Marriage Unhindered

Are you in need of marital conversion? Today on Marriage Unhindered, Doug shares steps in a religious conversion and applies them to marriage. PLUS: Doug shares advice for handling in laws who are too involved in your marriage.   Listener questions and comments: Jeff - Are we looking to convert or for conversion? My wife and I are recent converts and it has saved our marriage. (13:16) Judith...

Greg Schutte joins Doug discussing his Building a Eucharistic Marriage course, built off of a therapeutic model for change, which connects 7 areas for therapeutically strengthening our marriage with 7 areas of deepening our relationship with Christ through the Eucharist.   Listener questions and comments: Rose - I recently found some bad texts on my husband’s phone. He is texting a...

What can Mary’s Assumption into heaven teach us about marriage? Doug shares how sacramental marriage is a preparation for perfect union with God in heaven which Our Lady now enjoys. PLUS: A celebration of everything that is good about marriage.   Listener questions and comments: Ray - Let's say you have a spouse and you were to meet another person, better than the spouse you have... how...

Doug unpacks the dangers of screens and the impact of smart phones on child development. He shares a study that reveals the extent of smartphones’ damage on brains, responsibility and self-control. Doug also gives tips for putting together a family mission statement on how phones and other screens should be used in the home.   Listener questions and comments: Gary - My wife did research...

Are you or your spouse struggling with pornography? Is pornography destroying your marriage? Today, Dann Aungst joins Doug discussing how pornography use harms marriages. They share how the increase in couples viewing pornography together leads to higher divorce rates and offer concrete solutions to overcome the scourge of pornography.   Listener questions and comments: Ron - With all the por...

Anastasia Northrop joins Doug to discuss the importance of preparing for marriage while you are single. They share the importance of prayer and living in the present moment while being open to the vocation of marriage. Listener questions and comments: Cathy - After on and off online dating, I finally found the one. (36:46) Andrew - My wife and I met on online. I was very broken but God worked on m...

Fr. Joe Hinderer joins Doug sharing highlights from his recent ordination to the priesthood. Doug also shares advice for those who are married to an emotionally challenged spouse.   Listener questions and comments: John - I have been married for 30 years. My wife and I are at emotional odds. (39:27) Linda - What do I do if I cannot find a spouse? (45:41)   Resources:   Marriage Unhi...

Dr. Mario Sacasa joins Doug to share tips for how to date well. They discuss the proper age for children to start dating, and how to instill virtue in your children so they can exercise the virtue when the time comes for them to date. Listener questions and comments: Mary - I have a 17-year-old son who wants to a date a 16-year-old. I'm against it, but he has a driver's license. I don't want them...

Doug continues exploring what we can learn from mentally strong people by focusing on how their mindset and habits can transform the way we respond to hardship, especially in marriage and family relationships.   Listener questions and comments: Maria - My daughter cut me off almost four years ago. What should I do? (11:00)   Resources:   Monica gray – article: https://homeaddi...

Doug reflects on what we can learn from mentally strong people and how their habits can strengthen our marriages. He also responds to listeners facing deep family struggles, from broken communication with adult children to navigating separation and betrayal in marriage.   Listener questions and comments: Juan – My daughter got married 5 years ago and completely changed. We rarely see th...

Doug discusses how our attachment styles shape our marriages and how the desire for connection can sometimes leave us feeling lonelier when those needs go unmet. He explains how the way we were raised influences how we love and impacts our relationship with our spouse.   Listener questions and comments: Jane – My daughter and her boyfriend are having issues but are talking about marriag...

Doug tackles the details of a marriage pulled from the brink of divorce. What happened and what did they do to fix it? Listener questions and comments: Matthew - I called in April, my wife and I were having fertility issues, and it was affecting our marriage. After a devotion to Mary, we have finally conceived (16:42)  Gabriela - My husband and I have been fighting as my husband wants to look...

Doug unpacks 10 ways you know you have found the one. Doug also shares common misconceptions and practical steps to understand if the person you are dating is the right person to spend the rest of your life with. PLUS: The Friday rant!   Resources:   Marriage Unhindered https://www.marriageunhindered.com/   Rekindled Hearts Marriage Bundle https://relevantradio.store/collections/boo...

Monica Joins Doug to discuss how to deal with pesky teens. It’s a tough time for the teen and the parent so meet them where they are and remember to take a deep breath or two.   Listener questions and comments: Lynda - When I was raising children, I started having a family meeting and gave the children a chance to speak. It helped build trust. (20:47) Nick - There was a Catholic psychia...

Do you or your child struggle with anxiety or scrupulosity? Is it having a negative effect on you or your marriage? Dr. Johann D’Souza joins Doug to discuss what scrupulosity is, is not and how to treat it. Listener questions and comments: Barbara - I have had OCD all of my life. What helps me is the Surrender prayer Which I pray every day. Also what helps me are the first three steps of 12...

Doug explains how forgiveness is an act of the intellect and will regardless of how you may feel. He shares how boundaries are a vital part of forgiveness and aid in the healing process. Forgiveness is like cleaning a wound and establishing boundaries is like keeping infection away. Doug also gives advice on a number of topics including disproportionate anger, loving an angry husband who is a disa...

Doug takes a deep dive into practicing forgiveness. He outlines the process for forgiveness sharing that forgiveness is not optional but a command from God in the Our Father.   Listener question Al - I disagree with you. If someone breaks into my house, I forgive you. If it comes to murder, I think its delusional to think you can forgive a murder. (20:14) Sebastian - I am struggling to forgiv...

Doug goes to the Mailbag. Is it considered an emotional affair if you haven't had contact with the person and it is more of a fantasy? Should you tell your spouse about it? Should you marry someone who does not want to have children? Doug gives advice on these questions and more. PLUS: The Friday Rant!    Listener questions and comments : Jamie - Is it considered an emotional affair if y...

Monica Hinderer joins Doug sharing more ways to show your children that you love them. Listener questions and comments : Norma - I have a 2-year-old grandson who kicks me a lot. What should I do to stop this? Time outs don't work. (19:18) Michelle - I don't agree with them on authoritative parents. My dad was a battalion fire chief (25:40) Thomas - In 1 Timothy it elaborates that parents should no...

Doug goes to the mail bag to answer questions regarding a clearly narcissistic husband. Can he demand intimacy? Also, Doug addresses how to navigate intimacy for older couples.     Listener questions and comments : Mary - I was in a narcissistic marriage and to me this email gives me the impression that there is abuse and it is not a good marriage. (18:15) Sandy - My first marriage was a...

Jonathan Marcotte joins Doug discussing the impact of childhood attachment wounds in marriage. Listener questions and comments : John - I have an anxiety disorder that upsets my wife and it causes tension in our marriage. What advice do you have that can help us? (24:09) Maria - Sometimes my husband makes comments that can be demeaning and I tend to shut down. What should I do? (36:55)   Reso...

Conflict in Marriage is unavoidable. So how should you respond? Doug shares ten key behaviors that emotionally mature spouses demonstrate when they've been hurt. Listener questions and comments : Tina - How can I rebuild my relationship with my husband after a conflict that’s left him emotionally unavailable? (8:22) Toni - People often say homemakers aren’t “working”, but h...

Is teasing acceptable in marriage? How about playful sarcasm? Today, Doug unpacks a letter by Alice Von Hildebrand from her book By Love Refined. Doug shares how humor can be a great thing but can be hurtful if you cross the line and that the key for both spouses is to focus on the other’s virtues and qualities. Doug also shares advice on what to do when you begin to lose friends because you...

Monica Hinderer joins Doug to dissect the differences between disciplining and punishing children. They share that when we punish children, the children often shut down, but when we discipline, we show them the adults we want them to become. Listener questions and comments: Mary - What should I do instead of counting to three or spanking a toddler when they don't understand? (17:44) Jean - When my...

Doug calls on wives to pick one or two of his points to work on with their husbands. From offering silent support for your spouse to showing emotional and physical affection, husbands need to know their wives love them. Listener questions and comments: Elizabeth - My husband leaves me little notes when I am feeling low. He tells me I'm beautiful every day. He is such a blessing. (18:55) Bob - I ha...