Erik talks about the role of intimacy and sex in a sparky & sustainable marriage.

Erik and Suzanne interview Linda Adler, a non-profit executive  who has enjoyed a 30+ years sparky & sustainable marriage.

Erik discusses connected vs. emotional distance in marriage.

Erik discusses the joy of effortless, beautiful marital fidelity.

Dr. Kent Michael and the Reverend Immanuel Marsh join Erik to discuss healthy marriage. Dr. Michael and Reverend Marsh are friends, colleagues, teachers, and practicing psychotherapists in Birmingham, Alabama who think deeply, and speak clearly, about healthy marriage. As you can tell from their podcast "So, Tell Me About Your Mother," they are funny, reverent, and also irreverent.

Erik discusses managing substantial differences in a marriage. He addresses the questions:

• Our differences are what often draws us to each other, but then they can begin to drive us crazy. How do long-term marriages navigate this?
• When a couple comes out of the “honeymoon” phase one or both may begin to take stronger positions than they have in the past on things that they don’t agree on. This can lead to a sense of disillusionment, where they feel like they actually don’t know the person they married as well as they thought they did. How does a sparky couple navigate this?
• Some couples maintain a more peace-and-agree relationship and will say they “never fight.” Do some avoid conflict because it can be so uncomfortable to experience their spouse’s displeasure with them if they say what they really think?

Episode one of To Honor & Cherish kicks off a one-hour monthly podcast designed to help couples explore sustainable vibrant relationships. Psychologist and Executive Leadership Coach Erik Thompson is the Executive Director of the Vermont Center for Family Studies and Founder of Thompson Leadership Development. In this first episode, Erik explores the meaning of the words "sparky and sustainable," as it relates to marriage. He is joined by Suzanne Brue who recently celebrated her 50th anniversary with her husband, Nord.