This is the place for honest conversations and practical advice on how to have an awesome marriage. In this brief trailer, Dr. Kim Kimberling and co-host Lindsay Few share what you can expect to hear on the Awesome Marriage podcast each week.
If you enjoy the podcast, follow along here or at awesomemarriage.com/podcast for questions in each week's show notes that will help you and your spouse apply the info in each episode.
We pray this content is helpful for you and your marriage!
* Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
* You can find all of Awesome Marriage's helpful resources on our website.
This week it’s the husbands’ turn to weigh in. Today we hear what men said they wish their wives knew about sex. Would your husband agree? Dr. Kim strongly encourages couples to talk about their sex life, not argue about it, but… most couples don’t! So listening to today’s episode together is an easy way to start the conversation.
Sex in your marriage matters because God created it to draw spouses together, but all too often pain and tension lead to exactly the opposite. Tune in today to learn the next steps in your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
Some common Christian sex myths that might be hindering your sex life...
... And what the Bible says about them
Some really effective ways to talk about sex with your spouse ...
... And some others you definitely want to avoid
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Set your marriage up for better satisfaction in the bedroom with the Think Sex Challenge
The 4th Annual Online Marriage Retreat launches THIS WEEK! This year’s theme is Refresh: Break Through the Barriers to an Awesome Marriage and this retreat is packed with helpful sessions from amazing speakers. Click HERE for all the details!
Ready to gain REAL freedom and healing from porn in your marriage? Learn more about how you can do that with our new course, Marriage Undefiled: How To Overcome Porn and Heal Your Marriage.
Has sex has fallen down the list of priorities? In Love, Intimacy and Sex in the Second Half Dr. Kim and Nancy tell how they have handled the challenges to their sex life later in marriage.
We highly recommend the book Celebration of Sex to educate yourself and your spouse on exactly what works for the two of you!
The wives have spoken! Today we share what women said they wish their husbands knew about sex. Would your wife agree? Dr. Kim wants couples to talk about their sex life, not argue about it! So an easy way to start is by listening to today’s episode together and talking about it.
Sex in your marriage matters because God created it to draw spouses together, but all too often pain and tension lead to exactly the opposite. Tune in today to get the conversation started!
Episode highlights include:
Tips to help balance the mental load spouses are carrying
Women don’t get tired of their husband’s compliments – with this 1 exception!
Practical reasons why it can be helpful to schedule sex
Addressing assumptions spouses make that will deter them from great sex
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Set your marriage up for better satisfaction in the bedroom with the Think Sex Challenge
Ready to gain REAL freedom and healing from porn in your marriage? Learn more about how you can do that with our new course, Marriage Undefiled: How To Overcome Porn and Heal Your Marriage.
Has sex has fallen down the list of priorities? In Love, Intimacy and Sex in the Second Half Dr. Kim and Nancy tell how they have handled the challenges to their sex life later in marriage.
We highly recommend the book Celebration of Sex to educate yourself and your spouse on exactly what works for the two of you!
The 4th Annual Online Marriage Retreat launches NEXT WEEK! This year’s theme is Refresh: Break Through the Barriers to an Awesome Marriage and this retreat is packed with helpful sessions from amazing speakers. Click HERE for all the details!
We are delighted to have Toni Collier on the podcast today. Toni has spoken and written plenty about the way that embracing brokenness, though counterintuitive, is the key to experiencing a full life in Christ. She talked to Dr. Kim about how –and why– to effectively embrace your brokenness personally, what that means, and what it can do for your marriage and family. Don’t miss this grace-filled episode!
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
The faith “secret” that transformed Toni’s perspective on brokenness
The deeply personal origin of Toni’s new book, and why a children’s book is so important
The biggest mistake she made early in marriage, and how she recovered
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Be sure to check out Toni’s children’s book Broken Crayons Still Color! It is beautifully designed to help kids deal with big feelings and gain the tools to handle them well.
And don’t miss Toni’s book, Brave Enough to Be Broken: How to Embrace Your Pain and Discover Hope and Healing, which is full of Biblical wisdom and practical tools to help you heal right where you are today!
Grow closer to God while you grow closer to your spouse with the 2-Week Couple’s Scripture Challenge! Click through for more info.
The mind is a powerful sex organ, and the 25-Day Think Sex Challenge is designed to help you harness that power to experience more fun, intimate and fulfilling sex in your marriage.
Ministry couples face both unique joys and unique challenges. If you’ve been around Awesome Marriage for a while, you’ve probably heard Dr. Kim say to put God first and your spouse second. But when your job is ministry, it can be really hard to balance your vocational ministry with your primary ministry - your marriage. Today we’re talking about how to keep your marriage thriving when you are in ministry.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
The surprising data on how ministry affects marriage and family
Our personal experiences of what makes ministry hard on marriage
What to do if you work in a ministry culture that does not prioritize marriage or family
4 specific ways to protect and build your marriage
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Don't let your ministry take out your marriage! The Sustaining Your Marriage In Ministry online course was designed to help you through the challenges you face. Learn more HERE.
Our friends at Emotionally Healthy Discipleship offer resources that equip leaders to lead from their inner life with Christ.
Anything you want to hear about that we missed today? Shoot me an email and let us know!
You may know Jeff Allen from one of his many comedy specials on DryBar Comedy, Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, network TV and more. If you do, you know he can make you laugh about even the hard parts of life and marriage.
In today’s episode we get to go behind the scenes of some of the hardest seasons Jeff and his wife, Tami, experienced in their marriage, and how God brought hope, healing and redemption. Don’t miss this encouraging episode!
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
The *surprisingly* effective way Jeff’s comedian friend helped him find Jesus
What changed in Jeff and Tami’s marriage when Jesus entered the picture
Jeff’s journey to sobriety and learning new coping mechanisms
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Get the rest of Jeff and Tami’s story in Jeff’s Book “Are We There Yet?: My Journey from a Messed Up to Meaningful Life.”
Jeff’s comedy is a part of this year’s Online Marriage Retreat! Registration is open NOW so click over to learn more!
If it’s been a while since you felt sexy or were excited about your sex life, our 25-Day Think Sex Challenge will help you get back in the mood! Learn more HERE!
Your mindset has a powerful impact on everything in your life - including your marriage. Is yours helping or hurting your marriage? Today Dr. Kim shares some sneaky ways your thoughts might be harming your marriage, without you even realizing it, as well as practical advice for how to overcome them.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
How to identify and correct unhealthy thought patterns
Why even our fleeting thoughts matter
One thing that prevents many of us from being honest with God and with ourselves, and how to overcome it
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Work on healing your mindset with the “Cut the Criticism and Cultivate Companionship” Bible Reading plan on YouVersion
If you’re a One Thing Subscriber, you know all about Dr. Kim’s Daily Declarations already! If not, sign up HERE and receive a practical daily step each Monday-Friday to help you be intentional about building your marriage.
When you sign up for Dr. Kim’s weekly Dispatch email, you receive a copy of his Daily Declarations FREE as a sign up bonus!
One reason marriage can be difficult is because it faces real spiritual opposition. 1 Peter 5:8 says the enemy is like “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,” who would love to destroy us and our marriages. But Christian couples can be confident that God is on our side, He is for us and He has the victory.
So how can we be on guard and ready to fight for our marriage, spiritually? Tune in today to learn how. We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
Reasons why marriage is a target of spiritual attacks
Ways spiritual attacks can show up in marriage
Steps to fight back and fight for your marriage in those times
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Dr. Kim shared his heart behind our Marriage Changers membership in today’s episode. Get more info on the membership HERE.
We are happy to have 50+ AM YouVersion plans. Here are the two we mentioned in this episode:
If you haven’t already, check out our perennial fave House Prayer Cards. They’re Like Dr. Kim’s scripture on the walls thing, but without needing to repaint!
Our 2-Week Couples Scripture Challenge helps you fight for your marriage by building the habit of getting into God’s Word together.
How should the rhythms of our child’s season of life inform our parenting? How can your family rhythms and routines cultivate the kind of family atmosphere you are longing for in your household and set your child up for success?
Today our special guest Nellie Harden helps you see where you are in this season of your child’s growing up years and how to parent well in this time.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
The perspective shift to more peaceful parenting
Why to number the days of your child’s childhood
How our own perfectionism affects our kids and our parenting
The parenting shift we need in the second half of childhood
A practical way to reduce sibling strife
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Find Nellie’s book, learn more about the 6570 Family Project and more on her website
Here’s the article Nellie wrote for Focus on The Family that we loved: “Family on the Rocks!”
Taking a few minutes a week to check up on your marriage is simple and effective with the Weekly Marriage Check Up Guide
Our 27 Scripture Prayer Cards are both beautiful AND powerful!
This time of year, so many families are thinking about how to make this new school year go even better than the last. You may be wondering how you can possibly build in helpful, healthy rhythms when you’re Already. So. Busy. If so, you do not want to miss this episode.
Today our guest Justin Earley shares how to build intentionality and meaning into your existing family habits.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
What our messy attempts at forming good habits can communicate to our kids (you might be surprised!)
The perspective shift that lets you take advantage of your family’s existing habits for good
What does it actually mean to be a spiritual leader?
Practical advice for wives who want their husband to lead spiritually
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Hear more on these topics in Justin’s books:
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction
Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms
Made for People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship
Find resources, writing an more from Justin at Justinwhitmelearley.com
The Weekly Marriage Check Up Guide makes it simple to check in with your spouse each week.
Ever wondered why you can’t break a habit you hate or form a new one you want to start? Today’s bonus episode is for you! Debra Fileta always brings wisdom and practical tools to help us connect spiritual practices with mental health and relationship health, and we’re delighted to have Debra back on the podcast with us today. We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
Why issues seem to surface at unexpected times and what you can do about it
The equation that leads to lasting change - and why most people get it wrong
How to effectively begin to break bad habits
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Debra has also been on these past episodes:
Are You Really OK? With Special Guest Debra Fileta | Ep. 471
Oneness Vs. Codependency - What's the Difference? With Special Guest Debra Fileta | Ep. 511
We think you’ll love Debra’s new book, RESET: Powerful Habits to Own Your Thoughts, Understand Your Feelings, and Change Your Life
Are you getting the Marriage Multiplier? It’s a quick weekly email from Dr. Kim that gives you ways to intentionally invest in your marriage. Sign up HERE.
As we enter the fall season, it’s a great time to look at the routines in your life. This month we’re talking all about life-giving routines and rhythms. Sometimes in marriage, we can get into bad habits of conflict or miscommunication, BUT we can also use our habits and routines to build up our spouse and grow our marriage. Today we’re sharing some of our personal routines and family rhythms that help keep our marriages strong.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
Dr. Kim’s personal routine and why it’s so important to him
The small things that don’t even feel like “things” – and why they matter so much
Practical ways to build the kind of culture you want to have in your marriage
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES:
If you’re not getting Dr. Kim’s One Thing daily email, sign up HERE!
The Weekly Marriage Check Up Guide makes it simple to check in with your spouse each week.
Get a better dinner experience when you bring good questions to the table with 52 Questions for Your Family Table
We talk to a lot of couples who don't know what makes them a great team. And if you don’t know what makes you a great team, how can you operate as one? All too often, opposites attract and it takes intentionality to tap into all that God has for you in the gift of your marriage.
So today we’re talking about leaning into what makes you a uniquely gifted team in your marriage, and resolving the tension that comes from the ways we differ from our spouse.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
What are the common issues that keep couples from being a strong team?
Dr. Kim gives great ideas of creative solutions to issues
How to combat the competition that sometimes creeps into marriage
We share ways we’ve personally done this in our marriages
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Get the team conversation started with Team You & Me: A Guide to Approaching Your Marriage as a Team, a resource designed to help you be more intentional to tap into all God has for you in the gift of your marriage.
Dr. Kim and Nancy’s book, Love, Intimacy and Sex in Second Half is out now! Grab your copy HERE!
Related episodes you might like:
Has marriage been harder than you thought it would be? We often say there’s hope for every marriage, no matter where you are today - and there truly is. But you may be wondering how exactly to hold on and fight for your marriage if you’re in a really hard season. Today, we are sharing Dr. Kim’s conversation with special guest Toni Nieuwhof.
Toni is an author, speaker and family law mediator, and she brings such hope and wisdom in today’s episode. Tune in for hope and help to make the future of your marriage better than today.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
The mental shift helped Toni and her husband keep fighting when their marriage was on the brink
Practical steps they took to start healing
Common issues Toni sees couples divorce over
How to change your mental narrative about your marriage
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Get more of Toni’s wisdom on this topic in her book, “Before You Split”
On her website at https://toninieuwhof.com/
And on the Smart Family Podcast
Are you willing to do what it takes to reset and renew your marriage? Fight for your marriage with the Marriage 911 online course.
Missed the other episodes of our summer Worth Repeating Series? So far we’ve aired:
How can curiosity help you have an awesome marriage? How can you grow yourself and your marriage, even in the busyness and life’s changing seasons? As we share some of our favorite past episodes this summer, we are so happy to re-air Dr. Kim’s interview with Bob Goff. Bob and Dr. Kim talked about how to dream big, be courageous and grow closer with your spouse. Don’t miss their encouraging conversation today - it’s certainly worth repeating!
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
The role curiosity plays in keeping you - and your marriage - interesting
Learning to align your dreams as a couple
What to do if you don’t have any big dreams to chase
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
27 Scripture Prayer Cards combine the power of prayer and the power of God’s Word, designed beautifully to help you invite God’s to work in your marriage
Find Bob @ bobgoff.com
Check out Maria’s new book, Love Lives Here
Dr. Kim especially liked Bob’s book Everybody Always
Missed the other episodes of our summer Worth Repeating Series? So far we’ve aired:
One common theme we hear from our couples at Awesome Marriage is that life and marriage have been difficult the past few years. The unexpected and unpredictable realities have taken a toll on many of us, and the anxiety and angst have made us quite “prickly.” In today’s episode, Dr. Kim and Christina talk about that prickliness and help you evaluate if you’ve been a little prickly and if so, how to work through it.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
Defining exactly what we mean by “prickly”
Dr. Kim shares some healthy ways to deal with the pain
Red flags that can help show us our prickliness
What do I do if this is me? What if it’s my spouse?
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Dr. Kim and Nancy’s book, Love, Intimacy and Sex in Second Half is out now! Click HERE to grab your copy!
27 Scripture Prayer Cards combine the power of prayer and the power of God’s Word, designed beautifully to help you invite God’s to work in your marriage
Recovery after porn is possible. Your mind can heal and you can break the addiction. Today’s guest, Matt Cline, is the founder and director of Restored Ministries, which leads men and women out of sexual brokenness and into a life of freedom and impact. Matt has seen countless lives radically changed around the world.Today he talks about his healing process, how God restored his beliefs about sex
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
The God-given purpose of our sex drive - and why that matters
How do you define the actual difference between “sex” and “making love”?
Lies porn teaches us about sex and how to replace them with truth
Specific ways the mind changes after porn recovery
The process of turning temptation into an opportunity for worship
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Find all of Matt’s resources at www.restoredministries.ca
Restored Ministries is on Instagram @restoredsexuality, Facebook @ Restored Ministries, and the Pure Victory Podcast.
You don’t have to settle for a struggling marriage. The 90 Days to Save Your Marriage plan starts right where your marriage is today and helps get it on the road to healing.
Click HERE to preorder Dr. Kim’s new book, Love, Intimacy and Sex in the Second Half!
Can your marriage be happy, even after…? Our guest today said that, “About 70% of men in the church are struggling cyclically or addictively with pornography, and about 30% of women. It’s time to stop giving the enemy the power of our silence.” We completely agree! While this story is not easy to tell, letting light into our darkest places is how we will experience the healing God wants for us.
We are so thankful that Dannah shared her story with us this week. We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
The antidote to “I don’t even know what to do” about this
Does a porn addiction always escalate? And why?
Some of the science behind why this addiction is so hard to kick
The impact of betrayal trauma on a spouse
RESOURCES
If porn use has damaged your marriage, you may struggle to feel close and to re-engage in sexual intimacy. You know that healing is possible, but how do you get there?
Today Dr. Kim shares ways that couples can overcome the hurt caused by porn and re-establish the intimacy that will make the marriage thrive again. Time and again, we have seen couples restored, and their marriage even better than before. Tune in today and learn how this can be true for your marriage too.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
Overcoming intrusive thoughts and insecurities
How porn and comparison are similar
Why the marriage can be better than before after healing from this
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Do you love the Bible app as much as we do? Do not miss Dr. Kim’s Verse of the Day on YouVersion Friday!
Keep your marriage thriving for the long haul! Order Dr. Kim’s new book, Love, Intimacy and Sex in the Second Half!
Has the Awesome Marriage podcast helped your marriage? If so, will you take a moment to leave us a rating and review? They take just a moment to leave, but they do make an difference in getting the show in front of more people.
In Spotify, click the “star” icon right under the show’s heading
On Apple Podcasts, scroll down to the “Ratings & Reviews” section of the show page
Don’t settle for a struggling marriage. The 90 Days to Save Your Marriage plan is affordable, practical, and starts right where your marriage is today to get it on the road to healing.
We know this topic is a painful one for all too many marriages, and we also know that God can bring full healing if your marriage has been damaged by porn. Today Dr. Kim shares how he’s seen porn impact marriages over the years, why it’s always a problem if it’s part of a marriage, and how to start breaking free.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
Why porn use is never a one-person issue
Why keeping porn use secret makes it harder to stop using
Addressing common cultural myths about porn such as, “everyone does it” and “it doesn’t hurt anyone”
Steps to breaking free if you are using porn
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
If you are ready to be free from porn, our friends at Restored Ministries offer several options to help both. Please do not hesitate to reach out.
If your marriage has been affected by infidelity, our online Affair Recovery Course can help. This course is helpful whether you’re just starting the recovery process, or are already in process. Use code: “AWESOMEMARRIAGE” for %10 off.
Great things are happening on the Awesome Marriage Podcast this summer! In this quick update Dr. Kim and I pop in to talk about what you can expect and what you'll be hearing over the next few weeks. Plus an exciting announcement from Dr. Kim!
We pray these episodes are helpful to you and your marriage.
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Learn to make your marriage strong for the long haul -- Order Dr. Kim’s new book, Love, Intimacy and Sex in the Second Half.
If you need anything from us, don’t hesitate to reach out at info@awesomemarriage.com
This week we conclude our powerful Unpacking the Baggage series with some details on the process of unpacking marriage baggage, and dealing with what’s underneath. I’m so thankful for Dr. Kim’s biblical wisdom on this topic, as well as the excellent guests we heard from this month. If you missed the previous episodes of this series, make sure to go back and listen for some powerful wisdom on how to heal your heart and your marriage.
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Episode highlights include:
Some of the physical signals that can help us prevent overreactions
Slowing down the process to identify relationship triggers
How to begin healing from relationship triggers and figure out what’s underneath
What to do if you don’t know what’s underneath
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
The L.O.V.E. Your Way Through Marriage Course, by Chris and Jamie Bailey, is a journey of connecting and learning all the necessary steps to start having healthy conflict. Use promo code AWESOMEMARRIAGE for 10% off!
When we carry parts of our past with us, they still affect us today. You may know there is something going on, but not know what it is. You may sense your spouse has something they are carrying or you might be affected by unresolved conflict in your shared past. Today Dr. Kim shares how these things shape our marriage relationships and what we can do about them.
Episode highlights include:
Ever been picked last at recess? Yeah, us too. But do things like that matter in our marriages?
Why aren’t we dealing with this stuff already?
What happens if we don’t deal with our past hurt
Is it okay to talk about our spouse’s baggage if they don’t bring it up?
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
Subscribe to Podcast Email to make sure you never miss an episode. When you sign up, you will get our 4 Week Connection Challenge for free! Plus you will get noteworthy quotes, resources, and more delivered straight to your inbox.
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
This is the FB Live video with Chris and Jamie Bailey that we referred to dealing with Emotional Rationalization
Here's what's coming up in the next several weeks on the Awesome Marriage Podcast! I'll share which guests will be appearing on the podcast and a snippet of what they'll talk about. This series is full of warmth and wisdom, so make sure to tune into each episode!
Today on the podcast, we’re sharing real stories of marriage boundaries that couples used to help their marriage grow healthier. Dr. Kim and I each share some of our own experiences, and we will hear from 4 members of the Awesome Marriage team about boundaries that helped their marriage.
Episode highlights include:
The money mindset that set Dr. Kim and Nancy up for success together
A simple way to transition from your work-from-home to family time
Lindsay and Christina share practical boundaries for couples in ministry
Dr. Kim and Lindsay have opposite takes on one thing their spouses do
We pray this episode is helpful to you and your marriage.
*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here!
RESOURCES
Learn all about how to set healthy boundaries for your marriage with our Building Better Boundaries For Your Marriage online course.
Our new Boundaries Guide helps you decide where and how to start applying this content to your marriage.
The 7 Most Popular Resource Bundle launches today! It’s available for 2 weeks only, so don’t miss the chance to get 7 of our most-loved resources for just one donation. https://awesomemarriage.com/2023-april-bundle