Blog - A Prioritized Marriage

What if the marriage advice you’ve always heard is actually harmful? In this episode of the Prioritize Your Marriage podcast, Amberly talks with Monica Tanner—marriage coach, podcast host, and author of Bad Marriage Advice. Together, they unpack 15 popular relationship tips that sound helpful on the surface, but may actually create more distance in a marriage. Monica shares how her new book helps couples rethink common phrases like “never go to bed angry” or “happy couples never fight” and offers healthier, research-backed alternatives. With honest conversation and practical wisdom, this episode is perfect for couples at every stage—from newlyweds to those navigating the golden years. Tune in for a fresh perspective and tools to strengthen your connection.

In this week's episode, Amberly talks to Jessie of The Bold Intentional Life. They discuss setting goals for the long-term and working towards those big goals with the little things we do each day. Jessie shares how 1% needle-movers can make a big difference in your marriage and her theory on supporting your spouse's goals. Dive into this episode for inspiration when it comes to goal setting in life and your marriage.

Marriage isn’t just about building your life together, it’s also about growing as individuals alongside each other! Setting goals together to help you support the goals you are working towards as individuals is just as important as setting goals that will help you create the life you dreamed of together when you decided to get married. In this episode of the Prioritize Your Marriage Podcast, Amberly talks about supporting each other's individual goals and dreams in your marriage, what that could look like, and how to communicate about the support you might need for the goals you have set. You'll receive two challenges to put this episode into action in your marriage.

Setting goals in your marriage relationship isn’t just about how you can make your relationship with each other better. The goals that you set as a couple should also help you continue to create the life you want to live together and to be better partners in all areas of the life you share. In this episode, Amberly shares four different types of goals to set in your marriage and gives you some ideas of what those goals might look like to get your brainstorming started.

Setting goals as a couple will ensure you are on the same page. Shared goals give you something to work towards as a team. As you work together towards a shared goal, knowing that you're on the same page, you have the opportunity to grow together and make your marriage a priority. In this episode, Amberly shares more about the importance of goal setting in your marriage, how to set goals in your marriage, some ways to get your spouse on board, and more.

Consider this our end-of-year letter, like the ones you find in your mailbox with holiday cards. A look at the good and not-so-good of 2024 and what we're looking forward to in 2025.

Amberly shares "confessions" or things that might surprise you based on assumptions you may have about someone who is a "marriage expert" or in the marriage and relationship field for their career.

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday we focus on seeing and expressing gratitude in our lives. In this episode, Amberly highlights the importance of appreciating your spouse and expressing gratitude in your marriage relationship. She shares tips for how you can express gratitude and ideas for what you might find to appreciate in your relationship. You can use the ideas in this episode to create new habits surrounding gratitude and make it more of a priority in your marriage all year round.

Celebrating your spouse's birthday is celebrating that they were born. That they came into this world when they did. And that, because of that date, you have them in your life. It doesn't matter what you do for your spouse for their birthday. What matters is that they know you care. And that they feel loved and appreciated and important in this world. They deserve that every day of their life, but should feel it a little extra on their birthday. In this episode, Amberly shares some ideas to help you plan a fun birthday celebration for your spouse. One that shows them you care and that they're a priority to you.

Even if your spouse doesn’t struggle regularly with mental health, we all have moments or seasons in life when things get hard. Support your spouse with mental health obstacles and treat them with the care and importance that you’d hope they’d show you in return. In this episode, Amberly shares six tips you can use to support your spouse's mental health journey. These things will have a positive effect on them, you, and your marriage.

Today’s topic is close to my heart and so crucial for the health of any relationship—how prioritizing your personal mental health can strengthen your marriage. One of my favorite quotes about managing your own mental health comes from Dr. David Schnarch. He says, “The most loving thing we can do for our spouse is to learn to regulate our own anxiety.” I strongly believe that it is our responsibility to care for ourselves and do what we need to keep our mental health in good shape. And keep an open line of communication with those close to us as we do, especially our spouse/life partner, so they can support us, which I’ll discuss more in next week’s episode.

Your personal mental health has an impact on your marriage, your children, and your family as a whole. But for the Prioritize Your Marriage podcast, we’re going to focus on how the health and stability of your marriage relationship are influenced by the mental health of each partner on a day-to-day basis or in different seasons of life. This episode is an introduction to a mini-series of episodes on mental health and your marriage. Amberly discusses the impact that the mental health of each spouse can have on the marriage relationship and prefaces upcoming episodes about improving individual mental health and supporting each other's mental health while maintaining boundaries that help maintain a healthy relationship dynamic.

In this episode, Amberly interviews Dr. Kara Shade, a relationship coach. They talk about what relationship coaching is and how it can benefit couples in various seasons of life. Kara shares experiences from her time working with couples as well as from her own personal life.

In this episode, Amberly references a podcast episode she listened to over the weekend that sparked some thoughts on how you can be considering your spouse and how considering your spouse goes towards making your marriage a priority throughout every season of life.

Routines become a part of your every day and help you stay grounded, no matter what you have going on. Routines can have the same impact on your marriage, keeping it grounded and stable regardless of the chaos or peace your lives are currently involved in. In this episode, Amberly shares routines you can set to make your marriage a priority each day and through every season of your lives together.

The holiday season is prime tradition time. In this episode of the Prioritize Your Marriage Podcast, Amberly is talking about traditions, specifically holiday ones, and more specifically ones that you share as a couple. She also shares how these connecting tips and rituals can be adjusted to work year round, in ways that aren't so seasonal.

Deciding how to spend your time for the holidays, which family traditions to participate in, and making sure that you get quality time with each of your families while leaving room in the schedule for quiet nights at home and your own traditions can be a challenge. That challenge doesn’t end with the holidays though. It’s a year-round, lifelong situation that you will always have to think about. In this episode, Amberly shares five discussions you can have as a couple to set your priorities and boundaries each holiday season, and for time you spend with your families throughout the year.

From Halloween to the New Year each year is one of the craziest times for families across the board. That time frame is filled with holidays, family get togethers, end-of-year events, and it's often the busiest time of the year for individuals at work. In this episode, Amberly shares three things couples can do to make their marriage a priority through the holiday season and into the new year. Putting your marriage on the back burner, even for just a few weeks, can take your marriage in the opposite direction of where you want it to be. Make time for your marriage and start the new year stronger than ever!

There are a lot of reasons couples give when talking about why they don’t have more time for their marriage. Work, school, kids, opposite schedules, the list goes on when it comes to obstacles that could get in the way of prioritizing a marriage. In this episode, Amberly shares the one big reason couples aren't able to make their marriage a priority, regardless of their season or situation in life. And then, of course, she challenges you to evaluate your own marriage and change that!

Listen: Apple // Spotify // Amazon Episode Synopsis In episode five, Amberly talks about what a prioritized marriage looks like.…