©2025 FamilyLife. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. If we’re being completely honest, many of us enter into marriage with stars in our eyes and the hope that our spouse will live up to our every expectation. Isn’t it funny how we can spend months...
Have you heard some variation of this before? “Marriage is hard. It’s unfair. One of you will always pull more weight. Marriage doesn’t make you happy; it makes you miserable.” I’d like to push back against that pessimistic mindset. Yes,...
Jill: Do you carry emotional baggage around with you? If so, you’re not alone. We all have it, and at times, it may feel like we are weighed down by the burden of dragging it around from place to place. One of the hardest truths about baggage is that it doesn’t just...
When a loved one hurts, it can be hard to know how to respond and support them through the crisis or pain they feel. Our first response is often to jump straight into “fix it” mode or lighten the mood by offering platitudes. However, the key to true comfort lies in a...
“Never stop dating your spouse.” You’ve probably heard this wisdom before and may have even tried to put it into practice. If you’re not familiar with it, “dating” your spouse simply means making connection a regular priority even after you tie...
If you know my husband Mark and I, then you know we are passionate about moving people from a 1.0 version of themselves to a new-and-improved 2.0 version. We’ve taken this journey ourselves and know the difference it can make in your relationships, as well as how you...
Everyone has baggage. We carry it around with us everywhere–into marriage, adulthood, and every aspect of our lives. It’s part of being human, and while there’s no shame in having baggage, it’s important to take the time to consider how the behaviors we’ve...
What does your morning routine look like? A typical morning may look like rolling out of bed, getting ready, and grabbing breakfast to feed your body before you tackle the day. But how often do you prioritize feeding your soul as well as your physical body? My...
Jill: In every marriage, prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have in our toolbox. When we pray (together or on our own), we have the opportunity to align our own desires to God’s. We also have the opportunity to talk directly to God lifting up to Him...
Have you ever had a conversation where it seemed like you and the other person kept misunderstanding one another? At some point, it may have even felt like you were speaking two different languages. This is a challenge that pops up in many marriages—after all, there’s...
Dear Mark and Jill, I really messed up. I did something I shouldn’t have, and in the process, I betrayed my spouse’s trust. When they found out, I knew I needed to come clean and take full responsibility. I’ve answered their questions honestly and...
Dear Mark & Jill, I listen to your podcast every week and I love it. It seems like when you are talking together, we hear a lot more about what Mark did wrong before and during your marriage crisis. I identify more with Jill’s personality before your marriage...
As a coach, one of the things I do most often is help people learn how to manage their emotions in a healthy way. The human capacity to feel is God-given. However, when our feelings go unchecked, that’s when emotional ups and downs can start to steal our peace,...
Mark and I are excited to bring you another special episode with just the two of us! In this conversation, we are talking about confirmation bias. It’s something we have experienced in our own relationship and we see it time and time again in the couples we coach....
Jill: We can tend to think of marriage as a fantasy love story where two people find each other, fall in love, and all the details fall into place like magic. They head off into the sunset to find their happily ever after. Mark: The reality is quite a bit messier....
