Marriage Unhindered

Should you change your name after a divorce? What do you do when your wife has a chronic, incurable illness, and most of the responsibilities at home fall on you and your children? How do you cope when your wife feels guilty and worries about the burden placed on you? Do struggles with pornography make it difficult to give full consent to marriage? Doug goes to the mailbag answering these question...

Relationship coach Rose Sweet joins Doug to discuss the foundations of good marriages.   Listener questions and comments: Denise - My boyfriend’s best friend is a concern to me. He wants me to meet her and her husband. I feel weird about it. (9:38) Shirley - My daughter is 'Christian' but has a second marriage. The kid from the first marriage still lives at home at 34. Is my daughter pu...

You be the therapist as Doug shares the stories of two couples—one celebrating 30 years of marriage and the other just beginning their journey as newlyweds.   Listener questions and comments: Joe - My wife has decided to leave the Church and had a sterilization without my consent. What do I do? (5:02) Mary - Comment for Joe: His wife did what she did because she felt like she had no con...

Does self-love harm a marriage? Do you struggle with the idea or think that marriage is all about selfless service? Today, Doug looks at self-love in marriage through the lens of Luke 10:27 and Matthew 5:44.   Listener questions and comments: Anne - I agree with you and I would add that respect for yourself is respecting God because he made us out of love. (9:13) Deedee - What does it mean to...

Catherine DiNuzzo joins Doug to discuss anxiety from a Catholic perspective. They define good vs bad anxiety, the problem of guilt and how to manage anxiety as a Catholic.   Listener questions and comments: Jasmine - How do I fight my mind that triggers anxiety even if I’m doing okay? (10:19) Rose - I get anxiety around my kids but I don’t want to share with my kids. What do I say...

Did you have doubts before you got married? Did you worry that divorce was a possibility? Today, Doug shares another case study of an impossible marriage that was redeemed.   Listener question and comments: Jenny - I am struggling in my marriage with my husband’s anger issues and his unwillingness to work. (13:05) Joe - Comment: I want to say that we as men need to get it together and p...

In honor of Father’s Day, Doug pays tribute to the women who made us fathers.   Listener questions and comments: Christine - I had the most optimistic father of all time. He used to say 'when you come from nothing, you appreciate everything'. (23:28) Constantine - My mother was not supposed to make it in childbirth and neither was I but I lived and she did too. I was able to tell my dad...

Mark Swartzberg joins Doug to discuss his conversion to the Catholic Church, family life, and his journey to Relevant Radio.   Listener questions and comments: Brian - What are the specifics on the validity of the marriage and sacramentality of marrying a non-Catholic? (40:32)

Fr. Peter Armenio joins Doug to discuss marriage and spousal love from his book  Highlights of the Catholic Faith.   Listener questions and comments: Josephina - I went to confession and I was able to apologize to my husband. It opened up the world of forgiveness. (19:55) Deedee - I have been married twice and both men are deceased. What is the Catholic position on getting married a thir...

What do dads really need on Father’s Day? Doug offers seven powerful reminders of how love, respect, and gratitude can make a father feel seen and valued.   Resources: The Bible and Marriage: The Two Shall Become One Flesh (A Catholic Biblical Theology of the Sacraments) https://stpaulcenter.com/store/the-bible-and-marriage-the-two-shall-become-one-flesh-a-catholic-biblical-theology-of-...

Doug discusses how married people are living their best lives and how married women are increasingly the happiest women.   Listener questions and comments: Denise - My boyfriend has stopped talking to other women but he has a friend who is a woman. She is married but he doesn't want to hurt the friendship. It bothers me. (10:34) Dana - It seems like Catholicism encourages marriage when Paul a...

Doug unpacks the 5 attachment needs every married person has. PLUS: The Friday rant!   Listener questions and comments: Liza - My daughter is 28, lives at home and will never help me with any chores. Her father won’t make her help and she ignores me. (37:36)   Resources:   5 attachment needs in marriage To be seen, known, heard and understood To feel safe and secure To be comf...

Monica Hinderer joins Doug to discuss ways parents lose their children without realizing it.   Listener questions and comments: Lucy - I have an 18-year-old and 20-year-old and I caught them drinking. What do I do? (8:44) Monica - My children have cut me off because of a divorce. They are influenced by their father on this. (19:42) Shirley - Comment about drinking: you can't forget that the p...

Doug continues his discussion on childhood attachment wounds and how they can negatively impact your marriage. Today, he looks at anxious and disorganized attachment strategies.   Listener questions and comments: John - My wife doesn't like talking about difficult topics and she just wants me to listen but I want to fix. its effecting our communication. (24:20) Angel - My fiancé was an...

Doug begins Part 1 of looking into childhood attachment wounds and how they can negatively impact your marriage.   Listener questions and comments: Natalie - How can I create a secure attachment style in friendship? (38:29) Julia - What is advice for a couple when one of them has problems and they blame the other? (46:58)   Resources: Emotionally Focused Therapy https://iceeft.com/ &nbsp...

Deacon Patrick Conley joins Doug to discuss his faith journey that led him to the Deaconate. Doug also goes to the mailbag. What can a couple do if the husband is no longer physically able to fulfill his role in the bedroom?   Listener questions and comments:   Joan – Congratulations to Deacon Patrick Conley! (9:12)   Resources: NaPro Technology https://naprotechnology.com/

Doug continues his discussion on how cognitive distortions harm marriages. He also shares how to not resent a husband for spending too much time at work. Plus: The Friday rant!   Listener questions and comments: Michael - My wife’s therapist confirmed that my wife’s feelings were reality even when it wasn’t the truth and I had to fight him on that. (16:50) David - I am civil...

Have you and your spouse ever disagreed about money? Today, Doug is joined by Kevin Smith to discuss practical money management strategies. Kevin shares tips for creating and sticking to a budget, and explains the difference between good debt and bad debt—and how understanding that distinction can help you make smarter financial decisions.   Listener questions and comments: Deedee - My...

Fr. Carter Griffin joins Doug to discuss his book Forming Families, Forming Saints . Together, they explore how human and spiritual formation help cultivate virtue and shape families into communities of faith, fostering the growth of future saints.   Listener questions and comments: Len - I just bought the book! Lots of wisdom. I will order 8 more! (37:39)   Resources: Forming Families,...

Mike and Alicia Hernon from the Messy Family Project join Doug discussing how to handle the chaos of family life.   Listener questions and comments:   Cindy - My boyfriend and I have been dating for a year and we are talking about money. My concern is that he isn’t 100% open to support me. Should it be 50/50? (8:39) Jean - We have been married 60 years and We share the money. (22:1...

Doug discusses how cognitive distortions can harm marriage. Listener questions and comments: Teresa - I have been married for 36 years and after living with this for so long we had to get different living situations. (19:24)   11 Cognitive distortions Filtering Discounting the positive Over generalization Jumping to conclusions Catastrophizing Personalization Fallacies The blame game “S...

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 hindrance in marriage being unrealistic expectations. (21:57)

Doug discusses suffering in marriage.   Listener questions and comments: Jennifer - How much suffering is too much? (8:44) Candy - I have been married for 40 years. My husband goes into funks and won’t talk to me for a day or up to 3 months. I start getting upset and I don’t know what to do. (19:37) Elaine - I was divorced in 1991, and he was having an affair with his secretary si...

Doug shares 10 practical habits that can help couples build a happy and successful marriage. The conversation also touches on infidelity, hoarding, forgiveness, and mental health struggles that can impact relationships. Resources:  https://internationalforgiveness.com/    https://www.internationalhoardingalliance.org/     https://www.nami.org/   

Doug looks at the marriage of Al and Lisa Robertson from  Duck Dynasty and their journey through infidelity and reconciliation. Listeners also share stories of addiction, emotional affairs, and fighting to save a sacramental marriage. Listener questions and comments: Ron – How should I guide my son after his arrest for drug-related charges? Al – My sister and brother-in-law surviv...