Imagine a scenario where you and your partner are having a conversation. In the middle you begin to feel as if what you are saying is clear, but your partner doesn’t seem to be getting it. You start to get frustrated, your tone or volume changes, so then they get annoyed or irritated and the conversation begins to escalate.

This episode is all about how the meaning of conversations can easily get misunderstood and misinterpreted. The longer you are in a relationship the higher chance there is of this happening. Now you do have two choices, you can keep trying to get your partner to understand in that moment, which leads to tension.

Or you both can take these 3 actions from this episode to better understand where these misunderstandings come from. It’s a common and natural thing to happen, but it takes awareness and execution to keep it from persisting in your relationship.

Relationship Resources

The 30-day challenge and all of the guides that were mentioned can be found with our resources link here: https://www.meetthefreemans.com/links

• Be sure to take advantage of the Family Meeting Guide as you begin to refelct on your year and start to set your goals and intentions togther for the next year.
• You can get this guide as a FREE bonus for starting the Prioritize Us 30-Day Couples Challenge

Whenever you meet an obstacle it is common to ask “why” it happened or even “why” you started down this particular path. You might even ask yourself why you got married or why you should continue when it feels particularly challenging with your partner. There are different ideas (and even studies) that give reasons for why people get married. The top ones are for love and companionship while the next on the list are to have kids, followed by financial and legal reasons.

In this episode you will hear us propose our reason for getting married, which is different from any you will find on these lists. If being married was only for love and companionship for example, how would you then handle the harder moments and when you aren’t ‘feeling’ those positive emotions? Throughout this episode you will hear 3 alternatives for being married in hopes that it radically alters your current perceptions of difficulty in your marriage and gives you renewed strength to go forward as a team.

Relationship Resources:

The 30-Day Couples Challenge starts 3 days from the time this is posted, so you’ll want to pick between Level 1 and Level 2. Go to MeetTheFreemans.com/Challenges. See why over 36,000 couples have loved the prompts, no matter how busy you are.

Is feeling emotion within yourself something you welcome or try to avoid? What about when emotion is expressed by your partner, do you experience that as a sign of something bad starting up or as an invitation to listen? Emotion is at the root of relationships, it is what makes it satisfying and fulfilling as well as the starting point of conflicts.

So what is the role of emotion and does it have a real place in a relationship? In this episode you will hear the answer to this question as well as the common barriers and challenges to “holding space for” your partner’s emotions? This is not a simple task so you will know what this “holding space for emotions” term really means and get practical tips for being better at this type of listening with each other. This can lead to more connection and emotional closeness, which is a fundamental aspect of a satisfying relationship over the long term.

Relationship Resources

If you haven’t done our Level 2 “Rebuilding Us” Couples Challenge, we highly recommend doing that before the end of the year. We dive deeper into 10 foundation builders in a marriage, like emotional intelligence, the art of apologies, the needle-movers for each of you in the marriage, and more! You can look at both our Level 1 and Level 2 Couple’s Challenges at MeetTheFreemans.com/links

In marriage, unresolved hurts can pile up over time, creating distance and eroding trust. That’s why forgiveness is one of the most crucial (yet challenging) elements to maintaining a healthy, connected relationship. But what does true forgiveness actually look like? And what blocks it from happening?

In this episode, we dive into the depths of forgiveness: what it is and what it isn’t, why it’s essential for moving forward, and how it affects your closeness as a couple. We’ll also explore real-life examples of where forgiveness may be needed in marriage, what keeps couples stuck in hurt, and practical steps to move towards genuine healing. Whether you're navigating small offenses or deep ruptures, understanding forgiveness could be the key to breaking free from repetitive conflict cycles.

As you listen, we recommend these two relationship resources:

1. The Level 2 “Rebuilding Us” Couples Challenge

2. The Steps to Rebuild a Marriage Guide

Does it ever feel like you and your partner have different goals or even that your needs are conflicting with one another? This can be obvious when one partner is saying they need more quality time and the other is saying they need more time for themselves. But there is another conflicting goal that men and women have that is hard to detect.

In this episode you will hear what this conflicting goal is, that you would likely never guess. From all the sessions we do, as well as having hosted our Couples Workshop, this is an underlying subconscious goal that is more pervasive than you realize. Listen in to make sure it is not affecting your relationship and hear what a better more collaborative goal is to have.

Relationship Resources

You can find all of our best resources from guides, 30 day challenges, and webclasses, with this link: https://www.meetthefreemans.com/links

One of the most common questions we get is “how do we create more emotional connection” with each other. The most popular question is about repair, but this is in second place! This is a great question because there isn’t a single answer because it often depends on the season a couple is in and what the most meaningful needs are for each partner in that given season. Nevertheless, the constant creation of emotional connection is one of the single most important elements for having high satisfaction in a marriage.

In this episode, we will reveal what we see as the 5 key components of emotional connection. Though you will have to use each of these aspects and determine how it fits into your current season, you will be much more clear and confident that you can create more closeness with your partner at any time. Being able to do this, you will also feel more secure about facing challenges that arise as a true team!

Relationship Resources:

Join one of the 30 Day Couples Challenges starting Oct 1st, 2024:

Level 1: “Prioritizing Us” is focused on strengthening your connection, communication, and fun “Love Deposit” ideas. LINKED HERE

Level 2: “Rebuilding Us” is focused on repairing and rebuilding after a harder season of marriage. LINKED HERE

It’s important for all of us to admit that we have defensive mechanisms and that we do get defensive with our partners at times. Let’s allow ourselves some grace here. Many of you would probably relate to getting even more defensive about getting defensive! It is common to go on the offensive through deflection or blame, which can leave another feeling that their experience is being invalidated.

However that does not mean that someone is being gaslighted. Gaslighting is a much more serious pattern when it is happening, and is a strong accusation to make that can quickly escalate a conversation or conflict. In this episode you will hear the clear distinction between defensiveness and gaslighting so that you can use the terms properly and reduce escalation. By the end of the episode you will hear 6 different actions to take to reduce both defensiveness and gaslighting in your relations. Both of these lead to erosion of connection, love, and emotional closeness.

Relationship Resources:

Join one of the 30 Day Couples Challenges starting Oct 1st, 2024 - select either one with this link: https://www.meetthefreemans.com/challenges. Or see the individual details below:

Level 1 details: “Prioritizing Us” is focused on strengthening your connection, communication, and fun “Love Deposit” ideas. LINKED HERE

Level 2 details : “Rebuilding Us” is focused on repairing and rebuilding after a harder season of marriage. LINKED HERE