Stronger Marriage Connection
It's often said that marriage takes work. The Stronger Marriage Connection podcast wants to help because a happy marriage is worth the effort. USU Family Life Professor Dr. Dave Schramm and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Liz Hale talk with experts about the principles and practices that will enhance your commitment, compassion, and emotional connection.
More than ever before, marriages face obstacles, from the busyness of work and daily hassles to disagreements and digital distractions. It's no wonder couples sometimes drift apart, growing resentful, lonely, and isolated.
The Utah Marriage Commission invites you to listen and discover new ways to strengthen and protect your marriage connection today!
Episodes
174 episodes
Five Research-Based Secrets To More Passionate Sex | Emily Jamea | #173
We explore how desire works over time and why many couples crave sex that feels effortless, absorbing, and deeply connected. Dr. Emily Jamea shares research on flow state in sexual intimacy and the five qualities that help couples sustain passi...
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Season 4
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Episode 173
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41:14
Why Dating is in Decline & How to Fix It | Brian Willoughby | #172
We explore why dating feels harder, how on-demand culture reshapes expectations, and what AI companions and pornography are doing to our ideas of love. Dr. Brian Willoughby shares research, skills, and hopeful strategies for parents, teens, and...
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Season 4
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Episode 172
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52:05
Daily Marriage Habits That Can Improve Your Relationship | Meygan & Casey Caston | #171
We explore a marriage operating system built on small, specific habits that strengthen trust, make time for connection, and turn differences into strengths. Casey and Megan share tools like Love Lists, the KNOWN position, the 60‑Second Blessing...
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Season 4
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Episode 171
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53:43
Pageants, Parenting, And The Power Of Strong Family Connections | Kilie Tomadakis | #170
We share Kilie Tomadakis’s journey from early instability to adoption, entrepreneurship, and advocacy, and why strong families are the foundation for healthy communities. We explore her pageant platform, modern dating, communication skills, and...
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Season 4
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Episode 170
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40:15
Understanding Neurodivergent Needs To Deepen Connection | Matt Zakreski | #169
We explore how understanding neurodiversity can strengthen love, reduce conflict, and turn differences into design features rather than deficits. Dr. Matthew Zakresky shares science, stories, and practical tools to navigate communication, senso...
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Season 4
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Episode 169
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45:27
How Attachment Shapes Desire, Arousal, And Closeness In Marriage | Marc Cameron | #168
We trace how childhood attachment styles shape sexual desire, arousal, and closeness in marriage, and why couples get stuck in the sex standoff. Mark Cameron shares practical steps to earn secure attachment and turn emotional safety into better...
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Season 4
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Episode 168
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53:31
Unpause Your Marriage To Go From Me to We | Lee Baucom | #167
We sit down with Dr. Lee Baucom to unpack the “pause button marriage,” why most couples misdiagnose communication issues, and how small, steady habits and a team mindset rebuild connection. One partner can start the change with curiosity, empow...
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Season 4
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Episode 167
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40:11
Is Ai the New Partner? Ai vs Real Romance | Wendy Wang | #166
We sit down with researcher Wendy Wang to unpack how AI companionship, porn, and endless scrolling are reshaping dating, marriage, and mental health. We share data-backed risks and simple house rules that protect attention, intimacy, and commit...
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Season 4
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Episode 166
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35:59
Untangling Codependency in Relationships: How To Heal and Reconnect | Payton Holt | #165
We unpack how codependency hides inside “helping,” why rescuing backfires, and how to build self-compassion, boundaries, and interdependence. Therapist Peyton Holt shares concrete tools for couples and parents to trade control for empathy and c...
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Season 4
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Episode 165
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47:17
Premarriage Prep That Actually Works | Les and Leslie Parrott | #164
We welcome Les and Leslie Parrott to unpack how preparation, empathy, and practical tools create stronger marriages, from the origins of SYMBIS to the launch of the four-minute Heart Chart. We explore healthy conflict, invisible rule books, and...
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Season 4
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Episode 164
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30:47
How Emotional Safety Transforms Your Marriage | Shane Birkel | #163
We explore how emotional safety fuels connection and why consent, validation, and nervous system awareness transform tough talks. Shane Burkle shares RLT’s “truth with love,” a six-hour intensive model, and a simple exercise couples can use tod...
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Season 4
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Episode 163
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48:43
Why Relationships Feel Hard And How To Make Them Safe | Dr. Stan Tatkin | #162
We explore how to design a fair, secure-functioning relationship that protects both partners, repairs fast, and prevents repeated harm. Dr. Stan Tatkin explains why instinct fights intimacy and how governance, PEPPER, and daily presence keep lo...
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Season 4
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Episode 162
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43:45
Growing Our Unity: Practical Science For Stronger Marriages | Susanne Alexander | #161
We sit down with Susanne Alexander to explore unity as a daily practice and walk through research-based tools that help couples merge hearts and minds. Small habits, virtue-based praise, and playful rituals turn conflict into clarity and make f...
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Season 4
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Episode 161
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45:30
Sex, Joy, and The Power of Self-Honesty in Marriage | Jennifer Finlayson-Fife | #160
We explore how sexual intimacy becomes joyful and life-giving when anchored in self-honesty, personal responsibility and spiritual growth. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife shares practical ways to move beyond rigid roles, foster freedom and desire, and ...
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Season 4
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Episode 160
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45:44
Building The Five Habits Of Hope For Stronger Relationships | Julia Garcia | #159
Dr. Dave Schramm and Dr. Liz Hale sit down with Dr. Julia Garcia to explore how hope becomes a daily habit that strengthens love, repairs conflict, and restores self-worth. We map the five habits of hope and show how one small word—maybe—can in...
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Season 4
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Episode 159
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38:29
Understanding Your Attachment Style Can Change Every Relationship | Marc Cameron | #158
We talk with therapist and author Marc Cameron about how childhood bonds shape adult love and how anyone can “earn” secure attachment through story, skills, and practice. Practical tools like boundaries that invite connection and the Comfort Ci...
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Season 4
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Episode 158
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45:35
Choose Intention Over Impulse For A Happier Holiday Budget | Amanda Christensen | #157
We dig into holiday spending habits with Amanda Christensen and show how couples can protect peace and pocketbooks. From impulse triggers to simple tools and a revolving savings plan, we share practical steps to keep joy high and stress low.
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Season 4
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Episode 157
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32:17
Regulating Your Emotions As A Parent | Emotion Savvy Parenting | Alissa Jerud | #156
We explore how to handle family “emotional storms” with practical, science-backed tools so parents can stay calm, help kids feel seen, and keep their partnership strong. Dr. Alyssa Jerud shares the ART and CARE frameworks, opposite action, and ...
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Season 4
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Episode 156
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41:31
How The Enneagram And Mindful Awareness Strengthen Connection | Amanda Ford | #155
We explore how the Enneagram, mindfulness, and personal values help couples understand patterns, reduce conflict, and build trust. Amanda Ford shares practical tools to translate differences into connection, redefine compatibility, and communic...
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Season 4
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Episode 155
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45:02
How To Navigate Sexual Mismatch And Rebuild Intimacy | Jordan Rullo | #154
We sit down with Dr. Jordan Rullo to unpack why sexual desire often misfires, how brakes and gas shape intimacy, and why responsive desire is just as healthy as spontaneous desire. We share practical tools to manage mismatch, avoid pressure, an...
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Season 4
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Episode 154
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46:47
How Grief Reshapes Identity, Love, And Daily Life | Alexandra Carroll | #153
We explore how grief moves like a spiral through life, how it reshapes identity and marriage, and why presence matters more than platitudes. Alexandra Carroll shares her story, reframes the stages, and offers practical tools for self-kindness, ...
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Season 4
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Episode 153
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1:10:15
How To Have Healthy Money Conversations | Dee Zimmerman | #152
We explore why money triggers big feelings, how to spot the Four Horsemen in finance talks, and how to turn weekly check-ins into a simple habit. Money coach Dee Zimmerman shares tools for gentle startups, healthy boundaries, and practical next...
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Season 4
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Episode 152
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49:15
Marriage Saving Program: Retrouvaille | Christina Morales | #151
We share Christina Morales’s story of moving from the brink of divorce to two decades of service with Retrouvaille, a couples-led program that turns communication into real change. Hope becomes concrete through a weekend intensive, post-session...
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Season 4
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Episode 151
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35:01
Life and Dating After Divorce | Amber Anderson | #150
A tender, practical look at life after divorce: how to co‑parent without drama, date with intention as a single parent, and rebuild a calm family system where kids feel safe and seen. Amber shares the habits, boundaries, and mindset shifts that...
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Season 4
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Episode 150
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45:27
Relational Life Therapy | Kristy Gaisford | #149
We explore how Relational Life Therapy helps couples move from harshness to loving firmness, from accuracy wars to curiosity, and from quiet withdrawal to active repair. Kristy Gaisford shares personal lessons, the five dysfunctional patterns, ...
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Season 4
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Episode 149
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38:58