No area of a couple's life offers more potential for embarrassment, hurt, and rejection than their sexual relationship. On the other hand, when everything is connected...when relational transparency and emotional honesty meet physical desire...wow...that’s a recipe for great sex. Great sex helps produce greater relational and emotional intimacy, and it just keeps snowballing in the best way possible.  Emotional bonding is key to good sex; when couples feel emotionally connected, they become...

Are you raising kids who are kind and compassionate? It is critical to demonstrate to our children what it means to include others instead of excluding them. In episode 162, we share with you some ideas of how we can raise kids who are “includers” by modelling what that looks like.  For the full show notes, including date night questions and journal prompts about this episode, go to IMbetween.org/episode162 Connect with us on: Facebook | Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Perhaps you are familiar with Dr. Gary Chapman's The 5 Love Languages. It has been revolutionary to individuals, couples, and families worldwide. Truity, a company that offers a variety of online personality quizzes, wanted to build on Dr. Chapman's work. They surveyed over 500 000 people about what makes them feel loved and discovered that there are seven distinct ways of showing and receiving love. In episode 161, Daniel and Christina break down the seven new love languages and give you...

We were recently asked about what advice we would give to younger couples, and so that’s what we want to unpack today. If we were to write a congratulations card to your wedding or sit down together to chat with you about those first precious years of your marriage, here’s what we would say… For the full show notes, including date night questions and journal prompts about this episode, go to IMbetween.org/episode160 Connect with us on: Facebook | Instagram Learn more about your ad choices....

Hope can seem like such an elusive thing. In Episode 159, Drake Farmer unpacks for us what hope is, where we should put our hope when we are going through a difficult season, and how to be full of love, fueled by faith, and addicted to hope. For the full show notes, including personal journal prompts and discussion questions for you as a couple, go to IMbetween.org/episode159 Connect with us on: Facebook | Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sometimes our spouse can feel like our best friend. And, other times, they can drive us crazy! In episode 158, we want to give you 4 ways to stick together when you feel bored, irritated, or frustrated with your spouse. For the full show notes, including date night questions and journal prompts about this episode, go to IMbetween.org/episode158 Connect with us on: Facebook | Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No one wakes up and decides, "I’m going to ruin my marriage, neglect my kids, and cause mistrust in my family." Yet, sometimes our spouse and children can feel like they have taken second (or last) place to our personal goals and busyness.  In Episode 157, Dr. Josh and Christi Straub share with us how seven core decisions can help us put what’s most important center stage in our lives. If you can carve out 20 minutes a day for your child, it can fuel their soul. Dr. Josh and...

With the rising costs of gas, groceries, and pretty much everything in life, are you feeling the financial strain like we are? In Episode 156, we’re so thankful to be talking with the founders of SeedTime money, Bob and Linda Lotich. They answer the tough question, "Finances are killing my marriage. What do I do?" Bob and Linda Lotich have spent the last 15 years helping millions discover true financial freedom with their award-winning blog SeedTime.com and SeedTime Money podcast. Unlike...

The gift of Enneagram for relationships is that it offers us insights and perspectives of others. If you've ever found yourself questioning why your spouse does certain things in some ways or reacts to certain triggers in other ways, this episode is for you. In episode 155, we interview Enneagram coach, Dani Cooper, about how the Enneagram can help you understand your spouse at a deeper level. She also helps you learn how to love your spouse well by discovering the core lies they believe and...

Whether you're a bride-to-be, a mother-in-law-to-be, or a woman who has been braving the in-law relationship for decades, every daughter-in-law and mother-in-law needs help navigating their relationship sometimes. In Episode 154, we chat with mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo, Barbara and Stacy Reaoch, about practical ways the in-law relationship can genuinely thrive in the midst of difficulty. Barbara Reaoch, author of A Better Than Anything Christmas (2020), is the former director of...

Known as 40 days to give up chocolate, alcohol, social media, or a "quick" way to diet before Easter, the Lenten season can easily be misunderstood. It’s not in the Bible and Jesus never told us to do it, yet the ancient Church declared the months before Easter a fasting season, and millions of Christians still observe it today. In Episode 153, we interview best-selling author, Tsh Oxenreider, about celebrating Lent as a family.  Whether you have been celebrating Lent for many years, or you...

Whether you realize it or not, parenting happens in habits. We make meals, we get in cars, we answer SO many questions, we discipline, and we do bedtime. So much of our relationship with children happens through these ordinary rhythms of the day, and yet how often do we go through these motions as if they were meaningless? How often do we just blaze through these mundane “chores” to finally get some “me-time?”  In this episode, Justin will show us how ordinary routines are actually...

Today, we’re going to be discussing how to support your hurting spouse when you are hurting too. This topic hits close to home because we’ve lived it this past year. In May of last year, we said goodbye to Daniel’s dad after a brave 16 month battle with cancer. Thankfully, we were literally there to say goodbye to him. We had flown into Daniel’s hometown on Sunday and his dad unexpectedly passed away two days later.  We weren’t ready for this kind of grief. No one is.  Many of you have been...

Marcus and Chris have spent years studying human relationships and were previously on our podcast talking about the connection between joy and marriage. Now they offer parenting principles derived from the way our brains are hardwired. As you'll soon find out, joy isn’t some abstract concept, but a neurochemical reality that arises from the choices we make.  Listen to this episode to learn how to make the parenting decisions that bring joy to yourself and then to those young lives in your...

This episode is just in time for the holidays! Are you looking for the PERFECT gift to give to your loved one, friend, co-worker, or neighbor? Are you tired of dropping hints to your loved ones about what you want, only to be disappointed by their gift-giving? If you want to give or receive the perfect gift, the Enneagram can help guide you. Dr. Drew Moser takes us through the perfect gifts to indulge and/or to encourage each Enneagram type to grow into a healthier version of...

In Episode 149, we chat with Scott James about Celebrating Jesus in the Advent season with your family. For those of you that would like to observe Advent together as a family, but don’t know where to start, this episode is for you. Or, if you have been celebrating Advent together as a family for a number of years, but looking to do something a little different, this interview is for you too.  For the full show notes, go to IMbetween.org/episode149 IMBETWEEN FB...

In Episode 148, we are chatting with Karen Ehman about How to Break The Pattern of People Pleasing and Confidently Live Your Life. As we enter into the holidays, there are many times we bend over backward or say “YES!" to many situations that we look back and wish we had said no. Whether it’s packing the calendar with holiday parties, or hosting Christmas dinner for the family because “No one else will do it and then what will happen?!” this episode will help you realize if you are a...

In Episode 147, we have the great honor of interviewing Ruth Chou Simons. Y’all…this was such an incredible discussion as we jump right into why we need to stop pretending we have it altogether, the gospel of self-improvement and why we need to replace it with the gospel of life-transforming grace. We talk about growing up in a shame based household as we all grew up in first generation Asian families, and how she learned not to carry on the same way of parenting into her own family. We also...

Research shows that worry has a trickle-down effect from parent to child. Thus, it's important that parents learn how to manage their worries so that they can cultivate a more peaceful environment for their children. It is possible to give your children (both young and older) the tools for coping with worry and the ability to think differently about the problems and challenges they encounter in the world around them.  In episode 146, Daniel and Christina interview Dr. Josh Straub about what...

There has been a lot of talk about personal burnout as the result of everything we have been experiencing. In the same breath, there have been lots of conversations about how we can practice self-care to improve/protect our mental health and overall well-being. And while these conversations are important, one crucial piece of the puzzle has not been highlighted enough: marriage burnout.  In Episode 145, Daniel and Christina interview Carey and Toni Nieywhof about what marriage burnout is and...

After studying thousands of couples for over 4 decades, Dr. John Gottman found that the difference between happy and unhappy couples is not how much they fight, how often they have sex, or how much money is in their bank accounts. Instead, it is how often they turn toward each other instead of turning away from one another.  In episode 144, Daniel and Christina share how the first half of their marriage was a disaster waiting to happen and what changes they made to ensure the second half of...

After a year of ups and downs, loss of power and control, children in and out of school, and working from home, our lives have become more chaotic than ever before. Are you ready to bring peace into your home? In Episode 143, Laura Hernandez shares with us her proven customized systems that have brought calm and order into her family of 12. If you feel like you are only reacting to your life instead of intentionally living your life, this episode is for you! Laura Hernandez and her...

Is it possible for you and your spouse to live in the same house, sleep in the same bed, eat dinner around the same table, be quarantined in the same space, and feel utterly alone? Absolutely. And if you feel this way, you are not alone. It happens more often than couples talk about or are willing to confess. Researcher and psychologist, Dr. John Gottman, discovered that the #1 thing couples fight about is not about money, or in-laws, or sex. Instead, most arguments in relationships are...

What is the purpose behind your parenting? What are you aiming for? In Episode 141, we interview Dave and Ann Wilson about the parenting secret that changes everything. Dave and Ann share their hard-earned but easy-to-apply principles that ensure a strong parent-to-child relationship and a strong foundation for your child in every stage of their lives. Get ready to laugh until your belly hurts as they share their parenting wins, mistakes, and the lessons they have learned raising three (now...

Have you ever considered going to couples counseling, but were afraid of the unknown? The first step is often the hardest because you are not sure what to expect. In Episode 140, we interview Monica DiCristina, a Licensed Professional Counselor, about some tell-tale signs your relationship could benefit from counseling. We also discuss what to expect during your initial counseling session, how to know if you and your therapist are a good fit, and what to do if one partner is more willing to...