Marriage Unhindered

If you find yourself becoming a people pleaser, it’s important to recognize the underlying fear of abandonment and the tendency to depend on others for your self-worth. Building a stronger sense of self involves setting boundaries, developing confidence, and learning to validate your own needs instead of constantly seeking approval.   Listener questions and comments: Pam - I tend to be...

Jane VanHouten From Millions of Monicas joins Doug to discuss the national movement of mothers who come together and pray for their children.   Listener questions and comments: Joni - I am a MOM leader in Philly and we met Doug on the pilgrimage. (10:21) Matt - I have a sister who drifted away and is protestant and is now nothing. What do I do? (19:07) Dorothy - 'Send a Philip' that’s m...

Doug offers practical advice for cultivating a peaceful marriage. He highlights the importance of being at peace with God as a way to strengthen the relationship. Practices like daily Mass and regular confession, he explains, help build virtue and guard against behaviors that can lead to divorce.   Listener questions and comments: Deedee – Do we have to love everyone we offer peace to?...

Doug talks about women and pornography addiction with Rachael Killackey from Magdala Ministries which helps women with pornography addiction.   Resources:   https://www.magdalaministries.org/ What Magdala Ministries does to help with porn addiction (5:27) How Rachael got addicted to porn (9:13) Why women get addicted to porn (13:32) Veronica shares story on viewing porn in her marri...

Doug is joined by Joe Masek from The Freedom Group to talk about men's struggles with pornography and how to overcome it.  Resources: https://www.thefreedomgroup.co/ Dangers of Pornography (4:21) Samantha shares story of overcoming porn addiction (22:41) AI and Porn (36:47) Helping with Porn addiction (40:13) 

Doug has a conversation with Archbishop Sheen about his TV show “For Better or Worse”.

What should you do if your spouse always says no to marital intimacy? What if there is conflict about abstaining from intimacy to avoid sin? Doug goes to the mailbag answering these questions and more.     Listener questions and Comments: Ray - I am seeing the biggest hinderance in marriage being unrealistic expectations. (21:59)

Doug discusses an email from a woman concerned that her husband works excessively and is pressuring her to take on full-time work as well. She worries this dynamic is harming their marriage and family life. Doug emphasizes the importance of being present for one’s spouse and children and making family a top priority.   Listener questions and comments: Josephina - My husband and I are on...

Doug dives into the mailbag to respond to listeners’ reactions from Monday’s discussion about the challenges young men face in today’s dating world. He explores differing perspectives and digs deeper into what’s shaping these experiences.   Listener questions and comments: Mary - It’s also Paul Revere’s ride tomorrow! (8:46) Mary - My husband and I met and...

Are you concerned about how much time you, your spouse or your children spend on screens? Today, Dr. Johann D’Souza joins Doug to discuss the adolescent mental health crisis   Listener questions and comments: Joyce - How are these new screens any different from using a TV for generations as the baby sitter. (20:13) Chris - I am a high school art teacher. I see a big change in kid's depr...

Deacon Joe Grote joins Doug to discuss his book  Where Have All The Fathers Gone?   Listener questions and comments: Walt - Government policy doesn't help keep fathers in the home. It rewards single parenthood. There should be incentives to keep families together. (18:56) Lisa - I wanted to share how my son is a great boy in spite of losing his father. We need fathers but sometimes when...

What should you do if you discover your husband has same-sex attraction? Today, Doug tackles this question and more on Marriage Unhindered.   Listener questions and comments: John - I thought getting married gets you out of the issue of lust, but it can continue in marriage. (21:50) Julie - I have been married to my husband for 25 years and he always uses contraception, but I don’t know...

Doug dives into the frustrations many men face with modern dating and the challenges of building a lasting marriage. He breaks down what often goes wrong and why so many feel stuck or discouraged. Through honest insights and practical advice, Doug offers straightforward dating tips to help young men build confidence, and create meaningful relationships.   Listener questions and comments: Patr...

Doug explores how lying affects marriages, how to respond, and ways to foster honesty. Listeners share personal experiences, including insights from a recovered liar and the impact of dementia on a spouse’s truthfulness.   Listener questions and comments: Junior – I am a reformed liar and want to share my perspective. Confession helped me realize you don’t have to lie. (34:2...

Fr. Robert Altier joins Doug to discuss the difference between a civil and sacramental marriage and what happens to the souls of a man and woman when they enter into a sacramental marriage.   Listener questions and comments:   Richard - Does a sacramental marriage require a civil marriage? (13:20) Lisette - Follow up: I closed my husband’s laptop and he pushed me out of the room so...

Doug examines a case study about a marriage that had nearly fallen apart but was eventually revived. In this relationship, the couple got engaged after just four months. Although the wife had doubts about the marriage, she reassured herself that even if it didn’t work out, she would at least have children.   Listener questions and comments: Matt - Do you recommend a longer courtship for...

Sarah Bartel, co-founder of Cana Feast joins Doug to discuss how women can enjoy holy and healthy physical intimacy with their husbands.   Listener questions and comments: Mary - My husband would wake me up at middle of night. I would tell him no, but he'd keep insisting. I got to the point, that I told him, ‘It feels like you're raping me'. Was that wrong for me to say? (15:00) John -...

Are you worried that your marriage is in danger? Do you feel like you are losing that loving feeling? Today, Doug shares how to resurrect a dead marriage.   Listener questions and comments: Joe - How do we find a way resolve issues without sounding angry and disrespectful in front of kids? (22:45)   Resources:   Happy Marriage for Life https://www.happymarriageforlife.com/   Ca...

Doug explores the importance of forgiveness in marriage sharing how to forgive like Jesus did from the cross.   Listener questions and comments: Kathy - I think your book should have been called 'suffering in marriage'. You are very good at talking about this topic. (21:15) Esther - Should I feel shame when I forgive my spouse but people are judging me for forgiving him? (35:46) Dianna - I wa...

Katy Faust with Them Before Us joins Doug to share how children need to be a priority in our society.   Listener questions and comments: Patrick - Do you think there is a way to get rid of no-fault divorce? (20:41) Mike - It seems like women leave marriage at a higher rate than men. What do you think about this? (25:07) Stephen - Would you cover the verse that mentioned you commit adultery if...

Doug shares how marriage can be a vessel for Christ’s redemptive work.     Resources:   How Christ Saves Souls—with Us: The Mystery of Co-Redemption https://stpaulcenter.com/store/how-christ-saves-souls-with-us-the-mystery-of-co-redemption   Catholic Therapists https://catholictherapists.com/   Catholic Psychotherapy https://catholicpsychotherapy.org/

Doug shares marriage lessons we can learn from Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane. He unpacks martyrdom in marriage, white martyrdom and how God uses our sufferings to redeem souls.   Listener questions and comments: Katherine - My Husband will say sometimes 'I just wish I was dead' and I don’t know how to respond. (20:05)

Courtney Brown joins Doug to discuss talking to young children about human sexuality.   Listener questions and comments: Michelle - My mom always said that when a man and woman love each other, they make love. (20:53) Joyce - Love Ed is what we used at our church and it was very good. (23:49) Patrick - How do you explain when people reduce homosexuality to the Idea of 'they just love each oth...

Dr. Ed Sri and his wife Beth join Doug to discuss their book - The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful: The Joys and Struggles of Real Married Life.   Listener questions and comments: John - I have a porn addiction that my wife found out about, and it led her to discover inappropriate messages and a past affair. I suffered domestic violence from her this past month, and I'm now in a domestic v...

What should you do when “The Formula” doesn’t work? What should you do when your wife doesn’t do what you ask? Doug goes to the mailbag answering these questions and more.   Listener questions and comments: Mike - What do you think about common law marriage? (16:11) Addison - I am struggling because my husband is stressed at work and our son has special needs. When we...