Whether you’re single, dating, or engaged, your wedding day will be a beautiful experience. However, planning it is very consuming. As a result, it’s easy to prepare more for the wedding day than for a lifetime of marriage. 

Marriage preparation is meant to refocus you and prepare you not only for your wedding day, but for your marriage. In this episode, we discuss marriage prep and:

• The main cause of dysfunction and divorce, according to my guests
• What can be done to better help people from broken families to build great marriages
• A sneaky thing that can sabotage anyone’s marriage
• An assessment to help you understand the reality of your relationship heading toward marriage
• Advice and encouragement for leaders of marriage prep

If you hope to be married one day or you lead marriage prep, this episode is for you. 

Get the Marriage Guide and Talk

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Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!

If you or someone you know has struggled with an eating disorder, you know how painful that experience can be. It’s often an overlooked struggle that really deserves more attention and resources. But thankfully, some resources do exist to heal an eating disorder. 

Today, a psychologist who specializes in treating eating disorders joins us. We discuss:

• The types, symptoms, and root causes of eating disorders
• Surprising statistics on the prevalence of eating disorders and how they can be lethal
• How genetics play a role in developing an eating disorder and why you can’t simply think your way out of it
• What a healthy relationship with food looks like
• Resources and advice you can use today to begin overcoming this struggle

If you struggle with an eating disorder or know someone who does, don’t miss this episode.

Buy Dr. Julia’s Books

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Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!

Growing up too fast is a common experience for children of divorce. You’re often called upon to take on responsibilities that should never be yours. As a result, you may become a serious, mature person — even if you’re still a kid.

That’s what happened to our guest today, which he explains in this episode. In addition, we discuss:

• A surprising thing that helped him heal and begin to break the cycle of dysfunction and divorce in his own life
• How his parents are also children of divorce, which naturally played a role in how they repeat that cycle in their own marriage
• What marriage is meant to be and why a false idea of freedom greatly hinders your ability to build lasting love

Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!

After his parents’ divorced, Joey feared repeating the same mistakes in his own marriage. He wanted to know, “How do I not repeat my parents’ mistakes?” He wanted authentic love but had no idea how to build it. It set him on a quest for answers and a roadmap for love. 

In this episode, you’ll hear a talk which offers a roadmap based on research, time tested couples, and the wisdom of Christianity. You’ll also learn:

• 4 signs that your relationship or marriage is headed off a cliff, according to researchers
• The biggest area of conflict in marriage and what to do about it
• Practical tips to make conflict healthy
• The one thing that makes conflict less scary and more manageable
• A resource for handling conflict better

If you want a build a healthy relationship and great marriage, this episode is for you.

Listen to the whole talk: 7 Tips to Build a Thriving & Divorce-Proof Marriage

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Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!

After his parents’ divorced, Joey feared repeating the same mistakes in his own marriage. He wanted to know, “How do I not repeat my parents’ mistakes?” He wanted authentic love but had no idea how to build it. It set him on a quest for answers and a roadmap for love. 

In this episode, you’ll hear a talk that offers a roadmap for love based on research, time-tested couples, and the wisdom of Christianity. You’ll also learn:

• An ingredient that research shows is essential to build a healthy relationship and great marriage
• Answers to the questions:
  • Can love actually last?
  • When feelings fade in your relationship, does that mean the end is near?
  • Is love worth the risk and possible hurt?
• A challenge to build love that lasts

If you want a build a healthy relationship and great marriage, this episode is for you.

Listen to the whole talk: 7 Tips to Build a Thriving & Divorce-Proof Marriage

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Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!

If you’re from a broken family, did your parents’ separation or divorce drag out for years? That was the story of our guest today. 

In this episode, you’ll hear what happened in his family and how it affected him. We also discuss:

• How he learned from an early age that his needs weren’t going to be met, so he had to figure out things for himself
• How our parents seem to have grown during the separation and divorce, but as their kids, we can’t help but ask the question: Why couldn’t you grow together?
• An underrated healing tactic that will help you heal, grow, set better boundaries, have healthier relationships, and feel at peace
• An important skill you have to learn if you want to heal, grow, and feel whole again

Buy Joey’s book: It’s Not Your Fault: A Practical Guide to Navigating the Pain & Problems from Your Parents’ Divorce (affiliate link)

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Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!

If you’re from a broken family, becoming independent and breaking the cycle can be extremely attractive. It certainly was for my guests, a married couple where both spouses from a broken family.

They share what happened in their families, how it’s affected them, their marriage, and even their kids. We also discuss:

• Why one of their mentors encouraged them to begin counseling as a dating couple
• The questions their kids have about their divorced grandparents
• How our parents often compete for our loyalty
• Why beating a victim mentality is so freeing
• One thing that helped them deal with the dysfunction in their families

If you come from a broken family and you’re headed toward marriage, this episode is for you.

Tell us how Restored has helped you

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Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!

When you’re 7 years old and your parents divorce out of the blue, it causes confusion and lots of questions. Unfortunately, the struggles for my guest didn’t stop there. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• How her parents divorce has impacted her, even years later
• What to do when your divorced parents become ill and near the end of their lives, especially if you have a tense relationship with them
• An organization that exists to help families in crisis

Get help from the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation

Buy Joey’s book: It’s Not Your Fault: A Practical Guide to Navigating the Pain & Problems from Your Parents’ Divorce (affiliate link)

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Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!

If you’re from a broken family, you’ve likely experienced extra barriers in your relationship with God. In fact, you might not even believe in God because of what happened in your family. Wherever you’re at, we’re glad you’re here.

In this episode, you’ll hear how spiritual direction is a tool you can use to overcome those barriers, heal from the trauma you’ve endured, and become spiritually strong. We also discuss:

• Feeling guilty for wanting your parents to get divorced
• Specific challenges when relating to God, such as rejecting God as a way to protect yourself and the question “God, is this how you really treat people who love you?
• Temptation to suicide
• Personal fears, such as “Am I going to be like my abusive dad? Will my marriage end up like my parents’ marriage?
• How deepening your relationship with God helps you heal and feel whole again

If you’ve struggled in your relationship with God and felt far from him, this conversation is for you. 

Join the coaching waitlist for a counselor or spiritual director

Check out Franciscan University’s School of Spiritual Direction

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Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!

One night, Maggie’s mother left her family without any explanation. Naturally, Maggie felt extremely abandoned. Following that night and her parents’ divorce, she hated her mom. All the pain led her to cope by using drugs, drinking, and sex.

Thankfully, her story transformed. In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How all that trauma led her to attempt killing herself
• How she opened up to her mom and dad about the way their broken marriage and divorce affected her
• Why she feared marriage, but after overcoming that fear, she now has a beautiful marriage and four awesome kids

Book a Restored speaking engagement

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Share your story

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Question for Joey or our guests? Text us. We'll answer on the show as soon as we're able. You can be anonymous if you'd like!