What Marriage Challenges Are 'Normal' and What’s Not Okay: Episode 403
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
Release Date: 07/01/2025
Falling in Love vs Staying in Love: The Science of Maintaining Your Romantic Connection Over Time: Episode 428
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
It’s easy to look at movies or social media and wonder why love once felt effortless, and now feels quieter, more routine, or even distant. No one prepares you for the reality that long-term love doesn’t stay fueled by novelty and adrenaline forever. As relationships mature, biology shifts, responsibilities increase, and especially after kids, connection can slowly give way to comfort… or worse, roommate energy. If you’ve ever thought, “Something’s missing, but I don’t know what,” this episode is for you. In this conversation, we unpack what’s actually happening beneath the...
info_outline
3 Places to be More Loving so Your Partner Feels More Loved: Episode 427
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
Most couples want to feel more loved, appreciated, and connected. But the way we go about it often backfires. We wait until we’re running on empty to tell our partner what we need, and in that vulnerable moment, it’s easy for things to slip into defensiveness or comparison. This episode flips that dynamic entirely. Instead of focusing on what your partner isn’t doing, we explore the powerful shift of going first—initiating repair, creating small moments of connection, and becoming the kind of loving presence that naturally evokes more love in return. We’ll walk you through three...
info_outline
Do This “End of Year Check-in” Now to Get Aligned and Connected Before 2026: Episode 426
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
Most couples glide into the new year on autopilot, sometimes with excitement and optimism, hoping things will feel different, more connected, less chaotic… yet they end up repeating the same patterns that make it feel the same as last year . In this episode, we’re giving you one of the most powerful “end-of-year check-in” conversations we use with our private coaching clients. It’s a guided reset that helps you break out of routine, reconnect with each other’s dreams and needs, and get aligned before January even begins. Think of this episode as your personal coaching session; one...
info_outline
What is Emotional Intimacy, Really? and How to Create More of it: Episode 425
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
So many couples love each other deeply… yet still feel disconnected. They talk every day, but the conversations revolve around schedules, responsibilities, and what needs to get done next. In this episode, we’re unpacking why emotional intimacy often fades in long-term relationships, not because the love is gone, but because genuine connection isn’t being fed. You’ll learn what emotional intimacy actually is (in practical, real-life terms), why so many partners misunderstand it, and the surprising psychology behind why couples get stuck in surface-level communication. Then we’ll walk...
info_outline
Focus on the 3 C’s to Feel Loved By Each Other Through the Holiday Season: Episode 424
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
The holidays can bring out both the best and the worst in a marriage. Between packed schedules, family dynamics, and endless to-do lists, it’s easy for connection to get lost in the chaos. But this season doesn’t have to feel like survival mode or that you are just getting through the functions. There are a few key areas in your relationship that—if you focus on them each day—can make you feel appreciated and united as a couple, no matter what the holidays throw your way. In this episode, we’re sharing three powerful shifts with the “3C’s” to help you stay emotionally close and...
info_outline
Discussing Holiday Expectations and Visiting In-Laws (To Prevent Chaos and Conflict): Episode 423
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
The holidays are supposed to feel relaxing and joyful. But for many couples, they’re anything but. Between travel plans, family visits, and unspoken expectations, this season can quickly become chaotic, exhausting, and full of tension. One partner often ends up feeling like they’re carrying most of the mental and emotional load, while the other doesn’t realize how unbalanced it feels. In this episode, we’re unpacking the real root of holiday stress in relationships: mismatched and unmet expectations. You’ll hear the kinds of conversations you need to have to prevent disconnection and...
info_outline
Accidentally Squashing Your Partner’s Excitement (When You’re on Two Different Wavelengths in a Conversation): Episode 422
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
Have you ever shared an idea or dream with your spouse, something that genuinely excited you, only to have the energy immediately flattened by practicality or fear? In this episode, we’re unpacking a dynamic that quietly drains energy and connection in many marriages: when one partner is in enthusiastic, imaginative energy and the other instantly shifts into logic and control mode. We’ll explore why this happens, what it reveals emotionally for each partner, and how to respond in a way that keeps the energy between you alive instead of shutting it down. In this episode you’ll hear: The...
info_outline
Can One Spouse Change the Marriage For the Better? Episode 421
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
As the holiday season approaches, many couples find themselves hitting a quiet but undeniable breaking point. Something about this stretch of time—from mid-October through the new year—brings things to the surface. Maybe it’s the reflection that comes with the end of a year. Maybe it’s the pressure of finances, family expectations, or feeling like life is flying by. But without the closeness you hoped to feel by now. For many, it’s a season where the question “Can we really keep going like this?” starts to creep in. In this episode, we unpack a question so many couples wrestle...
info_outline
The Science of Stress, Anger & Connection—How to Heal the Family System with Dr. Taz Bhatia: Episode 420
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
Have you ever thought about how your own stress affects your kids — or how your parents’ stress might still be affecting you? In this powerful conversation with Dr. Taz Bhatia, integrative medicine physician, author, and founder of Hol+, we explore how the health of the parents — especially the mother — sets the tone for the entire family system. Because wellness isn’t just about self-care… it’s about the legacy you’re creating for the next generation. Together, we unpack how patterns of anger, overwhelm, and chronic stress get passed down in families — and how to...
info_outline
When the ‘Needing Space’ and ‘Needing Resolution’ Partners Marry Each Other: Episode 419
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
It seems like the “I need more space” and “I need to talk this out now” partners always find each other! This is the basis of the Pursuer/Withdrawer as well as the Anxious/Avoidant partner dynamics in marriage. When this dynamic happens, it always causes more tension, defensiveness, anxiety, and distance than the initial topic of conversation. If this sounds at all like dynamics you and your partner get into, you certainly are not alone! In today’s episode you will hear more detail about what’s really happening for each partner, whether it is the need for space or resolution....
info_outlineJust because something is common in marriage doesn’t mean it’s healthy.
We’ve heard countless couples ask:
“Is this just a hard season… or is something actually wrong?”
“Are we still okay, even though this feels hard?”
In this episode, we unpack those questions using anonymous submissions from real couples. You’ll hear what challenges are normal in long-term relationships—and what behavior or dynamics cross the line into unhealthy territory.
We cover emotional disconnection, mismatched intimacy, recurring conflict, parenting stress, and more. Plus, we share clear next steps for how to handle each one.
Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed or just want clarity, this conversation will leave you feeling validated, informed, and ready to make meaningful change.
🎧 What You’ll Learn:
- What’s normal vs what’s not okay in conflict, intimacy, and parenting
- What’s normal vs what’s not okay in conflict, intimacy, and parenting
- Real examples from couples like you (and how we’d respond)
- One mindset shift that helps you stop tolerating what’s not working
🛠️ Resources Mentioned in the Episode
THIS SUMMER ONLY 3 MARRIAGE CHANGING GUIDES FOR THE PRICE OF TWO 🎉
→ Making Up & Moving Forward Guide
→ De-Escalating Conflicts Guide
→ Family Meeting Guide
Get the bundle here: https://thecouplesexperience.com/3guidesbundle
Surprise Bonus for Committed Couples
If this episode was a wake-up call or gut check, you're not alone. Many couples drift because they normalize disconnection, resentment, or the roommate phase… until it’s too late.
That’s why we created the Best of Us 30-Day Couples Challenge to help you reignite emotional and physical intimacy in just a few intentional minutes a day.
This limited edition is only available a few times per year. And right now? We’ve got a surprise for you waiting here: https://thecouplesexperience.com/surprise
Episode Time Stamps:
01:00 – Is this a normal marriage challenge… or not okay?
01:38 – One key mindset shift: “If it hurts your partner and you won’t change, it’s an issue”
03:03 – Are you playing the same game—or using totally different marriage rulebooks?
05:29 – Conflict: What’s normal vs. what’s actually damaging
07:13 – Are you really repairing—or just resetting the same fight cycle?
08:43 – Is it okay to not talk for days after an argument?
11:27 – Want to shorten your conflict recovery time? Here’s how
13:05 – The truth about intimacy: What’s normal… and what hurts the relationship
16:00 – Intimacy shouldn’t only satisfy one person
18:48 – What to do if desire is low (emotionally, physically, or hormonally)
20:44 – The role of emotional and physical check-ins
22:57 – Are you in a “roommate rut”? You need this challenge
24:35 – The emotional load & mental load: What’s normal, what’s not okay
28:15 – “If you’re not playing by the same rules, no wonder it feels off”
32:11 – Parenting struggles: How common are they and what’s truly not okay
36:55 – You don’t just need consistency… you need adaptability
38:44 – Stop parenting by default—here’s what to do instead
42:30 – What happens when personal struggles or boundaries go unaddressed
44:15 – The boundary breakdown: “If you're not playing by the same rules, you're losing”
47:55 – Final takeaways + How to get resources for your marriage