations that don’t just feel good, but build something real. In this episode, we’re talkin’ about the moments early in our journey when we had to put it all on the table—faith, expectations, boundaries, past wounds, and future hopes. Because dating as a Christian isn’t just about being cute and...

🎶 “Like a moth to a flame, burned by the fire…” Janet said it smooth—but real love? It don’t always feel like a slow jam. Sometimes it’s a storm. Sometimes it’s silence. And sometimes… It’s both. In this episode, we’re talkin’ about how love grows—not in the flowers and fairy tales, but in the late-night prayers, the tough talks, the parenting challenges, and the spiritual pruning that makes you...

🎶 "Just got paid, Friday night…" We all know the feeling when that direct deposit hits. But once the vibe fades and the bills show up, then what? Inspired by Johnny Kemp's 1987 jam, this episode dives into what happens after the payday high. Because in real relationships, money isn't just math—it's ministry. It's how you prioritize, protect, and partner. In this episode, we talk about: 💬 What ha...

"Just pray and submit." "Keep the house clean, the kids quiet, and your spouse satisfied." "If it’s meant to be, it’ll be easy.” Whew—who told us that? In this episode of The Second Time Around, we’re tearing down the marriage myths we were fed—and talkin’ about the tension that lives between the vows and the real. Because let’s be honest: marriage ain’t magic. It's ministry, maturity, and choosin...

"You gots to chill…" But after the chill comes the comeback. And baby, we're Back in Business. Inspired by that 1997 EPMD classic, this episode is all about the Reset, the Rebuild, and the Real. When life tried to throw us off beat, we had to fall back, let God remix the rhythm, and come back harder—with more clarity, more covering, and more conviction. In this season opener of The Second Time Aro...

In 2019, PJ Morton released his most personal album yet, PAUL — a body of work that felt like a journal set to soul. On his duet with Jazmine Sullivan, "Built For Love," he sings, "It's not worth keepin' if it's not worth fightin' for..." That lyric could've been the soundtrack to our story. This episode is our purest duet — raw, real, and full of grace. Because when we look back, one thing is cle...