The #staymarried PODCAST

Taking a vacation, no matter how much it costs, is an investment in the most important organization you will ever be a part of - your family. In this episode, Tony and Michelle will discuss the topic of rest, or more specifically taking a vacation. This simple act can do wonders for your relationship, your family, and your health but as Americans we seem to prioritize work over all else. Take a break and enjoy this episode... you can afford it. Find out more at staymarriedpodcast.com

In this episode we tackle one of the odds that often gets stacked against couples... ADHD. Our friends Meygan and Casey Caston from Marriage 365 open up a bit and share their learnings, struggles, and triumphs on living and working together with ADD. Find out more at staymarriedpodcast.com

People have mixed feelings about personality tests. Some reject being boxed in by a label. Some crave the insights. Then there are the tests and assessments themselves. From "Which Harry Potter Character Are You?" to the expansive Enneagram, we dig in to how these assessments can be used as tools to increase your understanding and connection in your marriage.For more on each test we discuss, including links and our favorite resources, head over to staymarriedblog.com

Phil and Amy have been together for 18 years, have six kids, one dog and don't really remember what sleep or sanity is like. He is a pilot, she is a photographer and together, they homeschool their kids where ever the Army sends them. They currently live near Frankfurt Germany and if it was up to them, they would travel the world full time, always have friends and family with them to enjoy it and there would always be dessert.Tony and I had a great time talking with this couple, learning how they "started out of order" and then navigated the early days of military life together all the way to their present day cycles of connection and disconnection and re-learning all the time how to properly apologize.For more go to staymarriedpodcast.com

"Dear Tony and Michelle, I am just coming out of 3 years of postnatal depression and lost all connection with my husband who I was blaming for all our problems. I am a child of divorce and if it wasn’t for the children I would have broken off the relationship very easily. I see things differently now and I am determined to be happy and allow and create happiness around me. I could use your help..."In this episode we tackle this question from Maya and cover topics like blame, being a safety net, and why community matters. Find out more and submit your own question about marriage at staymarriedpodcast.com

Shawn and Dorina have been married 2.5 years and live in Central California with their three active daughters. Shawn works in financial investments and Dorina is an author/speaker. This multicultural couple loves to travel, train for marathons, and have food adventures together. If you saw them on the beach you'd never know that theirs is a love story of triumph.After Dorina's first marriage ended swiftly, leaving her a widow and a single mother, Shawn's friendship turned affection came as a complete surprise. Their story shows us that life will never head in the same direction straight in front of us that we imagine it will. But, even when we face utter heartbreak and complete upheaval of our dreams, love wins in the end. If love hasn't won, it's not the end.Find out more at staymarriedpodcast.com

By now we know that if we want our marriages to be healthy we have to do a better job of connecting with each other. But, the common demands of life make it more and more difficult to remember that connecting means more than living life alongside each other. We have to be purposeful.Making connecting with each other simpler was the major motivation behind writing the book #staymarried: A Couple's Devotional. This book contains 52 chapters, one for each week of the year, and is designed as an invitation into your own marriage. In this episode, we go through one of the chapters together for the first time since the book was published - Week 17: Pay Attention - and answer the discussion questions candidly.We were each surprised by each other's insights and responses, and we both finished the conversation feeling pretty good about ourselves and each other. We hope you do, too.Find out more at staymarriedbook.com

In case you missed it, we're taking a short break for the holidays. We'll be back with new episodes starting January 2nd. Keep your eye on Instagram for December giveaways. Find out more at staymarriedpodcast.com

Do you ever feel like you are just all the way done doing all the things all the time? You know you need help, but how do you even ask?In this episode, Tony and Michelle answer a question from Ask #staymarried, a wife wrote in asking for help with some burn-out she’s experiencing. They dig into unpaid work and inequality as well as what it really means to build a life together. Find out more at staymarriedpodcast.com

Money matters are often listed in the top 5 reasons couples argue. But, what if something as intense as the topic of finances could instead bring us closer together? In this episode Tony and Michelle sit down with Elle Martinez of Couple Money to get to the root of these arguments and come out financially stronger as a team. Find out more at staymarriedpodcast.com

Tommy and Codie Oilver are the creators of Black Love, a docuseries on the Oprah Winfrey Network featuring married couples talking about what it takes to make love last.Codie is the director and the couple produces together. The show debuted on OWN as the highest rated unscripted series in the network’s history and featured couples like Viola Davis & Julius Tennon, Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict, Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe, and Grant Hill and his wife Tamia.Now, the reason I’m doing all of this name dropping is because, as you’ll hear in our interview with them, Tommy and Codie really won’t. But this intentionality they have with choosing their guests is significant to me because, what they’ve done by interviewing everyone from celebrities to non-celebrities is to show that nobody is above fights over dishes and laundry. They show clearly that there is no one perfect way to make a marriage work.Find out more at staymarriedpodcast.com

Today we're going to tackle a couple of the most common marriage problems we hear about from you through Ask #staymarried. We're answering, not one, but TWO questions from listeners. With the first question, we'll address Laura and answer how to take criticism from your partner, and then we'll answer a question from "Not into Horses" on how to navigate boundaries with the in-laws. Find out more at staymarriedpodcast.com

Team Peterson get Jesse and Marisa Butterworth involved when requests for an adoption story come in. In this episode the Butterworths share their adoption story and invite us into the reality of what being adoptive parents is really like.

In this episode, we look at a question from Rachael submitted to Ask #staymarried. She’s concerned that her husband Shawn, who once attended church with her regularly, would now prefer to spend his Sundays hunting and fishing. She asked us if we have advice on how to “get him to come to church” with her. We address that, as well as our own perspective on our current “church shopping” journey. You can find out more at staymarriedpodcast.com

"I used to think miscarriage and infant loss were women's issues," Adriel told us. "But, after going through this with my own husband, I see that these things impact both men and women, and your entire family and community." Ryan and Adriel Booker generously share their experience with grief and loss and also hope. After experiencing 3 miscarriages, they reflect on their journey and share much wisdom for the rest of us. Whether you've experienced miscarriage and loss in your own life or not, statistically speaking you know someone who has and this episode will shine a light on what it's really like and how to navigate these rough waters with your marriage intact.