When a loved one hurts, it can be hard to know how to respond and support them through the crisis or pain they feel.

Our first response is often to jump straight into “fix it” mode or lighten the mood by offering platitudes. However, the key to true comfort lies in a few key areas that Mark and I are going to talk about in this conversation. In our story, we’ve had quite the journey of learning how to best support one another—whether we are experiencing physical pain, emotional hurt, or just a difficult season of life.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Some examples of crises and pain a loved one may be experiencing
• The importance of sitting in the pain with someone else
• A few ways to practically support someone going through a crisis
• And more!

Through my cancer journey and our marriage crisis, we received so much help and comfort from our friends, our family, and each other. We hope you will feel more equipped to offer support to a loved one after listening to this candid conversation.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/hurting-loved-one-245

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

If you know my husband Mark and I, then you know we are passionate about moving people from a 1.0 version of themselves to a new-and-improved 2.0 version. We’ve taken this journey ourselves and know the difference it can make in your relationships, as well as how you view yourself.

We want you to know that whether you are navigating a life transition, experiencing a relationship crisis, trying to rediscover your purpose, or looking for direction on how to move forward, you are always just one choice away from making a change.

Today, we have two incredible guests joining us to explore this topic. Justin and Trish Davis are pastors, speakers, coaches, and the founders of Refine Us Ministries. Through their powerful story of failure, loss, and transformation, they help others find renewed hope and purpose. Justin and Trish have co-authored and individually authored several books, the latest being One Choice Away from Change: Break the Cycles That Hurt Your Relationships and Hold You Back.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How God restored their relationship after an affair
• Common barriers that hold us back in life
• Practical steps to take when you feel stuck
• And more!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/justin-trish-davis-244

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

Everyone has baggage. We carry it around with us everywhere–into marriage, adulthood, and every aspect of our lives. It’s part of being human, and while there’s no shame in having baggage, it’s important to take the time to consider how the behaviors we’ve picked up over the years could be potentially harmful to ourselves and others.

The question we are addressing in today’s conversation is: how do we pinpoint our baggage and begin to heal those areas of our lives? We define “baggage” as places where we need to pursue personal growth, instances of trauma or hurt from the past that remain unhealed, and learned behaviors, habits, and thinking patterns from our childhood that no longer serve us. 

Whether you are married, dating, or single, doing the individual work to unpack your baggage is an investment you will never regret making. You may also want to consider working with a coach, counselor, or therapist to assist you in your journey.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The importance of discovering your baggage
• How to look back at the past to uncover unhealthy coping mechanisms
• Why we should pay attention to relational feedback
• And more!

Dealing with our own baggage has been transformative in our marriage, and it played a crucial role in our individual journeys to become Jill 2.0 and Mark 2.0. We hope this conversation can be a stepping stone for others to dig deeper into their own habits and behaviors.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/uncover-baggage-243

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

What does your morning routine look like? A typical morning may look like rolling out of bed, getting ready, and grabbing breakfast to feed your body before you tackle the day. But how often do you prioritize feeding your soul as well as your physical body?

My guest for this conversation discovered that there is no better way to start her day than by sitting with Jesus. Tera Elness is a writer and a speaker. In her first book, Sitting with Jesus: A Yearlong Faith Journey, each individual entry is a glimpse into her personal journal as she shares with God and about God.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The importance of opening God’s Word
• What your time with God could look like
• How Tera uses 80s music to deliver a biblical message
• And more!

If you long to have vibrant, personal, and fulfilling moments connecting with our Heavenly Father, you won’t want to miss this conversation with my friend Tera.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/tera-elness-242

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

Have you ever had a conversation where it seemed like you and the other person kept misunderstanding one another? At some point, it may have even felt like you were speaking two different languages. This is a challenge that pops up in many marriages—after all, there’s a reason why people say men and women could be from different planets!

Teaching others how to have safe conversations is a passion of ours, as this skill has played a big role in taking our marriage to the next level. You may have heard us teach about this topic if you’ve done coaching with us or attended one of our No More Perfect Marriages Seminars. Today, we’re honored to speak with two professionals whose work has significantly shaped the way couples everywhere approach healthy dialogue.

Harville Hendrix, Ph.D, and Helen Hunt, Ph.D., are the creators of Safe Conversations®, a training institute focused on relational intervention. They are the co-authors of three New York Times bestsellers, including Getting the Love You Want, which has sold over four million copies. Married for over 40 years, they have six children and seven grandchildren, and they split their time between Dallas and New York City.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why it’s important to listen more than we speak
• The elements of a safe conversation
• Two things you can try during your next “negative” conversation
• And more!

We are thrilled to have gotten the opportunity to sit down with the two people who laid the groundwork for our understanding of safe conversations!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/hendrix-hunt-241

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

Dear Mark & Jill,

I listen to your podcast every week and I love it. It seems like when you are talking together, we hear a lot more about what Mark did wrong before and during your marriage crisis. I identify more with Jill’s personality before your marriage crisis. I would love to hear more about “Jill 1.0” when you are discussing problems in your marriage. What were some of the things you (Jill) did during that time that you felt did not help the situation, and how did you correct them to become Jill 2.0?

This was an email we got from a listener—and it sparked an hour-long conversation between Mark and I! It was such a good question that we decided to answer their email in this episode of the podcast.

We often talk openly about our marriage crisis, Mark’s infidelity, and how I contributed to the dysfunction in our marriage before we became what we affectionately refer to as Mark & Jill 2.0.

For this conversation, we want to examine Jill 1.0 more closely—not to blame her for what happened, but to honestly consider the role she played in our marriage crisis.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The 6 dysfunctions Jill brought into our marriage
• What the “strong woman, silent man cycle” looks like
• The characteristics of an “avoider”
• And more!

It was enlightening for Mark and I to examine some of my behaviors during the first half of our marriage and how they impacted our relationship. I hope this can be a helpful resource for you, especially if you relate to or have a similar personality to mine.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/old-version-jill-240

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

As a coach, one of the things I do most often is help people learn how to manage their emotions in a healthy way. The human capacity to feel is God-given. However, when our feelings go unchecked, that’s when emotional ups and downs can start to steal our peace, sabotage our relationships, and fill our minds with self-defeating thoughts.

So how can we manage our emotions instead of letting them manage us? Alicia Michelle is here to show us the way. Alicia is a coach, author, speaker, course creator, and podcast host. She blends science and faith together to provide us with a helpful process for working through difficult feelings with compassion and clarity.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The three-step process to managing emotions
• Why it’s important to ground our feelings in God’s clarity
• How we get to decide where we camp out in our feelings
• And more!

My hope is that the strategies in this conversation will help you develop a healthier, more positive relationship with your feelings.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/alicia-michelle-239

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

Mark and I are excited to bring you another special episode with just the two of us! In this conversation, we are talking about confirmation bias. It’s something we have experienced in our own relationship and we see it time and time again in the couples we coach.

Confirmation bias occurs when we look for evidence that “proves” what we have already decided to believe about ourselves or others. It’s a dangerous thing, because our assumptions are often incorrect. When we put on the blinders to any information that contradicts what we want to believe, we make it almost impossible to let go of flawed ideas.

Confirmation bias not only affects our marriages—it can also impact our friendships, family relationships, what we believe about God, and what we think about ourselves. It’s so important to identify the relationships in which we are experiencing confirmation bias and take steps to root our thoughts in reality rather than assumptions.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• How confirmation bias harms relationships
• What steps we need to take to change our perspective
• Why it’s important to take our thoughts captive
• And more!

We’ve experienced the damage confirmation bias can cause firsthand, and we hope this conversation helps you identify it in your own thoughts and beliefs. The first step to letting go of this bias is being aware it exists and observing how it manifests in you.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/confirmation-bias-238

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

As Christian parents, we do our very best to help our kids develop deep and lasting relationships with Jesus. However, despite our efforts, they will sometimes still choose to walk away from their faith. If you’re navigating this struggle with your own child, I want you to know that you are not alone and that this episode is for you.

Many parents are experiencing the pain of watching their children live life without Christ. Whether your son or daughter has been drawn away by the allure of a secular lifestyle, fallen into the wrong crowd, or simply turned away from the faith they claimed as a child, it can be difficult to know the best way to help them.

My latest guest understands this dilemma well. Laine Lawson Craft is a parenting expert, author, speaker, and host of the Warfare Parenting Podcast. She believes that the best place for parents to fight the battle for their wayward children is on their knees.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why prayer is not a last resort
• How to place your child in the Lord’s hands
• The importance of tending to your own heart
• And more!

Whether your children are still at home or out on their own, it's never too early to start covering them in prayer!

Show Notes: jillsavage.org/laine-lawson-craft-237

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

The topic of this episode was inspired by a question submitted by one of our listeners:

What does it take to heal a family after trust has been broken? How do you acknowledge the wider influence of pain, and where do you go from there?

As marriage coaches, we often talk about healing your relationship with your spouse. However, after a betrayal, your husband or wife isn’t the only person you need to consider. It’s also important to make amends with family and friends who’ve been affected by your actions.

Trust can be broken by infidelity, separation, or divorce—but also by false promises, financial misuse, uncontrolled anger, and more. Regardless of how it happened, the first step to rebuilding is recognizing how your choices impact not just your marriage, but those around you. After that, healing what has been damaged takes time, effort, and intentionality.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Why infidelity is just one of many ways that trust can be broken
• How to recognize which relationships in your life need repairing after a betrayal
• Helpful principles for rebuilding trust
• And much more!

We’ve walked the hard road of healing from broken trust as a family, and we hope this conversation is helpful as you navigate this challenging—but essential—journey.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/broken-trust-236

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...