What’s the secret to a marriage full of love, happiness, and success? Happy, thriving couples know that achieving your couple goals—and treating growth like a shared adventure—is what creates deep connection and long-term happiness. In this episode, you’ll learn how to uncover obstacles in relationships, communicate proactively, deepen emotional intimacy, and strengthen your bond through intentional, growth-focused love.

So many couples set goals for their careers, finances, or personal growth, but rarely pause to ask: What are we working toward together? I’m revisiting this episode because the conversation feels just as relevant now as when it first aired. Joined by licensed marriage and family therapist and relationship coach Sarah B., we talk about how couples can take a proactive, growth-focused approach to building a strong, connected marriage—long before problems turn into crises.

We explore why emotional awareness and communication skills are often missing from our early relationship education, and how that gap quietly creates distance over time. You’ll hear practical ways couples can clarify shared goals, stay connected through busy seasons of life, and create emotional safety around some of the most sensitive topics in a marriage, including communication, intimacy, sex, and money.

As you listen, I invite you to reflect on this question: If your relationship mattered just as much as every other goal in your life, what would you start doing differently together?

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Achieving Your Couple Goals: Love, Happiness, and Success in a Marriage

00:44 Designing Your Shared Future Together

05:48 Uncover Obstacles in Relationships Before Crisis Hits

09:31 Be Willing to Be Messy: The Mindset That Builds Emotional Intimacy

15:41 The Relationship Check-In That Helps Couples Communicate Proactively

19:17 The “Powerball” Exercise to Clarify Couple Goals and Values

22:45 Quality Time That Actually Feels Connecting

30:10 Communicate Proactively: Naming Needs Before You Get Triggered

32:13 Empathy and Boundaries When Conversations Escalate

40:04 Sex and Money: Emotional Safety and Radical Honesty

If you’re thinking about what you want for your relationship moving forward, I’d love to offer you a gentle next step. As a listener of the podcast, this is my way of inviting you into a more supported, intentional process.

You can answer three quick questions to help us understand what’s feeling most important in your relationship right now and what kind of support would be the best fit. It’s private, secure, and only takes a couple of minutes. From there, we’ll help you schedule a free consultation with the right expert—someone who can support you in clarifying your couple goals, strengthening emotional intimacy, and building a relationship grounded in love, happiness, and success.

xoxo,

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby
Growing Self