Get Your Marriage On! with Dan Purcell

The quickest way to improve your relationship with your spouse is to first work on yourself. However, working on ourselves can be hard. Participating in a high-quality group coaching program can often be just the thing to get you going in the right direction. Last week we shared an inspiring story from Mark and Mindy. This week I have two inspiring guests, Tom and Jeff. Tom and Jeff were part of t...

In today's podcast, you'll have the privilege of meeting one of my favorite couples on the planet, Mark and his wife Mindy! Mark was in my most recent Men's coaching cohort. Six months ago Mark and Mindy were on the brink of divorce after 25 years of marriage. However, they have worked really hard and with God's help, and a little bit of effective coaching, they had grown a lot in a short time. I'...

I hope you've enjoyed the slight change of pace over the last couple of episodes. Rather than interviewing professionals, I want to share stories from real ordinary couples about how they've transformed their marriages into something extraordinary. Their stories are real, raw, vulnerable, and inspiring.  This is our third and final "Sextimony" episode in our three-part Sextimony series, where we'r...

I've personally gained a lot from courageous couples opening up to me, in appropriate ways, how they've found deeper connection and joy in their sex lives. I want to share stories from real ordinary couples about how they've transformed their marriages into something extraordinary. Their stories are real, raw, vulnerable, and inspiring. These four couples talk about mindset shifts that lead them t...

I'd like to be part of changing the stigma around talking about elevating sex in marriage. I've personally gained a lot from courageous couples opening up to me, in an appropriate way, how they've found deeper connection and joy in their sex lives. So far in this podcast, we've generally interviewed experts in marriage or sex-related careers to one degree or another. I want to switch gears for the...

We communicate a lot about who we are and how we feel about our spouse by the way we engage (or avoid) sex. Intimacy is about a willingness to let ourselves known, and that can be scary sometimes.   If you're new around here, welcome! We are thrilled to have you. My wife and I hosted a couple's retreat in beautiful St. George Utah! It was in the mountains, with a lake, and each couple had their ow...

Ok, I'm just… really curious. I have a ton of questions about sex toys. Teresa and Blair are the owners of the website, Romantic Blessings, and were gracious to have a frank conversation with me about vibrators and sex toys. I've had this view that sex toys were dirty, bad, and all about solo masturbation. I had this stigma that they were unsavory. But I'm learning they can be a great addition to...

I've heard it said that issues relating to money are the second leading cause of divorce in America. Although we focus a lot on sexual intimacy on this podcast, with Christmas and the financial stress it brings to marriages right around the corner, I thought addressing how to get on the same page with your spouse regarding money would be a good topic to address.   And that's when I found Ashlee Bi...

Do you or your spouse live apart for part of the time? How do you keep your marriage strong when you may not see each other every day? And can distance really make the heart grow fonder? If you're wondering these things too, you're going to love this episode. Roughly 4 million American couples live apart for some of the time, whether for military, pilots, artists, traveling salespeople, medical pr...

About 1 in 8 couples have trouble conceiving. Infertility can become a real struggle for couples, sometimes interfering with intimacy and impacting their sex life. I'm was fortunate enough to meet Sadie Banks, a mother of one (soon to be two) who has dealt with years of struggles revolving around infertility and the impact it's had on her marriage. In this episode, Sadie shares what she's learned...

Modern electronic media has had a big impact on relationships, especially in the last two decades. It's never been easier to stay in touch with loved ones or improve real-time communication. Like many things in life, media use can be helpful and harmful on our relationships, depending on how it's used. I got in touch with McCall Booth, a super-smart Ph. D. candidate at Indiana University that rese...

Building a strong marriage requires each individual to also be strong on their own. We also want to feel free in our relationships, which requires a lot of maturity and personal growth. My guest today is Julie Bender. I love her story because she illustrates what growing and maturing in a relationship can look like. Julie's shares how she's learned how to embrace her story, and in that, found heal...

This episode, #52, marks 1 year of podcast episodes for Get Your Marriage On!  I've had the privilege of interviewing many sex experts over the previous year. In many of the episodes I ask them what black belt sex tips they'd give to a couple in a healthy marriage up the quality of connection and pleasure in the bedroom.  I've rounded up my favorite 20 tips. Ready? Let's go!

Have you ever wondered how do you talk to your kids about sex? Why does talking about sex with our kids feel awkward most of the time? What's the best approach to talk about dating relationships, our bodies, and everything in between? What about the hard topics? Well, if this has been on your mind, you're in for a treat today, as I am able to sit down with Tammy Hill. Tammy is a Licensed Marriage...

Have you ever noticed that there's something almost invisible and intangible that interferes with our ability to connect with our spouses sometimes? According to our expert guest today, it affects women more than men. It's about the mental load we carry, how our minds are constantly buzzing with all the things that need to get done. Couples that develop the skill of "bearing one other's burdens so...

Ahhhhh, communication in marriage. It's so important, and also a source of frustration in our most important relationships! We don't always know how to talk, and more importantly, listen to one another, especially when emotions run high. Learning to talk about intimacy in marriage is also a skill we can develop. My guest today is Denise and Oliver Marcelle founders of Denoli LLC. They mentor coupl...

We all experience times of loss and grief. I received an excellent question from a listener in regards to this: "My wife and I are grieving due to loss and it is something we are trusting God with and through but this is an odd space to be in to think about or bring up sex. I know things need to look different but help to navigate this would be helpful. Can you do a podcast episode or a blog or so...

Taking care of yourself is part of taking care of your relationship. Join me for this SOLO episode and learn how to use the 3-2-1 rule to enhance yourself and your relationship with your spouse.

Dan interviewed Joy Skarka from Authentic Intimacy. Joy's story can be described in one word: freedom. She is passionate about creating spaces to free women from shame. Tune in to hear how Joy found freedom from sexual abuse, sexual addiction, and how she navigates painful sex. Joy is the Authentic Intimacy's Director of Discipleship. To learn more about Joy and her work visit Authentic Intimacy .

Close romantic relationships are often fraught with anxiety. It just comes with the territory, and it's a beautiful part of what makes us human. How we deal with that anxiety is a different story though. I read Dr. Kathleen Smith's excellent book, "Everything Isn't Terrible" and learned sooo much about how my family's dynamic affects the way I show up in my marriage and other relationships. Tune i...

Mindfulness is a buzzword these days, but its roots are deep. In this podcast, I interview Dr. Chelom Leavitt, PhD, an impressive woman that researches the link between mindfulness practice -- the ability to be fully present -- and sexual satisfaction in long-term married couples. Your full presence is one of the greatest gifts you can give another person. When you're mindful you can be with the p...

A common question we get at Get Your Marriage On! is what is okay to do in the bedroom. When faith, values, and personal desires collide it can be confusing or even discouraging. People often seek a checklist of do's and do not's. In this podcast, Dan interviewed clinical Psychologist Daniel Burgess who specializes in Marriage and Family Therapy and has a passion for helping couples navigate sexua...

One huge factor in enjoying a life-giving sex life is your overall attitude towards your own sexuality. Today, we have the privilege of interviewing Dr. Anthony Hughes.  In this episode you'll learn to embrace your sexuality and not be ashamed of cultivating and sharing this powerful force within our marriages. Dr. Anthony Hughes is a sex therapist and founder of Covenant Sex Therapy. He is also a...

In today's podcast episode I hope to share a message of hope and understanding to those that feel like the intimacy they experience in the bedroom is duty sex. I want to talk about what duty sex is and what it isn't, why couples fall into the pattern of duty sex, and what you can do about it.   

The difference between an ordinary marriage and an extraordinary marriage is the little 'extra'." When you say "I Do", it's not the end of your dating years: it's just the beginning of a lifetime of growing and learning together. There's no one else I know who's more dedicated to making it easy for couples to keep dating after marriage than Tara Carson, the founder of The Dating Divas. In this epi...