The Simply Great Relationships Podcast: Love | Marriage | Sex | Communication | Dating Advice

Ever wonder what “mindfulness” really is?

This week we’re speaking with mindfulness expert, Sarah Harmon, about mothering oneself mindfully. If you find yourself deep in negative self-talk and critique, losing your patience when things don’t go as planned, or spending too much time overthinking - this episode is for you.

To learn more, be sure to check it out. We’re covering what mindfulness really...

In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Jasmine Johnson, a sex educator, entertainer, and therapist. Through her own journey of self-exploration, Jasmine became aware of how people tend to lose their identity when they become parents or professionals. She started Jet Setting Jasmine to help people come together for the fun of sex, learning what they like, and overcoming sexual shame.

Jasmine found that shame...

It’s our 100th episode!

We hope you’ve been enjoying the interviews we’ve been doing with experts in the field. For today, we thought it would be best to come back together and a Marina and Meredith episode. We wanted to celebrate this milestone by giving you a revamped all things communication episode. If you haven’t already listened to Episode 001 - Communication that Actually Works, please do so first.

You know those conflicts where you go from 0 to 100 in no time?

Or you say something benign and your partner reacts with rage?

It’s likely your inner child is making an appearance. I’ll be honest - when I’ve heard about the “inner child” in the past, I’ve rolled my eyes. But, after recording this episode, I have an entirely new understanding of this concept. And let me tell you, it’s playing out in...

Over the years, we’ve been asked a lot of questions by the couples we work with. Some are not always appropriate to answer in the therapeutic context. So, we’re answering them here today.

The 5 questions you wish your couples therapist would answer are:

- Should we get divorced?

- Are we a good match?

- Do couples recover from... infidelity, emotional disconnection, dry spells...

What’s more fun than getting a behind-the-scenes look at a couples therapist’s marriage?

We’ve had the unique experience of dating our husbands throughout graduate school, while we were learning the do’s and don’ts of healthy relationships. We pulled them along for the ride, shared what we were learning, and practiced exercises with them. I’d say it served us tremendously. Today’s guests have had a similar ex...

Women often talk about the “mental load.”

I, personally, have had this conversation with my husband countless times. It goes something like this:

Me: “If I didn’t think of everything that has to get done, it wouldn’t get done. Why do I have to do everything?”

Him: “You don’t have to do everything, just tell me what you need me to do and I’ll do it.”

Me: “But, that’s the point....

Everyone has sexual fantasies.

People generally feel shame about their fantasies and think they’re “weird” or uncommon. Research shows that having and exploring sexual fantasies and talking about them in the context of your relationship leads couples to have the most satisfying sex lives.

Here are a few tips to set yourselves up for success:

- Do your own work around shame by educating y...

The first year of marriage is the hardest, right?

When couples go from dating to living together, they’re suddenly faced with “having to” make it work. Time apart is no longer built into your weekly routine, you don’t go home to cool off after an argument, and you see and speak to each other every day. There are many more opportunities to see your partner in their best (and worst) moments. This allows you to ...

Well, 60 episodes ago we talked about 6 common relationship problems that aren’t actually problems. It happened to be the most popular episode so far. Today, we thought we’d revive that with three more myths.

We love myth-busting because our perspectives inform what we think, how we feel, and what we do in life. If we view a particular interaction with our partner as a “problem,” we’re more likely to think ne...

Consider the following:

“I am more focused on changing my partner, than I am on changing myself.”

“If my partner is unhappy, I am incredibly uncomfortable and feel I need to fix or change their emotional state.

“I need to sacrifice my own happiness and/or well-being in order to ensure my partner is happy.”

If these statements rang true for you, you may have a tendency towards ...

We’ve all heard it.

Mid-argument with our partner:

“You’re just like your mother!”

But, what does that really mean? Why is it so common?

We learn how to be in relationships by observing our parents and the adults in our life growing up. We experience love in the ways our parents or caregivers showed us love. The way the important adults in our life expressed their emotions - h...

Do you know what your attachment style is?

Each of us develops an attachment style early in life - it’s solidified by about age 3 - that we take with us into future relationships. While we can’t change our style, we can use it to provide context for our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in relationships. The more we know, the more we can adapt to healthier ways of being with our partner.

There are ...

If you and your partner have been “staying at home” together these past few months, you may have come to a realization:

We have no shared hobbies.

So many couples are facing this, as the usual hustle-and-bustle has been paused. Gyms, restaurants, and movie theaters have been closed. Spas and salons have been closed. Spending time with friends has been put on hold.

You may have been looki...

When was the last time you asked your partner how they were doing? I mean really took the time, distraction-free, to sit, look them in the eye, and asked.

My guess is - probably not recently enough.

This conversation should be happening daily. Every day, you and your partner should be sitting down for 15 to 20 minutes to check in with one another.

How are you feeling?

What’s y...

Typically, when our opinions differ from those of a friend or family member, we can choose to avoid talking about that topic or come to compromise. Things like politics or what to order for dinner are fairly simple to manage with loved ones.

But, what about COVID-19 precautions?

You don’t need to talk about them, but you do need to embody the ones that are important to you. As you, your family, and...

Most of us have developed some less-than-ideal coping skills recently.

Staying up too late.
Eating junk food.
Having too many coffees or cocktails.
Watching Netflix for hours on end.
Foregoing your usual workouts.

These are stressful times and we’ve got to get through it somehow. This is probably not the right time to start a Whole 30 or overhaul all your “unhealthy” habits. You’d likel...

It’s been a tough two months, huh?

There’s so much heaviness in life right now from the news, hearing stories from friends and family who have been affected in a myriad of ways, and not knowing when things are going to be “normal” again.

It totally makes sense.

You may be feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or even guilty for being one of the “lucky” ones. Staying at home with your partner ha...

Since we’ve been “staying at home,” we’ve heard from tons of couples that they’re struggling with opposite sex drives.

These are couples who don’t usually experience this - their desire levels are typically aligned.

But, people react differently to stress.

They react differently to ongoing stress.

For some, the stress response hits the breaks on desire more than their desire i...