Beyond I Do

What if the secret to a strong marriage isn't avoiding the hard parts, but actually choosing which hard parts you're willing to live with?

In this episode, Byron and Margaret sit down with Jason and Christie McMullen, a couple who have been married 26 years and have personally mentored over 100 couples through their church in the Tampa Bay area. What started as a ministry has turned into a movement, and they're bringing it all to the Beyond I Do table.

They get into the gym analogy for marriage, why butterflies and bubbles aren't enough to sustain a relationship, and two communication tools that have genuinely changed how couples fight, "clear as kind" and "the story I'm telling myself." They also talk about the difference between men as waffles and women as spaghetti, why timing matters more than most couples realize, and the one rule they implemented in their marriage that eliminated a whole category of arguments.

This one is practical, honest, and a little bit funny. You'll want to listen with your spouse.

In this episode:

• Why love alone won't sustain your marriage
• The gym analogy that reframes commitment
• "Clear as kind" — how to ask for what you actually need
• Golf vs. tennis conversations — and why it matters which one you're having
• How to maintain intimacy when life is moving fast
• The 10 pm rule and why it works
• What "friends of your marriage" are and why you need them

Dr. Jackie Black has coached over a thousand couples, and she’s clear about one thing: emotional safety is the foundation of real connection. In this conversation, we get into how couples drift apart, how “fine” becomes normal, and why the smallest moments can quietly shut a partner down.

We also talk about the difference between therapy and coaching, how to tell the truth without blowing things up, and practical ways to rebuild your “we” without forcing a big date night.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Signs you and your partner may be drifting

• Why presence matters more than you think

• The 4 daily moments that keep couples connected

• Dr. Jackie’s win-win-win model (I win, you win, we win)

• Why she says compromise doesn’t belong in marriage—and what to do instead

Connect with Dr. Jackie Black:

• Website: drjackieblack.com

• Instagram: @DrJackieBlack

Jay and Renee Linsom are back. Last time, you heard their love story, the long-distance start, the doubts from others, the wheelchair, the faith, and the commitment.

This time? You hear the storm.

Jay spent much of the past year in and out of the hospital with serious health challenges. They spent their anniversary together in a hospital room.

Four years into marriage. And already tested.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Living out “in sickness and in health” earlier than expected

• Staying connected during hospital stays

• Protecting your marriage from outside voices

• Choosing commitment when it would be easier to quit

• Building a foundation that doesn’t crack under pressure

If you've ever wondered what divorce-proofing really looks like… this is it.

Make sure to check out Part 1!

Sex is one of the most talked-about topics online. And one of the least talked about at home.

In this episode, we sit down with Holly Eckelberger, founder of That Sex Educator and host of Meet Me at the Spot, for a real conversation about sex, intimacy, shame, and why so many adults are still confused about their own bodies.

We talk about:

• Why most adults never got real sex education

• How porn became the default teacher

• Why couples avoid talking to each other and ask the internet instead

• How gender roles, exhaustion, and resentment kill desire

• What healthy sexual communication actually looks like

• How parents can talk to kids without fear or shame

• Why reproductive justice is a relationship issue too

This episode is honest, funny, and uncomfortable in the best way.

If you’ve ever thought, “Why didn’t anyone teach us this?”This conversation is for you.

Sex is one of the most talked-about topics online. And one of the least talked about at home.

In this episode, we sit down with Holly Eckelberger, founder of That Sex Educator and host of Meet Me at the Spot, for a real conversation about sex, intimacy, shame, and why so many adults are still confused about their own bodies.

We talk about:

• Why most adults never got real sex education

• How porn became the default teacher

• Why couples avoid talking to each other and ask the internet instead

• How gender roles, exhaustion, and resentment kill desire

• What healthy sexual communication actually looks like

• How parents can talk to kids without fear or shame

• Why reproductive justice is a relationship issue too

This episode is honest, funny, and uncomfortable in the best way.

If you’ve ever thought, “Why didn’t anyone teach us this?” This conversation is for you.

You’re not arguing.

You’re not unhappy.

You’re just not connected.

That quiet drift? That’s complacency.

In this episode, we break down 11 signs of complacency in a marriage—the kind that sneaks in when life gets busy, and effort slows down.

We talk about:

Letting yourself go

Robotic “I love yous”

No date nights

Loss of intimacy

Shallow communication

Avoiding hard conversations

Not planning a future together

Then we flip it.

You’ll hear 11 practical ways to reconnect, rebuild intention, and stop guessing your way through marriage.

No fluff.

No perfection.

Just real talk, laughs, and tools that work.

You don't just need love to stay married. You need to like each other.

In this episode, we sit down with C. Natasha Richburg, author, storyteller, life coach, professor, and wife of 42+ years.

Natasha breaks down what actually keeps a marriage alive after the honeymoon fades.

You’ll hear:

• Why liking your spouse matters more than being right

• How values—not chemistry—hold a marriage together

• What couples get wrong about conflict and communication

• How grace, humor, and growth keep love sustainable

• Stories from a real 42-year marriage that still feels fun

This conversation is honest.

It’s funny.

It’s practical.

If you want a marriage that lasts and feels good, this one's for you.

Marriage takes effort. Not “work” that feels like misery.

In this episode, we sit down with Tyrone and Verlyn Talton, married 18 years (together 19), and the conversation feels like family from minute one.

You’ll hear:

• The mindset shift that changed everything: effort vs. work

• What “put your spouse first” looks like in a blended family

• The boundary lessons that come with being the youngest of 10… and an only child

• Verlyn’s take on service in marriage (and why feelings aren’t the whole point)

• A real gut-check on communication: listening in “3D” (deflection, denial, defense)

There are laughs.There are receipts.And there are practical takeaways you can use this week.

Connect with Verlyn: “Before You Do” Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/beforeyoudo.
If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a couple you care about.

A marriage can feel shaky long before anyone says the D-word.

In this episode, Byron and Margaret talk with Dr. Becky Whetstone, PhD, Marriage and Family Therapist, Life Coach, and "Marriage Crisis Manager” about what happens when one person thinks they want out, and what couples can do before panic and chaos take over.

Dr. Becky shares why the "marriage crisis" creates a chase-and-run dynamic, why people make bad decisions when their nervous systems stay on high alert, and how her Managed Separation (MS) approach provides structure, purpose, and timelines when a separation occurs.

You'll also hear her practical take on:

• “Checking in” and what it really signals in a relationship

• The 3 foundations Sue Johnson taught for secure attachment in marriage

• The “five stages of a dying marriage” and the early warning stage most couples ignore

• Why many divorces turn ugly even when both people say they want peace

• What she believes adults owe their kids if divorce happens

Dr. Becky's book: I (Think) I Want Out: What To Do When One Of You Wants To End Your Marriage 

Website: marriagecrisismanager.com

If you've ever thought, "I'm not sure we're going to make it," this conversation gives you language, steps, and a calmer way forward.

What if one person could change the dynamic of a whole relationship?

In this episode, we sit down with Lindsay Jean—Registered Nurse turned Relationship Coach—whose personal journey from breakup to breakthrough sparked a calling to help couples reconnect.

We talk about:

• Why the power struggle in relationships is inevitable

• How to make change even when your partner isn’t interested in doing “the work”

• What it means to wonder and look under in moments of conflict

• How recurring arguments can actually be signs of growth

• Real examples from Lindsay’s own love story that will give you hope

Whether you're in the roommate phase or deep in the trenches of conflict, Lindsay offers real-life tools that bring clarity, compassion, and connection.

Connect with Lindsay Jean:

Instagram: @loving.with.intention

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: Loving With Intention