How many times have you found yourself constantly looking at all the things you don’t like about your spouse and never really look in the mirror to see the plank in your own eye? This is so easy to do because our spouse is right in front of us. It will cause fights and arguments that at the end of the day just aren’t worth it. Today we talk about choosing your battles and working on yourself as a husband or wife. We want to help you grow so we hope you are encouraged by todays chat.

Matthew 7:3-5 NIV

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Trust is hard to gain but easy to lose. In today’s episode, we are talking about how trust issues are a big reason why marriages don’t last anymore. We hope that this conversation can help you build trust with your spouse and communicate more. If you haven’t already make sure you subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, and Youtube.

Why marriages don’t last anymore! Sex becomes nonexistent. Sex is a huge part of the connection between a man and a wife. It’s the one thing that only the two of you share. When sex becomes nonexistent it’s easy to lose your connection with each other. In your marriage, the key to a thriving sex life is open and clear communication. When you communicate your expectations clearly on both sides you set yourself up for success.

Why don't marriages last anymore? Marriage used to be something normal with little to no divorce between couples. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the crushing realization that, sheesh, happily-ever-after takes a lot of work. A few years into marriage, many couples find their relationship faltering. Nearly 20 percent of married couples divorce within the first five years — but this is not to say that mutual affection doesn’t exist between couples who find themselves in a failed marriage. The causes of divorce are varied and complex, but the top reasons for divorce tend to fall across common themes. According to those who have a front seat to many a marriage’s demise — counselors, divorce lawyers, and therapists — certain patterns emerge. Here are seven of the top reasons for divorce, straight from the experts.

In today’s episode, we are talking with Garrett & Chelsea from Transformed Couples about being a blended family and how to navigate this in a healthy manner. Garrett and & Chelsea are ICF Certified Relationship Coaches through Empowered Couples University. They are a blended family of five, with three boys, and have an appreciation for the strength, understanding, and resilience required in blended families. The dynamics of blended families are so unique and unlike any other relationship. But because they are blended, they get it! In fact, they’ve probably lived and can relate to you on a different level to help you create a meaningful connection with each other and strengthen the bonds with your bio and step kids too.

In today’s episode, we are talking with Brittany’s parents, Danny and Krista. They share their journey through infidelity and open up about everything they went through from the discovery, devastation & destruction that infidelity causes in marriages and families. Krista opens up about how with Jesus she was able to contend for her marriage even when she didn’t know how and Danny shares how he faced his past and had to really dig deep to get to the root of what was causing the behaviors he found himself entangled in. Their story is one of hope for anyone who finds themselves in this unimaginable position. Their hope is that through sharing their journey, other couples may decide that they want to find restoration in their marriage and fight for their families. They will be celebrating their 28th Anniversary in August and are parents to 3 adult kids, 1 Son-in-love, and 2 granddaughters that they absolutely adore.

Today we had the opportunity to talk with Dustin and Alana from Marriage in Action. We explore what it means to have a healthy sex life and action steps to a better marriage.

In today’s episode, we’re talking about supporting your spouse when they struggle with mental health. Over the years we have walked through seasons of mental health struggles and we’ve had to learn how to navigate through them to come out stronger on the other side. We now know how important it is for the spouse who isn’t struggling to stay strong and consistent while still taking care of themselves during the process. There are many things you can do to help your spouse but today we want to talk through some of the things we learned while in these seasons. Mental health is a serious issue in today’s society and we believe that more people should be talking about it. We’ve also seen a lot of marriages struggle because of it and we know that if more couples would talk through it and get the help they need, the battle they are fighting is worth it. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and we believe you can make it there to see it as well.

In this week's podcast, we talk about our journey with Mental Health. We discuss our personal struggle with mental health and share how your spouse can support and come alongside you. Mental Health & Marriage is real and we believe that by sharing our story we can begin to shine a light on a topic that needs more attention. May is Mental Health Awareness month and we will continue the discussion in the coming weeks.

Marriage is hard!!! But that’s why we must surround ourselves with people who can help us move forward into a positive marriage. Today we're answering some of your questions about marriage and having fun while doing it. Here are some of the questions we tackled today.

How do you navigate deciding if Mom should go back to work after our kid is born?

Should we be open to friends

about our relationship? What are

typical boundaries?

Debt-free, or manage debt?

Should we spill everything to

parents once married?

Opposite sex friends/best

friends ok!?

We hope that our answers help you today.

Today on Young, Dumb, & in Love were are talking about 5 action steps to supporting your spouse in difficult times. When your spouse is going through something that has been difficult for them there are two paths you can go down. You can be a supportive, patient, and loving spouse or you can react out of fear or anger. What do you think the best choice would be? Well, today we will be helping you take some simple action steps to make the best choice in your reaction. Here are 5 things to help you win!

1. Stay calm (keep your reaction calm)

2. Be quick to listen but slow to speak

3. When you do speak, make it kind, make it encouraging, make it useful

4. Create an opportunity for joy

5. Brainstorm action steps that will help you move forward

We want to see you win in your relationship. Marriage is hard no doubt about it, but that doesn't mean you can't win. It takes time and effort. But for better or for worst we must stand by our spouse to win!

Have you ever found yourself in a relational cycle that never ends? No matter what you do you just can't seem to find a way to get healthy in your relationship? Today Julian and Brittany talk about the Fear Dance from Gary Smalley's book "The DNA of Relationships" and how this book helped shape their relationship to be what it is today.

Here is a link where you can find Gary Smalley's book "The DNA of Relationships" on amazon https://amzn.to/3KcN9p3

The Fear Dance:

I Hurt

I Want

I Fear

I React

You Hurt

You Want

You Fear

You React

Baggage!!! Let’s be honest we all have it. Today we’re talking about how to handle the baggage we bring into our marriages. We really believe there is a healthy way to deal with the baggage that will put you on a trajectory towards a healthy marriage. Baggage is one of those things we all have, whether it’s past hurts, family, or past relationships.  But baggage is something we must face in our relationships to grow and thrive together.  Today we want to help you unpack your baggage. When we first got married we both showed up at our new apartment with baggage we had no idea existed.  Talk about shock. 

Today we answer your questions about marriage. The fact is that marriage can be hard and we all have our own experiences when it comes to marriage. So this week we asked you what questions you may have and we answered them from our perspective.

Your values are the foundations of your home! It’s so important to start your marriage off the right way. Values are what you live by and if you don’t have them set in place, you won’t have a foundation to build on. Today we want to help you think about the values in your marriage that you live by. Do they help you make everyday decisions? Do you find yourself not able to agree on things? Are you fighting because you don’t see things the same? We share some of our values that help us every day.

When you got married did it feel like your entire world blew up before your eyes? Everything you thought your life would be like was suddenly shattered into a million pieces? Well we want to talk with you about how you can change the trajectory of your marriage from the very beginning.

Today we’re answering the question, “why are you doing this podcast?” and telling our story of how we fell in love. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast and share it with your friends. We can’t wait to grow in Healthy Marriage with you. Now go grab your spouse, pull them in close and listen to our very first episode of Young, Dumb & in Love!