Strong Men Strong Marriages

You feel like you’re making good changes.  But, your wife keeps bringing up the past. Or she tells you that she’s not sure you’ll keep your changes up. Or she just seems unimpressed by your changes overall. Or she tells you that your changes will be helpful for your next wife. So, you get frustrated. And that frustration proves to her that your changes are not permanent. Instead, you need to shift...

You want your wife to like you. You want her to give you attention, appreciation, affection and sex. And, the way you go about that is to try to “make her happy.” You cook. You clean. You help with the kids. But, it doesn’t result in the attraction that you want. She doesn’t seem to respect you. And you end up feeling like you’re losing in your marriage. Here’s the thing. The root of trying to be...

It’s Valentine’s Day today! How special did you make it for your wife? If you’re like a lot of men, you maybe didn’t have much of a plan for today. You might be running to grab a card and some flowers or chocolate after work. Or, you might not be doing anything. Because you know your wife won’t be having sex with you tonight, so why should you do anything special for her? Unfortunately, last minut...

You make some good strides. You stop being a mosquito. You handle your wife’s rejection of physical touch well. You control your temper. For a few days. Or maybe even weeks. But then, you fall back into the same old patterns. You feel bad. Your wife loses trust. And you feel stuck. Or maybe even like giving up. But, there’s a reason this happens. It’s just how your brain works. And, there’s a way...

You’re telling your wife “I love you” in person, in text or in email. But, she’s not saying it back. Or, if she does, she doesn’t seem to mean it. There’s a reason for this. Today you’ll learn: -Why the WAY you say I love you matters most -Why your wife is not attracted to how you’re saying I love you -What to do instead that will make it far more likely that you’ll get and “I love you” back from...

Paul is the co-founder of Maniphesto and the podcast As Iron Sharpens Iron, a men's leadership training movement. In his words: I am on a mission to restore manhood. I call men to adventure and support them in finding a deeper sense of direction and purpose. I enjoyed this interview with him very much, and you can learn more about him at Maniphesto.com and Iron Sharpens Iron. P.S. Get the 7 D...

If your wife is asking for space, turning away from your kisses, avoiding your hugs, and saying “no” to sex… It can be VERY frustrating. Especially if you feel like you’re doing “all the right things.” Helping with cooking, cleaning, paying the bills, leading in prayer or scriptures. Can’t she do this ONE thing for you, after all you do for her? It’s easy to get sad in this situation. And resentfu...

Right now, you’re struggling to find love and respect at home. And it’s frustrating, because people at work and church do seem to give you respect. Maybe even love. They value your opinions. They appreciate what you do. They listen to you. But at home, your wife doesn’t do the same. You try to make her happy. You cook. You clean. You make the money for the family. But, it never seems to be enough....

Imagine your wife writing down a list of what she wants in a husband. Would she write: I really want a man who: -Is afraid to tell me what he’s thinking and feeling -Bottles up his emotions until they explode -Is passive aggressive -Won’t ask for what he wants from me because he’s worried I might say no -Tries to make me happy while secretly becoming resentful -Won’t do what he believes is right b...

In today's interview I discuss with John what it means to be a leader in your home. Visit John here: Instagram:  @last_in_line_leadership YouTube Podcast Website  Dr. Mike P.S.  If you’re a high achieving, professionally successful Christian man who is ready to create phenomenal mental, emotional and sexual intimacy with your wife, and create an amazing legacy for your family to follow… start...

When your marriage is suffering, every day seems difficult. You look at your wife and wish things were different. Or, maybe you can’t even look at your wife because she’s not around. You wish that you could laugh and have fun together. That you would enjoy spending time together. And that you could have a great sexual connection. But right now, every day reminds you that you don’t have that. So, y...

Interview with Dana Che from Real Relationship Talk (also available here ). We'll get a female perspective on what is and is NOT attractive when it comes to showing love to your wife. Dr. Mike P.S.  If you’re a high achieving, professionally successful Christian man who is ready to create phenomenal mental, emotional and sexual intimacy with your wife, and create an amazing legacy for your fa...

Sometimes marriage just seems too hard. At least to your wife. You feel like whatever you do, it just doesn’t make a difference. Your wife won’t change. You start to think life would be better with someone else. But, you also don’t want to hurt your kids or go against your faith and get divorced. This leads to you feeling trapped. You want to leave the marriage, but feel like you can’t. That feeli...

Your wife is saying “I just need some space.” This is a hard thing to hear. You’re feeling hurt and scared. Angry too. Especially around Christmas and the holidays. So, you try to tell her why space is a bad idea. That you can’t grow if you have space apart. Which makes her tell you even more than she needs space. Or, you decide to have no contact with her at all. This is better then trying to tal...

Unconditional love is a popular topic these days. And it sounds great. Especially on the receiving end. Be loved no matter what I do? Sign me up! But, as Christians, it can also seem like a commandment. To love others no matter what they do to us. And it’s true. Jesus does ask us to be kind to those who are not kind to us. To bless them that curse us. And it’s important to do that in marriage. To...

What does it mean to be codependent in marriage? For most of the guys I work with, they identify with a few things. They put aside their own wants and needs in favor of what their wife wants and needs. They avoid doing anything that might upset their wife (like going out with friends, disagreeing with her, confronting her about problematic behavior, etc). They are constantly focused on meeting the...

Do you wish that your wife would appreciate you more? Are you making the money for the family, taking a large amount of child care duties, cooking and cleaning… But your wife doesn’t appreciate all you’re doing? Or does she even become critical of the things you’re doing? Does she ask you do to even more, or give you negative feedback for the way you’re washing the dishes (or whatever the task mig...

If you’ve done something you know is wrong in your marriage, you might be thinking “I shouldn’t tell her because it might hurt her.” And it’s true. Telling her the truth will hurt her. But, continuing a lie will 100% keep you from having a great marriage. Great marriages are built on trust, communication and intimacy. Keeping a big, hurtful secret keeps trust out of the equation. It also limits co...

Where are you failing right now in your marriage? Are you breaking promises? Looking at porn or recovering from infidelity? Are you losing your temper? Are you having a hard time listening to your wife (or does she think you don’t listen)? Do you have a hard time expressing yourself, feeling like you’re walking on eggshells? Do you lack the sexual connection that you want in your marriage? Failure...

You’re focused on becoming a better husband and father. You’re serving your wife, trying to listen, trying to do the five love languages… all of it. But, your wife still says things like “You’re making it about you.” This can be very frustrating, because you feel like your soul focus is on her! But, here’s the thing. If your goal is to be a better husband… that still is about you. What you want to...

If your wife has called you a narcissist, it can feel very hurtful. And you want to prove her wrong! So you go about telling her why you don’t really meet all the criteria. Which makes her even more sure that you are a narcissist. Instead, you need to: -Understand what narcissists are (get full criteria here ) -Identify places where you ARE being narcissistic -Understand how those patterns of thin...

Today I have a bonus episode for you. I’m talking with Chris Grainger about how we have the fruits of the Spirit in our marriage. We talk about Galatians 5:22-23, which reads: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. We discuss how to develop these traits, and how to access God’...

I used to feel like I couldn’t speak my mind around my wife. I was worried that she might get upset with me. Or that she might not agree and we would never reach an agreement. This spanned across all the major issues in marriage for us. Money, sex, in-laws, parenting, religion, housework and how we spent our time. I would say “well, I guess I’m sacrificing for my wife,” then resent the “sacrifices...

A lot of men worry that it’s too late to change their marriage. Maybe they’ve tried couples counseling and it hasn’t worked. Maybe they’ve been married 20, 30, or even 40 years and it just seems like the old patterns are too set to change. Maybe they think that “it takes two to tango” and if their wife isn’t willing to change, then it’s hopeless. I can understand all of these thoughts. But, none o...

I used to think that it didn’t.  At least not for me. A guy who had an overall good upbringing. But, I recently did a hypnotherapy session with AJ Yager that changed my mind about this. And now, I’m implementing that learning with my clients with powerful results. Most high achieving me learned a certain lesson at some point: I need to take care of myself emotionally. No one else is going to. And,...