Zach wishes his brother a happy birthday. Laura reminisces about old crushes.  Zach presents a concept about seeing greater options in your potential responses to your partner and constantly choosing the response that moves you away from conflict and toward connection and intimacy. Sponsor: Paired. Download the PAIRED app at https://www.paired.com/MTR  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura admits to a potential crime in the most privileged setting possible. Zach drops his wife off for surgery after an argument in the car. After starting strong they return to your questions. The answers to these questions from individual listeners contain insight that will benefit all relationships. Sponsor: Target the root cause of aging with OneSkin. Get 15% off by using code MTR at https://oneskin.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Laura welcome spring by answering a couple of questions listeners have sent in. They share both their clinical perspective as well as their personal experiences in this first in an AMA series. Sponsor: Target the root cause of aging with OneSkin. Get 15% off by using code MTR at https://oneskin.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Laura chat with author Matt Fray https://matthewfray.com/ about his book This is How Your Marriage Ends https://matthewfray.com/order-book/. Matt's wisdom was hard-earned after a divorce that forced him to look deeply at the skills and habits he lacked in his marriage. You will end this episode with insights that will improve your relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura is working to get in the best shape of her life. Zach is celebrating women and recognizing he sometimes gets the Man Flu.  They share some great resources that can support you as you seek to grow your relationship. Sponsor: Paired. Download the PAIRED app at https://www.paired.com/MTR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura is moving back into her house. Zach recaps his trip to Costa Rica to receive training from Esther Perel and Terry Real. Sponsor: Stop wasting money on things you don’t use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to  https://rocketmoney.com/mtr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Laura are both seeing ADHD be raised as a topic, if not an issue, in their practices. So they are delighted to get to sit down with Melissa Orlov to learn how to address its impact on a marriage. Melissa is a leading expert on the impacts of ADHD on marriage and relationships, the author of The ADHD Effect on Marriage, and the founder of ADHD & Marriage. Their discussion is insightful for those in a marriage impacted by ADHD, or anyone interested in this underdiagnosed...

Zach shares his impressive home improvement skills. Laura is grateful for a listener's support. They discuss a recent TikTok trend that may have a greater impact on a relationship than many understand. Sponsor: Target the root cause of aging with OneSkin. Get 15% off by using code MTR at https://oneskin.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach has an engaging conversation with Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh about her research and new book Love by Design. Laura is off this week. They discuss the 6 ingredients to build lasting love. You can learn more about Dr. Nasserzadeh's work and order her book at https://www.sara-nasserzadeh.com/  Sponsor: Stop wasting money on things you don’t use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to  https://rocketmoney.com/mtr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach is a bit annoyed with his auto dealer. Laura is downsizing her car to a much bigger vehicle. They go on to discuss the importance of positive collusion with your partner to better yourself and your relationship. They offer a number of personal examples as well as some tips and tricks to see growth in any marriage. Sponsor: Paired. Download the PAIRED app at https://www.paired.com/MTR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Laura welcome Dr. Jessica Higgins to the podcast. They discuss the importance of acknowledging and expressing emotions, modeling vulnerability, and using language that promotes curiosity and understanding in communication. They emphasize the need to slow down, bring awareness to interpretations, and create space for regulating emotions during interactions. Learn more about Dr. Higgins and her work at https://drjessicahiggins.com/ Sponsor: Visit https://lumedeodorant.com and use code...

Zach and Laura discuss the role of Wordle in their lives. Laura had a fun conversation with her kid after he walked in on her and her husband.  In a roundabout way, this reminds Zach of a tool he's been using in his practice to help couples make meaning of their decisions and experiences.  Sponsor: Identify and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, track your bills, and save money by signing up for free at https://rocketmoney.com/mtr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Zach and Laura discuss their New Year's goals. They reflect on a kind listener's email offering some critique. In the spirit of new beginnings, they offer a ton of insight into what to do when you are feeling stuck or you feel like your partner is keeping you stuck. Sponsor: Paired. Download the PAIRED app at https://www.paired.com/MTR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Laura hear from Dr. Nick Sotelo about his work helping men manage their anger. Nick has a fascinating background that gives him a unique perspective on unmanaged anger. He has developed many helpful resources for men to address this in their lives. Sponsor: Visit https://everyplate.com/podcast and enter code 49MTR to get started for as low as $1.49 per meal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura wasn't really feeling the Christmas spirit this year.  Zach started his Christmas morning around 11. Laura accidentally stole half of a sign.  They reflect together on Christmas cards and how to be authentic but also remind each other that we are OK.  They talk a bit about broken hearts and early relationships and spend time reflecting on this last year and their hopes for the new year.  Sponsor: Identify and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, track your bills, and save money by...

Zach and Laura reflect a bit on making it to 300 hundred episodes and what they hope listeners have gained along the way. Zach tells Laura how he has learned from her in the different way that she approaches thinking and talking about sharing fondness and admiration. It leads to a great conversation about how to appreciate your partner and love them the way they want to be loved. Sponsor: Identify and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, track your bills, and save money by signing up for...

Zach reflects on some of what he heard at a recent therapist conference. It leads to a wonderful discussion of the different parts of ourselves that we bring to our relationships and how we can access those parts for the improvement of our marriages and partnerships.  Sponsor: Visit https://www.dipseastories.com/mtr for a free 30-day trial of erotic audio storiesConnect with your partner every day using Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Laura get to the topic they teased last episode. It is an exercise that couples can use to safely discuss the unspoken topics in their relationship. If done well, it will lead to greater intimacy, understanding, and maybe some makeup sex :) Sponsor: Paired. Download the PAIRED app at https://www.paired.com/MTR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Laura's kid kind of sing a song together. Laura discusses toilet time with your partner, leading to a great discussion about different types of intimacy. She hoped to work out an exercise she's been doing with her clients, but she and Zach got distracted. At the end of the episode, Laura shares an important update about what she is doing to support her son's recent diagnosis. Sponsors: Visit https://everyplate.com/podcast and enter code 49MTR to get started for as low as $1.49 per...

Zach and Laura discuss the exhaustion and stress of the holidays and the relational struggles that can cause. Sponsors: Visit https://www.dipseastories.com/mtr for a free 30-day trial of erotic audio stories Visit https://everyplate.com/podcast and use code 49MTR for a $1.49 per meal special Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Laura welcome Sazan and Stevie Hendrix; authors, influencers, parents, and a real couple, to discuss their new book and more. Be sure to check out the book and all they have to offer at https://stevieandsazan.com/  Sponsors: Visithttps://www.dipseastories.com/mtrfor a free 30-day trial of erotic audio stories Connect with your partner every day using Paired. Download the app athttps://www.paired.com/MTR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Laura discuss hair length and how it works for each of them. They contemplate if there are any shared activities that they could enjoy doing together (besides podcasting). This leads to a conversation about how treating areas of your relationship that you want to improve like a hobby.  Sponsors: Visit https://www.dipseastories.com/mtr for a free 30-day trial of erotic audio stories Visit https://everyplate.com/podcast and use code 49MTR for a $1.49 per meal special Learn more about...

Today we break from our normal format to share an episode from Dan Heath's new podcast What It's Like To Be... Dan interviews Laura about what it's like to be a couples therapist. It's a chance to hear about Laura and her work from another perspective. We hope you enjoy it. Check out the other episodes at https://www.whatitsliketobe.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach is flying solo this week and is joined by real-life couple Elizabeth and Steve Andrews. They share stories of what brought them together, the struggles they have overcome, and what keeps them going after over 30 years together.  Sponsor: Connect with your partner every day using Paired. Download the app at https://www.paired.com/MTR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices