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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!
158 Episodes
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Dr. Jeffrey Du shares groundbreaking research identifying four key factors for a stronger marriage: commitment, protectiveness, shared religious attendance, and regular date nights. These factors emerged from data collected from over 2,000 individuals across the United States, focusing specifically on elements within couples' control. • Commitment means intentionally prioritizing your spouse and marriage amid busy lives • Protectiveness involves emotional safeguarding, loyalty, and consisten...
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...
We explore why money triggers big feelings, how to spot the Four Horsemen in finance talks, and how to turn weekly check-ins into a simple habit. Money coach Dee Zimmerman shares tools for gentle startups, healthy boundaries, and practical next steps. • different money histories shaping expectations • money as emotional language, not just numbers • Four Horsemen applied to money conversations • antidotes: gentle startup, taking responsibility, repair • permission to pause with a promise to r...
We share Christina Morales’s story of moving from the brink of divorce to two decades of service with Retrouvaille, a couples-led program that turns communication into real change. Hope becomes concrete through a weekend intensive, post-sessions, and a community that protects confidentiality and growth. • what Retrouvaille is and who it serves • why lived experience creates safety and trust • communication tools that help partners finally hear each other • the weekend format plus post-sessio...
A tender, practical look at life after divorce: how to co‑parent without drama, date with intention as a single parent, and rebuild a calm family system where kids feel safe and seen. Amber shares the habits, boundaries, and mindset shifts that turned conflict into cooperation. • early marriage, cross‑state moves, new parent stress • choosing divorce to model a healthy life for children • co‑parenting routines that remove contention • group texting with ex and step‑parent for transparency • ...
We explore how Relational Life Therapy helps couples move from harshness to loving firmness, from accuracy wars to curiosity, and from quiet withdrawal to active repair. Kristy Gaisford shares personal lessons, the five dysfunctional patterns, and practical tools for daily change. • the five dysfunctional patterns: being right, controlling, unbridled self-expression, retaliation, withdrawal • start with self: sturdiness, humility, owning impact • customer-service rule: turn-taking and sequen...
Dr. Jeremy Bowden returns to discuss free marriage preparation resources available through the Utah Marriage Commission and Utah State University, including his newly created "Marriage Ready" and "Remarriage Ready" online courses. • Premarital education helps couples understand relationship science, navigate potential challenges, and discuss expectations • Free six-hour online courses fulfill Utah's requirement for a $20 marriage license discount • Courses cover commitment, communication, co...
Lindsay Kelly shares her powerful journey of resilience as she navigates being a caregiver for her husband with MS, raising six children, and becoming the family's sole provider. Through finding support and learning to embrace hard emotions, she transformed her struggle into strength and now helps thousands of people facing similar challenges. • Discovering her husband's progressive MS diagnosis that caused memory loss and mood swings similar to dementia • Transitioning from stay-at-home mom...
Conscious Relationship Coach Annmarie Chereso shares powerful insights on transforming conflict into deeper connection through mindfulness, vulnerability, and heart-centered awareness. She reveals how asking yourself "Where am I?" can identify whether fear or trust is driving your relationship patterns. • Conflict isn't a problem but a portal to deeper awareness and connection • Our relationship to conflict is conditioned by childhood experiences • The question "Where am I?" helps identify i...
Dr. Jason Whiting explores honesty, emotions, and relationship repair as foundational elements for building trust and connection in committed partnerships. • Honesty is universally valued but challenging to maintain consistently in relationships • Research shows people tell an average of three lies in ten minutes when first meeting someone new • Emotions strongly influence how we perceive our partners and can turn them into "enemies" rather than allies • Editing words to find truth rather th...
Relationship coach Monica Tanner returns to discuss her new book "Bad Marriage Advice: 15 Myths That Are Keeping You Miserable" and challenges conventional wisdom that may be damaging marriages. She explores how common advice like "happy wife, happy life" and "don't sweat the small stuff" creates imbalanced relationships, poor communication patterns, and prevents couples from addressing issues before they become serious problems. • "Happy wife, happy life" places too much responsibility on w...
Dating requires intention and skill, whether you're looking for fun or seeking a lifelong partnership. Marriage and family therapist Stacey Hubbard joins us to share her Gottman-based approach for singles navigating the relationship landscape. • Building friendship first is crucial when dating - take things slowly and watch for signs of trustworthiness • The honeymoon phase typically lasts 6-18 months with feel-good chemicals making us more trusting • Understanding the three phases of relati...
Dr. Talal Al-Saleem breaks down the complexities of infidelity from definition to recovery, offering hope through his specialized Systematic Affair Recovery Therapy approach. He challenges common misconceptions about infidelity causes and provides practical guidance for both healing after betrayal and safeguarding relationships against it. • Understanding infidelity as a breach of the unique exclusivity contract between partners • Recognizing that infidelity stems from three categories: rela...
Lisa Valentine Clark shares her extraordinary journey of love and resilience through her husband Christopher's battle with ALS, offering profound insights on how their marriage was strengthened through humor, sacrifice, and intentionally seeking joy amid terminal illness. • Starting as friends performing in a comedy play at BYU—Lisa as a chicken, Christopher as Satan—created a foundation of laughter and friendship for their 25-year marriage • Humor played a crucial role in their relationship...
Dr. Steve Harris joins us to explain discernment counseling, a specialized approach helping couples gain clarity about whether to work on their marriage or move toward divorce. • Developed at the University of Minnesota after research showed 30% of divorcing couples had at least one person who didn't want the divorce • Differs from traditional couples therapy by focusing on decision-making clarity rather than relationship improvement • Designed specifically for "mixed-agenda couples" where o...
Chad Ford returns to share powerful insights from his new book 70x7, exploring how fear drives conflict and how radical forgiveness can transform our marriages and relationships. His work as an international conflict mediator brings unique perspectives on moving from destructive to constructive conflict patterns. • Understanding that conflict is natural and inevitable in marriage—the goal isn't eliminating conflict but handling it well • Recognizing common conflict styles: avoidance (burying...
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