What if the most painful part of your marriage isn't what your spouse is doing… but what you're making it mean?

In this episode of The FOCUS Podcast, we're diving into the O in the FOCUS Framework: Own Your Thoughts — and this may be the most powerful shift you can make in your relationship.

You'll learn why:

· Your spouse doesn't actually cause your feelings

· The meaning you assign to their behavior shapes your emotional experience

· January often brings "crisis clarity" — and why that clarity can either help or harm your marriage

· Long-held thoughts can start to feel like facts (even when they're not)

· Owning your thoughts gives you your power back

Through real-life examples and practical reframes, you'll see how the same behavior can create completely different outcomes — depending on the story you tell yourself.

This episode is especially for you if:

· You've been married a long time and feel distant

· January has made things feel louder or more final

· You're questioning whether your relationship can change

· You want clarity without panic or pressure

Owning your thoughts isn't about blame. It's about influence, agency, and choosing a better way forward.

🎧 Listen or watch now on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

🎥 Free Marriage Masterclass Learn how to stop the cycle of conflict and gain clarity about what's really happening in your marriage. 👉 https://taraleeeddington.com/

📞 Marriage Clarity Call A private conversation to help you slow down, get grounded, and determine the best next step forward. 👉 https://taraleeeddington.com/

🌿 Learn More About Working With Taralee Explore resources, coaching options, and support for your relationship journey. 👉 https://taraleeeddington.com/

If you've ever found yourself spiraling after a short text, a quiet dinner, or a simple sigh — this episode is for you.

In this week's episode of The FOCUS Podcast, we're breaking down one of the biggest hidden causes of conflict in relationships: the stories we tell ourselves.

Most of the pain in your marriage doesn't come from what your spouse actually did… It comes from what your brain made it mean.

You'll learn:

· The difference between facts and stories

· How your brain's Reticular Activating System (RAS) fuels emotional spirals

· Why January feels especially heavy for many marriages

· A simple sentence that can instantly stop reactive conflict

· How to respond with clarity instead of fear

This episode builds on last week's conversation about how what you focus on expands — and shows you how to take back control of your thoughts, your emotions, and your marriage.

If January has you questioning everything, this episode will help you slow down, get curious, and reconnect from a healthier place.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to stop reacting to stories — and start responding to facts.

You can find free resources to support YOUR marriage at TaraleeEddington.com or by visiting PeacefulHeartJourney.com TODAY!

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January has a reputation for being "Divorce Month" — but the real story isn't about statistics. It's about what couples are feeling when the holiday noise fades and the emotional weight finally sets in.

In this episode, Taralee breaks down why so many relationships feel like they're falling apart in January, what's actually happening beneath the surface, and why emotional clarity without a framework often leads to panic instead of progress.

You'll learn:

• Why December distractions hide deeper issues • How your nervous system drives your relationship decisions • The difference between a "broken" marriage and a "starving" one • Why advice alone can make things worse • How the FOCUS Framework helps couples slow down, regulate emotions, and rebuild connection

If you're lying awake questioning your marriage, feeling stuck, or afraid of making the wrong decision, this episode will give you a calmer, clearer way to look at what's really happening — without pressure or panic.

Your love may not be gone. It might just be dormant.

🎥 Watch the free 15-minute training mentioned in this episode: TaraleeEddington.com

Welcome to a brand new year (2026) and a brand new season of The FOCUS Podcast with Taralee—where "what you focus on expands." This episode is for you if 2025 didn't go the way you hoped… and you're ready to stop repeating the same patterns with a new calendar.

In today's kickoff, we're talking about why goals don't stick (hint: it's not motivation—it's your practiced patterns), and the simple framework I'll be using all season to help you create real, sustainable change.

Inside this episode:

• Why you "fall back" into old reactions under stress (and what to do instead)

• The Q1 podcast structure: Reset (January), Rebuild (February), Strengthen (March)

• The FOCUS Framework: Facts First → Own Your Thoughts → Choose Your Feelings → Understand Your Actions → Shape Your Results

• Why most marriage advice treats the "smoke," not the "fire"—and the needs that often sit underneath the conflict

• A quick "reset" exercise you can do today to choose a new direction for 2026

Ready for support beyond this episode?

• In-person workshop (Jan 15, 2026) — FIND MORE HERE

• Webinar option — if you want the invite when it's ready, join my email list or message me "WEBINAR."

• Free Clarity Call — we'll get clear on what's happening, what pattern is running things, and your next best step.

If this resonated, share it with a friend or leave a rating + review—it truly helps more people find the show.

This is the final episode of 2025 — and the Season 1 finale of The FOCUS Podcast with Taralee. In this episode, I'm wrapping up the patterns I saw again and again this year, sharing a simple end-of-year reset (no perfect journaling required), and giving you a Season 2 blueprint for 2026.

We're talking about the 3 things that actually create change in real relationships:

1. Clarity — separating facts from stories so you stop reacting to assumptions
2. Ownership — recognizing your influence without falling into self-blame
3. Repair — learning how to come back faster after disconnection

You'll also get a gentle 3-question reset you can do alone or with your partner as you head into the new year.

And at the end, I share what's coming in Q1 2026 (FOCUS Fundamentals in January + communication + rebuilding connection), plus how to let me know if you want the webinar version of my workshop.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How to catch the spiral: "The fact is ___ / the story I'm telling is ___"
• How to stop carrying the whole relationship alone (and why it breeds exhaustion)
• A simple repair approach + 3 short repair scripts you can use today
• The 3-question reset to close out 2025 with clarity
• What Season 2 will look like + what's coming in Q1

In this episode of The FOCUS Podcast with Taralee, I'm joined by Dan Purcell, creator of Get Your Marriage On, for a deep, honest, and faith-friendly conversation about intimacy in Christian marriages—far beyond just "improving your sex life."

We talk about what real intimacy actually is: two imperfect humans learning to be emotionally and physically vulnerable, willing to truly be themselves with each other instead of performing or people-pleasing. Dan shares how his mission is to help Christian couples build the kind of inner strength, self-acceptance, and emotional safety that allows for deeper connection and a more joyful sex life.

Together, we unpack:

• Why so many couples settle for "duty sex" and how it quietly kills passion
• The surprising link between self-love and how much love you'll allow yourself to give and receive in marriage
• What it means to "put a limit" on how much you love your spouse—and how to gently remove those limits
• The power of simmering (small, lingering moments of affection) and why it's easier to go from simmer to boil than from cold
• Why true intimacy will always feel a little risky—and how to take healthy emotional and physical risks in a safe, values-aligned way
• How faith, personal growth, and sexuality can actually work together instead of against each other in Christian marriages

This isn't a conversation about pressure, performance, or shame. It's about becoming more whole, more honest, and more connected—to yourself, to God, and to your spouse.

If your marriage has felt distant, dutiful, or stuck in old patterns around intimacy, this episode will give you hope, language, and practical insight to start shifting things—without betraying your values.

Connect with Dan: Search "Get Your Marriage On" to find his app, podcast, and resources, or visit GetYourMarriageOn.com/Taralee

Work with Taralee: If your marriage is in crisis or you're tired of walking on eggshells, you can learn more about coaching and the Marriage Breakthrough program at

• PeacefulHeartJourney.com
• TheFOCUSPodcastwithTaralee.com
• TaraleeEddington.com

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who loves their marriage and wants deeper, healthier intimacy. 💛

When nobody owns the in-between—the tone after work, quick repairs, the simple "what's on tonight?"—everything in a marriage feels heavier. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Lee Baucom (author/coach, Save The Marriage System) to talk about shared accountability, conflict vs. contention, and tiny, visible habits that make evenings calmer and connection stronger.

If you're feeling like roommates, stuck in chase/withdraw cycles, or carrying the mental load alone, this conversation gives you simple language and follow-through you can actually keep.

• The difference between conflict (normal) and contention (harmful) in marriage

• How to stop the pursue–withdraw / chase–distance loop

• What "accountability for the space" means—and why it rebuilds emotional safety

• Two tiny rituals: a 20-second re-entry hug + "What's on tonight?" to reset your evenings

• A simple repair format (Event → Impact → Ask) that prevents resentment from piling up

• Why shared vision + visible follow-through beats long talks you won't keep

Dr. Lee Baucom is the creator of the Save The Marriage System. For over 3 decades, he has helped couples around the world to find their way back from crisis to a renewed and loving marriage. He is the author of 7 books on thriving in life and on relationships, and the creator of numerous online courses. Lee helps couples find the root cause of most marriage crises, and helps them find a way back, to get "un-paused," as he says. And yes, he is happily married, for over 37 years. In his spare time, he plays pickleball, paddle boards, scuba dives, and does lots of hiking.

• Save The Marriage: https://savethemarriage.com

• Podcast hub: http://SaveTheMarriage.com/podcast

Taralee Eddington is a Marriage Crisis Coach and the creator of the FOCUS Framework™, a practical approach that helps couples calm conflict, rebuild emotional safety, and reconnect when things feel stuck or fragile. She supports couples and individuals who feel caught in painful patterns—walking on eggshells, repeating the same fights, or drifting into distance—and helps them understand what's really happening underneath the conflict so they can take clear, steady steps toward healing. Taralee is the founder of Peaceful Heart Journey and the host of The FOCUS Podcast with Taralee. She teaches tools that are simple, honest, and usable in real life.

• Free Marriage Clarity Call: https://peacefulheartjourney.com/

• This week's blog ("No Accountability for the Space"): https://taraleeeddington.com/blog

• The FOCUS Podcast with Taralee: https://peacefulheartjourney.com/podcast or find it at thefocuspodcastwithtaralee.com

• Free resouces to help Save Your Marriage: taraleeeddington.com

Resentment doesn't usually show up as one big blow-up—it shows up as all the unrepaired little moments that keep sneaking into today's conversation. In this episode of The FOCUS Podcast, Taralee Eddington (Marriage Crisis Coach + creator of the FOCUS Framework) breaks down "Resentment from Past Conflicts" in a simple, human, doable way—no lectures, no "communication perfection," just clear tools that actually work when you're tired and tender.

You'll learn why resentment is basically unfinished business, how "tiny" moments can feel huge when you've got old tabs still open, and how to create repair without turning it into a 20-minute courtroom argument. Taralee shares a no-drama repair script, plus a practical way to respond whether you're the one who feels hurt—or the one who caused it.

Inside this episode:

• Why your reaction feels bigger than the moment (and why you're not "too sensitive")

• A simple script: Event → Impact → Ask

• "Repair mode" steps: Receive, Reflect, Responsibility, Restore

• How to use the FOCUS Framework to stay steady, specific, and fair

• A "Clear the Air" weekly 15-minute routine to stop hurts from stacking

• A 7-day "lighter load" plan to reduce resentment fast

If you've been thinking, "Why did that tiny thing feel so big?"—this episode will help you finally understand what's happening, clear the air, and make home feel lighter again.

Follow Taralee on Instagram @peaceful_heart_journey or on Facebook

Find more information at:

TheFOCUSPodcastwithTaralee.com

PeacefulHeartJourney.com

TaraleeEddington.com

Ever feel like one annoying comment from your spouse cancels out ten kind ones? Or like compliments bounce off, but critiques stick for hours? In this week's episode of The FOCUS Podcast, Taralee Eddington (Marriage Crisis Coach + creator of the FOCUS Framework™) walks you through Connection Killer #4 in the 7 Connection Killers series: The Ease of Seeing the Negative—and how to gently retrain your brain toward what's true and working, not just what's wrong.

You'll learn:

• Why your brain naturally scans for threat (negativity bias)—and why you're not broken

• How negative "filters" quietly drain warmth and safety in marriage

• A simple reset using the FOCUS Framework™ (Facts First, Own Your Thoughts, Choose Your Feelings, Understand Your Actions, Shape Your Results)

• 5 tiny practices that change the vibe fast (including 3:1 Out Loud, Glimmer Hunt, and Rose–Bud–Thorn)

• Scripts you can steal to ask for change without the sting—and repair in real time

• A 7-day "Rebalance Your Filter" Challenge you can follow like a checklist

This isn't toxic positivity. It's accurate attention—making space for what hurts and what helps, so real change becomes possible.

📌 Blog that pairs with this episode: "The Ease of Seeing the Negative: Rewiring Your Marriage for What's Working"

📞 Book a free Marriage Clarity Call HERE

💛 Ready to go deeper? Learn about Taralee's Marriage Breakthrough Program (12-week coaching experience).

In this powerful episode of The FOCUS Podcast with Taralee, we're talking honestly about something tender and heavy: what really happens when couples stop turning toward each other—and why it matters long before lawyers or papers ever get involved.

Taralee breaks down:

• The real financial and emotional cost of divorce—for you, your spouse, your kids, and your extended family

• The sobering marriage stats: why only about 7% of couples describe their marriage as truly happy, healthy, and satisfying

• What Dr. John Gottman calls "bids for connection" and how tiny daily moments of turning toward or away can build or erode your marriage over time

• The quiet ways couples drift toward divorce: silence, separate lives, stacked resentments, and "I love you, but I'm not in love with you anymore"

• The hopeful reality that most couples don't need a divorce—they need a reset, tools, and emotional safety

You'll also hear how Taralee works with couples in crisis using her FOCUS Framework and STARVED needs work to help them:

• Calm their nervous systems in conflict

• Rebuild emotional safety and trust

• Communicate without constant defensiveness or shutdown

• Turn toward each other again—even after painful seasons

If you're walking on eggshells, feeling disconnected, or quietly wondering if your marriage is too far gone, this episode is for you.

👉 Book a free consult call with Taralee to get clarity and a personalized plan for your marriage:

Visit TheFocusPodcastWithTaralee.com

PeacefulHeartJourney.com OR TaraleeEddington.com TO LEARN MORE!

If someone comes to mind while you listen—someone whose marriage is struggling—please share this episode with them. Sometimes that simple act can be the first small "turn toward" they desperately need.