©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...
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...
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...
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....
The topic of this episode was inspired by a question submitted by one of our listeners: What does it take to heal a family after trust has been broken? How do you acknowledge the wider influence of pain, and where do you go from there? As marriage coaches, we often...
Can you remember your first breakup? Even if you parted ways amicably, you likely questioned if you were good enough, if you made the right choice, or even criticized yourself for not doing enough to try to make it work. When we journey through breakups, infidelity,...
I have my hubby, Mark, with me this week for a conversation on conflict in marriage. Now, conflict is inevitable when you live in close quarters with someone, but even more so when you merge lives together! How you approach life can rub up against the way your spouse...
As we start into our fifth year of the podcast, you’ll start hearing a shoutout at the beginning of each episode. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate our listeners, and specifically the transformation and celebrations in your life. Want to reach out to...
Our marriage went off the tracks in 2011, when Mark was in a full-on midlife crisis, affair included. It would take us two years to move from being on the verge of divorce to a healed and improved Mark & Jill 2.0. I wouldn’t wish anyone to go through infidelity;...
Mark is back with me on the podcast today to help answer a question we hear often: “What makes the difference in people who are able to overcome difficult things?” This could be in regard to marriages that are restored or lives that experience growth and...
What do you do when you are offended? Do you quickly let it go, or do you sit and ruminate on it? If you, like most people, tend to do the latter, it can create bitterness, resentment, and pent-up anger in your life and in your heart. Living in a place where we are...
Adversity is a part of life. We can sometimes think that having a relationship with Jesus makes us exempt from hardships that can cause fear, anxiety, and even trauma. While that isn’t the case, it is true that our relationship with Jesus can change how we handle and...
The topic we’re exploring today has been requested many times over the last year. I asked my friend, Sarah, if she would be willing to share her experience and wisdom with us as she has an adult child who is estranged and put up some big boundaries. Sarah is...
We often talk about restored marriages on this show because that is a core part of our story. However, we recognize this is not the case for every couple. Restoring a marriage takes two willing people, and if there is only one, the marriage may end in an unwanted...
