The Marriage Life Coach Podcast

I am so excited to share this week's conversation with you. I had the joy and honor of being a guest on the Money, Manifestation, and Business podcast with my friend, former life coaching client, and brilliant coach Jamie Berman. We had a deep conversation about navigating money and manifestation in your relationships. And when I say manifestation, it's really just about managing different values and approaches, no matter what you're talking about with your partner. In this episode, Jamie and I dive into my Soul-Centered Communication framework — Solution-focused, Open-hearted, Uncomplicated, and Loving. We talk about stress cycles and how to recognize when you're in fight, flight, freeze, or appease mode. And we explore the concept of psychological safety and how to create it in your money conversations. This conversation is practical, strategic, and will shift how you approach not just money conversations, but all the harder conversations in your marriage. Here is the scoop on what's included — ✨ Episode at a Glance The Soul-Centered Communication framework: Solution-focused, Open-hearted, Uncomplicated, Loving Why our entire life happens inside of a conversation The three elements of connected conversations How to recognize stress cycles: fight, flight, freeze, appease Why someone saying "yes" but never following through is actually a stress response (not lying) What psychological safety is and why it matters in money conversations How the words we use create and inspire feelings and results The difference between "we have a problem" vs. "we have an opportunity" Why loving yourself equally matters in conversations about money Resources Mentioned In This Episode: The Questions for Couples Journal Private Coaching with Maggie Free Workshop: The Growth Gap Marriage Mindset Makeover The Money, Manifestation & Business Podcast with Jamie Berman

Today we're talking about something that might sound really simple, but is actually one of the most revolutionary acts you can practice in your marriage and your life—receiving. Not just accepting or tolerating, but actually receiving love, help, pleasure, appreciation, and support. How do we actually receive the things we long for? This is something I've noticed in my work with smart, strategic women who are deeply committed to their marriages—the ones who've mastered achievement in every other area but find themselves craving connection they don't quite know how to let in. We've been culturally trained to give, to over-give, to anticipate everyone else's needs before our own. And then we find ourselves craving connection, but not feeling fully equipped to let it in. As I was preparing for this episode, I thought about: What if the marriage you want is actually the marriage you're allowing yourself to receive? That is a question I have never asked myself before and I think it is worth pondering. In this episode, I'm joined by the brilliant Dr. Shideh Shafie. She is a board-certified emergency physician and a high-performance coach who helps leaders live and lead without breaking. Today, she's here to talk about why receiving is actually a nervous system skill. It's not a personality trait. It's a skill we can build. We're exploring why receiving is a practice you can build and how this practice can transform not just your marriage, but your entire life. Here is the scoop on what's included - ✨ Episode at a Glance Why receiving is a nervous system skill you can build (not a personality trait) What happens in your body when you try to receive and why it feels uncomfortable The "deflect and diminish" pattern women do automatically How to practice "toning the muscle" of receiving The simple phrase that changes everything: "Thank you, I receive that" Why you need to receive from yourself first before you can receive from others How to become conscious of what you actually want to receive (not what you're told to want) Why your partner can't play every role in the movie of your life The difference between disappointment and something being wrong How grief is actually the natural progression of love Resources Mentioned In This Episode: The Questions for Couples Journal Private Coaching with Maggie Free Workshop: The Growth Gap Marriage Mindset Makeover Follow Dr. Shideh on Instagram: @shideh.shafie Visit Dr. Shideh's website: www.shidehshafie.com

This is part two of our two-part series on understanding divorce. We're getting really strategic in this episode with Lauren Fair—a divorce attorney with 16 years of experience AND a master certified life and divorce coach. I recorded this interview because I think as a society, we are woefully under-educated on how divorce actually works. The actual nuts and bolts of the process. Here's the thing: whether you're actually going through a divorce OR you're happily married and never want one, understanding how the process works is incredibly empowering. Because we are socialized as women to not pay attention to the law part of things, the fine print that governs our lives and our marriages. Understanding all the different structures for divorce, whether for your own education or to support a friend or family member will help you in ways we may not know today, but I am trusting that having this resource will be so important and I am so proud to share it with you. In this episode I'm joined by the brilliant Lauren Fair as she puts her lawyer hat on and teaches us some simple law things about the different structures we can use and why to use them and why not to use them. What makes her approach so aligned with my values is that she sees divorce not as a failure but sometimes being one of the most self-honoring choices a woman can make. From my philosophy, even if you've decided to stay in your marriage, it's still super useful to understand what the heck is divorce and how it works. Because everything you need in your marriage you will also need in your divorce—conflict resolution skills, emotional management, strategic communication. It may be that understanding divorce will motivate you to try really hard one last time or it may open a door in your mind that tells you, it's okay to make this choice from an informed and grounded place. So we're getting practical in this episode. We talk about exit plans, the strategic advantage of working with a divorce coach (a relatively new discipline that is growing and helping everyone have better outcomes), and we also talk about safety—financial safety and emotional safety. This conversation is your permission to get educated, get empowered, and make whatever choice serves your highest good. If you haven't heard episode one in this series, we will link to that episode in the show notes so you can hear both of them together. Here is the scoop on what's included - ✨ Episode at a Glance What an exit plan is and why knowing your options frees you from feeling trapped How everything you need in your marriage you will also need in your divorce Why your first call should be to a divorce coach (not an attorney) The different divorce options: mediation, collaborative divorce, litigation, and "kitchen table" divorce Why mediation gives you the most control over your outcome When mediation isn't appropriate and what to consider instead How grief shows up in divorce (even when you're the one who wanted it) Why the way your partner showed up in the marriage is likely how they'll show up in the divorce The importance of building your village: divorce coach, attorney, financial planner, therapist RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Questions for Couples Journal Private Coaching with Maggie Free Workshop: The Growth Gap Marriage Mindset Makeover Episode 179: Navigating Stress Cycles Episode 76: Trauma, Resourcing & Windows of Tolerance with Shelby Leigh Follow Lauren @sensiblesplitdivorce Visit Lauren's website: https://faircadora.com/sensiblesplit/ Listen to her podcast: The Sensible Split

I have a very special two-part series starting with this episode. We're doing a deep dive on how to prepare and how to think about divorce. And I think as a society, we are woefully under-educated on how divorce actually works. Here's the thing: as a marriage coach, one of the things that can strengthen your relationship the most is understanding the nuances of ending it. When we understand what it takes to stay AND what it takes to leave, it helps empower us for any choice we make. In this episode I'm joined by Lauren Fair—a divorce attorney with 16 years of experience AND a master certified divorce coach. What makes her approach so aligned with my values is that she sees divorce not as a failure but sometimes being one of the most self-honoring choices a woman can make. Choosing to end a relationship can be a healthy, powerful growth experience, and the collective cultural narrative we have that still shames divorce in a variety of ways is something I hope these 2 episodes contribute to changing. This conversation is your permission to get educated, get empowered, and make whatever choice serves your highest good. We also start with a segment on how to support a friend going through a divorce which I think is so important as well so no matter where you are in your relationship journey right now, I think you will find something useful in this 2 part series. Here is the scoop on what's included - ✨ Episode at a Glance How to be a supportive friend when someone you love is going through divorce Why understanding divorce options empowers you whether you're staying or leaving The three common mistakes women make when hiring an attorney from an emotionally activated place Why you want strategic, not "shark," legal representation How to manage your attorney (yes, you need to manage them) The difference between full scope representation and other options Why the moment you deliver the news matters more than you think How the divorce conversation begins determines the entire trajectory of the divorce Why you should never use the word "divorce" until your bags are packed The importance of slowing down when everything feels urgent RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Questions for Couples Journal Private Coaching with Maggie Free Workshop: The Growth Gap Marriage Mindset Makeover Episode 38: Soul Centered Communication Follow Lauren @sensiblesplitdivorce Visit Lauren's website: https://faircadora.com/sensiblesplit/ Listen to her podcast: The Sensible Split

I recently sat down with Emily Reuschel on her Wild and Waking podcast to talk about something I call the growth gap. What happens when one partner outpaces the other in personal development work? It was such a great conversation that I wanted to share it here with you too, because this is such a common pattern I see with my clients. Here's the thing: you've been reading all the books, listening to podcasts just like this one, doing all the inner work - because of course you have, and maybe your partner chooses to evolve differently than you. And that gap, that difference in growth pace and in growth focus, can feel incredibly isolating and frustrating. But what if I told you that the growth gap isn't the actual problem? What if the real issue is what you're doing with that gap? Emily and I dive deep into why personal growth can actually create more tension in your relationship at first, and then what to do about it. The counterintuitive truth about why your partner's lack of interest in therapy or coaching or a workshop might not be the deal breaker that you think it is. How to stop turning your relationship into a project you're trying to fix. The power of leading from your side of the street without carrying the whole emotional load. This is one of those episodes where you really want to grab your journal and maybe listen to it once and then go back and take notes because we're going to be practical, we're going to be strategic, and of course we're going to be soulful and have fun all at the same time. ✨ Episode at a Glance What the growth gap is and why it happens when one partner evolves and the other resists change The "Power of One" framework and how one person's transformation can shift the entire relationship Why the mindset of "I go first" changes everything The difference between your partner being scared vs. thinking growth is dumb (and why it matters) How to communicate your insights without triggering defensiveness Why asking for consent before sharing what you learned is essential The concept of do-overs and how one client's family transformed it into "rewinds" How men and women process differently (and why understanding this helps) When to adjust your expectations vs. when it's time to call it Why quality matters more than length in relationships RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Questions for Couples Journal Private Coaching with Maggie Free Workshop: The Growth Gap Marriage Mindset Makeover Emily Reuschel's website Listen to Ep 172 on Wild & Waking with Emily Reuschel and Maggie Follow Emily in Instagram @emilyreuschel