The Empowered Wife Podcast: Marriage Help with Laura Doyle

How could her husband cheat on my beautiful guest Orianna? 😡 And how could he do it with her best friend—while she was pregnant? 😪 And how could her marriage possibly recover from that? 😮 These are the questions that kept me glued to Orianna’s incredible story of betrayal, heartbreak, and redemption. Orianna has been through the fire—betrayed by the two people she trusted most—yet, she found a way to rebuild her marriage.  Her story is nothing short of remarkable. This week on The Empowered Wife Podcast, Orianna shares exactly what she did to restore trust, reclaim her dignity, and fix her family. 🎧 Don’t miss her story! Listen Now!  

Saturday morning, I was working on my marriage while I was on the beach playing volleyball with my buddies Kevin, Rana, and Scott. And nope, neither of those guys is my husband—he was at home bingeing Viking shows. It was ridiculously fun—and not just because my setting was on fire! 🌞 But here’s the thing: when I got home, sweaty and sandy, I was still glowing from all that fun—and guess who was happy to see me so happy? Yep, my husband, John, was grinning ear to ear to see me. Back when my marriage was falling apart, I thought self-care—by myself—would only highlight how distant John was. I couldn’t see how it could possibly help our relationship. But I was wrong. What I didn’t realize was that my unhappiness was making me pretty… resistible. When I started practicing four specific types of self-care, everything changed. Volleyball might not be your thing (I don’t get it, but we can still be friends!), but here’s the truth: every woman needs these four categories of self-care. If you’re not getting them, it could be costing you intimacy and connection—just like it was at my house. Want to feel more magnetic and desirable in your relationship? In this episode, I share the four self-care ideas every woman needs.

When Sofia asked for a separation, her husband blew up and gave her two days to move out! But when she tried the 6 Intimacy Skills™, their entire relationship changed. She got back the kind, sweet, caring, gentle man she married. On today’s episode of The Empowered Wife Podcast, she’ll tell us how she did it so you can do it too.

Get more attention from your husband in 4 simple steps—without begging. You shouldn’t have to beg for attention from the man you married! That is so lonely, demoralizing and demeaning.  I remember the bad old days when my husband didn’t want to be around me, which were lousy. Fortunately, I learned a thing or two to turn that around completely. So if you’re tired of begging for attention from your husband, you are in the right place. Maybe you’re so ready for the hurting to end that you’re trying to figure out how to stop wanting attention from him. But that never works. Plus, who wants that, really? I sure didn’t like it. So I’ll raise you. Learn how to get more attention from your husband in 4 simple steps on today’s episode of The Empowered Wife Podcast.  

If your husband doesn’t turn in when you do and your schedules feel off, it gets lonely and you don’t get as much time together. It’s a big disconnect that’s not very intimate. But you can entice him to make bedtime “together time.” And help make the rest of your marriage happier and more intimate. My guest Lolita did just that. Her husband would fall asleep on the sofa and she would lie in bed feeling angry and abandoned. Once she began to practice the Intimacy Skills in earnest, her marriage quickly became peaceful and joyful. Now they are happier than ever.  She’ll tell us how she did it so you can do it too. Check out today’s episode of The Empowered Wife Podcast: “My Husband Won’t Come to Bed with Me.”

You can restore your magnetism and draw your husband to you naturally—even if it seems hopeless now, like it did for me. When my husband was distant, I was so lonely and hurt. I couldn’t understand why the man I’d married didn’t want to talk to me or touch me.  Now that I know how to magnetize him effortlessly, 24/7, I just wish somebody would have told me back then. So today, I’m sharing 3 powerful ways to draw your husband to you so that there’s no distance and you feel loved just for being yourself.  I’m Laura Doyle, NYT bestselling author and marriage mentor. I was the perfect wife…until I got married.  This is The Empowered Wife Podcast, where real women share exactly what they did and said to make their hopeless marriages playful and passionate. If you think that knowing how to have a great marriage is important, subscribe now!

If your husband doesn’t express his emotions or communicate the way you want him to, you may have wondered if he’s neurodiverse, just like my guest Sarah did.  She was depressed but also excited when she realized her husband was neurodiverse because she felt she’d found the key to fixing her struggling marriage after years of trying everything else.  But it was something else entirely that helped her make her marriage loving, passionate and full of possibility again. She’ll tell us how she did it so you can do it too. Can you ever have a playful, passionate marriage to a man with neurodiversity? Sarah has that now, so let’s find out how she did it!

If you've ever experienced verbal abuse, you know how devastating, demeaning and cruel it is. You know how destructive it is to your self-esteem. When that hurtful scenario keeps recurring, it seems the only sane thing to do is get away from that abusive person at least temporarily and possibly permanently. But when that person is your husband, someone you’ve built a life with—sworn to love, honor and respect—and have children with, it’s not so easy to tear apart your family. But you don’t want to live with ongoing verbal abuse either! Nobody should have to live with that.  What if you could reduce the blow-ups? What if they dwindled down to hardly ever? Or even none at all? I wouldn’t have believed that was possible if I hadn’t seen it in my own marriage. And now that I’ve also witnessed thousands of other women use the Connection Framework to create the same peaceful, even playful outcome in their marriages, I’m a believer. You don’t have to take my word for it—you can see for yourself by experimenting in your own relationship. Learn what victims of verbal abuse have done to create peace, connection, and playfulness in their relationships. Sometimes, such victims make one of two common mistakes that worsen the abuse. It’s shocking because I remember feeling so hopeless and helpless about this in my marriage, I was offended by the idea that I was making any mistakes besides having married the wrong person!  But I was making these two mistakes that were within my control to fix… 

Do you worry about your husband drinking too much—or, worse, driving after drinking and all the heartache that could cause? Then you’ve got to hear Amanda’s story.  She had already been struggling with her husband’s lies, stonewalling, depression, and alcoholism when he was arrested for driving under the influence. That’s what made her look for help and find a book that changed everything. Now he’s sober, and they talk, flirt, and snuggle like teenagers in love.  Learn how she used that crisis as a catalyst to build a stronger, more connected marriage.  How did she find hope, strength, and a way forward? And what do you need to know if you’re in a crisis, too? You’re about to find out!

Remember when he couldn’t keep his eyes—or hands—off you? If you’re missing that spark and want to feel truly desired again, this episode is for you. Learn how you can be ridiculously attractive to your husband in ways that go beyond looks. If, like me, you’ve found yourself feeling entirely resistible to your man, you know how painful that is. You might think that means it’s time to lose a few pounds or get a makeover.  When I couldn’t seduce my own husband, that’s what I thought too. But that had nothing to do with why I wasn’t attractive to him.  Now that I know how to magnetize him, I want every woman to know because this stuff really works to make you irresistible.  Like when I’m brushing crumbs off the kitchen counter and John says “Don’t move,” he gets out his phone to take my picture like I’m a supermodel he’s been married to for 35 years. What I learned has given me an unfair advantage.  Here’s how to make yourself a magnet too, sweatpants and bed hair included.

Ever hear the devastating words “I'm NEVER coming back” and feel your heart drop into your stomach? Vanessa did. She already felt unloved, then her husband left her. But even when it seemed all hope was lost, she was determined to get him back. So she didn’t just sit there in despair—she took action. Today the same husband is the man of her dreams. They fall asleep cuddling, and she’s confident that he loves her dearly and profoundly. Listen in to discover the surprising steps she took to turn things around and how you can bring hope back to your marriage too.

If you’re anything like I was, you know the frustration of getting so angry at your husband that it gets ugly and you end up with an emotional hangover. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Once you adopt these 3 practices, everything can change. This is the true confession of a former rageaholic who found a lasting cure. Here’s how to restore peace in your marriage and get your dignity back. For over a decade, managing my anger was impossible as far as I could tell. I picked on unlucky store clerks, bank tellers and customer service reps. But most of all, I raged at my husband, who suffered through my episodes by saying very little and escaping as soon as he could. The tremendous shame and remorse I felt afterward didn’t help me when the urge arose the next time. But I no longer feel that urge. I haven’t had a Godzilla episode in over 20 years. My clients and coaches also report that their anger subsided and they regained their dignity when they adopted these simple practices.

If you suspect your husband is a narcissist or he’s been diagnosed as one, you’ve gotta wonder if there’s any hope for him to change. Can you protect your self-worth and make your marriage thrive? My guest today shares the strategies that worked to change her narcissistic husband without him even realizing it. After enduring verbal abuse and stonewalling, Jade was ready to announce divorce. Then she learned the 6 Intimacy Skills™ and discovered that the biggest challenge in her marriage wasn’t at all what she thought it was. Today, the same man makes her laugh, their children are happier, and the intimacy has gone from zero to hero. On today’s episode of The Empowered Wife Podcast, she’s going to tell us how she did it so you can do it too.

Is nothing you do ever good enough? If he makes you feel bad about yourself by criticizing what you say, how you cook, what you wear, or how much you get done, it can be hard on your self-esteem. It’s also exhausting to defend yourself all the time. No matter how hard things seem right now, you can teach him how to treat you with a lot more tenderness and love.  Learn these 2 essential ways to get him to stop being so critical and to truly see your value.

Wish your husband would just communicate with the kids the right way so there’s no conflict and everyone’s happy?  Maybe you’ve tried to guide him but it’s just not working. If you want more influence over how he interacts with the children, today’s case study is full of wisdom bombs you won’t want to miss. My guest Juveriya’s marriage had lost its spark and felt exhausting. It was hard to respect her husband. Today they’re back to laughing a lot and feeling connected again after this one important discovery…

Ever wonder how you would do as a certified relationship coach? Do you think you have what it takes to make your own marriage amazing while you’re helping other women fix theirs?  Learn what it’s like being a coach and expert on the 6 Intimacy Skills™ as Catherine lays out the 4 steps she took to Relationship Coach Certification. Plus, I have exciting news about The Empowered Wife Podcast!  Lots of you have asked how you can listen to case studies on a specific marriage topic, and we heard you. From now on, every guest interview like this one will have its own podcast episode with its own title to match the topic, so you can search for it easily on lauradoyle.org. If you want to hear how to fix your marriage to a narcissist or a man with neurodiversity, or with a blended family or addiction, an affair or separation, or a sexless marriage, you can go to https://lauradoyle.org/podcast-search/ and find new interview episodes by title. I’ll also continue to share my experience and my best tips on how to practice the 6 Intimacy Skills™ to fix your marriage without his conscious effort in separate episodes so you can still search for those topics, too. 

Learn life-changing ways to start feeling taken care of instead of lonely and exhausted. Because it’s too tiring to be the one who does everything, from taking care of kids to housework to earning money to paying bills and managing social plans. Especially if you’ve asked your man to help and it just feels like pulling teeth! Or if he does things and you have to redo them because they aren’t done right. It’s so unfair. Who wouldn’t be resentful when you’re doing so much more of the work? I was. VERY resentful. Even the things that he did, I had to remind him to do them, which was a heavy mental load. I told him he needed to step up and do more. That got me wall-to-wall hostility, but not more help with housework. So today, I’m revealing two secrets to stop doing all the work in marriage. Plus, I have exciting news about The Empowered Wife Podcast!  Lots of you have asked how you can listen to case studies on a specific marriage topic, and we heard you. From now on, every guest interview will have its own podcast episode with its own title to match the topic, so you can search for it easily on lauradoyle.org. If you want to hear how to fix your marriage to a narcissist or a man with neurodiversity, or with a blended family or addiction, an affair or separation, or a sexless marriage, you can go to lauradoyle.org/podcasts and find new interview episodes by title. I’ll also continue to share my experience and my best tips on how to practice the 6 Intimacy Skills™ to fix your marriage without his conscious effort in separate episodes so you can still search for those topics, too. Starting with this one…  

It’s natural to feel scared or jealous at times, but what are you supposed to do when your jealousy feels justified? It’s so painful to worry about being cheated on, and devastating to have it happen to you. It makes you feel like a fool no matter what you do. But I’m here to tell you that you have more power than you probably realize to create a marriage where cheating is just not a concern. On today’s episode of The Empowered Wife Podcast, I’m revealing why husbands cheat and how to prevent it.  Plus, my guest Sabrina felt unwanted, unappreciated and unseen in her marriage, which was lacking intimacy. But then she discovered her power and what was contributing to their problems. Today she and her husband are so close and intimate in every way. She feels cherished, wanted, respected and so loved! She’s going to tell us how she did it so you can do it too.  

It's heartbreaking to feel distant from your man when you long for the closeness you once shared. Without that spark, there’s a lonely ache, even when you’re together, leaving you wondering if you'll ever feel desired again. You may have heard that respect is like oxygen for men, but why should you have to do all the work? What if you don’t respect him? That’s exactly how I felt. But what made me decide to be bound to him for life if he was such a loser pants? Wouldn’t that make me a loser pants too? No! So that led me to think about what I had been drawn to, how wise and generous he once was, how talented and sweet, how musically talented and adventurous and handsome. And he’s still that same guy. When I remembered all that, I felt grateful instead of resentful and contemptuous. (Turns out, gratitude is a much happier feeling.) But how do you get there if you’re not feeling it? On today’s episode of The Empowered Wife Podcast, I’m sharing 3 secrets for restoring the intimacy in your marriage.  Plus, my guest Mina was suffering through cold wars every weekend and worried about her man’s lies. But when she dedicated herself to trying some new skills, she was able to create peace in her home. She’s going to tell us how she did it so you can do it too.  

Have you ever wondered how our relationship coaches help women transform their marriages without their husbands even knowing? Today, I’m taking you behind the curtain to hear an actual coaching call. If you haven’t experienced coaching from a Certified Laura Doyle Relationship Coach, you might think, “Is there any real difference between relationship coaching and counseling? Aren’t they pretty much the same?”  This is where I get very animated because, oh no it’s not the same! But instead of telling you about all the ways relationship coaching is more effective and enjoyable, we got special permission to play this actual session for you so you can hear for yourself why our approach is so transformative. It’s something mind-blowing, and maybe even jarring, that I want every woman to experience. On today’s episode of The Empowered Wife Podcast, I’m letting you eavesdrop on a real coaching call.