EmPowered Couples with The Freemans – Details, episodes & analysis

When there is tension or an upset in your marriage, it's easy to point the finger at your partner as the source of the discomfort. But this often leads to further conflict. It also does not address this critical aspect of being in a marriage for a long time… that growth is a part of it! The common question for those that see these events as places to grow is "well, is this a me thing, a you thing, or a we thing"! 

Today's episode is more motivational (and aspirational) about growth in your relationship. You will hear how you can quickly distinguish between the necessary individual work that needs to be done as well as the relationship work that needs to be focused on. After listening to this episode you both will feel more grace for each other with the reminder that you are in this to grow and you are in it together!

Relationship Resources:

1) Discover all our online resources here: https://www.meetthefreemans.com/links

2) Join us at the in-person Couples Workshop on Oct 6th, 2024. As of this episode, the event is 60% sold out so don't wait to grab your seats for this relationship changing event! 

Last week's episode focused on husbands was a huge hit, so this week we're focusing on what inner-challenge wives are struggling with and how it's affecting marriages.  In this episode, we dive into the pressure many wives feel to constantly do more, grow more, and be more—often at the expense of their own well-being.

This relentless pursuit can lead to burnout, resentment, and a disconnect in marriages. We'll explore why it's crucial to recognize these patterns, how they impact your relationship, and what you can do to create a healthier, more balanced approach. Tune in to discover how you can start making small shifts that will lead to a stronger, more fulfilling marriage.

As you listen, make sure you sign-up for the upcoming 30-Day "Prioritizing Us" Couples Challenge so you can:

• Fill each other's Love Accounts

• Strengthen your connection & communication

• And consistently feel like your marriage (and your satisfaction) is a top priority

Many communications between couples can cause misunderstandings. This leads to more expectations and further frustrations and upsets. Then these upsets can turn into conflicts. Though it seems simple to just "listen better", listening is not the same as hearing. 

Listening is the requirement for understanding, but even then, it does not guarantee complete and accurate understanding of what was actually meant by your partner. 

Though much of this has to do with the listener's role, there is also much to say about the speaker and how they deliver the message so as to not create mistranslations. 

In this episode you will hear:

• Mistakes the speaker makes

• Mistakes the listener makes

• 5 tips for more productive conversations 

• Plus the psychology principles that can prevent communications from being misunderstood or turning into conflicts.

Relationship Resources:

1) Join the upcoming 30-Day Couples Challenge "Prioritizing Us", proven to improve your interactions, help you understand each other more, strengthen your connection, and fill your Love Accounts. https://mycoupleschallenge.com/

2) For links to our top resources and guides: https://www.meetthefreemans.com/links

"I'm sorry" - 2 little words that can not only be challenging for some partners to say, but also can mean MANY different things. 

So in today's episode we cover:

• Several specific reasons apologizing can be harder for some (self-awareness)

• Why couples can battle over whether the 'I'm sorry' is deemed "necessary"

• The different meanings of "I'm sorry" and how to expand your language for more things to say in these moments

• How to get better at apologizing, big or small

We encourage BOTH of you to listen to this episode and talk about how you can both be better. Because these little moments truly can strengthen your bond or erode your ability to respect each other. We know, strong statement, but respect is tied to this. 

As you listen, make sure you get our popular Making Up & Moving Forward guide. These repair steps prevent re-triggering a conflict, having to re-hash the details, and ensures you both feel resolved.

"How do I get my partner to _____?" This is one of the most common questions we get. Obviously this is referring to wanting a partner to change a behavior in a certain area of the relationship. Underneath that question is the real question of "what is going to motivate my partner?" 

If you have ever had this experience of wanting your partner to change something, but they didn't, you likely felt discouraged or even burnt out. This was likely because you have been asking for things to change for some time now, but nothing did. 

In this episode you will hear about the process of motivation and being able to achieve a result you have been wanting to have in your relationship. You will get the 6 steps of the decision making process and how to overcome the motivation threshold so that you do not feel that same burnout or discouragement from not seeing a change happen. In the end you will realize there was something even better for you than the goal you initially set out to achieve! 

Relationship Resources:

1) For use in your "Evaluation Step" from the episode, here is the link to the Family Meeting Guide - https://thecouplesexperience.com/family

2) Start the level 1 Prioritizing Us 30-Day Couples Challenge and get the Family Meeting guide as a free bonus. - https://mycoupleschallenge.com/

3) Start the level 2 Rebuiulding Us Couples Challenge - https://mycoupleschallenge.com/rebuilding

We said to several couples last week: "The ultimate sign of a secure marriage is knowing that even if one of you says something at the wrong time, in the wrong way, or with the wrong tone, the other person will be responsible for their reaction."

And this is the ultimate goal for so many couples. 

So dive in today as we cover:

• The 4 D's that derail conversations and destroy your connection

• 3 strategies for being responsible for your reactions

• Further understanding of the brain so you don't act from 2 of them in unproductive ways. 

As you listen, get 2 of our popular guides:

De-escalating Conflicts & Regulating Emotions HERE

Making Up & Moving Forward (repair steps after conflicts) HERE

Do you know what you need in your relationship? Whether you do or not right in this moment, knowing what you need is certainly a requirement for being able to communicate and act to fulfill it. This is the basis for having a satisfying relationship. 

In this episode we go deeper into explaining our process for effectively communicating your needs and what being assertive really means. But you will also have a new perspective on whether you really know what you need or not. It is not as simple as you think.

Relationship Resources:

Both of the 30 Day Couples Challenges start on Jne 1st. 

The Level 1 - Prioritizing Us Challenge

The Level 2 - Rebuilding Us Challenge

Can you count on each other completely? Not with just the BIG things, but also with the small daily things in your life?

Building and living a great life with each other is only possible if you can count on, TRUST, each other. When you see the word "trust" it's easy to think of big things around feeling physically safe or being truthful in what you say. But this conversation gets way more into your day-to-day experiences that either lead to doubting each other and losing trust or increasing the reliability and foundational confidence you have no matter what comes up. 

Being attracted to each other, feeling connected, being intimate, and having fun together, is only possible if you can COUNT on each other as partners and that you each are operating as people of integrity to these 4 things…

Relationship Resources:

It is the last week to attend the in person Couples Workshop with us in Arizona on May 26th. Check out the details and reserve your seats here: http://thecouplesworkshop.com

If that date is past, or you are looking for immediate resrouces, like the Making Up & Moving Forward Guide: you can see all the resoruces here.

Which of these 7 stages of marriage are you two in right now? Knowing this not only gives you perspective about navigating your current season, but also what's ahead of you in the bigger picture of being married for many years. 

It is unrealistic to think that every season of marriage should be the same, or will be in the same order as another couple's. But also, we should be able to navigate some of the harder stages more quickly so they don't last too long or rob us of joy and fulfillment in living life together. 

RELATIONSHIP RESOURCES:

1. Meet us in-person at The Couples Workshop in Arizona at the end of May.

2. Start the Prioritize Us 30-Day Couples Challenge and see why over 25,000 couples have loved these prompts! 

We all want some degree of change in our lives, and our relationships. So long as they are the changes we want! Change can be difficult if it brings about a lot of unknown, or if the change you desire requires your partner to change some of their behavior. 

But what is it that creates change and how do you get the results that you really want? In this episode we outline the drives and motivations behind creating change and the one foundational element that you must be able to identify if any real change is going to happen, let alone last!

Relationship Resources

- May 26th, 2024 is The Couples Workshop in Arizona. If you have been wanting to join us in person for this 1/2 day event to create positive change in your communiation and conflict resolution, save your seat today! Make this a little vacation/reset for both of you. 

- If the May workshop is past, make sure to check out which online resource is best for the change you are looking to make: https://www.meetthefreemans.com/links