Talk about things before they become a bigger issue. On our vacation with family, I brought up the topic of intimacy (physical specifically) and it sparked a great conversation between us. Now for many this could be a conversation that isn’t brought up and turns into a bigger issue later. This is when it can turn into a “weed” that impacts your marriage. Or it could be a conversation that causes defensiveness and conflict. Neither of these are positive options.

You see, we want to talk about how we’re feeling and what we want BEFORE it starts to affect you and the connection, trust, or openness you have with your partner.

In this episode you will hear us discuss:

• What’s a “seed” in the relationship vs a “weed”

• What happens when we don’t discuss things soon enough

• How to think about bringing these things up and making it a productive conversation

Relationship Resources:

The Level 1 “Prioritizing Us” 30-Day Couples Challenge (you get the popular Family Meeting guide as a bonus gift with this)

The Level 2 “Rebuilding Us” 30-Day Couples Challenge (repairing and rebuilding after a harder season of marriage)

You’ve likely heard of the now popular Attachment Theory about having a secure, safe, trusting, and connected relationship. If you have, likely what you’ve seen is quite conceptual and you are not sure how to use the information. If you have not heard of this theory it simply describes how you connect and bond with a partner and how that was influenced by your parents (or primary caregiver) as well as other romantic relationships you have been in (primary attachment figures).

For us Attachment Theory has become so popular online, rightfully so, but without the right experts describing how to use this theory to make a difference in your own relationship, or how to actually change your style. In this episode you will hear from Attachment Theory expert, counselor, PhD, author, and founder of Personal Development School, Thais Gibson! You will hear her cover:

• The 4 Attachment Styles (quickly)

• The 5 Pillars and traits of each style

• How to reprogram your conscious mind (where attachment needs and behaviors come from) with tools like autosuggestion to change your style

Relationship Resources

Take the FREE Quiz to determine your Attachment Style: https://attachment.personaldevelopmentschool.com/quiz

Learn more from the Personal Development School:

https://university.personaldevelopmentschool.com/

Join our 30-Day Couples Challenges (level 1 or 2) starting July 1st, 2024

https://www.meetthefreemans.com/challenges

Many communications between couples can cause misunderstandings. This leads to more expectations and further frustrations and upsets. Then these upsets can turn into conflicts. Though it seems simple to just “listen better”, listening is not the same as hearing.

Listening is the requirement for understanding, but even then, it does not guarantee complete and accurate understanding of what was actually meant by your partner.

Though much of this has to do with the listener's role, there is also much to say about the speaker and how they deliver the message so as to not create mistranslations.

In this episode you will hear:

• Mistakes the speaker makes

• Mistakes the listener makes

• 5 tips for more productive conversations

• Plus the psychology principles that can prevent communications from being misunderstood or turning into conflicts.

Relationship Resources:

1) Join the upcoming 30-Day Couples Challenge “Prioritizing Us”, proven to improve your interactions, help you understand each other more, strengthen your connection, and fill your Love Accounts. https://mycoupleschallenge.com/

2) For links to our top resources and guides: https://www.meetthefreemans.com/links