Podcasts about pre cana

Are you seeing things in your marriage or a relationship that feel a little intense or puzzling…and you’re not sure if they're normal or actually signs of a toxic relationship? If so, it's important to pause and look at the pieces of the puzzle together to see what they might be telling you. To discover if you're in a toxic relationship take our free emotional abuse test. Here are five things that might seem “normal,” but aren’t: SIGNS OF A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP THAT ARE EASY TO MISS 1. HE WANTS TO MOVE THE RELATIONSHIP FORWARD QUICKLY When you’re in a relationship with someone who seemingly shares and cares about your values and interests, it’s easy to be swept up by the intensity of it all. Especially if the relationship seems to happen at the “right” time, and things move forward quickly. But this level of intensity and pace doesn’t give you time to slow down and really think about why you seem so compatible. 2. HE WANTS CONSTANT ACCESS TO YOU, BUT HE’S CLOSED OFF It might seem caring for your partner or husband to want to know where you are all of the time. But is it reciprocal or does it feel one-sided, like he needs constant visibility into your life, while parts of his remain just out of reach? Many women in these situations describe a quiet, hard-to-explain feeling that something isn't adding up. Like he's keeping close tabs on them… while also keeping options, information, or even other relationships carefully hidden. 3. HIS MOODS SHIFT SUDDENLY AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHY Think about it…in healthy relationships, partners are usually aware of the reasons why one partner isn’t in a good mood. They typically communicate about bad days at work or when they’re not feeling well. But in toxic relationships, that level of trust and communication often isn’t there, because one partner doesn’t want it to be. Everything's fine, until it's not, and then, it suddenly is again…And you're left trying to figure out what changed. 4. HE‘S UPSET OVER SMALL THINGS Things that don't seem like a big deal, suddenly are signs of a toxic relationship. For example, you miss a turn on the way to his best friend’s birthday party… and suddenly it's not about directions anymore. He's accusing you of being disrespectful, or doing it on purpose because you don’t want to go. Or you might simply ask him to help with the groceries, and suddenly he’s angry because, “you don’t respect his time and all the things he has to do.” 5. HE’S A DIFFERENT PERSON WHEN OTHERS ARE WATCHING Things feel tense, confusing, or even cold behind closed doors…but in public, he seems calm, kind, hardworking, and completely put together. For example, during counseling or around friends, he might appear thoughtful, patient, and willing to work on the relationship. He says the right things. He looks sincere. Other people may even be impressed by how hard he's trying. But when you're alone again, it's different. The warmth disappears. The tension returns. And you're left trying to reconcile the version of him everyone else sees…with the version you live with every day. If you relate and you need support, we’re always online to help you. Go to btr.org/group/ to see my daily support group schedule. TRANSCRIPT: EARLY SIGNS OF A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR HUSBAND Anne:  I did an interview with a member of our community. We’re going to call her Iris, She talked about how his toxic patterns showed up in her marriage and what happened when she started using the strategies she learned in my workshop. Here’s that interview. Welcome, Iris.  Iris: Thank you. Glad to be here. Anne: Let’s start at the beginning of your story. Can you talk about how you felt when you first met your husband? Iris: He was very charming, and he seemed extremely sincere. Now I understand that he was love bombing me and was trying to make things go fast. It was very intense. And he preyed upon me at a time when I was really ready to get married and have kids. Everybody was getting married and having kids. So he went right for what was the most vulnerable part of me. And we met through a young adult single thing in our group. He proceeded to be very attentive. Anne: When you say young adult, single thing, that sounds a little bit like my faith. What’s your faith background? Iris: it’s the Catholic church. It’s actually Theology on Tap, which is at a brew pub, and you can buy a drink and mingle. And then they have a speaker. Anne: Kind of Matt Fraddish. Iris: Yes. Anne: I actually know Matt Fradd in real life. Iris: And I don’t go to the Catholic church anymore. But that was a huge part of our marriage and, we were really in a circle of pretty devout people. Which also I think contributed to my willingness to submit to him. Anne: When you say submit, can you talk about that a little bit more? EARLY CONTROL DISGUISED AS CARE AND SHARED VALUES Iris: Hindsight, there were red flags before we married. There were early signs of coercive control. It dates me, but cell phones weren’t the norm yet. And he bought me a cell phone so he could reach me more easily. He was pretty volatile. He asked me to marry him within a month or two and I deferred and we dated longer, but he was just intense. Then he would be very sorry. He would cold shoulder me at points. He’d be angry for things that were weird, wasn’t very flexible. Now I know these were signs of a toxic relationship. We went through nine months of marriage prep. So many Christian circles focus on the idea that the man is the head. I saw that in my parents' marriage too. My dad made all the decisions. My mom was independent in some ways, but she still did what he wanted. I think I expected marriage to look like that. The husband leads and the wife follows. Even though I was independent, had a master's degree, was over 30, and had traveled, I still lived in a huge Christian community where that model of marriage was everywhere. NOT RECOGNIZING SIGNS OF A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP Anne: And you just mentioned nobody actually says that, but they actually do say that, it might not be in so many words. It might not be so directly, but they like actually say it. And if you call ’em out and say, “Hey, you said this.” They usually deny it. “Of course, I didn’t say that.” And you’re like, “What? You did.” That’s the part that’s really confusing. The therapists come in or the clergy comes in, or the friends and family, and they gaslight you too. It’s like, “You’re putting words in my mouth. I didn’t say that.” Especially when they find out what he is really like, and you’re like, “What?” “You told me this.” “Well, I never did.” And they for sure did. It’s almost like no matter what you do, you can’t win. There are friends of mine and maybe friends of yours too, who are amazing and they’re like, “Oh my word, I said the wrong thing.” That is so validating. I feel like when I meet people like that, it’s easy to be like, “It’s okay did the ‘wrong thing’ too. I was doing the best I could and I didn’t know that he was abusive. And I didn’t know what was happening, and didn’t recognize signs of a toxic relationship. So I can’t blame you either.” But, for the other people who continue to not believe us and deny that they said or did certain things. ‘That’s harder. Cause it becomes this almost group of unhealthy people that you’re dealing with, rather than just the one unhealthy person. Iris: Right. Signs of a Toxic Relationship: The Sudden Switch After Marriage Anne: Did you end up going to couple therapy? Iris: In the Catholic Church you do Pre-Cana, which is pre-marriage counseling, and they saw some things that were concerning. He was very intent that he could change things. They would categorize it like how we were different. I think she said to me, “Life might always be kind of hard for him.” ‘Cause that’s what she was seeing.. He works very hard, so he seems very sincere. And he met with the man in the couple we met with. And read books and was very sincere. They said to us, “Oh, we’ve never seen somebody work so hard to try to improve themselves so that they’re ready for a marriage.” He impressed them, and I remember feeling exhausted by that point. And it was a mask. I now know that these were signs of a toxic relationship. Anne: Like you shouldn’t have to work that hard. to be normal. They are hard workers, because it would be very hard to pretend all the time. Iris: Right, and that’s how he lives. He has a mask all the time. We had this huge Catholic wedding, like an hour and 20 minute long mass. And it was that night the switch flipped. And he was angry. He cold shouldered me. We’d waited till our wedding night, and he said things that were incredibly humiliating. Seeing THE SAME SIGNS OF A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP IN OTHER WOMEN’S STORIES Iris: Then the next morning he would hardly talk to me. And we left the beautiful hotel. We were to go to a morning brunch at my parents, with guests who were from outta town and our families. And he was furious because people had decorated our car. And he had to stop at a car wash to rinse everything off before we even got to the wedding brunch. Anne: I used this story in my book. Iris: You did? Anne: Yes, this story. Someone else had the same story. Iris: Isn’t that amazing? Like how these Chucks do the same thing to us and have all the same signs of a toxic relationship. Anne: ‘ Like Twilight Zone. Cause you never gave me that story. Iris: isn’t that amazing? I feel like that in group a lot. I’m like, “Oh, that happened to me.” Anne: BTR has been like me trying to fit all the pieces together. And as I’ve tried to fit all the pieces together, things became very clear. And I’ve become very good at seeing in the dark. So this piece of the puzzle I was trying to get it to fit. Like why did he do that? I’ve never met you before, but I spent a lot of time piecing just this piece. With the other pieces that I had of other people’s stories to say, what was this about? I’ve spent so much time with this story in my brain and what it meant. I’m like, holy cow. Iris: Thank you. Thank you for somewhere to tell it, because it was something that felt so shameful for such a long time, rejected, and humiliated. RECOGNIZING THE PATTERNS OF EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE PARTNERS Iris: So we went to that wedding brunch, and I knew he was on edge the whole time. Other people didn’t necessarily see that. We got back to the house we were making our home together, which was his house. And he was angry, he didn’t want to go on our honeymoon, but I was like, I’ve been planning a wedding. All I have been thinking of is being able to go rest on a beach. So he agreed to go, and it was a really a horrible week. He was just fighting. His anger and unreasonableness, were more signs of a toxic relationship. It’s so hard, because he can make it feel like I’m also participating. We finally came home after the week, and at several points I thought maybe I should just fly home,’because it was awful. How would I even ask somebody to come and pick me up? What would I say? What would I do? Feeling so humiliated, like we had this big wedding, we’d done all this preparation, so we finally came home and I remember the first morning after we’d gotten home. He got up, he didn’t even talk to me. He grabbed his mountain bike, and he went mountain biking all day. That was a pattern that repeats throughout our marriage, where he just does his own, yeah. Anne: I had a mountain biking all day incident as well that I wrote about in my book. All of a sudden I’m like, what is happening? This is Twilight Zone, yes. Iris: No way. The Chucks, it’s the Chuck thing, which has been the most powerful thing to learn. WOMEN HAVE DIFFERENT RESPONSES Anne: Surreal that they’re all the same. I think that’s one of the powerful things about our group sessions is that the women are so different. We all react differently and we’re all doing the right thing. Because all of our personalities are different. So some of us want to protect ourselves by being quiet and sitting back and that’s the right thing for us. Some of us want to fight the guy, because that’s how our personality is. But they do all the same things. It doesn’t seem the same, because we haven’t acted the same. And I think the thing that like really helps it all come together is when you realize they’re so transactional. That they’re going to manipulate you in whatever way works for you, all signs of a toxic relationship. So if you’ve been trying to protect yourself in a certain way, they’ve been countering your protection methods in a certain way. And then when you change up the way you’re trying to protect yourself, they almost become like a different person. But they’ve been that same exact person the whole time. It’s just that they’re so transactional that they’re like, oh, that’s not working anymore. I have to do this other thing. And this whole new set of problems comes out so they can be super, super nice or super aggressive. But the whole time, it’s manipulation and lies. Did he ever go through a time where he seemed like he was really great? WHEN PREGNANCY AND BAD ADVICE KEEP YOU STUCK WITH SIGNS OF A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP Iris: I got pregnant right away, so I probably would’ve left, but then I was pregnant and trying to navigate that. When I found out I was pregnant with my first baby, I went to therapy right away, and that therapist just didn’t have the skills to recognize an emotional cycle of abuse and really gaslit me. Then got pregnant again when my daughter was nine months old. So I had two babies, under 18 months old. That was another thing. In my faith, that I grew up with, you’re supposed to accept all babies. That was something that really kept me trapped. I knew once I was pregnant that I would always have to be linked to him. And that was incredibly devastating and terrifying. I think the Christian, and I’m going to say trope, I don’t want to make fun of anybody, but the trope of marriage that you just have to work hard enough and it will all be fine. That really was so damaging when signs of a toxic relationship are present. He did tell me early in our marriage that he had struggled with porn. He did the Every Man’s Battle stuff and everything like that. Also he confided in me that he’d used some at work. He has a security clearance and was about to be interviewed with a, polygraph. He was afraid they would ask him something like that. At the time, he was abusive our whole marriage, but it was the most intense. I didn’t even have the wherewithal to understand that. It was disturbing, it made me feel awful. But I didn’t have any brain space to process what to do with that. He downloaded it on me to get it off his chest. HE WAS Emotionally ABUSIVE ALL OF THE TIME Iris: After my second baby was born, he was probably seven months old, I tried to leave to go to a mom’s group. My ex-husband was angry with me because of my daughter, who’s my older one. I was working on potty training her. And I let her wear pants without underwear. She pooped and he was furious. He came up behind me in the bathroom and pushed me against the counter and said, “Next time, make sure she wears underwear.” So he was abusive all of the time, disrupted my sleep, and would wake me up in the night angry if I coughed. I had to sleep on 18 inches of the bed or less, without moving to not anger him. The reaction I had was to kick him to get him to back up. That’s when he grabbed me by the throat and started to strangle me. And I know now, but I felt terrible later. All I wanted to do was leave. I got my coat and I got in the car and I left. My children were still in the house with him. I just wanted to get away. I went to the mom’s group like everything was fine. But I was dissociated and in trauma. I had gone to my therapist then within a day or two and just poured everything out. And her response was, other women have it worse. And I was so humiliated, like feeling somehow I had caused this. Even though like I knew, I have education. I was in my thirties, I knew that wasn’t right. But the abuse had taken so much of my strength. That kept me so trapped for so long. It made it harder to open up. Therapists aren’t equipped to see signs of a toxic relationship Iris: And we went to so many marriage therapists, who just aren’t equipped. Because Chuck is charming, and they just don’t understand the dynamic except for one therapist who we did not go back to. They didn’t see the signs of a toxiC relationship. But she was crazy. So we went in, it was this dilapidated house. She was far back in the house. The door was open. We went in and sat down. Literally a dog with sores and the cone of shame came out, and she was like, I’ll be right there. Chuck was like, so wigged out. She came out and talked to us for a little while. She also had paranoid notes tacked up on her wall. Anyway, she talks to us for a little while, and Chuck is so wigged out, so Chuck is walking out. And before we leave she says, I want to give you something. And she hands me a page, and it has books on it. So I went home and ordered it, and then it came and I didn’t read it, like I couldn’t read it. I didn’t read it for the longest time, because it was just so painful. But that was the only therapist who saw the signs of a toxic relationship. And then I found out the next week she lost her license, in the newspaper. Anyway, she was the only one who saw the abuse and handed me a key. Anne: So she handed you a clue. When His “I Choose You” Doesn't Add Up Iris: A clue, and she was right. I had gone to other therapists over the years. I looked just crazy, because I would just cry. One therapist had different offices and I would always go to the wrong one. because I had no short term working memory available. Chuck disrupted my sleep. I’d be in the shower, he’d bring the baby in screaming and put them on the bath mat and I’d have to get out and take care of the baby. He’d drive angry, the list goes on and on. I just didn’t have the words to explain. We went to a mom’s group event where dads were invited. And he was angry at me the whole time, but only I knew that. And then I had to get in the car and drive home with him. So it was really intense. And then at about the seven year mark, he decided that marriage worked for him. It was such a delight, such a relief to have him gone for two weeks. He came home from a business trip. And he said, “I realized it’s been you the whole time. You’re really the one that I want to be married to.” Anne: Oh Iris: Right. Anne: Wait, he was having an affair. Iris: I don’t know. Anne: That sounds like something someone would say if they just broke up with someone. Because they’re like trying to choose between the person they’re having an affair with. In my book, I put the pieces together. FROM THE DAY WE GOT MARRIED, THERE WERE SIGNS OF A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP Anne: After interviewing over 200 women and hearing their stories. I’m pretty good at knowing what happened. I think in this situation, he’s having an affair and she breaks up with him. He’s feeling bummed about it. He might say out loud to you, I decided I want to be with you. Iris: Mm hmm Anne: You don’t have the context of the affair, of him breaking up with her. So this really weird out of the blue statement, “I’ve decided I want to be married to you.” When he’s been married to you for seven years is odd. It also feels like a relief, “Oh, maybe he just didn’t want to be married to me before, and now he’s choosing me.” But you don’t realize what a weird out of place thing that is, because he makes you feel better in that moment. I don’t know if that rings true to you, but it seems that would be the order of events that would precipitate out of the blue, telling you, “Oh, I’m choosing you now.” Iris: Yeah, it didn’t make me feel better, because from the day we got married, he was horrible. it was awful. Anne: So you’re like, great. Now this awful person really wants to be married to me. Iris: It felt like a lie. Now that I understand how Chuck works, like there was something he wanted, he didn’t really love me. Somebody who really loved me and realized they were wrong would’ve not said that. I think they would’ve said, ” I’ve been horrible. I can see why you wouldn’t even want to be married to me, but I realized I really want to be married to you. They would’ve said something to try to heal that. Anne: Some effort to repair. Seeing the Patterns and Signs of a Toxic Relationship Anne: Instead it was more signs of a toxic relationship. Iris: I think so. And I think that’s why it felt awful. Because he manipulated me. Which I don’t think I could verbalize at that time, but he manipulated again. Anne: Were you about to leave at that time? Was there anything about you that was different? Iris: He knew that I was unhappy, but he was abusive all of the time, yeah. Anne: Did you ever find out about explicit media use? Iris: He told me, in hindsight, he’d invited a single woman that he’d never met to our wedding. Which was weird. It was a last minute thing, and I feel like she was probably a backup. Anne: You’ve said three stories now that sound exactly like other stories. I have heard this before. Your story includes all the classic, down to the detail. Iris: Wow Anne: Of inviting someone else to the wedding. Iris: The Chuckness of it. Anne: You got a winner. Iris: He’s a doozy. He told me later that he didn’t actually want to get married. Then when I look at inviting this woman to the wedding, he didn’t admit that for many years. But when he did, I was like, oh, so she must have been the escape hatch. If he didn’t go through with marrying me, he would’ve had someone in the wings. FEELING HELPLESS Iris: I suspect he continues to use porn. He is in cybersecurity, and he always had three computers in his office. So I wonder if one of those he used. I don’t know. I’ve always been curious about what that was. I don’t think I was as tuned into that until I was leaving the marriage. And then there wasn’t much that I had access to. There wasn’t anybody that seemed to have that language who I could talk to. I just felt really helpless, and he was very manipulative and very controlling, the love bombing, he is very good at. The other part was that I was super reactive at that point. So I felt very guilty about my responses to his behavior. Even though it was less intense and further apart. But the reality is that those first seven years, in the bedroom, total coercion, marital rape, and everything now that I have words for, had happened. By that point, like there was very little he had to do to make me comply, to try to stay out of his way. I would try to have a separate life, while maintaining that Christian marriage appearance. It took me a long time to see these as signs of a toxic relationship. Anne: We would probably call it like survival mode. You are trying to survive and that’s why a lot of people use the word survivor when they talk about abuse victims, because every day you’re just trying to survive. Why Getting Help Feels So Scary at First Iris: Yeah, daily. Navigate all of the things that are happening that just don’t make any sense. And I don’t have the words for. I think during the pandemic, I started to see your Instagrams. And it was like, oh, that’s what’s happening, those are the words. That’s what this is. And beginning to be able to label things and feel like I’m not alone. Then, wanting to join group, but then being afraid. What if it doesn’t help, I don’t want Chuck to know I’m joining? Just feeling do I really want to do that? because I felt like if I go through that door, I can’t go back. Anne: Can we talk about that for a minute? because a lot of women have told me that. I followed you on Instagram, or I listened to the podcast, and I didn’t start attending group sessions because I knew it would change everything. What is it about BTR that is different in that way? It’s different than maybe therapy or something. Is it because you’re going to finally get help to look at it. Seeing the signs of a toxic relationship can be scary at first. Iris: This can make me cry. I think, because no one had helped. So I think there was an element of, I could try this and probably it’s still not going to help. By that point, looking for help for so long and thinking, I don’t know that anything will help. then being so vulnerable and beaten down. I think there’s a sense of like, does anybody really want to help me? Do I deserve help? because it certainly seems like it’s my fault. So being very afraid to join a group. Like it’s terrifying the first day. BTR FELT LIKE AN ANSWER TO PRAYER Anne: Once you did attend a group session? Were you surprised at what happened? Iris: Yeah, the first day I joined, you hear that zoom beep and you are in group and feeling so afraid. But I was so welcome. it was like I could take a breath, even though really I was crying so hard. Hearing everybody talk, hearing the coaches talk, feeling like the words made sense. I didn’t share that first time, but just crying afterwards. Like there’s somewhere that gets this. There’s somewhere where there are other women who understand this. I’ve never met anybody who knows what’s happening to me. In my story, something that’s amazing was that when my daughter was a baby, there was this show on daytime TV called Starting Over House. It was a reality show for women to go to this house and start over. They had two coaches, and I remember watching these women go, and they had all different kinds of problems that they were trying to grow from or whatever. All I wanted was to take my baby and join that house. It was a reality show. I’m sure it would not have been really super helpful. But I just wanted to have people love on me and help me figure out my marriage. That’s all I wanted. So when I came to Betrayal Trauma Recovery group, I’m not kidding you, two of the coaches looked like those two coaches on that show. It just felt like it was a prayer answer. HIS ANGER WAS THERE ALL THE TIME Iris: So Sharon and Renee, two coaches loved on me and made me feel like I wasn’t crazy. And helped me to slowly unravel what had been happening and what had happened to me, and find my voice. I joined in the spring, I was already starting to take steps in my marriage to not engage with Chuck. By July, he was angry with me all of the time. Which I’ll come back to in just a minute. But , before I had joined, he had done some really angry driving in the car. He’d been angry one day when I had locked the door to the master bedroom, because I like to pray and meditate. And then I had gotten in the shower without unlocking it. Because I just want privacy from two kids, a dog and a Chuck. He banged on the door for as long as I was in the shower, and I could hardly hear him, but it scared the pants off of my kids. I felt like I didn’t know what to do. When I joined group, I finally started to have some strategies and observe him. Sometimes I forget all the things that happened. Right before I joined in February, he bought a new car and asked for money from his father. Then he came to me and said, “I didn’t spend all the money on the car. I saved some, so either you can go to marriage therapy with me.”, which he’d been threatening, and I didn’t want to go to marriage therapy with him because we’d been many, many times. GROUP HELPED ME SEE THE SIGNS OF A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP Iris: He said, “Either you go to marriage therapy with me, and I’ll buy a car for our daughter, or I’m going to divorce you. Not long after that, I ended up joining group. Then he said, “I used that money to file for divorce. I hired an attorney, and how do you want me to serve you your papers?” At that point, I had enough skill to say you can have me served, thank you. And it was super calm. And then I actually jumped in group and was able to just process. One of the things that was so amazing was that everything happening to me in real time, I could then go in a group, get support, be in my closet, my car, or at the library. The more I went towards health and boundaries, the angrier he got. So he actually continued to ask me for two months how I wanted my divorce papers. I can see how divorce and emotional abuse were intertwined, he was using the threat of divorce to try to control me. I would say, “You can have me served.” And he would say, I don’t want to pay $400. He did that until I got a paper in the mail and I thought that I was being served. I didn’t think I could be served in the mail, which you can’t in my state, but it was actually that they were going to kick it out of the system. I took that paper to an attorney, because I had been interviewing attorneys. That kicked off the divorce process. Because I was served. Anne: That whole time he is asking, “How do you want to be served? And you’re like, “Just serve me.” DEALING WITH CONTROL WHEN HE FILED FOR DIVORCE Anne: He's trying to get you to do something to stop the divorce. He threatens you—if you don't toe the line, I'll divorce you. When you’re like, okay, go ahead and divorce me, then he’s escalating. Using all the tricks and signs of a toxic relationship that worked before. He reminds me of my ex, who said that. Then he didn’t file. Because he thought that would instigate me repairing. Or me doing the thing I was supposed to do. And when I didn’t do it, I don’t think he wanted to file for divorce. It’s just that he couldn’t figure out how to control me anymore. He was like, well, I guess I have to make these things happen. And it sounds the same in this scenario, where he’s trying to get you to do something. Because a normal person, if they’re like, how do you want me to serve you? And you say, oh, just serve me. They’d be like, okay. And they would serve you. Iris: Right, it was control. I was so thankful I could go back in group and have the framework, putting my lab coat on, doing one step at a time. Getting shored up so that I wouldn’t be bowled over by his behavior. I finally hired an attorney, and my attorney notified his attorney. Chuck came to me and said, “Well, that’s not fair. You didn’t tell me you had an attorney. And now we both have to decide to dismiss the divorce. I can’t just decide myself.” Anne: Like not to get divorced? After he’s filed, he’s like, wait. Now that you’ve responded to me serving you with divorce papers, we actually have to get divorced. Iris: Right. Anne: That sounds like my Chuck too. INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS HELPED ME GET READY FOR EACH BIG BATTLE Iris: Really, it’s like they’re all going by the same playbook. I think realizing that these are all the signs of a toxic relationship was huge. And it allowed me to understand that my job was to be strategic. Chuck does a lot of stupid as a strategy. That attorney he hired in July, by the time our status conference was in October, he’d used all of his retainer. Which was $5,000, and nothing had happened yet. Because he is a Chuck and likes to call his attorney to talk. So then right after the status conference, he fired the attorney and then went pro se for a while. I was so thankful that I had BTR, that I could do group. I could do the Betrayal Trauma Recovery individual sessions to get ready for each big barrier or battle with him, so that I went in calm and focused. It really allowed me, in my divorce process to understand that this was the best thing for me. Even though he was trying to control me. It was finally the door out. And he kept coming back to me and asking, “Do you really want a divorce?” And I would say, “You could move out.” But he never would. One of the other things was that understanding that there was going to be so much out of my control and really focusing on what was in my control. In my coaching sessions with Renee and with Sharon, being able to determine what my top priorities were. My priorities weren’t numbers. My priorities were big picture. And then I said, these are the things that are most important and this is what I want to work towards. And it helped me. I feel like things worked out well for me. WE SETTLED AN HOUR BEFORE COURT Iris: So having enough money to restart and go back to school. Having stability for my kids, not selling the house immediately so that my daughter could finish high school. Like those were the big picture things. And because Chuck just wants to fight, it was the 11th hour literally. He hired an attorney again, just weeks before our divorce was final. But we ended up settling like an hour before court. I was able just to hang on, to understand it was going to be like that no matter what I did. Like I didn’t have any control over him, and I really got up that morning not knowing what was going to happen. And being at peace in that, and that I was doing all the things that I needed to do, and to let go of that so that I wasn’t in a battle with him. That was incredibly powerful. Hard but powerful. So it’s been final for two years. And the post separation abuse continues, and BTR’s been incredibly helpful in that. I was able to stay in our marital home for a year till our daughter graduated, and then last year that sold. So I moved out and things just lined up. In part because he was so disorganized. I think that worked out in my favor. And I’m now in school finishing a post Master’s certificate in school counseling. And I got hired last fall as a school counselor. So I’m working full-time as a school counselor while finishing my certificate. Just having somewhere to work out the technical stuff and then the emotional stuff, to understand how to be strategic. RESTARTING MY LIFE Iris: Because I could stay in that place rather than be in his blender. Which is what it was for 18 years. I have been able to restart my life and feel so grateful and fortunate. That I’ve had the support, and he continues to be abusive. And my daughter now is 19 and my son is 17. And so being able to talk about that and how he behaves helped me. I know that at some point, I won’t have to interact with him as much. Or at all once my kids are bigger. But because of the type of abuser he is, because of the types of things he did to me, I know that I am at greater risk of him being dangerous to me physically. And so being able to unpack that, but also, understanding that I have a right to safety and that I can take steps to do that and not feel bad about it. He’s much sneakier now. He’s incredibly angry with me and feels like the divorce was unfair. Because his goal is control, he can’t control me anymore, I think is one reason why he’s angry. It is palpable when I’m around him. He seethes at me. Other people may not be able to see it because he’ll mask it until there’s nobody around. But I think it has been invaluable to me to have a community where I can process that and then take steps to be safe from all the signs of a toxic relationship. When I finally blocked him, which was scary to do, because we have two kids. And that was easier to be able to text and call. It was just another vector for him to get to me. BLOCKING HIM FELT SO EMPOWERING Iris: So blocking him and doing email only. It felt so empowering to make that decision and be able to unpack that in group and also get the support of “Yay, you finally blocked him.” Like I’d been talking about it for so long. And trying to figure out the signs of a toxic relationship, There are the big steps to leave abuse and there are smaller ones too. Sometimes it’s the little ones that felt really hard. Especially because then my kids would know that I blocked him. Moving away from abuse is hard. I left the house today because I have somebody cleaning my house, which I started hiring somebody. So that I can do all that I’m doing. because I’ve been in school and working full-time and parenting two teens, and it feels so empowering. When they walked in today, I was thinking, because I was coming to talk to you and I was like, they’re helping me leave abuse. And I can say that to you. I think you know that. But he was abusive with cleaning. He would wake me. He likes things clean. He’d wake the kids cleaning and it’s very controlling. But to have a clean house and not be abused, it’s hard to express. This is my safe space, and I get to decide how it gets clean. I get to decide how to spend my money. I get to make choices now that I couldn’t make before. I’m just so incredibly grateful that BTR, I can make choices and know that I can. Thank you. LEARNING THE STRATEGIES IS INVALUABLE Anne: You are so brave and so strong. Look at you. You’ve got a good job. You have enough money to be able to hire someone to help clean your house, and the lack of guilt. Because some people have the money, but they’re like, I still can’t. I should be able to, no, like look at all the amazing things that you’ve accomplished. When it comes to divorce, if people ask me my situation, I say I am proudly divorced. I am so happy divorced. And I also say things like abuse doesn’t work out for a lot of people, but it worked out so well for me. Because everything that I have gained from learning about the signs of a toxic relationship and the strategies of protecting myself, has been invaluable. Like our confidence just grows day by day. That little voice in our heads and that little like charge that feels like I’m doing something wrong or I can’t do this or I can’t do that just starts to fade away. And life feels so free and wonderful. I’m so happy for you. It’s wonderful. Good job. Iris: Thank you, thank you for starting BTR and your podcasts were such a beacon for me too. Before I started group of these voices saying, “You’re not alone, you’re not crazy.” Listening to your voice, I still probably need to hear that a lot, because he makes me feel crazy. So thank you. Anne: Well, thank you, without women like you who listen and come and use our services, we wouldn’t be here. So thank you. Our services are incredible. Our team is incredible. It’s such a safe place. THE DIFFERENCE WITH BTR SERVICES Anne: I’ve been thinking a lot about the difference between BTR and the difference in our services is that it’s so real. You really have women you can see who know your story. You can talk to them every single day in person . And they’re never going to blame you or judge you. It’s never going to be that you made some kind of soul contract, like the weird stuff that you might hear from people who somehow try to blame you. I’m like, there’s no reason to ever say any of it had anything to do with you. because you were surviving the best you could the whole time, and you were going for help, and no one gave you the right information. And none of that has anything to do with you. They are helping you deal with the signs of a toxic relationship. That’s the crazy thing about abuse. You’re doing every single thing right and you still can’t get the right information. Despite you trying to get it for years. Some people don’t believe it, because they can’t imagine that would happen. But it happens every day with so many women all over the world. Anyway, thank you for your support of BTR. Iris: It is really such a privilege to be in this community. I felt, loved on and prayed for fiercely. BTR GIVES US THE STRATEGIES THAT WE NEED Iris: I remember when I first started. I thought they’re giving us the weapons that we need to fight the battle. Almost under the cover of darkness. They sort of come into our homes, our cars, our closets, and give us the weapons we need to fight the evil that is happening to all of us. Like all of a sudden realizing the support, but also the education that BTR does, is invaluable, to help us recognize and deal with the signs of a toxic relationship. I could get out of my reactive brain and really start to think, “Oh, this is what’s happening. Okay, this is what I can do. Chuck is doing this. This is what I’ve always done, but I don’t have to do that. I can do this.” It changed everything. Anne: Well, I am so glad, thank you so much, Iris, for taking the time to share your story with me today. Iris: Thank you.

Zander Krause wraps up Monday's Birds 365 with Super Chats, Eagles 2026 schedule breakdown (home games include Rams, Seahawks, Steelers, Texans), AJ Brown trade value discussion, and the tush push officially being killed. Plus: ZK's wedding Pre-Cana story and the great Dunkin' Coffee debate with the chat.Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

     Slam The Gavel welcomes Mary Bowen to the podcast. Mary and her fiancé participated in extensive Pre-Cana classes before marrying at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Austin Texas in 7-25-1998. However, her husband filed for divorce in 10-18-2021 in the County Courthouse in Bastrop, Texas. The case number is 21-20960. At this point Mary has been married a total of 27 years. Mary is a devout, practicing Catholic, who honors marriage vows made to God. The Constitutional Challenge, referencing Texas Family Code 6.001, was just filed in November 17th, 2025.      The Texas Family Code 6.001: INSUPPORTABILITY. On the petition of either party to a marriage, the court may grant a divorce without regard to fault if the marriage has become in supportable because of discord or conflict of personalities that destroys the legitimate ends of the marital relationship and prevents any reasonable exception of reconciliation.To Reach Mary Bowen:  mbowen7736@gmail.comhttps://www.givesendgo.com/SanctusFamilyhttps://www.texasnofault.com/Supportshow(https://www.buymeacoffee.com/maryannpetri)Maryann Petri: dismantlingfamilycourtcorruption.comhttps://www.tiktok.com/@maryannpetriFacebook:  https://youtube.com/@slamthegavelpodcast?si=INW9XaTyprKsaDklhttps://substack.com/@maryannpetri?r=kd7n6&utm_medium=iosInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/guitarpeace/Pinterest: Slam The Gavel Podcast/@guitarpeaceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryann-petri-62a46b1ab/  Twitter https://x.com/PetriMaryannEzlegalsuit.com   https://ko-fi.com/maryannpetrihttps://www.zazzle.com/store/slam_the_gavel/aboout*DISCLAIMER* The use of this information is at the viewer/user's own risk. Content on this podcast does not constitute legal, financial, medical or any other professional advice. Viewer/user/guest should consult with the relevant professionals. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Service, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (1) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (2) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. Reproduction, distribution, performing, publicly displaying and making a derivative of the work is explicitly prohibited without permission from content creator. The content creator maintains the exclusive copyright and any unauthorized copyright usage is strictly prohibited.  Podcast is protected by owner from duplication, reproduction, distribution, making a derivative of the work or by owner displaying the podcast. Owner shall be held harmless and indemnified from any and all legal liability.Support the showSupportshow(https://www.buymeacoffee.com/maryannpetri)http://www.dismantlingfamilycourtcorruption.com/

Fr. William Rock, FSSP, serves as Parochial Vicar at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Nashua, New Hampshire. He was ordained in October of 2019 and serves as a regular contributor to the FSSP North America Missive Blog. In Today's Show: Catholic woman unsure if her marriage to a non-Catholic (with no real prep) is valid; wants to be sure she's not living in sin. Couple teaching Pre-Cana unsure how to handle cohabitating couples; asks if they should refuse to proceed or challenge the priest. Can someone who's never heard of Jesus still go to Heaven? Is maida flour valid or illicit for consecration at Mass? Is it wrong to buy relics on platforms like eBay? Why is the sedevacantist position incorrect? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Retreats are an ancient practice for Catholics to get away from the day-to-day life and allow God to work in their hearts in a deeply intimate way. Brian Rhude, Project Coordinator at the Catholic Apostolate Center and Campus Minister for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, joins this episode of On Mission with Chris Pierno, Sarah Scalfaro, and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C.Whether one goes on a day retreat or a weeklong silent retreat, retreats are a means to grow closer to Christ and to reinvigorate one's spiritual and prayer life. Engaged couples go on retreats to prepare for marriage. And other lay men and women take annual weekend retreats to enter deeper prayer. Many priests and religious, too, go on retreat to recharge their relationship with God in a profound way. Some religious orders' charism provides retreat experiences for people. Brian Rhude explains the many different kinds of retreats and how one can take their experiences home with them and allow the Lord to continually speak to them. The simplest retreat one can do every day is spending time with Jesus in daily prayer. Related On Mission episodes:Year of PrayerThe Eucharist and the Eucharistic RevivalShrines and PilgrimagesMarriage Preparation From the Ad Infinitum blog:Making the Most of Summer with Your ChurchRetreats Read Art of Accompaniment and Living as Missionary Disciples ResourcesCheck out the main Saints and Feast Days websiteDownload the App on the App Store or Google Play Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify On Mission is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources and podcasts. Listen to Fr. Frank's weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Mother Miriam Live - September 23rd, 2024 Can we have an outdoor Catholic wedding? The Pre-Cana at our parish give out a test paper full of perversion question and if you and your fiancé don't match, then they won't marry you. My manager is very anti-Catholic and compares Catholicism to other "shameful" religions. I work at a high school, and I have a mini poster on my desk with a few prayers. The school wants me to take it down. What should I do? My children with addiction need help, what can I do? How to convince my fiancé that we shouldn't use contraception when we marry?

Questions Covered: 02:30 – Can Christ be present in the eucharist at a protestant church? 13:34 – How do I biblically prove that Adam’s sin ended with potential eternal damnation? 20:20 – How can I respond to Jehovah Witnesses  objections to the Catholic faith? 31:12 – Do you need to repent to be baptized? 38:02 – Why are marriages given more scrutiny in an annulment proceeding than in Pre-Cana? 46:33 – Why Does Hebrew say that Jesus was made perfect? 50:18 – Can we view Adam and Eve as a Platonic ideal? …

In our final webinar of this three part series, Dr. Steven Serafin provides suggestions for successful models of marriage ministry. How to identify models that might work for you, as well as provide some insights in ways to grow your marriage ministry into a sustainable and successful one for your community.Follow us: - The Catholic Apostolate Center - The Center's podcast website - Instagram - Facebook - Apple Podcasts - Spotify   Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

Ever been stuck wondering if you should attend a wedding of a fallen-away Catholic? There can be anger, tension, and hurt in the family if you don't go, and it's tempting to want to keep the peace! What should you do? Patrick Madrid dives into this tricky situation! Here's some advice that can help you!    Listener Letter: Maggie and Bill write in, grappling with attending a wedding of Catholics who've drifted from the Church and are getting married outside of it. They present objections from fellow Catholics challenging Patrick's stance against attending such weddings.   Patrick's Key Points:   Catholic Marriage Validity: A marriage involving at least one Catholic must take place in a Catholic Church before a bishop, priest, or deacon to be valid. Otherwise, it's not recognized by the Church.   Natural Marriages: Marriages between non-Catholics, like Protestants or non-Christians, are considered valid by the Church. Catholics can attend these ceremonies without issues.   Scandal and Conscience: Attending an invalid Catholic marriage can cause scandal and gives the impression of endorsing it. This is a matter of conscience, not just a public stance.   St. John the Baptist Analogy: Patrick uses St. John the Baptist's refusal to endorse Herod's invalid marriage to show the moral duty to uphold Church teachings, even when it's tough.   Objections and Patrick's Responses:   "John the Baptist was a political figure."   Response: John wasn't a political figure; his actions had political implications. The moral duty to stand by your conscience applies to everyone, regardless of prominence.   "No one else cares if I attend."   Response: God cares. It's about your conscience and integrity. Even if no one else knows, compromising your beliefs for convenience isn't right.   "Isn't it better for them to be civilly married?"   Response: For Catholics, a civil marriage without following Church law is just cohabitation. The state's recognition doesn't make it valid in the Church's eyes.   "Lying during Pre-Cana is worse."   Response: Both lying and entering an invalid marriage are wrong. The right path is to avoid both and adhere to Church teachings.   "Is there a benefit to attending and showing quiet disapproval?"   Response: Attending might imply endorsement, causing more harm than good. Upholding your beliefs and setting an example is more beneficial.   Family Dynamics: Patrick totally understands how difficult it can be to take a stand for truth, but he reminds you that we always need to do God's will, even when others are against us. Ask Jesus for the courage to follow Him no matter what.

Parenting as a team is an ongoing challenge– even when your relationship with your co-parent is usually harmonious. But matching headspaces with your co-parent about a problem your family, or one of your children, is dealing with doesn't have to be the goal.  Parenting as a team can often mean taking turns, whether it's with the pancake-flipping, the hard talks with teenagers, or the 3 am worried Googling of ICD-10 diagnoses. In this episode we talk about what's worked for us in moments of disagreement or struggle with our spouses, and how we found common ground. If getting through the pandemic meant zooming in, just getting to the next lamppost, parenting as a team means zooming way out. If you know you're on the same page about the adults you want your children to become, it's a little easier to chill out about how they'll get there.  Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Amy and Margaret discuss their "Pre-Cana" experiences in the Catholic Church, and the usefulness of the Engaged Encounter program in particular. To find out more: engagedencounter.com Buy WHAT CHILDREN LEARN FROM THEIR PARENTS' MARRIAGES: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780060929305 We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid's behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, household equity, household equality, gender household equality, gender household equity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark and Ryan talk about St. Patrick's Day, Ryan having to go to a ceremony to get his new car, and Mark not understanding Catholic weddings.

Fr. Patrick preached this homily on March 16, 2024 at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Wadsworth, OH. The readings are from Jer 11:18-20, Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12 & Jn 7:40-53. — Connect with us! Website: https://shofjesus.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sacredheartwads Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacredheartwads Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgwnA59ZKlUcDJtEt8zPog

In today's episode we celebrate 100 of episodes of Pre-Cana with the Pope and we make a few BIG announcements! We react to our very first episode, reflect on our mission, and answer some LIVE questions from listeners. Let's jump in!SUPPORT OUR APOSTOLATEThank you all for your ongoing support. We love what we do and pray that it is a blessing to you and your families. If you are benefitting in some way from what we're doing, here are some ways you can support our show:  Support us on Patreon!Our BooksGo To Joseph: 10 Day Consecration to St. JosephGo To Joseph For ChildrenFREE RESOURCESFertility Awareness Cheat SheetRelationship Check-UpOur ApostolateAbout UsConnect with us and send us a message on InstagramYouTube ChannelEpisode Music by Alex_MakeMusic from PixabaySupport the show

This week, Host Ace McKay helps find the answer to how should married couples understand submission in marriage. Thanks to Pre-Cana with the Pope” and Dr. Scott Hahn breaks down how we should be praying for current dark times looking into weekly mass readings on “Letters from Home”

Renzo and Monica Ortega are the hosts of Pre-Cana with the Pope: a podcast for married couples. You can find them on Instagram @twobecomefamily Subscribe to their podcast here! Be sure to check out last week's episode where we discussed how to build a strong family despite coming from a broken home. To support Seeking Excellence, join our Locals community.  This is Episode #261 of the Seeking Excellence Podcast.  The Seeking Excellence Podcast exists to help people take extreme ownership of their lives so they can intentionally strive to fulfill their potential.  You can follow Nathan on Instagram, Twitter, Gettr, and TikTok at @nathancrankfield  You can follow SE on Instagram @seekingexcellence_ Subscribe to our YouTube channel here  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seekingexcellence/support

Renzo and Monica Ortega are the hosts of Pre-Cana with the Pope: a podcast for married couples. You can find them on Instagram @twobecomefamily Subscribe to their podcast here! Be sure to check out next week's episode where we will dive into Ephesians 5 and marital submission. To support Seeking Excellence, join our Locals community.  This is Episode #258 of the Seeking Excellence Podcast.  The Seeking Excellence Podcast exists to help people take extreme ownership of their lives so they can intentionally strive to fulfill their potential.  You can follow Nathan on Instagram, Twitter, Gettr, and TikTok at @nathancrankfield  You can follow SE on Instagram @seekingexcellence_ Subscribe to our YouTube channel here  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seekingexcellence/support

This weekend, host Ace McKay helps encourage Dads for Father's Day as “Pre Cana with the Pope” shares how we parent during pride month and one of our newest shows “A Reason for Hope” digs deep into the importance of a Catholic education.

In this episode,  I'm joined by Renzo and Monica Ortega, podcasters, ministry leaders, authors and the couple behind the apostolate Two Become Family. We're breaking down exactly what the Catholic Church believes and teaches about marriage, family, and sexuality – and it's an amazing conversation. We tackle Natural Family Planning, contraception, the Catholic vision of marriage (and the sanctification of spouses), and much, much more. And I couldn't ask for a better couple to have this conversation with than Renzo and Monica; they're honest, earnest, and humble and have some fantastic insights on these topics. If you're newly married, newly Catholic, or discerning a conversion, listen and learn exactly what Catholics believe about marriage, family, and sexuality. For more from Renzo and Monica visit their website. You can find Pre-Cana with the Pope everywhere podcasts are found, and follow them on Instagram too.Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

Father Ben counsels Lizzie and Jacob before their wedding. Produced by Rogue Dialogue Productions (roguedialogue.com) Written and directed by Bob Raymonda and Jack Marone. Cast: Casey Callaghan as Father Ben David Pellow as Jacob Julia Schifini as Lizzie Script editing by Jordan Stillman Dialogue editing by Bob Raymonda Sound design and score by Adam Raymonda Logo by Sam Twardy (www.samtwardy.com) Follow @ForgiveMeShow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram Find a transcript of the episode here. For early access to episodes and bonus content, become a patron at patreon.com/roguedialogue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a lot to unpack here with country-specific wedding traditions from the UK, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Greece. Then we unravel the catholic church's unserious positions on love & marriage, discuss the cinematic masterpiece "The Two Popes", and end with a tech-savvy mental health segment. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/folkandfad/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/folkandfad/support

In today's episode, we kick off the second year of Pre-Cana with the Pope with Dr. Bob Schuchts from the JP II Healing Center! This was a great conversation and we're so glad you're here!Shop all his books including Be Healed, Be Restored, and Be Devoted!Listen to his Podcast here: Restore the GlorySUPPORT OUR MINISTRYThank you all for your ongoing support. We love what we do, and we pray that it is a blessing to you and your families. If you are benefitting in some way from what we're doing, here are some ways you can support our show:  Support us on Patreon!Our BooksGo To Joseph: 10 Day Consecration to St. JosephGo To Joseph For ChildrenFREE RESOURCESFertility Awareness Cheat SheetRelationship Check-UpOur MinistryAbout UsConnect with us and send us a message on InstagramYouTube ChannelEpisode Music by Alex_MakeMusic from PixabaySupport the show

This is the last episode of year ONE of Pre-Cana with the Pope! In today's episode, we discuss the Catholic Church's rules about sex. We start laying the foundation of what the Church teaches, why it teaches what it does, and how it changes our married life. Let's jump in!Get your Inito Monitor - Visit Inito.com and use code MON15 at checkout for 15% off!SUPPORT OUR MINISTRYThank you all for your ongoing support. We love what we do, and we pray that it is a blessing to you and your families. If you are benefitting in some way from what we're doing, here are some ways you can support our show:  Support us on Patreon!Our BooksGo To Joseph: 10 Day Consecration to St. JosephGo To Joseph For ChildrenFREE RESOURCESFertility Awareness Cheat SheetRelationship Check-UpOur MinistryAbout UsConnect with us and send us a message on InstagramYouTube ChannelEpisode Music by Alex_MakeMusic from PixabaySupport the show

Father Remi Morales talks to us about the challenges college students face. Fr. Remi talks to us about how they go about evangelizing on campus and how students encounter Catholicism. Father Remi Morales is a Catholic priest dealing with student life and student ministry at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. Father Remigio Morales is a priest of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (Sodality of Christian Life) currently serving as DRE (RCIA and Pre Cana programs) at St. Agatha and St. James parish and the Penn and Drexel Newman Centers in Philadelphia. At the same time is leading the Grad Students, the Latino and the Athletes Catholic ministries for Penn and Drexel students.

The girls welcome guests Dan and Jenny Nielsen on to discuss the sacrament of Marriage. Dan and Jenny are grade school sweethearts and will be married 29 years later this month. They have served as a sponsor couple for several engaged couples going through the Pre Cana process. Dan and Jenny share their experience and provide some wonderful marriage advice. Instagram: @sacrificeofpraisepodcast Email: sacrificeofpraisepodcast@gmail.com

Andrew interviews Steven about his recent experience at Pre-Cana. Why the church's definition of marriage is much more meaningful than the secular definition, and how the sacrament of marriage better prepares us to receive God's grace.

Bringing two lives together in the sacrament of marriage is beautiful, but can be complicated. This week we interview Renzo and Monica Ortega from Two Become Family and cohosts of the Pre-Cana with the Pope podcast. We talk about bringing two separate money histories together, communicating as a couple about money, and how to keep money and marriage healthy. Mentioned in today's episode: - Go to Joseph by Renzo and Monica Ortega - Pre-Cana with the Pope Podcast - Two Become Family Instagram This episode is brought to you by the Money Together Workshop. Join us on Thursday, October 27 at 7:30pm central for a three-part workshop to learn about how to prevent money fights and work together towards your goals and dreams! Sign up at WalletWin.com/MoneyTogether. Have questions or leads for us? Leave a voicemail - walletwin.com/voicemail Or Email us - email@walletwin.com! Music in this episode is by Dylan Gardner – check out his album Almost Real on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to great music. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walletwin/message

This week (August 24th, 2022) on The Open Door we discuss marriage and the family. Our welcome guest is Perry J. Cahall of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. He is the Academic Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of Historical Theology. Dean Cahall is the author of Living the Mystery of Marriage: Building Your Sacramental Life Together (Hillenbrand Books, 2020), a book whose primary audience is engaged and newly married couples, and The Mystery of Marriage: A Theology of the Body and the Sacrament (Hillenbrand Books, 2016), a book written for use in seminaries and universities.Among the questions we will ask are the following. Please feel free to suggest others!1. Perry, if we may, could you please tell us a bit about yourself and your family?2. What is the history and mission of the Pontifical College Josephinum?3. How did you come to teach at the Josephinum and become a Dean?4. What led you to write about marriage?5. Is marriage a social construct? If not, just what is marriage?6. Is “homosexual marriage” a contradiction in terms?7. What explains the sharp decline in Catholic marriages over recent years? Is marriage fundamentally less attractive in Western culture?8. Why do the media present at most a token number of happily married people with children?9. How is marriage a call to holiness?10. Just what is responsible parenthood?11. Can marriage and celibacy be complementary?12. What counts as “family politics”? How might a political party foster family politics?For Dr. Cahall's book, see https://www.amazon.com/Living-Mystery-Marriage-Building-Sacramental/dp/159525045X/This unique book will assist those called to marriage to live out the wonderful, beautiful, and challenging mystery of married love by presenting a theology, spirituality, and morality of marriage at a widely accessible level. Dr. Perry Cahall encourages both engaged and married couples to understand the real nature and purpose of marriage as God has created it. He includes insightful Self-Discovery discussion questions to help couples process presented information. Questions That Might Be on Your Mind will also engage the reader through the real world issues couples confront today. This will also be a useful resource for priests, deacons or lay ministers engaged in marriage preparation; diocesan offices of marriage and family life; Pre-Cana instructors, and leaders of sponsoring couples programs. This book will also provide seminarians and those preparing for the permanent deaconate a foundation of the Church s teaching as well as an introduction to Pope St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body.

MARRIAGE PREP SERIES Steve says this is the best resource on the planet for strengthening Catholic marriages.

MARRIAGE PREP SERIES Church weddings decreased by 40% in the early 2000s while the number of Catholics in the US increased. The Vatican recently advocated for longer pre-cana preparation. But maybe we don't need longer prep, maybe the prep begins long before an engagement.

In this episode of Author to Author, Dr. Cynthia Toolin-Wilson interviews Dr. Perry Cahall on his book Living the Mystery of Marriage (May 31, 2022)This unique book will assist those called to marriage to live out the wonderful, beautiful, and challenging mystery of married love by presenting a theology, spirituality, and morality of marriage at a widely accessible level. Dr. Perry Cahall encourages both engaged and married couples to understand the real nature and purpose of marriage as God has created it. He includes insightful Self-Discovery discussion questions to help couples process presented information. Questions That Might Be on Your Mind will also engage the reader through the real world issues couples confront today. This will also be a useful resource for priests, deacons or lay ministers engaged in marriage preparation; diocesan offices of marriage and family life; Pre-Cana instructors, and leaders of sponsoring couples programs. This book will also provide seminarians and those preparing for the permanent deaconate a foundation of the Church s teaching as well as an introduction to Pope St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body.https://www.amazon.com/Living-Mystery-Marriage-Building-Sacramental/dp/159525045X

Pre-Cana: what is it and why does it matter? Join me in conversation with Fr. Jon Schnobrich as we discuss the vocation of marriage and how the Church walks with her faithful as they enter into this beautiful vocation. We also discuss how St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body  is an amazing gift for spouses and the world today. This episode is a great listen for the newly engaged, those about to become engaged, and even those who are married who are looking for a quick dive into marriage related topics and Theology of the Body.

Mama Vanak is in the house! Lauren and Jill talk to Joanne (Jill's mom) about the progress (or lack thereof) women have made in the boardroom and in the bedroom over the past 40+ years. With over 45 years of experience in the workforce, we hear about Joanne's feelings on career, being married at 22, the insanity that is Pre-Cana, seeing your future husband naked before you say "I DO", and why women need to support other women. This open, honest, raw conversation about the state of women in the '70s versus the state of women in 2021 is not only fascinating, it's necessary. Ladies, support other women. Love, the GTGs

Co-Managing Partner of Riker Danzig in Morristown, NJ, Mike O'Donnell provides a range of commercial litigation services to clients, particularly title insurance companies and financial institutions. His work includes title disputes, mortgage fraud claims, lender liability claims, loan work-out, commercial foreclosure and evictions, judgment collection, fraud and fraudulent transfer claims, defense against RESPA, TILA and other consumer protection laws and class action defense for the banking and title insurance industries. Mike believes in working with his clients to set end goals at the inception of any matter and striving to get there in the most efficient manner without ever sacrificing flexibility needed for changing circumstances. Mike has represented every major title insurer including Chicago Title Insurance Co., First American Title Insurance Co., Fidelity National Title Insurance Co., Old Republic National Title Insurance Co., Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Westcor Land Title Insurance Co., North American Title Insurance Company, WFG Title Insurance Company and Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Co., as well as their insureds. He has served as coverage counsel for title underwriters on numerous wide-ranging real estate frauds, some of which losses exceeded $45 million. Finally, he represents title agencies in similar matters. As to lending clients, Mike has represented most of the major financial institutions such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and JP Morgan Chase, as well as smaller regional banks including Investors Bank, Carver Federal Savings Bank, Lakeland Bank and Manasquan Savings Bank. He also represents Simon Property Group in commercial litigation and rent disputes in New Jersey and New York. Mike has tried to verdict a wide range of commercial cases from lender liability claims, boundary-line disputes, to a 31-day dispute among the members of a family-owned real estate business valued at over $50 million. He has also litigated numerous class actions from the overcharging of recordation fees to funds availability practices. When he is not practicing law, Mike is active in the community. He currently is a member of the Board of Directors of Zufall Community Health Centers. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Colonial Symphony in Morristown, as well as teaching CCD and Pre-Cana classes in his parish. Mike is also Past Chair of the District XB Ethics Committee. Mike is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He is a member of the American Bar Association (TIPS Title Insurance Committee), Title Counsel Section of American Land Title Association, the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, New Jersey State Bar (Banking, Real Estate and Federal Bar Sections) and Morris County Bar Association (Financial Services Committee). Finally, Mike had the honor of serving five years in the United States Marine Corps. riker.com Follow us on Instagram: @TheMorningSpotlight Email us at: themorningspotlight@gmail.com www.themorningspotlight.com For title insurance inquiries contact Mike at michael.ham@ctt.com Buy Mike a Coffee!

On this episode of Catholic Forum, after news from The Dialog, we learn about the new Footprints Ministry from the Diocese of Wilmington, when Ms. Colleen Lindsey, Director of the Office for Religious Education and Office for Marriage and Family Life, and Ms. Eileen Gaus, Coordinator of Pre-Cana for the Office for Marriage and Family Life, are the guests. Footprints is a new ministry designed to assist families by providing resources after the loss of their unborn child, whether it was very recently or many years ago.  It will aid mothers, fathers, couples, and families with support, education, and compassion by providing books, guidance, and other resources. It and will launch with a special Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Mass on October 15, 2021 at 7 pm at St. Elizabeth Church in Wilmington, Delaware.

Fr. Ryan Mann delivered this talk to a group of engaged couples at St.Basil's Pre-Cana retreat day.

Parenting as a team is an ongoing challenge– even when your relationship with your co-parent is usually harmonious. But matching headspaces with your co-parent about a problem your family, or one of your children, is dealing with doesn't have to be the goal.  Parenting as a team can often mean taking turns, whether it's with the pancake-flipping, the hard talks with teenagers, or the 3 am worried Googling of ICD-10 diagnoses. In this episode we talk about what’s worked for us in moments of disagreement or struggle with our spouses, and how we found common ground. If getting through the pandemic means zooming in, just getting to the next lamppost, parenting as a team means zooming way out. If you know you're on the same page about the adults you want your children to become, it's a little easier to chill out about how they’ll get there.  In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss their "Pre-Cana" experiences in the Catholic Church, and the usefulness of the Engaged Encounter program in particular. To find out more: engagedencounter.com Margaret also mentions the book WHAT CHILDREN LEARN FROM THEIR PARENTS' MARRIAGES, which you can find in our Bookshop store: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780060929305 * Leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcast app! * Join us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/whatfreshhellcast * Instagram: https://instagram.com/whatfreshhellcast * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WhatFreshHellPodcast * Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/whatfreshhellcast * Twitter: https://twitter.com/WFHpodcast * questions and feedback: info@whatfreshhellpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Jordana and Nicole are joined by Raphy and Sara Feolino of Journey To Marriage. Raphy and Sara are a married couple who guide engaged couples through Catholic Pre-Cana sessions. They discuss the processes involved in Pre-Cana, what couples can learn to keep their relationship strong and why you and your partner shouldn’t be watching porn.

A few months ago I heard one of my favorite podcasters mention that she went to marriage counseling sometimes with her husband, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I was a bit…scandalized. I know! I stink. But in my mind, marriage therapy was for people who were, like, borderline divorce. It seemed awkward and shameful. And even though we'd had plenty of episodes on therapy, I realized I still had barriers built up around the idea of marriage counseling. Thankfully, marriage and family therapist Jessica Barboza could join me for a chat all about what marriage therapy is (and isn't!) She's also very passionate about the pre-cana experience and how our marriage prep classes often fail to truly prepare couples for the sacrament of marriage. This episode is perfect for any engaged women or women who have been struggling to communicate well with their husband and have been considering marriage therapy. I loved talking to Jessica and I'm honored to feature our conversation today—enjoy!

We're Open4Bidness once again w/ Caity Pataties co-hosting her first full episode! Gotta give the people what they want.Quick hittin 'sode as Tim & Taties discuss some recent happenings in the world of Quarantaties, why they haven't picked out their Wedding Photos to this point, leading the two to reminisce about their odd experience(s) during Pre-Cana, a weekend prerequisite in order to get married in a Catholic Church...Bidness then runs down the set list that he has ready for the next live show, to be featured during Episode 10.Thanks for Listening! Let's go.

We discovered the ONE thing that made our relationship more special than our past ones & how Pre-Cana was not enough for our marriage preparation.

We took part in our virtual pre cana after 3 live classes got rescheduled and talked about our experience

Father Dave answers two questions on marriage. A listener named Patricia shares that her daughter was supposed to be married in August, but her Pre-Cana marriage course was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and she is unable to be married without it.

Art, language, Scripture, and the saints come together in this episode, featuring Katie Woltornist, founder of Behold Visio Divina. In her time discerning religious life with the Dominicans, Katie’s heart was struck by these words from St. Catherine of Siena:“Be who you are meant to be and you will set the world on fire!”For Katie, that meant a change of course and trusting in the lessons learned along the way. In time, the Spirit led her to create a workshop that became Behold (first offered at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, NJ, where Lindsay and her husband currently teach Pre-Cana).We encourage you to give Visio Divina a try through one of Behold’s books, workshops, or their upcoming pilgrimage. To get you excited about it, check out this image, “Jump for Joy,” by Corby Eisbacher, which Katie and Lindsay talk (gush) about in their conversation.Make sure to follow Behold on Facebook and Instagram, too.To suggest a quote or a guest, follow the show on Instagram, @quoteme_podcast, or contact Lindsay at her website, LindsaySchlegel.com.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast, leave a review wherever you find your podcasts, and tell a friend.Until next time, God bless you!

She said yes! On December 10th, Jordan Pacheco purposed to Genevieve Montgomery in front of Our Savior Church where they first met (she took pity on him and agreed). Today, Rudy and Jordan discuss the road for a Catholic engagement, with ear towards Pre-Cana, the betrothal ceremony, and what it means to cultivate Christian marriage. Bishop Fulton Sheen, ora pro nobis! ________________________________________________________________ The Glad Trad Podcast is a series that highlights positive and exciting changes happening in the Church Militant, namely the rediscovery of the Traditional Latin Mass and a commitment to Catholic Orthodoxy. Brought to you by your favorite pipe-smoking, rosary-clutching, and meme-producing duo, naturally. Podcast is live at gladtradpodcast.buzzsprout.com Also Available on Itunes, Spotify, Overcast, Castbox, Stitcher, and more!

In the first hour, hosts Michael Goldsmith and Fr. Tim Biren sat down with Marc and Alicia Hauge to share their amazing story of NFP and Pre-Cana during "Inspired: Sharing Your Journey" and Fr. Tim Biren took your questions on the faith during Straight Talk.

In the first hour, hosts Michael Goldsmith and Fr. Tim Biren sat down with Marc and Alicia Hauge to share their amazing story of NFP and Pre-Cana during "Inspired: Sharing Your Journey" and Fr. Tim Biren took your questions on the faith during Straight Talk.

Frasiacs, Breasties, Besties? Wendy Williams has co-hosts, The Shaderoom has roomates, what should Hey Frase have? Sarah and AJ talk about doing secret stand up and Sarah discuss what went down when she did her ‘Pre-Cana’ classes? A mom in Texas gave birth to 6 babies in 9 minutes, we’re dying. Plus, the woman who suffered a stroke from her man going down on her. Show sponsored by fabfitfun.com use code Hey Frase and https://www.advfcu.org/podcast.html

In Episode 9 of Pump Fake to the Altar, the guys tackle the top headlines of the NBA from Stephen Curry’s injury, to LeBron James’s greatness and also what playoff matchups they’re looking forward to seeing. They also discuss the frustration of friends and family not responding to their wedding invites while DJ gives some insight on his Pre-Cana experience.

**Please note there are mature topics talked about in this episode** “We must learn to see the difference between the false freedoms sold to us by the culture and the True Freedom bought for us by Jesus Christ.” -Fr. Mitch Pacwa  We are fighting the culture wars and true femininity is hard to detect anymore.  Some pretty bold faced lies are being sold out there and it is time to put on the armor of God and spread the Gospel Truth of who we are created to be.  Our beautiful guest, Gloria Purvis, joins with us this week to do just that.  You don’t want to miss this. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest: Gloria Purvis views her role as wife and mother to her six year old daughter as her most important. Also, Gloria graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies. She worked for nearly two decades in the mortgage industry before becoming a policy director at a major financial services company.  She served on the National Black Catholic Congress’ Leadership Commission, and as an Advisory Board Member on the Maryland Catholic Conference’s Respect for Life Department as well as the Archdiocese of Washington’s Pastoral Council. She also taught Natural Family Planning and helped prepare engaged couples for marriage as a member of a Pre-Cana team in the Archdiocese of Washington. She has appeared on Catholic Answers Live, The Drew Mariani Show on Relevant Radio, and EWTN ‘s Life on the Rock and EWTN Live. She is a Board Member for the Northwest Pregnancy Center and Maternity Home in Washington, D.C.  She is the creator and host of the EWTN series Authentically Free at Last that deals with the modern challenges to the expression and understanding of authentic human freedom. She is also the co-host of Morning Glory which airs 7 to 8 am Monday – Friday on EWTN Global Catholic Radio. Show Notes: Gloria’s series Authentically Free at Last at EWTN Gloria’s daily show Morning Glory at EWTN Catholic Radio Referenced interview with Fr. Mitch Pacwa The Armor of God Ephesians 6: 10-20 “God wants you to be in the world, but so different from the world that you change it.” –Mother Angelica Call to Action –  “This week, can we be open to God’s prompting to tenderly speak the truth with someone who may not even realize they are living in bondage but can live in freedom?“ Scripture –  “Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;  and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” – 1 Peter 3:15-16 Saint Quote –  “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought” – St. Pope John Paul II

In part 5 of this series, host Steve Wood discusses strengthening and streamlining Pre-Cana. If you would like more of Steve's messages on marriage visit here.

Episode 41, When a Parent Feels Judged   In This Episode:   What does it mean with someone feels “judged”?  When you feel something in your heart that your mind knows isn’t true.  It can wreak havoc on family relationships. One thing that I remember from a pre-marital training called Pre-Cana was the emphasis of not sharing personal disagreements and issues with friends and family members.  When personal conflicts occur and get resolved within the couple relationship, but close members of the inner circle are made privy to one side of the issue, long after the issue is over, the knowledge of that deep, personal feelings of their often skewed (because they only heard one side of the argument) perception lingers.  And, the relationships suffer as a result.  It can’t be unheard, unfelt or undone. Feeling judged isn’t something that everyone deals with though.  Some people are more impacted by their caring what people think of them.  It has a lot to do with how we are wired, our own life experiences and the things that we feel to be true about ourselves.  When it can have a big impact is when someone feels judged, whether perceived or real, by multiple people.  It can feel painful, especially if the parent is already conscious of a need for improvement in that area anyway. It’s important to distinguish between reality and perception.  Sometimes it can feel like others are judging us simply because we are judging ourselves.   Or if we have been judged or called out on a certain issue before, when it comes up again an emotional response could be triggered. It’s really helpful to see it for what it is. If it’s really painful, do a check in with yourself to determine if you need some healing in that area.  If big emotions come from a situation of feeling judged, it’s almost certain that the feelings link to another situation.  If that situation hasn’t been fully processed and healed from yet, you may be more at risk for feeling judged.  When people feel judged, sometimes they close up to risk their vulnerability and that is when maladaptive behaviors start to form and relationships start to suffer. Putting it into perspective can make a difference.  Looking at the source and thinking through the facts can be incredibly helpful with putting it in to a healthy perspective.   I love Brené Brown’s books.  In her works, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong and The Gift of Imperfection she speaks a great deal about vulnerability. Vulnerability is  feeling free to be authentic, daring to follow your dreams, being true to yourself and your values at the risk of being judged.  When we can be vunerable, we can be more creative, we can parent better, we can love more fully, and a gazillion other things that aren’t possible if we live in that space of fear of judgement. So, why do people judge?  Quite simply, I believe it’s a character defect to go around judging everyone else.   I’m certainly not saying that I’ve never done it.  I’ve gotten so much better over the years and with my years of training and experience in this field.  It is common unfortunately, but it can be “fixed”.  When you stop judging others, you ultimately end up feeling good about yourself.  Way back in the early days of this podcast, I had an episode on about “How to Nurture Kind Kids” with Carol McCloud the author of Have You Filled a Bucket Today book.  The link is in the show notes http://jackieflynnconsulting.com/03-nurturing-genuinely-kind-kids-with-carol-mccloud/  one of the big messages in this book is that when we are kind to others, we ultimately make ourselves happy in the process. In this world, there’s no such things as a “perfect parent”.  We make mistakes, it gets messy sometimes, and it is a work in progress.  Give yourself permission to be real, to be human.  In this space of authenticity, you can model that genuine you to life and problem solving.  While it’s not always pretty, it can help you raise a confident child that feels free to be their authentic self.  Free to love and live without having guards up.  If you haven’t done so yet, listen to my episode 29 “How Taking Advice From Other Parents Can Be Like Wearing Their Skinny Jeans” on this topic. The link is in the shownotes  http://jackieflynnconsulting.com/29-how-taking-advice-from-other-parents-can-be-like-wearing-their-skinny-jeans/ In a couple of other episodes, I mentioned the quote “HURT PEOPLE, HURT PEOPLE”.  I think for this topic of when parents feel judged, it’s helpful to look at who’s doing the judging.  In Brené Brown’s book, Daring Greatly, she mentions one of Teddy Roosevelts quote “in the area” from a speech that he gave that still holds true today.  It’s an excerpt from his speech "Citizenship In A Republic" that he                                           delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910. Here it is: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. So if the person that’s doing the judging isn’t “in the arena” then their judgment, aka “opinion” doesn’t really count.  They don’t get to take up valuable real estate in my brain.  But if they are someone in the arena, worthy of me caring about their opinion, then I take it with a filter.  I keep what is helpful and filter out what is not.  This was a profound lesson in my life.  If you haven’t read her books or watched her Ted Talks yet, I highly recommend that you do as soon as possible.  Her concepts can help you get through tough times, as well as raise your resiliency levels to other people’s judgment. If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to join us on Facebook in our group Parenting in the Rain Community and like our page Parenting in the Rain Podcast, Hosted by Jackie Flynn If you’d like to connect with me, I offer consultation and parent coaching support.  Just email me at jackie@jackieflynnconsulting.com or at my private practice at jackie@counselinginbrevard.com Below Are Some Sites, Affiliate Links to Books/Products That I Love My Parent Coaching Program - https://jackieflynnconsulting.simplero.com/products/52176-Parent-Coaching-Program   Labyrinths 20% off for calming, focus and connectedness.  http://www.relax4life.com/JF.html

In this episode, Sal & Josh review Super Bowl 50 and some of their prop bets. They talk about the state of the NHL, NBA, and MLB. Also, they discuss hard on their luck Uber drivers and Pre-Cana.

Fr. Bob Zilliox *When is the Pope infallible?* 75% of Pre-Cana group said that they do not plan on attending Mass often once they are married* Polygamy & becoming Catholic* Pornography as grounds for annulment*

Today's show is a conversation with Dr. Howard Gurr and Dr. Barbara Fontana on relationships and how to make them work. Dr Fontana received her doctoral degree in psychology from St. John’s University in 1975. She is a Licensed Psychologist and a Certified Imago Relationship Therapist. Dr. Fontana is a member of the American Psychological Association, the New York State Psychological Association, the Suffolk County Psychological Association, and Imago Relationships International. Dr. Fontana has been on the Board of the Suffolk County Psychological Association for many years and she currently is the President. Dr Fontana has presented workshops on working with couples using Imago Relationship Therapy to professional groups such as the NYS Psychological Association, the Suffolk County Psychological Association, and the Nassau County Psychological Association. She has also spoken to community groups about relationships and Imago Therapy. She conducts workshops for married couples in, local churches and participates in Pre-Cana programs, teaching engaged couples communication skills. In recognition of her work Dr Fontana has received the Psychologist of the Year, 1999; Suffolk County Psychological Association and Distinguished Service Award, 2001; New York State Psychological Association. She was also honored as the Woman of the Year in Health Care by Brookhaven Town. You can learn more about Dr. Fontana from her website www.drbarbarafontana.com