The Way You Show Up

Sex is one of the ways we stay attracted to each other in a marriage.  Dr. Corey Allan found in a study that the higher your level of religious dogma, the less sexually satisfied you are because of the shame and guilt associated with it. This early discovery led him to be a voice that helps couples discuss and frame conversations around sex and marriage.  He believes if you can't talk about w...

Did you know that I was once ADDICTED to Crossfit? It's true. And I ran myself into the ground. I hurt myself physically, to the point that I still have lasting effects from that time in my life.  There are great, impactful, and life-changing ways to work on your PIES but they also have to be mindful, careful, and life-giving ways.  Today I'm offering some advice on some different ways y...

This week I was joined by Christa Hardin. Christa is the host of the Enneagram + Marriage podcast, and I am so happy to talk to her when I have the chance. Christa gives us a brief rundown of each of the enneagram types and then we got into a discussion about how interactions play out with different groupings. It's SO fascinating to think about all the ways we interact with each other in thes...

Ben Higgins, of The Bachelorette and The Bachelor fame, joins us on our 100th episode of It Starts With Attraction!  Ben discusses why he joined the reality TV shows and how he was looking to shake up what he felt was a boring and uninteresting life. He talks about his battles with addiction, feeling lonely and unseen, and how difficult it is to stand for your values when questioned about why you...

Couples don't have great conversations about sex. We all know we want to do it but very few of us know how to talk about it. Adam and Karissa from the Young Married Couples podcast lets us know how to begin talking about it and some pitfalls we might see along the way. Website: www.dearyoungmarriedcouple.com Social links: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYivgxbFI_VKkA4milNsr5A/featu...

This week Kimberly chats with Laura Heck from Marriage Therapy Radio. Laura is a Gottman Certified therapist in Washington State.  Of course, they talk about communication but also self-care, the top issues Laura sees as a marriage and family therapist, how to work on yourself, conflict...all the things! Laura sees a lot of couples living as "roommates" and having a lack of intimacy, and...

This week I sat down with my husband Rob to talk about spiritual attraction. We get into how we met, what attracted us to each other, and how to have discourse with friends and family that may not agree with you 100%. We believe people who model what they say and it's up to us to make sure that we're living in line with our beliefs and values. Don't weaponize your beliefs and values...

In today's episode of It Starts With Attraction, I'm just going to share some things from my life with you. What spiritual attraction means to me, how it has helped me, and continues to shape me into the person I'm becoming. Spiritual attraction, at its core, is all about living in line with the beliefs and value system that you have. We find it attractive when there are people who...

What does it mean to be on the same page spiritually as a couple? How can you work towards becoming and staying spiritually attracted to each other as you move through your marriage? For couples who share a christian faith, how can you work together to stay spiritually connected to each other and God? Even if you’re not a Christian, this episode is still valuable and has important truth that you c...

Grief is defined as the conflicting feelings caused by the change or end of a pattern of behavior.   The past 2 years have left a lot of us in a state of languishing. We're stuck in a middle place between grief and normalcy.  The pandemic in many ways remains a grief situation and we need to treat it as such. There are so many areas of grief that sometimes we don't label it grief. And we...

Although we wish every marriage could be saved, we know that it's not the reality for some people. Divorce is hard and no one should go through it alone. Today's episode is with Julie Beckerman,  a High Conflict Relationship Coach. She chats about how hard divorce can be difficult, especially with children involved. Julie provides insight on how we can communicate better with our spouse...

Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present and aware of where you are and what you are doing. It's so easy to get distracted and overwhelmed with the chaos around us but practicing mindfulness may just be the hidden gem to happiness! In this podcast, you will learn the research behind mindfulness and gain an understanding of how mindfulness can benefit you in four key areas- Mind, Brain,...

What does it mean to live a life of gratitude?  Gratitude is a state of being.  It isn't more money, fame, or success. It's not a perfect body, the best Instagram pictures, or the most followers on any social platform. It's none of the things that we go crazy trying to achieve on a day-to-day basis.  What really can make us happier in our lives, is how grateful we are for what we ha...

Relationships are so important—especially the relationship we have with ourselves. In this episode, Kimberly speaks with Veronica Grant, a Love and Life Coach specializing in helping people do deep work to create deep love in relationships. Veronica shares her story of struggling with self-image and feeling like her worth was within other people rather than herself. We can all relate to this episo...

What is social media doing to our brains? It may be affecting your life more than you realize. In this episode, Kimberly talks with Chris Martin about social media, how it started, where it's going, and what you can expect about the Metaverse. Chris Martin is the author of Terms Of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media.  What problem does Instagram, Facebook, TikTok solve in our lives? Chris...

Kimberly is joined by a very special guest, her husband, Rob! This is the second time Rob has joined the podcast so if you missed the first episode, make sure you go back and listen to the episode about Introverts vs. Extroverts . In this episode, they both discuss what intellectually attracted them to each other when they first met. You will hear Rob and Kimberly answer questions from the listene...

We are continuing with our PIES series, and this month we are talking all about Intellectual Attraction. In this episode, Kimberly shares what intellectual attraction is and provides ideas of what you can do to become more intellectually attractive. You are going to learn: - how to become a fascinating person - how to focus your curiosity on bettering yourself - why you should continue to be curio...

*Note - this episode is all about sex so pop in your headphones especially if you have small children around.  In this final episode of our physical attraction series, we talk about sexual intimacy with your spouse and how to strengthen your relationship inside and outside the bedroom. Kimberly speaks with Victoria Sotelo, a marriage and family therapist specializing in sex therapy. Victoria talks...

This episode is the third episode in our physical attraction series. It's an insightful and powerful show that you'll want to save and listen to again. You are going to learn about adverse childhood experiences, how you may have been affected before the age of 17, and how it relates to your health and physical well-being. Our guest today is Dani Williamson, a family nurse practitioner sp...

This is part two of the sleep series in this month's topic of physical attraction. If you missed part one, go back and listen to last week's episode to catch the first six sleep tips. In part two, Kimberly shares the last four tips to help you get better sleep. If you are looking to feel rested, have better nighttime and morning routines, and feel better overall, you will want to listen...

We're kicking off the new year with all things PIES. We'll be doing a PIES series in the next four months where we bring you topics that help you focus on physical, intellectual, and emotional attraction. In this first episode of 2022, we start with physical attraction and provide you with tips on why sleep is so important. This is a 2 part episode, so make sure you tune in for the remai...

In the last episode of 2021 and our personality series, Kimberly talks with Dr. Joe Beam about the DiSC profile. Dr. Beam explains each quadrant of DiSC and how you can use your profile to understand others better and have better relationships. You will learn the importance of understanding your spouse's DiSC personality so you can speak their language and vice versa. When you know about your...

The Importance of Focusing on Your Strengths with Austin Suellentrop This week we are back with another exciting episode about personality styles. Today, Kimberly talks with Austin Suellentrop, CliftonStrengths Portfolio Manager for Gallup. (Also known as StrengthsFinder) You will learn why people learn differently and how to have conversations about each other's strengths to create better re...

We are all wired a bit differently, and this week we are continuing our series of personality test types. Last week Kimberly covered the Enneagram with Michael Norton, and today, she speaks with Dr. Tim Atkinson, a Myers-Briggs expert.  Personality tests are ways to understand yourself and others better. Dr. Tim Atkinson covers Myers-Briggs and the dichotomy of the four letters. Dr. Tim describes...

There is so much more to the Enneagram than you may think. Or, maybe you've never heard of it and want to learn what all the hype is about.  In today's episode, Kimberly talks with Micheal Norton, an Enneagram teacher, and coach.  Michael shares so much insight and goes deeper into the origin of the Enneagram, each of the nine types, and the passion each number represents. You will learn...