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 October 24-26, 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 October 24-26, 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 October 24-26, 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 October 24-26, 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 October 24-26, 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...

One of the things we say time and time again is that the “perfection infection” happens when we compare our insides to other people’s outsides. When we do this, we often come up with inaccurate conclusions about ourselves AND others.

Falling into the trap of the perfection infection is especially easy when you’re on social media. Not only are your favorite influencers putting the best parts of their lives on public display, but all your friends and family are often doing the same. It’s natural to want to highlight happy moments, but constantly scrolling through everyone’s best bits can sometimes make you feel like you’re not measuring up.

This is one of the reasons why we share so honestly and openly about the real stuff in our lives…even when that stuff is ugly, hard, or imperfect.

Our guests today can certainly relate to this sentiment. Rebecca St. James and her husband, Cubbie Fink, illuminate the heartaches and triumphs that have shaped their story as a married couple, as parents, as musicians, and—most of all—as Jesus followers in their first co-authored book, Lasting Ever.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How authenticity shows both the highs and the lows of life
• Where to find security in who we are
• What to do when you are going through a dark season
• And so much more…

We so enjoyed having Rebecca and Cubbie share their story and we hope it helps to take some of the perfection infection’s weight off your shoulders today.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/rebecca-st-james-235

You're invited to our Transform Weekend October 24-26, 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...

What is a “Midlife Marriage”? It’s the season of life that begins after the whirlwind of kids’ soccer practices, dance recitals, and endless extracurriculars comes to an end—when the nest is empty, and it’s just you and your spouse, rediscovering life together.

As parents, it’s natural to focus all your energy on raising your children, and while this journey is so rewarding, it can take a lot out of you. What we have discovered in our coaching and in our own marriage is that, when all of your kids have ventured out on their own, many couples lose the original connection that brought them together. It’s almost as if they have become strangers in the empty nester season of life.

While maneuvering this midlife marriage stage may sound daunting and you might be wondering if you can ever rekindle your love again, we are here to say that there is life and love after kids!

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• How to build patterns into your marriage that nurture connection
• Ways you can start reigniting the flame
• A template for starting the “midlife marriage” conversation with your spouse
• And much more!

We hope this conversation is helpful to you, whether you’re still in your parenting phase or quickly approaching your midlife marriage!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/midlife-marriages-234

You're invited to our Transform Weekend October 24-26, 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...

After 20 years of youth ministry, my son-in-law recently completed a much-needed, four-month sabbatical. It’s encouraging to see that, more and more, both employees and their employers are valuing the soul-satisfying, replenishing healing that comes with taking a break from your normal routine.

God invites us to a weekly Sabbath, a one-day rest. My guest today agrees that Sabbath is important—and she says that soup is one simple way that busy women can make a weekly sabbatical a practical possibility.

Kathi Lipp is the Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author of over 20 books, including Sabbath Soup, Clutter Free, and The Accidental Homesteader. She is also a national speaker and podcast host. Kathi and her husband, Roger, ran away to the mountains of northern California, where they grow their own food together and turn it into delicious meals!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The practical benefits of a Sabbath
• How God invites us to rest
• Why soup is the best meal for the Sabbath
• And so much more…

This episode is full of great tips for incorporating a weekly Sabbath into your routine!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/kathi-lipp-233

You're invited to our Transform Weekend October 24-26, 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...

What role does prayer play in your marriage? For us, prayer has been a profoundly positive force in our lives—both as individuals and as a couple. When it comes to strengthening your marriage, there are many tools and strategies to explore, but prayer is one you simply can’t overlook. It’s a powerful way to invite God into your relationship and deepen your connection with one another.

This is an extra special episode for us, because we have two new books on prayer coming out this week: 199 Prayers for My Wife and 199 Prayers for My Husband.

This is a passion project we’ve had in the works for a while, and we’re so thrilled to finally share it with you! These books are a daily guide for lifting your spouse in prayer, and they will be released on January 29th.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• A practical definition of prayer
• How God uses prayer to help both you and your spouse grow
• Why prayer can transform your marriage
• And much more!

We are covering all things prayer in this conversation and

You're invited to our Transform Weekend October 24-26, 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 felt out of sync with your spouse? Some days it can feel like you are on two different planets and you just can’t seem to get on the same page.

Our guests for this episode can relate! They are the authors of The Rhythm of Us and co-hosts of a podcast by the same name. Chris and Jenni Graebe understand the ups and downs of marriage and are passionate about helping married couples step into the plan and purpose God has for their lives.

As the name of their book and podcast suggests, we are discussing the rhythms of a healthy marriage and how to get back in sync with your spouse.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The five rhythms of marriage
• How small acts of service can have a big impact
• The importance of pursuing adventure
• And so much more...

The wisdom from other couples is so invaluable and our hope is that you would find nuggets of wisdom nestled in the rhythms of life!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/chris-jenni-graebe-231

You're invited to our Transform Weekend October 24-26, 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...