Happily Ever After is Just the Beginning

It’s commonly accepted that marriage is hard. That it requires work. That’s only because many couples stop doing the things that led to getting married in the first place. Yes, everyday life happens. Sometimes even bad things happen. But none of it has to sink your marriage. Author Leah Hefner reveals how three simple behaviors can protect and support your marriage, so it can be your soft place to...

The holidays can be extremely stressful with all the forced family togetherness. The problem—not everyone has a Norman Rockwell or Hallmark experience. You may be feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and looking for a place to hide. But now may be the best time to evaluate your experience and plan to make the experience better next year. So, here’s a replay of an earlier show with Dr. Deanna Brann, Lic...

All couples disagree but how they disagree determines the overall health and happiness of their relationship. Annoyances, assumptions, and blame are some of the common, but harmful, behaviors couples engage in. Maybe this describes you or your partner. The good news is that disagreements don’t have to turn into arguments. You can learn how to do this. Beth Steffaniak, life coach and author, descri...

There are a lot of things said about great relationships that are completely false. Expecting your partner to complete you, believing it’s your job to make your partner happy, focusing on your partner when things aren’t going the way you want are just a few. The truth is that happiness is an inside job and the place to start in making your marriage better is with you. Laura Doyle, author of The Em...

Good communication alone will not ensure a Happily Ever After marriage but, without it, you don’t stand a chance. One of the biggest challenges couples face is learning how to communicate effectively. As with most things, it’s easier to look at where the other person is falling short than to look in the mirror and figure out our part. You’ve been talking since you were little and, on the surface,...

Having a successful marriage is a balancing act, much like riding a bicycle. You must develop the ability to even out the pull between keeping yourself separate and disappearing into togetherness. This is the biggest challenge to marriage that there is. But, much like riding a bike, once you get a feel for that balance, maintaining it becomes relatively effortless. The key to finding this equilibr...

There are a lot of metaphors used for marriage. One of the most popular, and accurate, is that of a dance. For many, this means two people moving to the same music but not remaining in their own space, rarely touching or even making eye contact. But a good marriage is one of deep connection like is necessary for the tango, waltz or samba. There is a lot to learn about relationships from the world...

The holidays can be extremely stressful with all the forced family togetherness. The problem—not everyone has a Norman Rockwell or Hallmark experience. You may be feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and looking for a place to hide. But now may be the best time to evaluate your experience and plan to make the experience better next year. So, here’s a replay of an earlier show with Dr. Deanna Brann, Lic...

Many people worry they may not have married the right person. The truth is, you probably did better than you thought. What first attracts us to each other is just one part of what keeps us together. More importantly, how you view your partner is not set in stone. There are ways to expand what you see and this can keep you connected through the years. Dr. Aron Ben-Zeev, professor of Philosophy at t...

A recent study showed that the happiest, healthiest marriages are the ones where the relationship is made a top priority. Unfortunately, many people (especially women) think they must give up who they are for this to happen. The truth is, if you do this, you will doom your marriage to failure. Learning how to be an individual and be part of something bigger is possible. Lifestyle Coach Sherry VanA...

Regular sex and deeper intimacy are two of the benefits of a good marriage. There are lots of jokes about marriage being a place where sex goes to die, but, if you are in a sexless marriage, it’s not at all funny. There are lots of reasons why this might be happening and it’s important to understand them so your marriage can be all you want it to be. Relationship Coach Lisa Merlo-Booth ( http://li...

Marriage professionals know what it takes to have healthy and happy relationships that last. Do you? If you don’t have the marriage that you want then you are in the right place. Lisa Brooks Kift, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Love and Life Toolbox ( http://loveandlifetoolbox.com/) , reveals ten characteristics that successful couples possess. Send your comments and suggest...

A good marriage is based on trust. That trust can be disrupted in so many ways, often unintentionally. Once trust is broken, it can be difficult to repair. While not impossible, it is always better not to damage it in the first place. Clinical psychologist and marriage counselor Dr. Randi Gunther is here to talk about some of the most common ways that people break their promises to each other, and...

Are you considering divorce? Do you have children of any age, even adult ones? Are you the child of divorce? If you said yes to any of these questions, today’s show is for you. Just as marriage isn’t just about the two of you, neither is divorce. It impacts your friends, your family, and, most of all your children. While your friends and family might be upfront with you, your children probably won...

If money was just about the amount of dollar and cents in the bank, I don’t think it would be one of the two biggest issues in a marriage. The truth is that it is about so much more—success, love, status, expectations, self-worth, etc. But most couples only talk about money in terms of dollars and cents. This is why they never seem to get anywhere. With many couples being dual-income, and more wom...

“Because we were in love” is the answer most people give to “Why did you get married?” Love is wonderful. Who doesn’t want to experience that warm, safe, passionate emotion? Unfortunately, love alone is not enough to sustain a healthy, successful relationship. So, stop hanging your happiness on the song lyric “love is all you need”. Marriage and Family Therapist and Life Coach John Kim ( http://ww...

If you live in fear of hurting your partner’s feelings, your marriage is being run by feelings—and not yours. Not being honest about how you feel or what you need means you are not being a partner in your marriage. You may have been taught that including you in the equation makes you selfish. But that is absolutely untrue. Psychotherapist and author Sean Grover ( http://www.seangrover.com/) reveal...

Fear may be the most powerful emotion we experience. It may even be stronger than love. One thing is for certain, it rears its ugly head way too often in our relationships. Fear keeps us from sharing our deepest thoughts and intense emotions; just what we really need to do to have the love we want and deserve. John Kim ( http://www.theangrytherapist.com/) , Life Coach and Marriage and Family Thera...

You’ve asked your partner to do something different. Or, maybe, your partner has asked you to. The two of you might even agree that the change will help your relationship. You also agree to make the change and then, …. you find yourself doing the same old thing. No matter how inclined you are to make the change, sticking with it seems impossible. The good news is you’re perfectly normal. Change, e...

You have probably heard that even happy couples fight. In fact, you may have been told that couples who don’t fight can’t possibly be happy; that they are just sitting on unexpressed resentment. I want to know what other relationship in our lives we are actively encouraged to fight with the other person. Your children? Your best friend? Your co-workers? No one would accept that fighting with those...

Do you and your partner get sidetracked because you start arguing over how one of you said something? Have you ever been able to convince the other one that their tone was the problem? Have you ever heard the expression “Presentation is everything?” One of the biggest factors in the success of your marriage is how you communicate with each other. If you struggle with conflict or problem solving in...

Women often accept the role as caretaker of their marriages. And many husbands let them. This sets up an imbalance that results in 67% of divorces being initiated by women. In truth, both partners have ownership in what the marriage looks like and responsibility for making it work. Frankly, neither gender has a monopoly on having the right answer. In today’s show, Deborah Demander is taking on the...

Do you love your partner but aren’t sure you’re in love with them anymore? Do you wonder where the magic has gone? Do you worry it won’t ever come back? Are you settling for being roommates when you want so much more? If so, then Jeff Forte, executive and PEAK Performance Coach and author of The 90-Minute Marriage Miracle, has the answers. He not only reveals the 8 elements of intimacy but what yo...

Slightly less than half of marriages end in divorce. But many more can be considered failing if level of satisfaction is the measure. Quite frankly, marriage and miserable are two words that should never appear in the same sentence. What makes for a less, than satisfying marriage isn’t necessarily what finally ends it. Knowing what the risks are and what you can do to keep your marriage safe is wh...

Are you a great communicator? If you’re like most people, the truth is probably not. You get flooded by emotion when bothered by something your partner says or does and don’t always respond in the best way. That’s because you’ve never been offered a Relationship Communication 101 class. So, you both repeat what you learned growing up and never seem to make any progress. Britney Mills, co-founder o...