All Things Marriage with Dr. Chavonne

I am excited to share with you a really fun, powerful, and eye-opening conversation that took place a few months ago at the Millennial Marriage Toolkit Summit hosted by fellow marriage coach Shivonne Davis.  This was a deeply soul-stirring interview where we talked about God, marriage, and where I shared some life coaching tools along with Christian faith principles that you can use to improve you...

Are you loving this 3 part training on fight-free holiday?  I had a wonderful time presenting this information to you and I know that you were able to gain some valuable insight that you can utilize to make this holiday season fight-free. If you've been following along, day one was all about how to avoid arguments in the first place. Day two, we talked about how to de-escalate arguments, when you'...

Today we are continuing with Part 2 of our Fight-Free Holiday training and discussing how to de-escalate arguments.  It’s impossible to never have a disagreement. That’s not even the goal. But when you do find your conversations veering off track, and you want to end on a good note, this episode will show you exactly what to do.  De-escalating arguments requires a different skill set than avoiding...

This is my absolute favorite time of the year. The period between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year is a time of major celebration for me and my family but I also recognize that while the holidays may be the most wonderful time of the year for some, that's not necessarily true when it comes to relationships. When you're already struggling in your marriage, it can be a challenging time during t...

In general, a trigger is anything including memories, experiences, or events that sparks an intense emotional reaction, regardless of your current mood. On any given day, you probably experience a range of emotions such as excitement, unease, frustration, joy, disappointment. Your response to these events can vary based on your frame of mind and the circumstances surrounding the situation. In marr...

One of the greatest human needs is to connect. To be seen, heard, and known by a person you care about deeply.  When couples can’t connect, they experience communication breakdowns, unnecessary arguments, they don’t operate as a team, and they feel lonely.  However, men and women are wired to connect differently, and these differences are often misunderstood. Knowing and accepting these difference...

Being married is the bringing together of two completely different people with two completely different ways of thinking, being, and operating in the world. There will be times when you don’t understand or agree with your spouse. In those moments, it is human nature to judge the other person as wrong. But judging each other only leads to conflict, tension, and distance - the exact things you DON’T...

When it comes to relationships, we don't think of ourselves as being in need of skills, especially in marriage, because what brings us together most times is this natural organic connection for each other. It's not something we're even consciously working to create, it's just there. But it does take a certain set of skills to maintain the kind of marriage you want. You must be constantly aware of...

If you are interested in changing your life for the better, speaking with someone who is a professional in helping others meet the outcomes that will bring them success and fulfillment in all areas of life can be extremely helpful.  Therapy, coaching, and counseling are three services that can provide this type of assistance. These services have helped countless people live their best lives,...

Lack of follow-through is a common issue so many couples face. Whether you are disappointed your partner is not following through, or you feel bad that you are unable to follow through, it’s an experience that puts a strain on your relationship.  When individuals in a couple don’t follow through, trust in the relationship is eroded. It sends the message “I can’t depend on you.” Conversely, wh...

There is probably no greater frustration in marriage than to not have your expectations met. Expectations are the rules we adopt that tell us what someone else is supposed to think, feel and act. In marriage, expectations are often the cause of a lot of unhappiness. In this episode of the podcast, we are going to take a new look at the idea of expectations. You will have the opportunity to work th...

Today’s podcast episode will calm your fears and help you have the right perspective about doubting your marriage. Having doubt about your marriage is more common than you might think. Many people question if their marriage will last, or if they married the right person. These thoughts, in and of themselves are not the problem - it’s what you do with them that either makes your marriage stronger o...

Today’s podcast episode will inspire you and show you all that’s possible for you with your spouse. One of the greatest assets you have in making your marriage better is a vision for what you want to experience together as a couple. When couples struggle, it’s because they don’t have a clear picture of what they are striving for. They get stuck in the “reality” of what’s missing and don’t focus en...

Making time for your marriage can sometimes feel like a sacrifice. There are many competing demands for your time and energy. But when you don’t treat your marriage as a priority, you and your spouse struggle to connect. And connection is what makes a marriage work.   In this episode: you’ll learn how to use a simple framework to think about the time you invest in your marriage you will determine...

Anytime a couple is not on the same page one person is likely to feel very disappointed or frustrated. Many people come to me asking the question of how to get their spouse on board with something.   In this episode, I give you my honest answer and introduce you to a 5-step process for having these types of conversations.   I make the distinction between inviting your partner to consider something...

I know for many when you got married, you really didn't have many doubts. You felt like this was a great match that you were thrilled to be committing your life to spend together and you know, things happen. And maybe you're hoping to be back in that place again. I want you to know that no matter where you guys may find yourself right now. That connection, that enjoyment, that fun, that love, that...

Do you feel like you and your spouse are living like roommates? Whenever you hear about a roommate, it's usually a story of something that's not working well. You may currently be experiencing a rough patch in your marriage that’s making you feel this way but here’s the thing, you are roommates. You live in a home together, you share responsibilities, you do your thing, in some ways and your spous...

For many women, there's an emotional reactivity and a heightened sense of fear and anxiety that's often at play when it comes to parenting our children. It's like you reflect back on your own childhood and find yourself being in the space of not wanting to make the same mistakes with your children that you perceive that your parents made. This can result in having parenting differences in your mar...

Shutting down in a marriage may look like a lot of different things. You may find your spouse is more distant, withdrawn, distracted, or defensive. This can be a difficult time, especially if you deeply want to connect and work on things together.  In this episode I share the reasons why your spouse may have shut down, and how you can still move yourself forward in a positive direction. I also sha...

What does it mean to hold space for someone else? It means that we are willing to walk alongside another person in whatever journey they’re on without judging them, making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome. For your spouse, this means the same thing. If we aren't as happy as we can be in the marriage, it's likely because we see something in our spouse that w...

So often we are unclear about where we are and what is necessary to take us to where we want to be. Knowing where you are right now in your marriage is such valuable information because it helps you know where to put your focus and effort. As a coach, my goal is all about getting you from where you are now, to where you want to be and help you to get super clear about the starting line. How you ap...

Today’s episode will help you to be intentional about the marriage you want and deserve. If you want a great marriage, it won’t happen by chance. Great marriages happen by choice. When it comes to #marriagegoals, I want you to look at what you have now and build from there rather than focusing on the future idealistic version of the marriage that you want. Making what we have now be enough to work...

It's a celebration guys! This is our 100th podcast episode! I am so proud. Thank you all for your continued support. I appreciate you listening to the podcast and taking the time to leave a comment and a review. Thank you. So to celebrate, I thought it would be fun to share with you a few books from some of the experts in the marriage space that have really shaped my thinking and enhanced my marri...

We all have expectations of how we want things to be in our life and our marriage is no exception. And so when our husband is not exactly how we would want him to be, we feel disappointed. I want to offer to you that loving your marriage is a mindset that is not dependent on the circumstance being perfect. There are certain foundational items that are important to the success of your marriage. By...

We sell ourselves on things every day. Whether it’s the thing we don’t need at Target or a new habit we want to adopt, we come up with reasons to say yes. Today I want to challenge you to sell yourself on a better marriage. This involves focusing on what you want MOST which then leads you to take action in the right direction. The more time you spend thinking about the marriage you want, the more...