Let’s be honest, marriage is a marathon, not a sprint. And even when a relationship starts out strong, over the long haul it’s easy to get mired in the day-to-day grind of life. If you don’t pay attention and constantly nourish that connection, you can start to drift apart from your spouse. My guest today, Laura Heck, shares how you can recognize the problem areas in your marriage and reignite passion and healthy communication with your wife. In this episode we talk about the silent killers of long-term relationships—essentially, the subtle signs things aren’t going well—and what you can do to fix them. We also discuss specific strategies for how to create more purpose and meaning in your marriage. Plus, we talk about how you can use roles, goals, symbols and rituals to help dramatically increase your connection with your wife. Laura Heck is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a Certified Gottman Therapist. Laura has trained, taught, and spoken in front of tens of thousands of couples all over the country about how to create a marriage that thrives instead of one that merely survives. She co-hosts the podcast Marriage Therapy Radio and co-developed Marriage in Motion, a video series for couples. Laura has been a featured relationship expert for Google Talks, the New York Times, Huffington Post, The Art of Charm Podcast and Martha Stewart Weddings, among many. When Laura is not working, she can be found in her lululemon, trail running with her weimaraner puppy, golfing with a double IPA in hand or glamping the National Parks of Utah. You can learn more about Laura by visiting her website www.laurahecktherapy.com or listen to her podcast Marriage Therapy Radio wherever podcasts are found. Show notes: http://www.thedistilledman.com/065. Rate and review the episode at http://www.thedistilledman.com/itunes.