Stop Solving the Wrong Problem in Your Marriage | Guest: Mike Foster

Stop Solving the Wrong Problem in Your Marriage | Guest: Mike Foster

What if the problem you keep arguing about in marriage isn’t actually the real problem? On this episode of Marriage on the Daily, Julie B. sits down with author, speaker, and executive coach Mike Foster to talk about his book The Seven Primal Questions and how understanding the need beneath the conflict can transform the way couples communicate, connect, and show up for each other. Mike has spent more than 20 years helping people stop solving the wrong problem and start leading out of clarity instead of confusion. In this conversation, he explains why many couples stay stuck in the “canopy” of the tree—arguing about behaviors, emotions, and symptoms—when the real breakthrough often comes from getting down to the root. Together, Julie and Mike discuss: • What the Seven Primal Questions are • How unmet needs drive conflict in marriage • Why couples often keep having the same argument over and over • How to identify the deeper question your spouse may be asking • Why your spouse cannot be responsible for meeting every need all the time • The difference between healthy needs and unrealistic expectations • How God, trusted relationships, and self-leadership all play a role in healing • Why curiosity, ownership, and clarity can change the conversation • How a simple 30-second hug can create connection on the daily Mike also shares why naming your need clearly matters, why unspoken expectations are unfair expectations, and how couples can begin answering each other’s deepest questions with a “yes.” Whether you feel stuck in the same recurring conflict, unsure why your spouse reacts the way they do, or ready to better understand yourself and your marriage, this episode offers practical tools to help you move from confusion to connection. Because sometimes the breakthrough starts when you stop solving the wrong

Doing Hard Things Together | Guests: Montell & Kristin Jordan

How do you walk through a life-changing diagnosis without letting fear, isolation, or uncertainty pull your marriage apart? On this episode of Marriage on the Daily, Julie B. sits down with Montell and Kristin Jordan for a powerful conversation about marriage, faith, health, friendship, and walking through hard things together. Montell and Kristin have been married since 1994, have five children and five grandchildren, and are the founders of Marriage Masterpiece. After years in the music industry, they felt God calling them into full-time ministry to help couples build strong, healthy marriages. They also co-authored This Is How We Do It: Making Your Marriage a Masterpiece. In this deeply honest conversation, Montell shares about being diagnosed with prostate cancer, what it felt like to hear those words, and how he and Kristin chose to navigate the journey together. Kristin opens up about the role of caregiver, the importance of faith, community, therapy, and learning to take the next right step one day at a time. Together, Julie, Montell, and Kristin discuss: • How to share hard news with your spouse • Why isolation is one of the enemy’s greatest tactics • How couples can carry each other without carrying the disease alone • The importance of faith, prayer, community, and support • How caregivers can avoid walking through hardship by themselves • Why surrounding yourself with God’s Word can become a daily “cheat code” • The marriage non-negotiables that helped Montell and Kristin build a strong foundation • Why your spouse should come before ministry, business, and everything else after God • The importance of friendship, pursuit, and physical connection in marriage Montell and Kristin also share the daily practices that keep their marriage strong, including intentional affection, staying friendly, continuing to pursue each other, and making sure the friendship in marriage never dies. Whether you’re walking through sickness, caregiving, a difficult season, or simply wanting to strengthen the foundation of your marriage, this episode offers hope, wisdom, and a reminder that you were never meant to do hard things alone. Because the little things you do on the daily can help your marriage stay connected, healthy, and whole.

Protecting the Couple Bond in a Blended Family | Guests: Jay and Tammy Daughtry

How do you build a strong marriage when you’re also navigating divorce, remarriage, step-parenting, grief, and blended family dynamics? On this episode of Marriage on the Daily, Julie B. sits down with Tammy and Jay Daughtry for a deeply honest and practical conversation about marriage, stepfamilies, co-parenting, and the importance of protecting the couple bond. Tammy and Jay bring both personal experience and professional insight to this conversation. As children of divorce, single parents, step-parents, and marriage and family therapy professionals, they understand the unique challenges that come when two people marry and begin blending lives, histories, children, grief, expectations, and emotional triggers. Together, Julie, Tammy, and Jay discuss: • Why remarriage and stepfamily life can feel so complicated • How past wounds and childhood experiences can show up in marriage • The importance of self-awareness and partner awareness • Why the couple bond is one of the strongest predictors of remarriage success • How “bio fog” and “step vision” can affect parenting and discipline • Why children still need one-on-one time with their biological parent • How to take healthy timeouts during conflict • Why calling your own fouls can help create safety and repair • Practical ways to strengthen the couple bond daily Tammy and Jay also share from their own story of blending a family after divorce and the death of a spouse, including the hard conversations, emotional triggers, and lessons they learned along the way. Whether you’re in a blended family, preparing for remarriage, co-parenting, step-parenting, or simply trying to better understand the complexity of marriage after loss or divorce, this episode offers wisdom, compassion, and practical tools for moving forward. Because in every marriage, and especially in remarriage, the little things you do on the daily can help build safety, connection, and a stronger bond.

How to Stay Connected in Life’s Transitions | Guests: Sean and Lanetta Reed

How do you stay connected as a couple when life keeps changing? On this episode of Marriage on the Daily, Julie B. sits down with Sean and Lanetta Reed, founders of Our Couple Goals and authors of Marriage in Transition: Creating Connection Through Uncontrollable Change. Sean and Lanetta have been married for 27 years, and their story began with a lot of transition very early on—getting married at 18, having three children in three years, moving to new cities, navigating loss, and learning how to grow up while growing together. In this honest and practical conversation, they share how early marriage challenges revealed differences in personality, communication styles, conflict patterns, and identity. They also explain how learning who they were as individuals helped them become stronger together as a couple. Together, Julie, Sean, and Lanetta discuss: • How transition can reveal what’s really happening in a marriage • Why knowing who you are matters in your relationship • How different communication styles can create conflict • The difference between being one and being the same • Why vulnerability must be handled with care • How shared vision and shared values help couples move forward • Why marriage is about serving, not just being served • Practical ways couples can check in, communicate, and have fun daily Sean and Lanetta also share how writing down their dreams and goals on a napkin became the beginning of a shared vision that shaped their marriage, family, ministry, and future. Whether you’re newly married, walking through a major life transition, or simply trying to get back on the same page, this episode will encourage you to communicate honestly, dream together, and remember that your differences can become a gift when you learn how to walk in unity. Because marriage isn’t about becoming the same person—it’s about becoming one.

I Don’t Feel Like Myself: Midlife, Marriage, and Hope | Guest: Dr. Tricia McLelland

What happens when midlife, menopause, hormones, stress, sleep, and marriage all collide? On this episode of Marriage on the Daily, Julie B. sits down with Dr. Tricia McClelland, a board-certified OB-GYN with nearly 30 years of experience helping women navigate midlife and menopause with clarity, hope, and practical wisdom. This conversation is important for women in midlife, women who aren’t there yet, and the husbands who love them. Dr. Tricia explains why so many women reach a season where they say, “I don’t feel like myself,” and how symptoms like fatigue, irritability, brain fog, weight gain, sleep struggles, mood changes, and stress intolerance can impact not only a woman’s health, but also her marriage. Together, Julie and Dr. Tricia discuss: • Why midlife and menopause can feel so confusing • How physical symptoms can affect emotional connection in marriage • Why quick fixes often don’t work for every woman • The importance of paying attention to your body’s signals • How nutrition, sleep, stress, blood sugar, hormones, and lifestyle are connected • Why husbands can become part of the solution instead of feeling like part of the problem • How women can create space, set boundaries, and care for themselves without guilt • Practical questions that can help you start each day with more awareness and intention Dr. Tricia also shares why self-care is not selfish—it’s caring for the one person you have to offer your spouse, your family, and the people around you. If you’ve ever felt like your body, emotions, or energy are changing and you don’t know what to do, this episode will help you feel seen, encouraged, and hopeful. There are real steps you can take, and understanding what’s happening beneath the surface can make a powerful difference in your health and your marriage. Because when you feel better, your relationships can get better too.