EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

We 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...

In 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 th...

If 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, wh...

Meeting 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...

It'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...

Disconnection 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 explo...

In 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...

In 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...

Are 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,...

In 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...

What 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, ul...

In 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 nec...

We 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 e...

After 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 marri...

Becoming 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...

Picture 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...

Proactive 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, frustratio...

Join 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 rea...

Having 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...

We 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 priorit...

This 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 su...

Getting 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 epis...

All 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 th...

Life 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...

In 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...