WifeSavers Podcast

Are you dreading or resenting your spouse’s next business trip because it’ll be up to you to hold down the fort? Without a partner’s on-the-ground practical and emotional support, personal and family life can become overwhelming. Logistical complications as well as emotional and physical stresses take a toll on both husband and wife. You’d really just like to be together and get (or give!) help, reassurance, and hugs when they are needed most. 

In this episode of the WifeSavers Podcast, “When He’s Traveling For Business”, multi-award winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her traveling husband, Dale, answer a wife who is seriously worried about her spouse’s obligation to be away from home for work. 

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “My husband is preparing to be several states away from home for two-week intervals (home for two, away for two) for the next 36 weeks. I’m not at all looking forward to this. When he talks about it I feel ‘walls’ blocking my thoughts, and all I know is how I feel about it.”

Listen and learn how to manage your road warrior’s absence in a way that will tone down the stress, spare your heart, and bring out the best in your relationship.

Key Points in this podcast:

- Appreciating your unique stresses while he’s away 

- Recognizing the pressures on him

- How to set up “safety nets” to protect you both

- Ways to involve him in family life despite his absence

- Strategies for keeping your relationship vibrant and relevant

- Strengthening your healthy independence

- How to make the most of your reunions

- The costs, benefits, and strategies of traveling together when possible

"I have really loved this podcast. The advice is top-notch but the best part is the humor and discussion back and forth between Ramona and Dale. I feel like they are the encouraging- parents and good example we all wish we had! ✭✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

Related episodes:

- Episode 21: Romance and Desire That Last

- Episode 18: To Transform Your Marriage in 2019, Focus on This

- Episode 10: How Do I Find Balance? A Woman’s Greatest Challenge

- Episode 8: Do You Believe in Him? How To Show Him and Why You Want To

Everyone knows that a successful marriage depends in large part on how well a couple communicates with each other. What should be natural, easy conversation can become discouraging or frustrating though when a wife feels that her husband isn’t really paying attention to what she has to say. If this becomes a pattern of interrelating, she may assume the worst about him and the relationship.  

In this episode of the WifeSavers Podcast, “He Doesn’t Listen”, multi-award winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband, Dale, answer a wife who is frustrated with her husband’s lack of engagement when she’s trying to talk with him.  

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “I would say one of the biggest struggles we have is communication. Sometimes I feel like it’s difficult for us to talk about the simplest things. It gets very tiresome to me because I don’t even feel like I can make a suggestion or offer my opinion because, he doesn’t really listen. Or he starts to listen and then after a while he’ll check out or tune out. I’m definitely looking for better communication skills.”

Listen and learn the potential real reasons behind a husband’s distant demeanor, and how to improve your communication style so that he’s more likely to listen up!

Key Points in this podcast:

- The difference between casual and active listening

- Her POV: Five possible reasons you may think he’s not listening

- His POV: Eight explanations that are closer to the truth of it

- How your expectations and his attempts to listen get out of alignment

- Six strategies for optimizing his willingness to listen and engage

- How his listening skills can improve and mature as yours do

Related episodes:

- Episode 18: To Transform Your Marriage in 2019: Focus on This

- Episode 16: Seeing Eye to Eye: What To Do When You Don’t

- Episode 11: Turning Negative Communication With Your Husband to the Positive

"Great ideas you can easily implement. It’s a fun listen too! ✭✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

The fun and functionality of our screens are creating a seamless interaction between us (the users) and the greater world. There’s a lot of good in that. But there’s also a lot to be aware of and concerned about. Are you or your husband and children becoming hyper-stimulated by virtual activity and in the process, becoming desensitized to one another? When parents and kids, husbands and wives, choose to immerse themselves in their devices instead of in one another, they’re experiencing what is aptly called “the great divide”.In the conclusion to this two-part series, multi-award winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband, Dale, complete their answer to a wife who is feeling increasingly estranged and neglected by a husband absorbed in his mobile devices and gaming.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: How do the kids and I become more interesting than his cell phone? And what to do about hubby's video gaming in the evening downstairs when I want to spend time with him (especially a war game)?

Listen and learn how to get your spouse and kids to work together to create, and then support, a family tech and media plan.

Key Points in this podcast:

Related episodes: 

"Ramona and Dale’s WifeSavers podcasts are so delightful, humorous, and full of golden information! ✭✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

How has technology impacted your most important relationships? With all our compulsive “connecting”, many of us are actually “disconnecting” from the loved ones that are present, the ones who are depending on us in so many ways to “be there” for them. How do we embrace technology without losing ourselves or our closest relationships in the matrix?

Multi-award winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband, Dale, answer a wife who is feeling increasingly estranged and neglected by a husband absorbed in his mobile devices and gaming.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: How do the kids and I become more interesting than his cell phone? And what to do about hubby's video gaming in the evening downstairs when I want to spend time with him (especially a war game)?

Listen and learn how a wife and mother can help manage and prioritize the health and well-being of herself, her marriage, and her family in a hyperconnected, tech-mediated world. Part one of a two-part series.

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Key Points in this podcast:

- The “threats” posed to families by the overuse or misuse of technology

- Eight technology-induced addictions

- Six questions to help determine if there is an addiction at play

- Four uses of technology to evaluate your own dependence by

- Recognizing and avoiding technological narcissism

- The science behind our digital impulsiveness

- A simple way to determine whether to engage with tech or the people present in any given moment

Related episodes: 

Episode 18: To Transform Your Marriage in 2019: Focus on This

Episode 16: Seeing Eye to Eye: What To Do When You Don’t

"Full of experiences and wonderful advice that inspires me to become a better wife, which in return makes him a better husband. ✭✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

Most men, once married, know they need to fill their pockets with more than love; they need to do something; to be somebody. He may be so focused and driven that he leaves the family in the dust. On the other hand, his career path may be more of a meandering stroll than a focused climb. Maybe he's too discouraged or too comfortable with the status quo? Or does it seem that one-too-many opportunities have passed him by?

Multi-award winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband, Dale, explain how most men view their “work” or their quest for “a work” in a way that answers a wife who is baffled and even frightened by her husband’s direction in life. 

Throw Me a WifeSaver: “I don’t know what my husband’s quest is because I don’t think he knows, either. That’s a HUGE frustration in our marriage and it’s becoming a big problem. Any advice?”

Listen and learn how a worthy “quest” is defined for a man: a fulfilling dream, a rewarding pursuit that will help him mature into his best, most courageous, most loving self for the sake of the whole family.

Key Points:

- How a man’s work is related to his identity and self-respect

- Myths about achievement and career development

- The weighty considerations in a man’s mind regarding his work choice

- How to be a help in the process without creating stress

- The definition of a “quest”

- The single most important consideration in settling on a direction

- The four attributes of a worthy and effective “quest”

Related episodes:

Episode 8: Do You Believe in Him? How to Show Him and Why You Want To

Episode 9: How to Help Your Man When He’s Unsatisfied at Work

"These podcasts are life-changing! Absolutely love them. So inspiring! ✭✭✭✭✭” 

Feeling desired, even “wooed”, is the romantic high that that poetry, film, literature, and music have prepped women for all their lives. But how realistic is it to expect the passion, mystery, and excitement to continue throughout a lifelong marriage? Is it possible to create on-demand at any age or any stage? 

Multi-award winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband, Dale, answer a wife who is longing for days past when she felt that her husband was more drawn and devoted to her. 

Throw Me a WifeSaver: “My husband was INCREDIBLE with me for so long...he was doting on me, loving on me, encouraging me. Now I don't feel that way, and I don't know how to fix it. What can I do? How do I bring romance back into my marriage?”

Listen and learn how to re-ignite and sustain the amorous fun and fascination you used to feel in your relationship! The answers are more doable than cynics might think and more down-to-earth than romantics might expect!

Key Points:

- Why “romance” is important to women

- Our two great needs at odds in the quest for romance

- How today’s expectations of marriage differ from the past

- The definition of love vs. desire and why we want both

- 3 dynamics that make us desire, or feel drawn toward, our spouse

- 6 challenges that will bust complacency and cultivate excitement


"I love listening to the dynamic between Ramona and Dale and hope that my husband and I will be like them in 30 years!" ✭✭✭✭✭ iTunes/Apple listener

Life often feels unfair, especially at home, where every member of the family absolutely depends on every other member doing their part. When a husband or wife, in particular, is lacking or slacking, the other spouse can feel undue pressure. The result is frustration, overwhelm, and resentment.

Multi-award winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband, Dale, answer a wife who is exasperated with her husband for not carrying his fair share of family life. 

Throw Me a WifeSaver: “I'm having a hard time changing my thinking to be super appreciative of my husband's (lack of) help around the house and kids...He is a good man but boy did he get lucky with me. I do SO MUCH that it's downright not fair. Do you have a mantra for me as I work through this?”

Listen and learn how to relieve the pressure on yourself and your marriage by incorporating a whole new approach to “fairness” in family life.

Key Points:

- Why “fairness” feels so important to us

- How a “matcher mentality” affects personal relationships

- 3 different ways to look at “fairness” in family life

- How to evaluate the effectiveness of your personal approach and philosophy

- 3 key skills or attitudes needed to achieve optimal “fairness”

- Examples of how to work together more effectively as a couple and family

 Who does the bulk of the housework in your house? Maintaining a home and managing a family is a big job optimally shared by all family members, including husband and wife. But what if your kids or husband don’t see it that way? How do you motivate them to help out, and to do it willingly and well? 

In this episode, multi-award-winning author and global marriage educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband, Dale, answer a wife who is feeling exasperated in her attempts to get her husband and sons more involved in the everyday care and operations of the house.

Throw Me a WifeSaver: “No matter my approach, I wake up most days wondering how and when I opened a bed and breakfast. While I truly and deeply love them and sincerely seek out ways to serve and honor my husband and family, I also need them to be contributing members. Any attempts I have tried to discuss this with my husband has failed miserably. How do I encourage my husband to contribute? How do I serve my husband and boys joyfully without creating the illusion that they are not expected to do their part in the family?” 

Listen and learn how you can most effectively persuade your children to do their chores and your spouse to take on more responsibility in the home.

Key Topics: 

- How you may be micromanaging and how it affects the family

- How spouses might perceive “home” differently

- The attitude that will change the environment in your home

- A specific approach to helping your kids “own” their chores and want to improve at them

- What your husband wants and needs from you regarding his help 

- “The Language of Respect”: a highly effective strategy for recruiting your husband’s help in a way that he will appreciate and be motivated by 

Looking for a New Years resolution that will improve your relationship? How about one that won’t bog down your “to-do” list; one that’s so simple, it’ll take only a few seconds here and there. That’s right, no matter what state your marriage is in, this concise, uncomplicated approach will not only immediately impact your feelings toward each other, but will also have major long-term repercussions for the positive.

In this episode, multi-award-winning author and global marriage educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband, Dale, answer a wife who, in her quest to improve her marriage, is curious to know where best to focus her limited time and energy.

Throw Me a WifeSaver: “What are some examples of things we can do with my time to improve my relationship with my husband? Would you recommend it be time spent with him or is time spend doing acts of service for him?”

Listen and learn what wives and husbands should focus most on if they want their relationship to thrive for a lifetime.

Key Topics:

- The magic in marriage researcher’s John Gottman’s “5 Magic Hours”

- Simple daily and weekly rituals used by couples in thriving marriages

- Why minor instantaneous interactions are so consequential

-The scientifically proven #1 most effective thing you can do for your r relationship

- Real examples of how to apply that approach

- A 3-second 3-question way to decide whether or not to use your smartphone in a given moment when you’re with your spouse 

- How your marriage can actually increase your time and energy

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Feeling frustrated and disappointed in your husband? Are his mistakes and shortcomings piling up? Or are you feeling bad about your own choices and behaviors? Everyone knows that saying or hearing “I’m sorry” can help, but actually extending or requesting real and lasting forgiveness is often the greatest challenge in marriage.

In this episode, multi-award-winning author and global marriage educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband, Dale, talk about how to get through or past ordinary or common offenses that have caused pain in your marriage.

Throw Me a WifeSaver: “Can you talk more about forgiveness?”

Listen and glean new insights into how forgiveness actually works and why it is worth the effort.

Key Topics:

- The signs and the downfalls of victimization