This is a PODCAST excerpt from Thursday 4/16/2026.  Our Empower Series covers ways you can figure out WHAT'S giving you BIG trouble in your marriage.  Take time, take action, and enjoy your life more! 

Connie Durham

Atlanta Suburbs, GA

www.theextraordinarymarriage.com 

#marriagepodcast #theextraordinarymarriage #family

What might you be unaware of?  Something that's irritating you... how can you move passed it and enjoy life with your spouse?  Watch the video and answer the questions for yourself.  Visit me @ www.theextraordinarymarriage.com 

Connie

Connie Durham

Host of "The Extraordinary Marriage" Podcast

Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, & Amazon

Atlanta, GA

Basically, we hide from responsibility!  Nobody wants to say they are the cause for a failed relationship.  Life is a journey. 

Sometimes you don't even except that you are causing most of the hurt in your family, or more than likely...

if you are reading this, you are the one being hurt and don't know how to change that.

Parents who can't get along, pass that worry, fear and anxiety to their kids. 

How do you uncover a healthy relationship... when you don't know how?

Find Help!  A Pastor, mentor, friend, who is capable of looking at both sides, and be honest with you.  Listen to Empowered Couples, Stop Reacting, Start Loving Intentionally  It's #1 in a series of 5 podcast episodes by "The Extraordinary Marriage" meant to assist you in letting go of what's not working in your marriage, and guide you in embracing your personal power and finding the answers you need, to live peacefully in your own home.

Blame is in the instigator and in how we react to it.

Think... could I be p...

I was just listening to my own podcast from last week. 

It's my story from 5 years ago, and you know what sticks out? 

When we start a journey, it takes us longer to get there than we think, we work harder than we ever thought we would, and we don't know what we don't know... till suddenly one day... we know it.  

Let's think about that.  You might relate this to college, a new business, buying a house, raising kids, or figuring out HOW to get along with your spouse.  

There are simple disagreements... and then there are downright fights.  Might be money issues, integrity issues, or one sees the glass 1/2 FULL and other sees the glass 1/2 Empty.  What do you do?

Well, the 1st thing is Recognizing that there is a problem.  Too often we have Turtle syndrome, and we hide our head or we brush it off, choosing to forget it and hope it will go away, but too often it doesn't.  Small issues turn into giant issues and the river of frustration and hurt become daily.

Next is the job of Re...

Wow!  Life is such a journey.  In the beginning you have no idea where you are going, but as the years go by, you have hindsight added to all you learn along the way.

Have you thought, I know nothing about ________?

Then one day you found out all about ________.  Now you know!

That's how life is! 

You don't know WHAT you don't know until suddenly one day...

YOU Know it! 

Can you think of a few things that this pertains to in your life? 

Like riding a bike,

...driving a car,

...what it takes to pay your monthly bills,

...how to cook a dish for dinner? 

These are just basic things we all have to learn... right?

Well... marriage relationships are a lot like this!  You don't know what your spouse needs from you to feel LOVED... until you figure it out one day, and that needs to be sooner rather than later.  Sometimes... you NEED some HELP!   (Grab this... it will help)

Are there certain behaviors like being irresponsible, criticizing, or hostility, coming between you?

M...

This week I am reminded that Awesome spouses are Godly spouses.  What happens if you don't have one or know nothing about such things yourself.  Google it, that is google the Christian Faith.  People cannot DO... what they do not know.

Saturday my husband was called on to do a funeral for folks coming in from out of town.  It turned out they were from 4 different areas of the states and 3 different families, meaning 3 different dads.

We've been brought up to be respectful, kind and thoughtful of all people, even those we don't agree with.  Funerals within this realm are calm and aim at honoring the life of the person who pasted.  Well, this funeral presented conflict, lack of self-control and altercation.  WHY?  Because part of these people evidently lived their lives a bit differently than what we are used to.  

Before the funeral started, one young woman saw a man sitting in the back of the church and went ballistic.  Yes, screaming and all body language that follows that... was i...

Navigating Marriage: Gaslighting & Communication (Riverside Video- 3 minutes)

Do you find yourself walking on eggshells with your spouse, way too often? 

Watch the 3-minute video.

Great rewards come to those that take the time to figure it out!!  So many people get stuck in the emotion and frustration of their marriage, forgetting to analyze and identify, why they're having so much trouble.

Marriage is made up of two different personalities that either work well together or constantly butt heads.  Add to that upbringing.  You may differ on how to spend money, discipline kids, who does the chores, what constitutes spending quality time together means, and so... much more! 

Do you both respect one another and what's the definition of a great marriage?

Have you seen one?

If you're finding more arguments than you'd like, I'd suggest keeping a diary and writing down how you were feeling before the argument started, the mood of your spouse and what started the argument. That way you...

 Hello Friend,

Are you feeling disconnected from your spouse? Many married women report feeling this way, with pretty good size problems 70% of the time and life is livable... just 30% of the time.  If you find yourself walking on eggshells, dreading your spouse coming home from work, or feeling exhausted from arguments, you're not alone.

Here are three ways to move forward and regain your confidence and hope:

1. Draw Closer to God:

   • Engage in private prayer.
   • Find a supportive church community.
   • Experience returned hope.

2. Understand It's Not Your Fault:

   • Recognize that gaslighting may be involved.
   • Acknowledge deeper issues.
   • Know that your spouse may lack the skills to communicate.

3. Put on the Shoes of Your Spouse:

   • Is he stressed?
   • What does he need most from you?
   • Does he need time to decompress from the day?

Coaching Questions to Help You Solve Your Problem:

• Have you set your expectations too high?
• What’s most important to each of you in life?
• Wha...