The Marriage Challenge

Lorraine and Phil married ten years ago following the death of Phil’s first wife, with whom he had enjoyed over 25 years of marriage. In this episode of The Marriage Challenge podcast they discuss some of the joys and challenges of marriage after widowhood, and offer advice to those who may be facing similar circumstances.

Richard was brought up in the north of England, and Maria is from Sweden. In this episode of The Marriage Challenge podcast, they discuss the impact of coming from different cultures, and how this affected their relationship in the early years of their marriage. They also offer tips for other couples and discuss some of the common challenges faced in a marriage when you come from different cultural backgrounds. 

In this episode of The Marriage Challenge podcast Mike and Kath Coulson share about the death of their son Philip, aged 7, and the affect that such a momentous loss had on their relationship. They discuss some of the challenges they faced as a couple, as well as some of the things that helped them stay together as they grieved.

In this episode of The Marriage Challenge podcast, Steve and Claire open up about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation in their relationship which enabled them to overcome unfaithfulness early on in their marriage.  They bravely share their story of hurt and brokenness over the mistakes they made and discuss how they gradually put the foundations in place to rebuild and strengthen their relationship.

In this episode of The Marriage Challenge podcast, Andy and Sarah bravely share about their on-going  journey of infertility, and discuss some of the ways it has impacted their relationship over the past ten years. With insight and wisdom, Andy and Sarah draw from their own experiences, and those of other couples to give advice and hope to any couple facing infertility issues.

Steve and Lesley have been married for over 25 years, but at the start of their relationship they had to fight to keep going. Marrying for the second time, having both previously divorced, they realised early on that they still carried past hurts from their previous relationships. In this episode of The Marriage Challenge podcast they talk candidly about the difficulties they faced in those early days and how they worked through them to bring their relationship back from the brink.

In this episode of The Marriage Challenge podcast, Steve and Chris Hughes share some of the difficulties they’ve faced in the area of communication, and reflect upon how their very different family backgrounds influenced their communication styles, and impacted their relationship.

So often, it’s not the big things in marriage that cause relationships to break down, but the little things, the day-to-day niggles and irritations that come between couples and create distance. In this episode of The Marriage Challenge podcast, David and Charis Baker talk about the importance of keeping unity in their relationship, and how they deal with the small grievances that create discord between them.

Juggling work and childcare can be a challenge for many couples with young children. In this edition of The Marriage Challenge podcast, Dan and Alicea share their experiences of taking on roles that go against tradition, with Alicea working full-time and Dan being a stay-at-home dad. Listen as they talk about the impact this has had on their relationship, and find out how they’ve overcome some of the challenges along the way. 

The reality of the modern world often means one partner has to work away from home on a regular basis. Our guests Jonny and Allison reflect  with honestly about the impacts of  working away from home. They offer insights into their experience and share the  practical steps they took to help them stay emotionally strong and make the most of their times they spent together at the weekends.

In this episode Will and Lucinda Van Der Hart share their experiences of mental health issues in their marriage.

Some couples are pretty similar, but others face the challenge of working together despite major personality differences. In this edition of The Marriage Challenge podcast we are joined by Becky and Phil Morgan – she’s an extrovert and he’s an introvert! They candidly share how their differences affect their marriage, from the impact on day-to-day life through to what they choose to do on holiday.

Our guests on this edition of The Marriage Challenge podcast are Paul and Priscilla Reid who have just celebrated forty years of married life together. They reflect on what it takes for a marriage to last over the long haul and how they have benefitted from their commitment to each other. Enjoy the wisdom, laughter and inspiration that comes from so many of years of doing life together.

Katharine and Richard Hill discuss how to work together during the busy Christmas period and have an enjoyable festive season.

In this episode, Sophie and Luke share their story of making the life-changing decision to adopt two children.

In this edition we hear Rebekah and Steve Legg talk through their experiences of getting married and bringing together their six children from previous relationships under one roof.  They talk very honestly about what it is like to find time for each other and how they have dealt with the challenges of in-laws, ex-partners and forging a new family together.

Whether it is dealing with the empty nest, wrestling with hormones, moving home or jobs, or just a creeping sense of separateness - how can we cope with changes in our relationship when we get to middle age? Our guest couple Simon and Janey Lawry-White talk candidly from their own experiences and offer help and practical tips to couples navigating this stage of life.

In this edition we hear Tim and Rachel Hughes speak candidly about the pressures they have experienced in the first decade or so of marriage. They talk very honestly about what it was like having four children in quick succession, coping with time apart as Tim travelled for work and how they are now having to re-negotiate how they do life after their move to Birmingham to start leading a church.

In this edition we hear from Andy and Dana Masters who share their experience of how simply agreeing on some boundaries helps them to protect and bolster their marriage. We hope you enjoy their thoughts and perhaps consider how having boundaries could enrich your own marriage.

Patrick and Diane Regan talk with great honesty and vulnerability about the pressures they experienced as they faced grief, illness and uncertainty. They share the things that helped, and those that didn’t as they went through the fire.