Marriage on a Tightrope – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Marriage on a Tightrope, Allan and Kattie dive deep into the complexities of mixed faith marriages. From their personal journey to actionable strategies, they offer support and insight for couples navigating differing beliefs within their relationships.

1. Mixed Faith Marriage Challenges

• Faith Transition: Allan shares his transition from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while Kattie remained a believing member. They open up about how this shift led to imbalances and tension in their relationship.
• Lack of Resources: With limited support available early in their journey, they created Marriage on a Tightrope to fill the gap for other couples.
• Sunday Struggles: They candidly discuss how Sundays became a flashpoint for conflict around church attendance and family activities.
• Loss of Spiritual Intimacy: The absence of shared spiritual practices created distance, forcing them to find new ways to connect.

2. Strategies & Resources for Mixed Faith Marriages

• Marriage on a Tightrope Workshop

  • A 7-week course (6 required sessions + 1 optional Q&A) designed for couples navigating mixed faith dynamics.
  • Topics include communication strategies, building trust, parenting approaches, and managing spiritual differences.
  • 🗓️ Next Workshop Starts: Sunday, April 6th | 7–9 PM MST
  • 💻 Format: Live Zoom sessions + recordings available for flexibility.
  • 🔗 Register: tightropemarriage.org (Click "Join our workshop")

• Communication Techniques

  • Soft Start: Initiate conversations gently to avoid defensiveness.
  • Own Your Role: Recognize and take responsibility in moments of conflict.
  • Express Emotions: Open up to foster empathy and deeper understanding.
  • Emotional Regulation: Tools to stay grounded and manage physiological reactions during tough discussions.

• Parenting in a Mixed Faith Marriage

  • Encourage your children’s autonomy in their spiritual journey.
  • Balance your expectations with respect for your child's beliefs.
  • Explore diverse rituals that honor both parents' perspectives.
  • ✨ Resource Highlight: Uplift Kids for value-based, non-religious lessons.

3. Personal Stories & Experiences

• Allan & Kattie reflect on their own mixed faith journey, particularly around parenting and Sundays.
• Natasha Helfer shares a heartfelt story about her teenage son’s choice to attend church as a way to connect with his late father, underscoring the importance of safe, open family environments.

Marriage on a Tightrope is excited to announce a new parenting workshop with Uplift Kids.  One of the more difficult aspects of a mixed faith marriage is figuring out what and how to teach your children.  In this episode, we welcome Jon Ogden and Michelle Larson from Uplift Kids to talk through some of these challenges, and we outline the exciting details of our new 3 week parenting workshop which starts Sunday January 12th, 2025.

More details about this episode:

1. About Uplift Kids

   • An organization offering resources for mixed faith marriages with a focus on children’s emotional and spiritual development.
   • Introduction of guests Jon Ogden and Michelle Larson, highlighting their backgrounds and roles at Uplift Kids.

2. Personal Experiences with Uplift Kids

   • Kattie's journey using Uplift Kids for family activities during COVID and its unbiased approach to family discussions.
   • Michelle's story of returning to her family farm, integrating her work and personal life, and her daughter's personal growth through Uplift Kids resources.
   • Jon’s experiences, including the impact of Uplift Kids during his son’s bullying and transformative family camps.

3. Uplift Kids Offerings

   • Curriculum on topics such as kindness, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and more, available through weekly or daily engagements on upliftkids.org
   • Events like family camps, with plans for more retreats.

4. Announcement of the Three-Week Parenting Course

   • Course Details:
     • Starts January 12th, with Zoom meetings on Sundays at 7 PM MT.
     • Offers live sessions and a one-year access to resources.
   • Content Overview:
     • Week 1: Children’s wellbeing with Amanda Suarez.
     • Week 2: Developmental needs of family members with Michelle Larson
     • Week 3: Using Uplift Kids in mixed faith marriages with Jon Ogden
   • Registration Details: upliftkids.org/join/tightrope.
   • Special Offer: 50% off for the first 30 couples thanks to a generous donor who covered half the cost for the first 30 couples.

After having a 17 couples come over for a Barbie movie date night, Allan and Kattie spent some time thinking about the importance of dating in a mixed faith marriage.

In this episode, Kattie and Allan discuss the benefits of dating in a mixed faith marriage, and give some tips to make it more meaningful. Don't miss out on the 10th session of "Workshop on a Tightrope"!

This 6 week online course has helped over 200 couples learn the tools and strategies they need to thrive in their mixed faith marriage. Enrollment is open for our next course that begins August 27th. You'll get weekly live Zoom sessions with Natasha Helfer, licensed Marriage and Family therapist, Allan and Kattie, and 24 other couples. Sign up by August 6th and get $50 off, and receive free enrollment into the bonus 7th week, Sex & Intimacy.

Register here

We are are excited to finally launch a new era for Marriage on a Tightrope. This audio episode was also video recorded and launched on our new Youtube channel. Follow us over on Youtube "Marriage on a Tightrope", and subscribe to the channel. Turn on alerts, because we will be streaming episodes LIVE soon!

Join us for our 10th session of Workshop on a Tightrope. This 6 week online course has sold out each time we've run it. There are only 25 spaces so register today. We've partnered with professional therapist, and 25 year mixed faith marriage expert Natasha Helfer. Along with the two of us, and 24 other couples, we'll meet for 2 hours each Sunday evening at 7pm. In between live sessions, you'll watch 2 hour lessons, and do the take home "Your Tightrope in Action" exercises to put into action what you've learned. Register here now

Kattie and Allan join with Natasha Helfer Parker to provide a free mini class on Mixed Faith Marriage. This also served as a final preview of our online 6 week mixed faith marriage course, Workshop on a Tightrope. This was streamed live and contains questions and comments from live listeners.

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel! 

Support the mixed faith community and Marriage on a Tightrope by making a recurring donation at tightropemarriage.org

Sometimes our episodes are more of an update about where we are at, as opposed to an episode with laid out advice. This is one of those episodes. Kattie discusses her anxiety going into conference and her decision to face Conference head on, instead of escaping on yet another Disney trip….not that that’s an option right now!

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel! 

Support the mixed faith community and Marriage on a Tightrope by making a recurring donation at tightropemarriage.org

Around the world, many missionaries are returning home early. Some of those missionaries are returning to families where one parent has transitioned away from the church while they were away. Now those mixed faith couples have to scramble to figure out how to tell their missionaries.

On this episode, Karin and Glen Brown explain how they handled telling their missionary son that their father had left the church while he was in Argentina.

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel! 

Support the mixed faith community and Marriage on a Tightrope by making a recurring donation at tightropemarriage.org

All of our best laid plans have come to a screeching halt. Coronavirus, earthquakes, mixed faith marriage…How can we slow down and come out stronger in the face of adversity?

Allan and Kattie discuss some thoughts about their situation being at home as a family for extended periods of time.

Anthony Miller, also joins for a portion of the show to discuss one way of finding optimism without needing a reason for the crazy events unfolding.

Mentioned in this episode:

Unpacking Ambiguity – Anthony Miller’s blog

Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

Love for Imperfect Things by Haemin Sunim

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel! 

Support the mixed faith community and Marriage on a Tightrope by making a recurring donation at tightropemarriage.org

Sarah and EJ Morin join Marriage on a Tightrope to tell their story. The Morin’s are unique on the podcast, in that they found themselves in a mixed faith marriage just 2 months after getting married. That was 3 short years ago.

Don’t miss out on our 6-week online Workshop on a Tightrope. More info and sign up here 

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel! 

Support the mixed faith community and Marriage on a Tightrope by making a recurring donation at tightropemarriage.org

Nearly a year in the making, Kattie and Allan are excited to announce their partnership with Natasha Helfer Parker to bring you a 6 week online workshop to help fortify your Mixed Faith Marriage

To sign up to go the Eventbrite event page, or search for “Workshop on a Tightrope” on Eventbrite (Make sure to change your search to an Online Event instead of a geographical location)

Here are the details of the 6 week course:

• A lecture presentation followed by questions - 90 mins. Watch LIVE or download to watch later at your convenience.
• Release of weekly homework assignments to help you put into practice what you’ve learned.
• We will have a Q&A about the weeks course work – 60 mins.

By the end of the course you will learn:

• How to understand how faith transitions happen and how they affect your situation.
• How to communicate respectively around typically tender topics: doctrine, life-style changes, church attendance, expectations, grief, etc.
• How to experience your mixed-faith status as an asset to your relationship instead of a divider.
• How to stay unified in your common values and goals.
• How to parent effectively in a mixed-faith family.
• How to effectively communicate with family and friends about what you are going through in a way that will edify, not threaten, your relationship.
• Due to the interactive nature of the workshop, space is limited to 20 couples. Registration is per couple.

The content is prepared and presented by: Natasha Helfer Parker LCMFT, CST, and CSTS:

Natasha is the owner and founder of Symmetry Solutions. She is a Licensed Clinical Marriage & Family Therapist and a Certified Sex Therapist. Natasha has been in practice for over 20 years where she has specifically worked with and developed an expertise around a mixed-faith marriage population, as well as those going through faith transitions and different types of spiritual journeys.

Allan & Kattie Mount: Hosts of the Award-winning podcast Marriage on a Tightrope. They’ve presented at numerous conferences on the topic of mixed faith marriage. Their journey began 3 years ago when Allan had a faith transition. Through conversations with thousands of listeners and working through the challenges of a mixed faith marriage in their own lives, Kattie and Allan bring a unique skillset to this course. They will give you practical ways they’ve applied clinical knowledge in fortifying their marriage. Kattie also practices as a Life Coach with Symmetry Sols specializing in mixed faith marriage.

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel! 

Support the mixed faith community and Marriage on a Tightrope by making a recurring donation at tightropemarriage.org