No More Perfect Podcast with Jill Savage

As you walk through life, are you feeling stuck in relationships or frozen by fear? Perhaps you even feel unsure of how to draw closer to God. We certainly felt that way in the past, which is why Mark and I faced our fears, mustered up some courage, and did the hard work to move from the 1.0 versions of ourselves to the 2.0 life and 2.0 relationship we enjoy now. I know my guest for today’s conver...

Everything in life requires repair: homes, cars, computers, and most importantly, relationships. When we don’t appropriately repair our relationships from a rupture, big or small, then those hurts begin to pile up and create resentment. At our marriage intensives, we often help couples clean up accumulated hurt that never got repaired simply because they didn’t have the tools to do so. This is an...

Are you chronically stressed? Do you often scroll on your phone to “numb out?” At the end of each day, do you feel wired and tired, just barely getting by? In a survey of over 2,000 Christian women, 91% admitted that they were tired of pushing through every day. 87% said they regularly felt overwhelmed, but only 11% reported having any way to reset in real time. My latest guest says that the data...

When we adopted our fifth child, Nicolai, at the age of nine, we never imagined we would end up battling circumstances that would lead to over 100 hospital visits. Today, as an adult, Nicolai has several issues that prevent him from having a normal life. Before we go any further, we do want to let you know that Nicolai gave his permission to share his story. He struggles to manage money and lives...

I don’t have time for rest! My schedule is too full. I’m too stressed out. I will fall too far behind if I take a break. Do any of these sound familiar to you? Rest is essential for our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. It’s so important that God gave us an example of rest in the creation story at the beginning of the Bible. Yet, it’s so easy to let this basic human need fall by t...

Are you feeling worn out from doing all the heavy lifting in your marriage? You are the only spouse who is putting in the effort to listen to podcasts, read the books, and initiate thoughtful conversations—or at least it feels that way. Resentment is slowly starting to build as you think to yourself over and over, “Why am I the only one doing the work to improve our marriage?” The topic for this c...

Real connection happens when you master the personal, powerful way your partner uniquely receives love. That’s when love moves from routine to remarkable. If you are one of the 20 million readers of Dr. Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages® , you already know that love isn’t one-size-fits-all. This framework provides us with a great place to start, but many couples have found there’s still more to...

Have you ever noticed a tendency in yourself to put your own wants before the needs of others? If we’re honest, that’s not an easy thing to admit. Most people don’t naturally think of themselves as selfish. And yet, when we slow down and truly examine our hearts, selfishness is something we all wrestle with at times. Recently, Mark has felt God directing his attention to this area in his own life....

What emotions are clogging your heart? Is it worry? Panic? Regret? Guilt? Anger? Is there deep pain you don’t talk about because it’s buried under bitterness, worthlessness, or loneliness? Do you long for relief? All of these feelings can keep us “stuck” for far too long. It’s time to unburden your heart and clear out the emotional baggage that has been hindering you from fully living free in Chri...

Many couples believe in the power of prayer, but they struggle to practice it consistently—us included! In fact, 95% of Christian couples do not pray together. There are times when we struggle to make prayer a priority like it needs to be. Whether it’s because of busy schedules, not knowing how to begin, or feeling uncomfortable praying with another person, there are so many factors that can keep...

Vulnerability is very important to us. We share the dirt and the difficulties of our own marriage openly when telling our story. So when we had the opportunity to read the book, Still Here , by Steven Curtis Chapman and Mary Beth Chapman, we resonated with their honesty about the challenges of marriage. This intimate memoir takes you inside the Chapmans’ real-life marriage, spanning four decades o...

We had a record number of Marriage Intensives at the beginning of this year! For each intensive, we host a couple at our home for a whole weekend so that we can give them our undivided attention and really dive deep. As we worked with these couples, we were reminded of some of the themes that pop up over and over in relationships. One of the biggest ones? Anger. Anger is a normal part of life, but...

In the business world, the ones who make it to the top are often high-achieving, ruthless, and confident. They’re calculated risk-takers. All of these characteristics can help professionals move up the ladder—but they don’t always translate well in those same people’s personal lives. In fact, when people try to take the strategies that bring them workplace success and apply them at home, they can...

A mother’s job is to teach her children to not need her anymore. The hardest part of that job is accepting success. We pour our lives into our kids. We sacrifice, lose sleep, and make sure they have everything they need, only to have them one day leave to live on their own without us. My guest understands this feeling as a parent with one foot in and the other foot out of the launching phase. Cris...

Talking about death can be a tender and uncomfortable subject, but our time on earth is temporary. Someday we will all leave this world, and many of us won’t get a warning of when that will occur. While fear may want to push us away from this topic, conversations like this one help us begin to normalize talking about death. When we bring something hard like this into the light, it starts to feel l...

Roosters, candy canes, thermometers, and antifungal cream.  These are just a few of the ordinary items we saw God use in extraordinary ways during our time in Uganda this February.  This journey of our ministry in Africa, which began with an untied shoelace on an Alabama sidewalk, continues to unfold in ways Mark and I never could have imagined. To hear how it all began, you can listen to Episode...

A dad is foundational in every person’s life, but not everyone has a solid, stable father figure to rely on.  When Mark and I work with couples and individuals in our coaching sessions, we are often able to trace a person’s current challenges back to father wounds. So many people are still being negatively affected by the difficult relationship they had with their father growing up—many of them wi...

Forgiveness. It’s one of the most powerful tools God gives us in marriage. Yet, when infidelity shatters trust, the path forward can feel confusing. What does real forgiveness actually look like? And how do you know if you’re doing it in a healthy way? My guest today, Tim Tedder, is a licensed counselor and coach who has spent more than 20 years helping individuals and couples recover after infide...

The chaos that betrayal can cause in a marriage is unlike almost anything else we experience as humans. When trust is shattered, everything feels unstable. Questions swirl. Emotions run high. And the path forward can feel confusing and painfully slow. Mark and I know what that broken place feels like. And so does the couple joining us today. Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith—known as The Raabsmith Team...

In a culture that is obsessed with perfection, it’s easy to believe that hospitality requires a spotless home, a carefully planned menu, and a seamless itinerary. But the truth is, connection has never required perfection. Sometimes, the most meaningful moments in life happen with dishes in the sink and pillows on the floor. Deep down, most of us already know this to be true. And yet, inviting peo...

Vulnerability can feel like a high-stakes poker game where your only option is to go “all in” and either win big or lose everything. Many of us carry the painful memories of when opening up has gone wrong in the past, and these can keep us from opening up again. However, when we dare to be vulnerable in spite of our fears, we can find intimacy, connection, and safety on the other side. While it ma...

Letting go is hard. It goes against our natural human urge to cling on tightly to the things we care about so we can maintain a sense of control. This internal game of tug-of-war is something we all struggle with. Even if you aren’t a self-proclaimed “control freak,” you can probably think of at least one area of your life in which you are being called to release control. Surrender is an invitatio...

* Note from Mark and Jill: We’re so glad to share that the No More Perfect Podcast is now available on YouTube!   Experiencing infidelity or broken trust in your marriage is one of the hardest challenges a couple can face, but that doesn’t mean it has to be the end your relationship. In this conversation, we are wrapping up our series on what it looks like to heal from betrayal in marriage, and th...

* Note from Mark and Jill: We’re so glad to share that the No More Perfect Podcast is now available on YouTube!  “Mom, don’t be foolish. He’s just going to do this again.” Broken trust affects more than just your spouse. There’s a ripple effect that goes out and changes every relationship, from your children to your relatives, close friendships, and even neighbors. We know that, when recovering fr...

*Note from Mark and Jill: We’re so glad to share that the No More Perfect Podcast is now available on YouTube! We love finding new ways to connect with you, and we hope you enjoy the added experience of watching along as you listen. Have you ever thought: I don’t love my spouse anymore. Marriage should be easier than this. My spouse doesn’t care about me. If so, you are not alone. When relationshi...