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
160 episodes
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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46:46
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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38:57
Marriage Ready: Why Premarital Education Makes All the Difference | Jeremy Boden | #148
Dr. Jeremy Bowden returns to discuss free marriage preparation resources available through the Utah Marriage Commission and Utah State University, including his newly created "Marriage Ready" and "Remarriage Ready" online courses.• Prem...
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Season 4
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Episode 148
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38:30
Marriage With MS: A Wife's Journey | Lindsay Kelly | #147
Lindsay Kelly shares her powerful journey of resilience as she navigates being a caregiver for her husband with MS, raising six children, and becoming the family's sole provider. Through finding support and learning to embrace hard emotions, sh...
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Season 4
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Episode 147
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46:49
From Conflict to Connection: Mindfulness in Relationships | Annmarie Chereso | #146
Conscious Relationship Coach Annmarie Chereso shares powerful insights on transforming conflict into deeper connection through mindfulness, vulnerability, and heart-centered awareness. She reveals how asking yourself "Where am I?" can identify ...
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Season 4
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Episode 146
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44:52
A Candid Look at Emotional Reactivity | Jason Whiting | #145
Dr. Jason Whiting explores honesty, emotions, and relationship repair as foundational elements for building trust and connection in committed partnerships.• Honesty is universally valued but challenging to maintain consistently in relat...
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Season 4
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Episode 145
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35:40
Unpacking Bad Marriage Advice | Monica Tanner | #144
Relationship coach Monica Tanner returns to discuss her new book "Bad Marriage Advice: 15 Myths That Are Keeping You Miserable" and challenges conventional wisdom that may be damaging marriages. She explores how common advice like "happy wife, ...
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Season 4
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Episode 144
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33:35
Dating with Purpose: From Single to Successful Couple | Stacy Hubbard | #143
Dating requires intention and skill, whether you're looking for fun or seeking a lifelong partnership. Marriage and family therapist Stacey Hubbard joins us to share her Gottman-based approach for singles navigating the relationship landscape.<...
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Season 4
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Episode 143
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43:45
Betrayal, Infidelity, and Affair Recovery | Dr. Talal Alsaleem | #142
Dr. Talal Al-Saleem breaks down the complexities of infidelity from definition to recovery, offering hope through his specialized Systematic Affair Recovery Therapy approach. He challenges common misconceptions about infidelity causes and provi...
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Season 4
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Episode 142
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43:18
Four Keys to a Happier Marriage | Dr. Jeffery Dew | #141
Dr. Jeffrey Du shares groundbreaking research identifying four key factors for a stronger marriage: commitment, protectiveness, shared religious attendance, and regular date nights. These factors emerged from data collected from over 2,000 indi...
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Season 141
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Episode 4
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35:25
Finding Love Through ALS | Lisa Valentine Clark | #140
Lisa Valentine Clark shares her extraordinary journey of love and resilience through her husband Christopher's battle with ALS, offering profound insights on how their marriage was strengthened through humor, sacrifice, and intentionally seekin...
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Season 4
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Episode 140
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1:05:57
Discernment Counseling: For Couples on the Brink of Divorce | Steve Harris | #139
Dr. Steve Harris joins us to explain discernment counseling, a specialized approach helping couples gain clarity about whether to work on their marriage or move toward divorce.• Developed at the University of Minnesota after research sh...
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Season 3
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Episode 139
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44:59
Transforming Conflict Into Connection and Radical Forgiveness | Chad Ford | #138
Chad Ford returns to share powerful insights from his new book 70x7, exploring how fear drives conflict and how radical forgiveness can transform our marriages and relationships. His work as an international conflict mediator brings unique pers...
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Season 3
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Episode 138
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1:03:58
Resilience in Marriage: Navigating Stressors Together | Nathan Leonhardt | 137
How do you transform relationship challenges into opportunities for growth? What does it mean to truly flourish together beyond mere happiness? When hardship strikes, what separates couples who crumble from those who emerge stronger?Dr....
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Season 3
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Episode 137
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47:56
Why Being Nice Kills Passion (And What To Do Instead) | Alexandra Stockwell | #136
Dr. Alexandra Stockwell shares her journey from physician to intimacy coach and reveals how couples can create passionately intimate marriages through authenticity rather than compromise. She offers transformative insights on cultivating everyd...
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Season 3
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Episode 136
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1:02:39