Relationship Renovation: Marriage Advice for Better Communication, Trust & Intimacy

Have you ever felt like you're carrying everything? Your family's emotions. Your marriage. Your business. Your finances. Your future. For years, EJ believed it was his job to hold everything together. The result wasn't more peace—it was more pressure, striving, and a growing inability to receive love, joy, and even rest. In this deeply personal conversation, Tarah interviews EJ about t...

Two nights ago, we completely missed each other. It started with something ridiculously small—a late-night plate of food for our kids—but underneath it were exhaustion, old wounds, nervous systems in survival mode, and two people who desperately needed each other but couldn't find their way there. In this episode, we're pulling back the curtain on one of our own conflicts and walking you t...

Why do small disagreements sometimes turn into huge arguments? In Part 2 of our Emotional Safety series, licensed therapists and married couple Tarah and E.J. Kerwin explore why conflict can feel so overwhelming—and what emotionally safe couples do differently. Using a real disagreement they experienced just before recording this episode, they break down the practical skills that help couples move...

Have you ever felt lonely in your relationship, even when your partner is sitting right beside you? Maybe you've stopped bringing up certain topics because it doesn't feel worth the argument. Maybe difficult conversations keep getting delayed. Or maybe you've started filtering parts of yourself to avoid conflict, disappointment, or rejection. Many couples believe they have a communicat...

Have you ever felt like you're the only one worried about your relationship? Maybe you've suggested counseling, asked for deeper conversations, or tried to reconnect—but your partner doesn't seem interested. It can feel lonely, frustrating, and even hopeless. In this episode, we're joined by marriage expert Dr. Lee Baucom, creator of the Save the Marriage System, to discuss one of...

Last week, we explored how intimacy can slowly become pressurized in a relationship and leave both partners feeling lonely, misunderstood, and disconnected. In Part 2, we're talking about how to take that pressure out of the system. Whether you're the partner feeling rejected and longing for connection, or the partner feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally withdrawn, this episode off...

Why does intimacy start feeling so difficult in long-term relationships? For many couples, intimacy doesn't disappear overnight. Instead, pressure slowly enters the relationship. One partner begins feeling rejected, lonely, or unwanted, while the other feels overwhelmed, anxious, and like they're never enough. In Part 1 of this two-part series, EJ and Tarah Kerwin share their own story of...

In Part 2 of our series on caretaking in relationships, we move beyond identifying the problem and begin helping couples understand how to actually heal the disconnection it creates. Caretaking often looks loving on the surface — avoiding conflict, protecting your partner’s feelings, holding things in to “keep the peace.” But underneath, it quietly erodes emotional safety, trust, intimacy, and con...

Perimenopause and menopause don’t just affect women individually — they impact entire relationships. In Part 2 of our powerful conversation with Dr. Arianna Sholes-Douglas, founder of Tula Wellness and host of the Stay Juicy Podcast, we move beyond symptoms and dive deeply into how hormonal shifts affect intimacy, emotional connection, desire, anxiety, resentment, and long-term relationships. Tara...

Have you ever felt like something was “off” in your relationship… even though nobody was technically doing anything wrong? In this episode of the Relationship Renovation Podcast, E.J. and Tarah unpack one of the most common — and misunderstood — dynamics they see in couples therapy: caretaking . Caretaking isn’t just being helpful or supportive. Often, it’s the unconscious habit of withholding fee...

So many women are silently struggling through perimenopause and menopause without realizing what’s actually happening to their bodies, brains, emotions, sleep, libido, and relationships. In this deeply honest and validating conversation, we sit down with Dr. Arianna Sholes-Douglas — founder of Tula Wellness, author of The Menopause Myth , and host of the Stay Juicy Podcast — to unpack what perimen...

Life transitions can either pull couples apart… or bring them closer together. In Part 1 of this series, we explored why relationships often feel strained during seasons of change — even when the transition itself is positive. In this episode, we move into the solutions. We break down 5 practical tools couples can use to stay emotionally connected during stressful or uncertain seasons, including:...

Have you ever noticed that your relationship starts to feel off… Right when life is changing? 👉 You move 👉 Have a baby 👉 Start a new job 👉 Even go on vacation And suddenly: You’re arguing more You feel disconnected Or something just feels… different Here’s the confusing part: 👉 Nothing is actually “wrong” In this episode, we break down why transitions—both big and small—can quietly create dis...

Have you ever argued with your partner… and even though it “ended”… something still didn’t feel right? You told each other you were fine. You moved on with your day. But underneath it all— 👉 there’s still tension 👉 still distance 👉 still something unresolved If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In this episode, we break down what’s really happening in those moments: 👉 Ruptures —the emoti...

Do you love your partner… but feel more like roommates? Most of your conversations are about: schedules responsibilities getting through the day And somewhere along the way… the connection, intimacy, and fun start to fade. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In this episode, we break down what many couples experience—but don’t always talk about: 👉 The “roommate phase” of long-term relation...

Work with Us! If you’ve ever felt stuck in your relationship… frustrated, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward— This episode will shift the way you see everything. In this powerful conversation, we sit down with psychologist and coach Dr. Dan Peters to explore a different approach to growth, connection, and healing—one that starts within . Because what if the problem isn’t just your partner...

Order Relationship Renovation at Home Manual from Amazon Join Our Patreon Community Why do you keep having the same conversation… with no real change? You talk things through. You feel aligned. And then a week later, you’re right back in the same pattern. In Part 2 of this series, we break down why that happens — and how to finally create agreements that actually stick. Because most couples don’t...

Book a Discovery Call for Relationship Renovation Coaching Does this sound familiar? Your partner doesn’t do something you expected… and suddenly you’re frustrated, confused, or hurt. Meanwhile, your partner is sitting there thinking: “What just happened?” In this episode, we break down one of the most common—and invisible—relationship dynamics 👉 Implicit Agreements These are the unspoken rules,...

Book a Discovery Call for Relationship Renovation Coaching What actually causes betrayal in relationships? Is it about sex, disconnection, or something deeper? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Stan Tatkin , founder of the PACT Institute and one of the leading voices in relationship science, to break down what really happens when trust is broken—and what it actually takes to repair it. Dr. Tat...

Book a Discovery Call for Relationship Renovation Coaching From the outside, it can look like you have the “perfect” partner. They manage everything. They take care of the house, the schedule, the responsibilities. But on the inside… it can feel very different. You may feel: crowded out judged like there’s no room for you to contribute or like nothing you do is ever “right” In this episode, we exp...

Book a Discovery Call for Relationship Renovation Coaching Do you feel like you're the one who has to remember everything, manage everything, and hold the relationship together ? You handle the schedules. You keep the household running. You anticipate everyone’s needs. And yet… you're exhausted, overwhelmed, and starting to feel resentful. Order Relationship Renovation at Home Manual from...

Book a Discovery Call for Relationship Renovation Coaching Many couples get stuck in the same painful argument: One partner feels hurt or insecure. The other partner feels falsely accused. And suddenly the conversation becomes a battle over who’s right and who’s wrong. Order Relationship Renovation at Home Manual from Amazon Join Our Patreon Community In this episode, we continue our series on wha...

Book a Discovery Call for Relationship Renovation Coaching When you're in the middle of conflict, communication tools can completely fall apart. You try to validate. You try to listen. You try to stay calm. And suddenly you're flooded, defensive, or completely shut down. In this episode, we respond to a powerful listener question: What do you do when the tools don’t work? We break down: Wh...

Infertility and pregnancy loss are far more common than we talk about — and far more isolating than most couples expect. Book a Discovery Call for Relationship Renovation Coaching In this deeply vulnerable episode, we sit down with Alan and Kasey to explore their journey through: Multiple miscarriages An ectopic pregnancy that nearly turned fatal PTSD and trauma after medical emergency The invisib...

Why does sex often become uncomfortable, pressured, or disconnected in midlife — even in loving relationships? Book a Discovery Call for Relationship Renovation Coaching In this episode, EJ and Tarah are joined by Dr. Maria Sophocles , board-certified gynecologist and national menopause expert, to explore what she calls The Bedroom Gap — the growing difference in expectations, desire, and physical...