Libsyn Directory

240. How to Support Your Spouse Through Every Season of Marriage

Release Date: 10/10/2025

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

Welcome back to the podcast. Today we want to talk about something that we think almost every family can relate to—the pursuit of more. More money, more success, more stability, more opportunities, more experiences. And on the surface, none of those things are bad. But recently, we’ve both had some conversations and experiences that made us pause and ask a deeper question: what are we really pursuing—and why? For most of our lives, we both felt this constant pull toward “more.” And if we’re honest, a lot of it came from the belief that the next milestone would finally be the thing...

260. Confidence Isn’t a Feeling, It’s an Identity! Here’s How to Build It For You and Your Kids

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

Welcome back to the podcast! Today we’re talking about something that we truly believe impacts every area of your life—your confidence. This conversation came from a recent event Chris spoke at, where the theme was connection, and it led to a powerful realization: before you can truly connect with others, you have to have confidence in yourself. For a long time, Chris struggled with confidence in a way that might surprise people who see him today. There was a season where he didn’t like himself, constantly compared himself to others, lived in regret and fear, and didn’t keep...

259. Why Parents Struggle to Stay Healthy (And What to Do About It) with Ben Brown

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

Welcome back to the podcast. Chris here! Today I’m sitting down with someone who has become not just a client, but a coach and a friend—Ben Brown. And if there’s one thing I want you to take from this conversation, it’s this: your health isn’t just about how you look… it determines how you show up in your life. One of the first things we got into was why health is often the first thing to fall off for parents. And honestly, it makes sense. The moment you have kids, your priorities shift. You want to give everything to your family. But what we talked about is how that can actually...

258. Slow Down and Follow the Light: How to Keep Your Family Connected During Busy Seasons

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

Welcome back to the podcast! Today we want to share a little bit about how we’re thinking about this upcoming season—heading into the busy summer months—and how we’re trying to bring more joy, connection, and intention into our daily family life. Like most families, this time of year can feel really full. Between sports, school events, work, and everything else, it’s easy to feel like you’re just moving from one thing to the next. And recently, we found ourselves pausing and asking a simple but really important question: Are we actually happy right now? Not just getting everything...

257. How to Create Your Family Mission, Vision, and Values! Family Brand® Foundations

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

We’re really excited to be with you this week because this is something we’ve been working on for a long time—figuring out how to make this whole idea of creating a family brand as simple, practical, and meaningful as possible. We know what family life feels like. It’s busy. It’s full. There’s always something going on. And because of that, anything we create for families, we’re constantly asking ourselves: is this actually useful, or is it just one more thing to add to the list? Most families want to be more intentional. They want to define their values, create a shared vision,...

256. LIVE Family Check-In with My 9-Year-Old (Family Brand Method)

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

In this episode of the Family Brand Podcast, Melissa sits down with a very special guest—her nine-year-old daughter, Indie—to do something the Smith family does every single week: a family check-in. Instead of just talking about the concept, they actually walk through a real check-in live on the podcast, giving listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how these simple conversations help their family stay connected and intentional. The Smith family has a weekly rhythm where they gather for a short family meeting and individual check-ins with each child. The goal isn’t to lecture or correct...

255. Family Book Club: How to Win Friends and Influence People

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

One habit that has created some of the most meaningful conversations in our home is something surprisingly simple: family book club. It’s not formal or complicated. Sometimes it’s just reading a book over a few weeks and sitting down on a Sunday to talk about it for twenty minutes. But those conversations have opened the door to ideas and discussions that might never have happened otherwise. Recently, our family read the classic How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, and it sparked one of the most practical conversations we’ve had in a long time. At first glance, the...

255. Consistency: The Real Divider Between Good and Great

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

What separates high performers from everyone else? It’s not talent. It’s not intelligence. It’s not even experience. It’s consistency. In this episode, Chris and Melissa unpack why consistency might be the single greatest differentiator in business, parenting, marriage, health — and life. Chris shares something he teaches in sales leadership: the highest performers are consistently coachable, consistently curious, and consistently willing to refine their craft. Ironically, it’s often lower performers who assume they’ve “already figured it out.” The best stay students. That...

254. Where Attention Goes, Energy Flows: Take Back Your Focus

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

This episode was sparked by one of Chris and Melissa’s classic “walk conversations” — the kind where something clicks, and you realize it needs to be shared… They begin with a powerful testimonial from a Family Brand family who realized they were spending more time talking about what they don’t like in the world — politics, division, noise — than they were talking about their own values. And that insight led to a bigger question: Where are we allowing our attention to go? Because wherever your attention goes, your energy follows. Chris shares how easy it is to get pulled...

253. Raising Good Men: A Conversation with Tim Wright

Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

In this powerful episode, Melissa sits down with Tim Wright — former Lutheran pastor of 41 years, author, and passionate advocate for helping boys grow into strong, compassionate men of character. Melissa begins the conversation with a question many parents of boys are quietly asking: What does it even mean to be a man in today’s world? With cultural messages constantly shifting — and often equating masculinity with toxicity — Tim offers a refreshing, grounded perspective. He shares why boys need intentional guidance, not stereotypes. Why strength and compassion are not opposites. And...

More Episodes

In this episode, Chris and Melissa get real about what it means to truly support your spouse—not just when it’s easy, but through every season of life and marriage.

Inspired by a listener question, they dive into what support actually looks like when your goals, energy, and responsibilities are constantly shifting. From the early days of raising five kids under nine to their current phase of parenting more independent children, they reflect on how their definition of support has evolved — and how communication has been the key at every step.

Chris shares a powerful mindset shift: that supporting your spouse isn’t just something nice to do, it’s part of the commitment of marriage — a responsibility to breathe life into each other’s dreams. Melissa opens up about learning to ask for help (and release the guilt around it), while Chris admits the times he didn’t show up as fully as he could have.

They talk about everything from balancing business and family life, to handling burnout and travel seasons, to how “leaving each other alone” can sometimes be the best form of support. Through honesty and humor, they show that the healthiest marriages don’t avoid conflict — they communicate through it.

Whether you’re newlyweds or empty nesters, this episode is full of practical wisdom, grace, and laughter. You’ll walk away encouraged to check in with your spouse, redefine what support looks like in your current season, and remember that you’re on the same team — even when life feels messy.

LINKS:

All Links Family Brand!

Episode Minute By Minute:

00:00 – Welcome + Family Brand Blitz retreat details
02:00 – Listener question: how do you support your spouse’s goals?
03:00 – Chris’s shift from “it’s her responsibility” to “it’s my privilege”
05:00 – How support changes with each season of marriage
07:00 – Supporting each other through early parenting years
09:00 – Asking for help and releasing the guilt
11:00 – The danger of “you should just know” in marriage
13:00 – Roping, hobbies, and finding balance in personal passions
15:00 – Learning to let go of scorekeeping and resentment
17:00 – Getting clear on what you want instead of complaining
18:00 – Different definitions of support (even when it’s takeout for dinner!)
20:00 – Communication as the foundation for support
23:00 – The power of challenge: pushing your spouse to grow
25:00 – Melissa calling Chris out on chasing others’ dreams
27:00 – Investing in each other’s dreams and identities
29:00 – Navigating travel seasons and defining family goals together
31:00 – How alignment and communication make everything easier
33:00 – Why date night is key for staying connected
34:00 – Support vs. complaining: use your energy for creation, not criticism
35:00 – Final thoughts and encouragement to support each other better

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