In this deeply personal episode of Spouseology, Santi DeOleo and Susie Castillo explore how childhood experiences, family dynamics, and parental relationships shape the partners we choose and the marriages we build.

Both Santi and Susie open up about growing up in Latino households, witnessing infidelity, conflict, and unhealthy relationship patterns, and how those experiences influenced their views on love, communication, trust, and commitment.

They discuss:

• How your parents’ relationship becomes your first model for love
• The impact of childhood trauma on adult relationships
• Growing up with difficult family dynamics
• Breaking generational cycles and unhealthy patterns
• Why communication is essential in marriage
• People-pleasing, perfectionism, and emotional baggage
• The role therapy can play in healing childhood wounds
• Choosing a partner who reflects your values, not your past

This episode is an honest conversation about healing, self-awareness, marriage, family relationships, and creating a healthier future for ourselves and our children.

Whether you’re married, dating, or working through your own family history, this discussion offers valuable insight into how the past shapes our present relationships.

Subscribe for more real conversations about marriage, relationships, family, communication, intimacy, parenting, and personal growth.

#Marriage #Relationships #ChildhoodTrauma #FamilyDynamics #Communication #MentalHealth #Parenting #Spouseology #SusieCastillo #SantiDeOleo

Can talking openly about intimacy actually strengthen your marriage?

In this episode of Spouseology, Santi DeOleo and Susie Castillo dive into one of the most important but often avoided topics in relationships: communication about sex, intimacy, and emotional connection.

Inspired by a conversation with actor Caleb Emery, Santi and Susie discuss why so many couples struggle to talk honestly about what they want in their relationship, the fear of rejection that often gets in the way, and how vulnerability can create deeper connection.

They also explore:
• How to communicate your needs without feeling awkward
• Why understanding your spouse’s love language matters
• Ways to keep intimacy from becoming routine
• The role vulnerability plays in long-term relationships
• How couples can maintain attraction and emotional connection after years of marriage
• Why honest conversations lead to stronger relationships

Whether you’ve been married for 2 years or 20 years, this episode offers practical relationship advice, real-life experiences, and honest conversations designed to help couples build stronger marriages and deeper intimacy.

🎙️ Subscribe for more real conversations about marriage, relationships, family, communication, and love.

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#MarriageAdvice #Relationships #MarriagePodcast #LoveLanguages #IntimacyInMarriage #RelationshipAdvice #CommunicationInMarriage #Spouseology #CouplesPodcast #HealthyRelationships

Ever looked at your spouse and thought “I love you, but I really don’t like you right now”? No? Just us?

In this episode of Spouseology, Santi and Susie get into the stuff nobody puts in their wedding vows: laundry battles, micromanaging vacations, whose upbringing is to blame, and the very real feeling of coming in second place to literally everything else in your spouse’s life.

Santi finally admits his laundry situation is out of control. Susie confesses she might be a tiny bit of a control freak on vacation. And together they figure out why loving someone and liking someone are two very different things, and what to do when those two things stop showing up at the same time.

If you’ve ever been deeply in love with someone and also deeply annoyed by them on the same Tuesday, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• Why love and like are not the same thing

• How your childhood is quietly ruining your marriage

• Laundry, clutter, and the resentment nobody talks about

• Feeling like you’re coming in last place

• Communication mistakes every couple makes

• How to actually work through conflict without losing your mind

New episodes every week on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Can you really know you’ve found “The One” after just a few months?

In this episode of Spouseology, Santi DeOleo and Susie Castillo sit down with actor Caleb Emery (Summer of 84, Young Sheldon, Good Girls, NCIS: Origins, Grey’s Anatomy, American Vandal) to discuss one of the fastest relationship journeys we’ve ever heard.

Caleb met his wife Emily in September 2023, proposed just six months later, bought a house together, got married in February 2025, and welcomed their first child in March 2026.

Most people would call it moving too fast.

Caleb calls it knowing exactly what he wanted.

Together, we explore what makes a relationship work, how communication creates a strong marriage, and why so many couples struggle when they stop prioritizing each other.

Whether you’ve been married for 20 years, are newly engaged, or are still searching for your future spouse, this conversation is packed with practical relationship advice, honest stories, and powerful insights about love, commitment, communication, and building a life together.

🎙️ Follow Spouseology for new episodes every week as Santi DeOleo and Susie Castillo explore the realities of marriage, relationships, parenting, communication, intimacy, and everything in between.

#Marriage #Relationships #MarriageAdvice #RelationshipAdvice #CommunicationInMarriage #LoveLanguages #Parenting #Newlyweds #Podcast #Spouseology #CalebEmery #YoungSheldon #HealthyRelationships #MarriageCommunication

Can a career change save your marriage… or destroy it?

In this deeply honest episode of Spouseology, Santi DeOleo and Susie Castillo open up about the emotional reality of career transitions, burnout, fear, people-pleasing, anxiety, and how work stress can slowly impact your marriage and home life.

Santi shares the full story behind leaving a 20+ year career in radio at JAM’N 94.5, the fear that kept him stuck for years, and how finally walking away changed his mental health, marriage, confidence, and life. Susie also opens up about navigating career uncertainty with her husband Matt, supporting your partner through major life decisions, and the importance of speaking up instead of suffering in silence.

This episode dives into:

• Career changes and marriage
• Fear of leaving a stable job
• Burnout and anxiety from work
• How jobs affect relationships and family life
• Supporting your spouse through career transitions
• People-pleasing in the workplace
• Mental health, therapy, and self-worth
• Balancing ambition, marriage, and happiness
• Why communication matters during stressful seasons
• The emotional toll of staying in the wrong career too long

Santi and Susie also discuss:

• Radio industry burnout
• Entertainment careers and instability
• Work-life balance in marriage
• Tough love between spouses
• Supporting your partner’s dreams
• How fear can quietly control your life
• The importance of speaking up at work and at home

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a career, afraid to make a leap, overwhelmed by work stress, or worried about how career changes could affect your marriage or relationship, this episode is for you.

🎙️ Follow Spouseology for real conversations about marriage, relationships, communication, career pressure, intimacy, family life, personal growth, and modern partnerships.

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#MarriagePodcast #CareerChange #Relationships #WorkLifeBalance #MarriageAdvice #MentalHealth #Burnout #CareerBurnout #RelationshipPodcast #Spouseology #Anxiety #Therapy #MarriageAndCareer #PersonalGrowth #Communication #Podcast

Is scheduling sex the secret to keeping intimacy alive in a long-term marriage? In this raw, funny, and surprisingly honest episode of Spouseology, Santi DeOleo and Susie Castillo dive deep into the realities of sex, intimacy, communication, hormones, attraction, and marriage after 40.

From “scheduled sex” and Viagra conversations to hormone changes, flirting in marriage, emotional connection, body changes, and keeping passion alive after decades together, this episode pulls back the curtain on topics most couples think about but rarely say out loud.

Santi opens up about how planning intimacy has actually improved his marriage and sex life, while Susie shares what midlife hormonal changes and communication with her husband have taught her about relationships, vulnerability, and staying connected. Together, they discuss how long-term couples can maintain attraction, flirt with each other again, communicate openly about needs, and avoid becoming “just roommates.”

This episode also explores:

• Why scheduling intimacy can reduce pressure in marriage
• Midlife sex and changing hormones
• Viagra, libido, and sexual confidence after 40
• The importance of communication in long-term relationships
• How flirting keeps attraction alive
• Marriage, intimacy, and emotional connection
• Menopause, vaginal dryness, and hormone conversations
• The reality of balancing sex, kids, careers, and exhaustion
• How couples can rediscover passion after years together
• Why honesty and vulnerability strengthen relationships

If you’re married, in a long-term relationship, navigating your 40s or 50s, or simply trying to keep the spark alive, this conversation is honest, relatable, hilarious, and full of insight.

🎙️ Follow Spouseology for real conversations about marriage, relationships, intimacy, communication, love, sex, parenting, personal growth, and modern partnerships.

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#MarriagePodcast #Relationships #MidlifeSex #MarriageAdvice #DatingAfterMarriage #Intimacy #LongTermRelationships #SexAfter40 #CommunicationInMarriage #Podcast #Spouseology #MarriedLife #LoveAndRelationships #SexLife #RelationshipAdvice #Hormones #Viagra #MarriageCommunication

In this episode of Spouseology, Santi DeOleo and Susie Castillo dive into one of the most misunderstood topics in relationships and marriage: jealousy.

Is a little jealousy actually healthy in a relationship? Can it be a sign that you still care deeply about your partner? Or does jealousy eventually become toxic?

Santi and Susie unpack real-life relationship stories, marriage insecurities, flirting boundaries, trust, communication, and the difference between healthy jealousy and controlling behavior.

From Derek Jeter asking Susie out during her Miss USA days to awkward moments involving flirting, actors kissing on set, jealousy over exes, social media DMs, strip clubs, and emotional boundaries in marriage, this conversation goes everywhere.

This episode is honest, funny, uncomfortable at times, and incredibly relatable for couples navigating long-term relationships, trust, attraction, and communication.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Healthy vs toxic jealousy in marriage
• Relationship insecurities and trust
• Flirting while married
• Boundaries in long-term relationships
• Celebrity attention and jealousy
• Actors kissing on set while married
• Emotional intimacy and communication
• Why jealousy can sometimes be a sign of love
• Relationship red flags
• Marriage advice for couples
• Social media, DMs, and trust issues
• How to maintain trust after 20+ years together

Whether you’re newly dating, engaged, married for decades, or just trying to better understand relationships, this episode will definitely spark conversation.

Subscribe to Spouseology for real, unfiltered conversations about marriage, relationships, communication, intimacy, parenting, trust, and modern love.

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#Marriage #Relationships #Jealousy #RelationshipAdvice #MarriagePodcast #CouplesPodcast #TrustInRelationships #Flirting #ModernMarriage #Spouseology

Should married couples have separate bank accounts, or should everything be shared?

Listen now, follow Spouseology, and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

In this episode of Spouseology, Santi DeOleo and Susie Castillo get real about one of the biggest pressure points in marriage: money.

From joint bank accounts and financial transparency to secret credit cards, prenups, credit scores, and who handles the bills, this conversation breaks down why money can either strengthen a marriage or quietly create distance.

Santi shares why he believes separate bank accounts can create a divide in marriage, while Susie opens up about how she and Matt built their financial life together from the beginning. They also talk about income imbalance, career changes, financial trust, wills, planning for the unexpected, and why uncomfortable conversations are necessary before and during marriage.

This episode also touches on travel with kids, Susie’s Miss USA legacy moment, and the weekly highs and lows of married life, including support, laundry, dishwasher drama, and learning to show up better for your partner.

Whether you’re married, engaged, or building something serious, this is a conversation worth having.

Do kids make a marriage stronger, harder, or just completely different?In this episode of Spouseology, Santi and Susie have an honest conversation about marriage, kids, parenting, fertility, and choosing a child-free life.Santi opens up about life with four kids, including the unexpected surprise of having a fourth child, raising twins, the pressure kids can put on a marriage, and why he believes having children does not automatically make a relationship better.Susie shares her and Matt’s decision to live child-free, the pressure couples can feel from society, and her deeply personal experience with endometriosis, fertility struggles, IVF conversations, and multiple miscarriages.This episode is not about judging anyone’s path. It’s about being honest about the different ways marriage can look.Some couples build a life with kids.Some couples build a life without kids.Both can be full, meaningful, loving, and right.In this episode, we talk about: • How having kids changes a marriage • Why children do not automatically fix or improve a relationship • Marriage with kids vs. marriage without kids • The importance of being aligned before having children • Parenting stress, freedom, finances, and identity • Fertility struggles, miscarriage, and the emotional toll of trying to conceive • Why couples need to keep dating each other after kids • The pressure society puts on people to become parents • How every marriage has its own version of “what works”Santi also shares one of his biggest pieces of marriage advice for parents: your relationship with your spouse still has to matter, even after kids.This is a real conversation about parenthood, child-free marriage, communication, resentment, love, and the choices couples make behind closed doors.Whether you have kids, want kids, are unsure about kids, are struggling with fertility, or have chosen not to become parents, this episode is for you.

What is marriage really like after 10, 15, 20+ years? In this episode of Spouseology, we break down the truth about marriage, communication, and what actually keeps relationships together.What is marriage really like behind the scenes?In this first episode of Spouseology, we get into the real side of marriage. Not the polished version. The honest one.From our college days at Endicott to two completely different life paths, we break down what long-term relationships actually look like. The highs, the struggles, the moments where things almost fell apart, and what kept us together.Susie opens up about how winning Miss USA changed her life overnight and what that did to her relationship.Santi shares what nearly 21 years of marriage has really looked like, including the seasons where divorce was on the table.This isn’t a perfect marriage story.It’s a real one.In this episode, we talk about: • How different life paths shape a relationship • The pressure of fame, distance, and everyday life • Marriage with kids vs. without kids • Why communication is the foundation of any relationship • What actually keeps a marriage together long-termNo fluff. No pretending. Just real conversations about marriage, relationships, and what it takes to make it work.If you’ve ever struggled in a relationship, questioned your marriage, or just want honest relationship advice… this episode is for you.