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© 2026 Stronger Marriage Connection
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It's often said that marriage takes work. The Stronger Marriage Connection podcast wants to help because a happy marriage is worth the effort. USU Family Life Professor Dr. Dave Schramm and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Liz Hale talk with experts about the principles and practices that will enhance your commitment, compassion, and emotional connection.
More than ever before, marriages face obstacles, from the busyness of work and daily hassles to disagreements and digital distractions. It's no wonder couples sometimes drift apart, growing resentful, lonely, and isolated.
The Utah Marriage Commission invites you to listen and discover new ways to strengthen and protect your marriage connection today!
173 Episodes
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We explore why dating feels harder, how on-demand culture reshapes expectations, and what AI companions and pornography are doing to our ideas of love. Dr. Brian Willoughby shares research, skills, and hopeful strategies for parents, teens, and singles who want real connection. • falling dating rates and fading norms among teens and young adults • benefits and costs of dating apps, including rejection mindset • updated divorce data and how agency and skills shift risk • on-demand expectation...
We explore a marriage operating system built on small, specific habits that strengthen trust, make time for connection, and turn differences into strengths. Casey and Megan share tools like Love Lists, the KNOWN position, the 60‑Second Blessing, weekly meetings, and a repair-first apology. • origin of Marriage365 and why access matters • building a marriage operating system with habits • tools versus therapy and affordability • unsolicited apology framework for real repair • Love Lists and t...
We share Kilie Tomadakis’s journey from early instability to adoption, entrepreneurship, and advocacy, and why strong families are the foundation for healthy communities. We explore her pageant platform, modern dating, communication skills, and practical steps to reduce distraction and deepen connection. • early childhood instability, adoption, and faith shaping values • lessons from farm work on grit and follow-through • meeting her husband young and building a marriage • choosing cosmetolo...
We explore how understanding neurodiversity can strengthen love, reduce conflict, and turn differences into design features rather than deficits. Dr. Matthew Zakresky shares science, stories, and practical tools to navigate communication, sensory needs, and executive function in marriage. • one in five partners as neurodivergent and why it matters • brain differences in form and function backed by scans • direct versus indirect communication and meta-communication • sensory needs at events, ...
We trace how childhood attachment styles shape sexual desire, arousal, and closeness in marriage, and why couples get stuck in the sex standoff. Mark Cameron shares practical steps to earn secure attachment and turn emotional safety into better intimacy. • Key gender differences in arousal and desire • The sex standoff and how it spirals • Quick primer on attachment theory and styles • Avoider patterns and nonrelational sex • Pleaser appeasing, boundaries, and anxiety • Vacillator intensity,...
We sit down with Dr. Lee Baucom to unpack the “pause button marriage,” why most couples misdiagnose communication issues, and how small, steady habits and a team mindset rebuild connection. One partner can start the change with curiosity, empowerment, and self-management. • defining the pause button marriage and its slow costs • shifting from me and you to a true we • why connection, not communication, is the core issue • unpausing with small, repeatable habits of connection • using invitati...
We sit down with researcher Wendy Wang to unpack how AI companionship, porn, and endless scrolling are reshaping dating, marriage, and mental health. We share data-backed risks and simple house rules that protect attention, intimacy, and commitment. • one in four young adults saying AI could replace romance • how frictionless AI partners create unrealistic expectations • links between screen time, lower satisfaction, and fewer date nights • scams targeting loneliness with AI-crafted personas...
We unpack how codependency hides inside “helping,” why rescuing backfires, and how to build self-compassion, boundaries, and interdependence. Therapist Peyton Holt shares concrete tools for couples and parents to trade control for empathy and create safer, stronger bonds. • clear definition of codependency and why it’s common • five core symptoms from Pia Mellody’s framework • the fix-it cycle and why relief reinforces rescuing • parenting patterns, enabling, and natural consequences • shame...
We welcome Les and Leslie Parrott to unpack how preparation, empathy, and practical tools create stronger marriages, from the origins of SYMBIS to the launch of the four-minute Heart Chart. We explore healthy conflict, invisible rule books, and thought patterns that quietly shape connection. • SYMBIS origin story and why premarriage prep matters • moving from traits to state for real-time insight • the invisible rule book and expectations • how to fight a good fight without harm • empathy as...
We explore how emotional safety fuels connection and why consent, validation, and nervous system awareness transform tough talks. Shane Burkle shares RLT’s “truth with love,” a six-hour intensive model, and a simple exercise couples can use today. • connection seekers vs safety seekers and the push-pull loop • what emotional safety looks like in practice • validating language, curiosity, and accountability • consent in conversations and setting parameters • timeouts, check-ins, and nervous s...
We explore how to design a fair, secure-functioning relationship that protects both partners, repairs fast, and prevents repeated harm. Dr. Stan Tatkin explains why instinct fights intimacy and how governance, PEPPER, and daily presence keep love strong under stress. • human nature as difficult and self-protective • difference between difficult and too difficult • clean repair and real apology without excuses • attachment biology, pair bonding and threat memory • the ...
We sit down with Susanne Alexander to explore unity as a daily practice and walk through research-based tools that help couples merge hearts and minds. Small habits, virtue-based praise, and playful rituals turn conflict into clarity and make friendship the backbone of marriage. Susanne M. Alexander is a relationship and marriage educator, coach, author, and publisher with her company Marriage Transformation®, www.marriagetransformation.com. She meets with clients globally via the internet fo...
We explore how sexual intimacy becomes joyful and life-giving when anchored in self-honesty, personal responsibility and spiritual growth. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife shares practical ways to move beyond rigid roles, foster freedom and desire, and build a marriage that can hold two full adults. • linking sexuality and spirituality as sources of joy • defining intimacy as being seen and known • reframing eroticism as life force, not performance • spotting how roles hide the self and stall desire ...
Dr. Dave Schramm and Dr. Liz Hale sit down with Dr. Julia Garcia to explore how hope becomes a daily habit that strengthens love, repairs conflict, and restores self-worth. We map the five habits of hope and show how one small word—maybe—can interrupt despair and create momentum. • defining hope as practice not positivity • Julia’s journey from hopelessness to healthy habits • five habits of hope: reflection, risk, release, receive, repurpose • the sound of hope and processing feelings • cur...
We talk with therapist and author Marc Cameron about how childhood bonds shape adult love and how anyone can “earn” secure attachment through story, skills, and practice. Practical tools like boundaries that invite connection and the Comfort Circle help couples move from reactivity to responsiveness. • what avoidant, pleaser, vacillator, and disorganized styles look like in childhood and adulthood • how a coherent narrative links emotions to needs • why empathy, validation, and clear languag...
We dig into holiday spending habits with Amanda Christensen and show how couples can protect peace and pocketbooks. From impulse triggers to simple tools and a revolving savings plan, we share practical steps to keep joy high and stress low. • impulse buying traps and how to slow down • agreeing a shared goal for the season • setting a total budget and four key categories • choosing cash for high-risk spending areas • using price trackers to time purchases • organizing gifts with lists and s...
We explore how to handle family “emotional storms” with practical, science-backed tools so parents can stay calm, help kids feel seen, and keep their partnership strong. Dr. Alyssa Jerud shares the ART and CARE frameworks, opposite action, and simple mindfulness moves that work in the real world. • why emotional agility matters for parents and partners • how ART helps accept, regulate, and tolerate emotions • everyday mindfulness as a fast acceptance tool • the CARE skills to lower arousal q...
We explore how the Enneagram, mindfulness, and personal values help couples understand patterns, reduce conflict, and build trust. Amanda Ford shares practical tools to translate differences into connection, redefine compatibility, and communicate requests with clarity and care. • Nine types as lenses for patterns and needs • Head, heart, body centers explained with examples • Using insights without labeling or blaming • Mindfulness as embodied awareness for self-regulation • Yoga practices ...
We sit down with Dr. Jordan Rullo to unpack why sexual desire often misfires, how brakes and gas shape intimacy, and why responsive desire is just as healthy as spontaneous desire. We share practical tools to manage mismatch, avoid pressure, and build trust through small rituals. • Brake and gas model of sexual function • Causes of low desire across biology, psychology, relationship, culture • Spontaneous versus responsive desire explained • Desire discrepancy as a perpetual problem and acce...
We explore how grief moves like a spiral through life, how it reshapes identity and marriage, and why presence matters more than platitudes. Alexandra Carroll shares her story, reframes the stages, and offers practical tools for self-kindness, attunement, and meaning. • stages as observations, not a rigid program • grief as spiral with triggers across the year • why each person grieves differently • words to avoid and what to say instead • talk less, listen more as core support • setting a p...
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