loader from loading.io

Rebuilding a Marriage After a Hard Season: Episode 390

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

Release Date: 04/08/2025

10 Lessons From 10 Years of Marriage: The Highs, Lows, and What No One Prepares You For: Episode 413 show art 10 Lessons From 10 Years of Marriage: The Highs, Lows, and What No One Prepares You For: Episode 413

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

This week marks our 10-year wedding anniversary and if we’re being honest, the months leading up to it weren’t easy. Research even shows that around the 10-year mark, couples hit peak dissatisfaction. But here’s the truth: challenges don’t mean your marriage is broken. They’re invitations to grow, reconnect, and come back stronger. In this episode, we’re opening up about the 10 most powerful lessons from our 10 years together — the highs, the lows, the laughter, and the lessons that have shaped us as individuals, as partners, and as parents. Whether you’ve been together 2...

info_outline
The Power of a Shared Vision in Marriage (And Why It Keeps You Strong Through Every Season): Episode 412 show art The Power of a Shared Vision in Marriage (And Why It Keeps You Strong Through Every Season): Episode 412

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

What keeps couples united through all the ups and downs? A shared vision. In this episode of the Empowered Couples Podcast, we break down why having a vision together is essential, how to define your values as a couple, and the practical steps to keep you connected in both everyday life and during challenges. Whether you’re in a hard season or just feeling stuck in routine, your vision as a couple is what pulls you out of the mundane and gives deeper meaning to your marriage. In this episode you will hear: -Why self-focus leads to more negativity (and how vision shifts that) -The 4 steps to...

info_outline
Don’t Learn This Too Late: Ways to Stay Connected After Kids: Episode 411 show art Don’t Learn This Too Late: Ways to Stay Connected After Kids: Episode 411

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

Marriage after kids can feel like survival mode. Once out of the immediate chaos, it can settle into a state of function. Between diapers, school runs, shuttling to sports practices, your work, and endless to-do lists at home, it’s easy to put your relationship on the back burner. But here’s the truth: your kids don’t just thrive on how well you care for them—they thrive on how connected YOU are as a couple. In this episode of the Empowered Couples Podcast, Jocelyn & Aaron (“The Freemans”) share practical, real-life ways to stay emotionally and physically connected after kids....

info_outline
Marriage Intimacy Q&A: Mismatched Desire, Dry Spells, Emotional Safety & Reigniting the Spark: Episode 410 show art Marriage Intimacy Q&A: Mismatched Desire, Dry Spells, Emotional Safety & Reigniting the Spark: Episode 410

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

info_outline
How Intimacy and Desire Change as You Age and How to Evolve With It (Not Drift Apart): Episode 409 show art How Intimacy and Desire Change as You Age and How to Evolve With It (Not Drift Apart): Episode 409

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

The problem isn't that your desire or drive is changing. The problem is that you're not talking about these changes and finding solutions on how to evolve with them and stay connected.  In this vulnerable and eye-opening episode, we share the real reasons intimacy shifts over time (especially after kids, through peri-menopause, or with stress and aging), and how couples can adapt together rather than growing apart. In this episode you’ll hear: -A raw confession from a wife/mom at a retreat Jocelyn spoke at recently -The difference between spontaneous and responsive desire -Why intimacy...

info_outline
When Intimacy Feels Like Another Task in Marriage — How to Shift the Energy & Reignite Desire: Episode 408 show art When Intimacy Feels Like Another Task in Marriage — How to Shift the Energy & Reignite Desire: Episode 408

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

Is it normal for intimacy to feel like another item on your to-do list? You love your partner, but between parenting, exhaustion, and unspoken resentment… desire can fade. In this episode, we're unpacking why intimacy feels like an obligation — and how to shift the emotional and physical energy in your marriage so that you both actually want it again. We share real stories, emotional dynamics, and practical shifts that help couples go from feeling like roommates to rekindling passion — even in the busiest seasons of life. Topics we cover in this episode: -Emotional disconnection vs...

info_outline
Emotional & Physical Turn-Offs in Marriage (and How to Create More Attraction Again): Episode 407 show art Emotional & Physical Turn-Offs in Marriage (and How to Create More Attraction Again): Episode 407

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

Attraction in marriage doesn’t just disappear overnight, but it can fade through the habits, energy, and unspoken patterns you fall into over time. In this episode, we reveal the biggest emotional and physical turn-offs (and turn-ons) based on anonymous submissions from real couples. This episode is for couples who want to feel that spark again—without needing to go back to the beginning. In this episode you will hear: What’s quietly draining desire in your relationship Five patterns that slowly erode attraction How to reignite emotional connection and physical intimacy—without...

info_outline
Stop Reacting and Start Responding (How to Take Control of Your Emotions in Marriage): Episode 406 show art Stop Reacting and Start Responding (How to Take Control of Your Emotions in Marriage): Episode 406

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

You want to feel peace, love, and connection—especially in your marriage. But when something disrupts that inner calm, it’s easy to slip into old patterns: snapping, shutting down, blaming. Sound familiar? This episode is about how to stop being emotionally reactive—and start responding in a way that brings clarity, compassion, and connection (even in the tough moments). 🎧 What You’ll learn: Why controlling your partner won’t regulate your emotions How to take ownership without bypassing what you feel A 5-step process to go from reactive to responsive How to repair when...

info_outline
Why Labeling Your Spouse is More Damaging Than You Think: Episode 405 show art Why Labeling Your Spouse is More Damaging Than You Think: Episode 405

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

Every couple has conflict. But when disagreements turn into labeling your spouse—with words like “selfish,” “dramatic,” or “narcissist”—it doesn’t just hurt in the moment… it chips away at emotional safety and long-term connection. In this episode, we unpack: Why labeling is so destructive (even if you didn’t mean it that way) How it rewires the way you see each other over time What to say instead that’s honest—but not hurtful Real-life phrases to express hurt without attacking character We also give you a simple script to use during tough conversations—so...

info_outline
Stop Tip-Toeing Around Each Other’s Triggers (How to Create Real Emotional Safety in Marriage): Episode 404 show art Stop Tip-Toeing Around Each Other’s Triggers (How to Create Real Emotional Safety in Marriage): Episode 404

EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

You don’t just marry your partner’s strengths—you marry their triggers too. If you’ve found yourself walking on eggshells to avoid setting them off… or shutting down because you feel like you’re too much… you’re not alone. But let’s be clear: tip-toeing isn’t emotional maturity—it’s disconnection in disguise. In this episode, we unpack how to create real emotional safety in your marriage—so you can stop spiraling and start feeling heard, seen, and safe again. 🎧 What You’ll learn: How to bring things up without triggering defensiveness What to do if your're the...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

“Throughout the course of your life, you will be married 2–3 times. For some, this will be to the same person.”This sentiment is becoming more widely recognized, and it means you need to be ready for your marriage to evolve. Those who aren’t ready (or who don’t accept this) often go through harder seasons and are more likely to split from their partners. We will all face difficult chapters in the lifespan of a marriage, but those who accept the evolution are the ones who can re-make their marriage with the same partner.

Today’s episode is about the importance of being able to rebuild a marriage when a couple arrives at this crossroad. You’ll hear the 7 steps couples go through to repair and rebuild their marriage for the next season ahead. This is one of the hardest things to do, so it’s not expected that you’ll take all these steps now, or even on your own. But knowing this is the path to rebuilding can give you clarity and hope that you can turn your marriage into what you want it to be.

This episode is meant to help you understand the process and then use one of these resources to guide you through practical steps in this difficult (but ultimately rewarding) phase of marriage. 👇

  1. Start the 30-Day “Rebuilding Us Couples Challenge", to get daily prompts straight to your inbox that give you the steps to have these rebuilding conversations. 

  2. Use the “Steps to Rebuild a Marriage Guide” to see and follow the tangible steps of the conversations in each of the 7 steps discussed in this episode. Both resources can be found here: MeetTheFreemans.com/rebuild