Our Rough Draft
Our Rough Draft is where real conversations about marriage, family, work, and life’s messy middle unfold. Hosted by Denise and Tim Waters, this podcast invites listeners into their living room as they share honest stories about building a marriage that lasts, raising kids in the whirlwind of school and sports, and balancing careers with connection. Each week, they bring a mix of laughter, lessons learned, and life experiments—because every family is a “rough draft” in progress. From kids’ sports to career decisions, from parenting fails to moments of unexpected joy, Denise and Tim show how love, humor, and resilience can turn everyday chaos into meaningful connection. And every episode ends with “The Question”—a simple prompt for couples, families, or friends to use in sparking deeper conversations of their own. If you’re looking for a podcast that’s equal parts marriage insights, work-life lessons, sports sideline stories, and heart, you’re in the right place.
Episodes
Creating Belonging: A Conversation on Values, Trust, and Family
In this episode, we explore the significance of belonging within families, communities, and organizations. Our discussion dives into defining core values, building trust, and cultivating environments where everyone feels safe, seen, and celebrated.
Main Topics - Key Insights:
- How belonging extends beyond superficial inclusion to emotional safety and...
Denise and Tim celebrate Denise's birthday talking about their best adventures including kayaking in the San Juans, Mazatlan and San Diego. They list their favorite adventures spots including Rainier and the Grand Canyon.
Denise and Tim share the couch once again, debrief Denise's trip and discuss ways to make sure coming back together feels right. Ideas around keeping connected with kids while also having grand adventures!
Tim and Denise talk about the importance of Memorial Day before getting into details of the Road Trip and fears along the way!
Tim and Denise connect, Denise in Orlando and Tim at home. WDW conversations and more. How do you like to do Disney? How do you approach new situations? (Minor swearing; we don't count that as explicit!)
Welcome to summer! How would you spend your time if it was always summer? Or if someone gave you four weeks and a budget to go with it? Tim & Denise get into summer stories and all their favorites around the best season or at least the current season!
Tim and Denise talk about moving stories, the good, the bad, the ugly plus ways to feel more settled in your current space! Denise gets totally awkward at the end!
Tim & Denise celebrate 25 years of marriage with a special podcast talking about the highs, lows and favorite stories! Marriage advise and lots of learning along the way! Here's to another 25!
Join Tim & Denise as they share insights from a recent writer's retreat, discuss the complexities of transitions and scar tissue, and explore the evolving landscape of publishing and self-publishing. This episode offers a deep dive into personal growth, writing, and the power of voice.
Your prompt this week: What is a trigger that you are growing scar tissue over?
Explore how facing fears, like crossing a daunting bridge, reveals deeper truths about vulnerability and connection. Discover personal stories that highlight the power of small moments in shaping our lives.
Tim & Denise share stories about small moments, phone calls and simple daily events shape fear, vulnerability and connection.
Tim and Denise reopen The Rough Draft for season two with a conversation about wanting to go deeper, both in the podcast and in their relationship. They reflect on the long break since the last recording, the changes in their schedules, and how life transitions have affected their ability to stay connected. A major thread of the episode is Tim's adjustment to a new job and the emotional complexity of leaving Starbucks: gratitude, l...
Thatcher is home for graduation and we talk about it!
Our final episode of the season sharing our family traditions!
What We Talk About:
- First-generation college stories — how two very different paths shaped your adulthood.
- How expectations, finances, imposter syndrome, and identity play into the college journey.
- Why finding your people matters more than the school itself — and how community becomes belonging.
- Raising college students while still becoming adults yourselves — and how your sons’ college + military p...
The Messy Middle
In this wide-ranging, candid episode of Our Rough Draft, Denise and Tim unpack what “middle life” feels like—from the frustration of overgeneralized research to the consequences of repeated moves and the friendships that survive seasons of change.
Denise reflects on her academic research (Cycle Zero complete!) and why she prefers “holding the process loosely” over blindly trusting one-si...
What We Talk About:
Gratitude as a daily practice — noticing and appreciating small moments even in seasons of change.
Navigating new beginnings, including job transitions, and the mix of excitement and uncertainty they bring.
How loss reshapes gratitude and deepens awareness of what and who matters most.
Thanksgiving traditions, family dynamics, and the complicated emotions holidays can surface.
Why connection, conversat...
In this deeply personal episode, Denise and Tim share the origin story of their family — three boys, five tattoos, and a bond forged through deployment, surprise pregnancies, and the kind of vulnerability that makes a family stronger. From a secret pregnancy revealed on a honeymoon to a diagnosis that tested their resolve, this is the story of how they became the five.
What We Talk About
- The Monday before the weddi...
Episode Summary
In their new home podcast studio, Denise and Tim open up about what Veterans Day truly means — beyond the bumper stickers and well-intentioned “thank you for your service.” They explore the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day, the nuance of recognition versus understanding, and how storytelling keeps service experiences alive. Along the way, they reflect on Pat Tillman’s ...
⚠️ Trigger Warning
This episode discusses suicidal thoughts and experiences. If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone. Help is available—call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (available 24/7 in the U.S.). You can also visit 988lifeline.org for chat and resources.
In this reflective and deeply personal episode, Denise and Tim open up about what service really means—before, dur...
⚠️ Trigger Warning
This episode discusses suicidal thoughts and experiences. If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone. Help is available—call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (available 24/7 in the U.S.). You can also visit 988lifeline.org for chat and resources.
In this honest and emotional episode, Denise and Tim open up about the hardest chapters of their working lives. Tim shar...
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