Happily Ever After is Just the Beginning

 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, an...

Nothing thrives on neglect and your marriage is no different. But far too many of us put everything in front of our marriages because things are “okay”. But when you stop making an effort in your marriage, it will die the death of a thousand cuts. You each get complacent, stop trying, and then focus on what your partner isn’t doing. Nate Bagley, founder of the Growth Marriage Podcast and The Epic...

When your child complains about things not being fair, how do you react? You probably just explain that life isn’t fair. So why do you think marriage should be? The idea is that it’s a 50/50 proposition and if you do more than your partner, well, you’re just a sucker. This puts the focus on what you think your partner isn’t doing instead of on what you are bringing to your most important relations...

Intimacy is what most of us are looking for in our marriage. It is more than just physical, but how you interact physically is important. The challenge? Sex is everywhere, but good information about healthy sexuality is not. This makes creating real intimacy in your relationship difficult. But it doesn’t have to be. Andrew Bauman, licensed mental health counselor and the Co-Founder and Director of...

Parenting is not for sissies. It takes time, energy, and attention. But those resources need to come from somewhere and, often, it is fromyour marriage. When there is only twenty-four hours in a day, how doyou make time for both? It’s a little like the process of robbingPeter to pay Paul. But does it have to be? Parenting strategist JaciFinneman shares some ways to make parenting easier so your ma...

Many people think that love is all you need for your marriage to succeed. But most people who divorce loved their spouses once. The truth is that every relationship you had before your marriage ended for one reason or another. So, what makes your marriage any likelier to succeed? Love is a desirable quality but it’s insufficient. What you really need are skills? Business, Life, and Relationship Co...

Valentine’s Day just passed and with it the requirement to profess love on demand. But what if that’s not the emotion you’re feeling? What if you don’t know what you feel or whether you even feel at all? In fact, you may be questioning why there is so much focus on emotions at all since they seem to be irrational and messy. Why not just focus on facts and logic? Psychologist and Harvard lecturer D...

If Valentine’s Day fills you with dread, you’re not alone. So much pressure on one day. But what if there was a way to create mini-Valentine’s Days all year round. Would you do it? Would you be willing to focus on your relationship and the love you have for each other on a regular basis? If so, then Kristen Manieri, writer, podcast host, and creator of DateNightGuide.com, has the secret to getting...

No, it’s not a monster movie coming soon. We all have ideas and expectations about marriage before we enter into that “blessed” union. The more your ideas are based in myth, the harder time you will have in your marriage. Having a bit of starry-eyed, rose-colored view of your partner is helpful to keep them out of the doghouse. But the more you know about what marriage is truly about and what’s re...

Have you ever been confused by what your feeling? Do you believe that you don’t feel anything? The truth is that everyone has feelings or emotions. In fact, it is the system we are born with. Cognitive learning comes later. So why are feelings and emotions not as valued as analytic thinking? Because they aren’t as black and white. But you can learn how to access and accept yours. The health of you...

Most people lie, even the ones who say they value truth and honesty. Because anything that isn’t the truth is a lie. Not saying something is a lie of omission. White lies are still lies. Being completely honest doesn’t require being harsh. It does require courage. And your marriage will be the better for it. Author Javier Ortega-Araiza reveals three steps you can take to bring radical transparency...

Anger is a natural emotion. Sometimes righteous anger can bring about positive change. Mostly, anger does damage. It creates physical and relationship problems if it is allowed unfettered freedom. Getting angry is easy for way too many of us, myself included. But each of us has the power to change that. Psychotherapist and educator Robert Rannigan talks about what it would mean to go anger-less an...

I don’t know whether it’s the shorter days with colder weather or the ever-present reminders of the holiday season, but this time of year gets a lot of people wondering about their marriages. Asking questions like, “Are we normal?” “Is this as good as it gets?” “Should I stay or go?” Quite often, these questions are asked silently so they never get answered in a productive or helpful way. Marriage...

Marriage was designed as a means of managing property and building alliances. It’s only been in recent years that love has been involved. It has always had a legal component in addition to any sacred one. Marriage is an ever-evolving institution. That’s both good and bad news. Once the old restrictions have been loosened marriage allows for a better fit for any couple engaging in it. Marriage Ther...

Per a 2015 study, women initiate two-thirds of divorces. College-educated women initiate about 90% of them. These are statistics that should alarm anyone who is married. It may be that women are unhappier in their marriages then men are. If this is true, is divorce the answer? Could something else be going on? Women’s Empowerment Coach Julie Danielson reveals what she has learned from the women sh...

Marriage is for grownups. This doesn’t mean you are over 18 or some other arbitrary age of majority. It means that you are emotionally ready to commit to creating a life with someone else. Because, while marriage can and should be about love, it’s about so much more. And one of those things is emotional maturity. Pastor and author, Marc Alan Schelske, is here to talk about what this is, why it mat...

Do you have a Chore War going on in your house? If you’re like a lot of couples, you do. There are lots of reasons this is happening—unspoken expectations, “traditional” gender roles, the path of least resistance, and more. But whatever the reason, if one of you feels like there is an imbalance, the seeds of resentment and discord are taking root. The end result? An unhappy marriage. Speaker and w...

The best gift you can give your children is to take care of your marriage. But marital satisfaction goes down during the child-rearing years. It’s hard to create a balance that honors you, your marriage, and your children.  But it’s not impossible. One way is to create a calm, consistent, and loving household where you’re all working together. Family coach Asia IrgangLaden reveals some proven ways...

For many, this time of year can be really stressful. And that’s even without a pandemic. Instead of feeling joyous and full of good cheer, you may be feeling anxious instead. Oh, you might put a smile on your face and commit to following all the usual traditions, but you’re already exhausted by overwhelm. And overly focusing on making everyone’s holidays happy whether they, or you, like it or not...

Anger and I are old friends. And if my husband wasn’t the calm, level-headed guy that he is, we wouldn’t still be married. Because anger can be very destructive. Used properly, it can also bring necessary change. It is a powerful emotion and not all anger is created equal. Author and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Kelly Flannagan explains how you can learn to identify unproductive, even harmful anger,...

Unless you are extremely lucky, you have experienced trauma in your life. So has your spouse. How you each respond to your own experience is impacting your relationship. The first step is to acknowledge your own history—not to compare, minimize, or dismiss it. The next step is to take charge of it. Managing and even healing your trauma is possible. In the second of two episodes, nervous system spe...

Most of us think of trauma as big events like war, severe accident, or abuse. But trauma is much more than that. It can be much less dramatic incidents like a childhood surgery or even a small fender bender. So, in reality, you probably have experienced some form of trauma in your life. It’s fairly common to either dismiss these minor events or downplay them because they aren’t as bad as what othe...

There are two conflicting thoughts about true love. First, that it should solve all of our problems and always be easy. And second, that love is hard. But both can’t be true. The reality is that neither of them are. Love, like most things, changes over time. Accepting that and then consciously taking action to make your relationship what you want it to be is the way to keep love alive and your rel...

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...

Who do you talk to about your sex life?  I mean, really talk about it. If you’re like most people, the answer is probably no one. You might not even talk about it with your partner. You might disagree or actually fight about it. Issues around sex and intimacy are one of the two top things couples argue over. It can be really hard to talk calmly and openly about such a personal topic. But now, ther...