EmPowered Couples with The Freemans

Marriage isn’t static; it evolves, and to thrive in it, you have to evolve too. Often, it’s the resistance to this truth, not just the circumstances you face, that makes marriage feel more difficult. Satisfaction goes down, frustration goes up. That’s why personal growth and self-awareness are non-negotiables in a long-term marriage.

“Throughout the course of your life, you will be married 2–3 times. For some, this will be to the same person.”This sentiment is becoming more widely recognized, and it means you need to be ready for your marriage to evolve. Those who aren’t ready (or who don’t accept this) often go through harder seasons and are more likely to split from their partners. We will all face difficult chapter...

You can love your spouse and still feel overwhelmed by the unspoken responsibilities constantly running through your mind. The mental load is the invisible to-do list in your head—and when roles and responsibilities feel imbalanced, it can quietly erode connection, create resentment, and impact intimacy.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Morgan Cutlip— author of the upcoming book A Better Share: How Cou...

This is the logical followup from last week’s episode about emotional intimacy differences, which is about maintaining physical intimacy with your partner the longer you are together. It might seem obvious to say that men and women are different in this area yet in this episode you will hear a breakdown of some of the modern challenges that lead to a decline in physical intimacy for men and women. Many of these things ...

Emotional intimacy is a key part of your having high satisfaction in your marriage. The challenge becomes maintaining this the longer you are together with your partner. There are a number of reasons for this that you will hear in this episode, one of the obvious ones being that each partner feels connection in different ways. 

In this episode you will hear a breakdown of the differences in emotional intim...

Things are going to happen in your life and marriage. When they do, are you on the same team or find that you turn against each other? This is one of the most important ideas when it comes to having a successful marriage. As hard as we try we just can’t avoid conflict or even external situations happening in our lives that we do not like. But the differnece for successful marriages is that they stay on the same team an...

Everyone should have the appropriate expectation that things in life won’t always be easy or go your way. This is the same in marriage. Having harder seasons of marriage is a part of the journey a couple needs to accept. Now these harder seasons can come from two places: external circumstances and from poor interactions of your own making! 

In this episode you will hear about the 3 changes that need to be ...

Set aside all the things you DO in your marriage and answer this question. Is your heart more open or closed to your partner? It is easy to get stuck in all of the tasks and responsibilities within a marriage and even think that getting these done is the main goal. But what is your experience like most of the time? You can get all your tasks done, but have a heart that is closed off to your partner and you experience d...

Last week was our LIVE Marriage Webclass on effective communication, de-escalating conflicts, and repairing after an argument. If you missed registering for that FREE event, you can still access the replay link here. There was so much that we covered that we did not have time to answer any of the questions pertaining to the Before, During, and After skills that we taught. 

So on today’s episode we will cov...

When you are not having the same type of conversation it is very easy to misunderstand each other. When there is misunderstanding it is easier to get frustrated and have the conversation escalate into a conflict. It is important to know which type of conversation you are having, a logical or emotional one, so that this doesn’t happen. 

As much as any one of us thinks we are logically minded people, there i...

Raising one’s emotional intelligence (EQ) is a critical factor in the long term satisfaction and maturity within a marriage. Without this, the depth of a couple’s connection will be limited and small emotional disruptions will turn into bigger conflicts (and likely never address the root cause). This is a term you have likely heard of before in terms of marriage and other important relationships in your life. But it ca...

As fellow parents, we share in that deep responsibility you feel to equip your kids with healthy relationship skills—and conflict is a huge part of that!

How you and your partner handle disagreements doesn’t just impact your marriage; it actively shapes how your kids will navigate conflict in their own future relationships.

In this episode, we’ll break down four key aspects of conflict that yo...

You are likely aware that conflicts are going to happen, they shouldn’t be avoided, but accepted that they will happen. But how you handle the conflict determines whether it can be connecting and clarifying or it escalates and causes hurt. What really causes it to escalate is when you each are triggered and you let that trigger cause you to just react. 

In this episode today you will hear how you can bette...

When you have a marriage conflict there are a few options you have as a partner. You can react or you can suppress it. Neither of these are good options. Your two good options are to repair or have a more simple debrief conversation. 

In this episode you will hear the simple steps to take to have a debrief conversation. You will hear the difference between when a repair conversation is needed and when you ...

Most everyone gets into a marriage for the positive feelings of love, compatibility, passion, and creating a future together. It’s these great feelings and potential outcomes that can happen that make marriage a desirable thing. What most people miss is what it requires to be married and maintain the feelings of togetherness and high satisfaction through all the unforeseen challenges and obstacles. It is funny how we a...

Marriage is about bringing out the best in each other. Are you in a season of marriage where you can say that you are bringing out the best in each other? This doesn’t always happen as it does take more intention the longer you are together. Sometimes your conflict patterns of reactions can make it seem as if you are bringing out the worst in each other. Other times you feel constrained and limited in your self express...

The end of a year is a time to reflect. For our purposes here, it’s a time to reflect on your marriage challenges and identify what you need to alter for the next year, or where you can celebrate the wins that you took from those challenges. Why this is so critical comes down to one of the fundamental aspects of successful marriage… the ability to adapt and evolve! 

In this episode we will share our own ch...

No one gets married to feel like roommates, so let’s talk about being romantic partners. In this episode, we’re diving into how to reignite the spark, stay emotionally connected, and make intimacy a priority—even in the midst of busy schedules, kids, and daily responsibilities.

By listening you'll hear practical ways to overcome complacency, keep the romance alive, and create moments of connection that str...

Marriage is both challenging and rewarding. One of the reasons for this is that it takes evolving into a better and better partner as the years pass. If both people accept this evolution then it leads to a great marriage, even through the inevitable challenges that a couple will face. 

With all the marriage content out there it can seem overwhelming, complex, or even uncertain about how one can become a be...