Why do we keep repeating patterns we know are not helping? Why do we pull away when we actually want closeness? Why do we become defensive when we want to be understood? Why can we have insight, self-awareness, and even deep faith — and still find ourselves stuck in the same relational cycle?

In this solo episode of The Deeper by Design Podcast, Dr. Trevor Hislop introduces one of the foundational frameworks behind Renovi Relational Therapy, or RRT: The Renovi Flow.

The Renovi Flow is a practical pathway for relational renewal built around six movements: Reveal. Remember. Reframe. Repair. Rehearse. Renew.

Dr. Trevor shares how this framework developed through years of ministry, clinical care, marriage intensives, and leadership consulting — sitting with couples, individuals, pastors, families, and teams who genuinely wanted to change but often found that insight alone was not enough.

This episode explores why lasting change is more than understanding the problem. It requires truth, story, meaning, repair, practice, and renewal over time.

In this episode, Dr. Trevor discusses:

• Why people often get stuck because “the pattern has become stronger than their intention”
• The meaning of Renovi from the Latin renovare — to renew, restore, or make new
• The difference between restoration, reconciliation, and renewal
• Why insight matters, but practice is what helps us walk into change
• How protection often begins as a solution before it becomes a problem
• Why repair is different from simply saying “I’m sorry”
• How repeated practice helps create new relational patterns
• Why renewal is not perfection, but a growing capacity to notice, return, repair, and reconnect

The six movements of the Renovi Flow:

Reveal — Tell the truth about where you actually are.
Remember — Understand how your story shaped your survival.
Reframe — Learn to see with truer eyes.
Repair — Heal what has happened between us.
Rehearse — Practice the new way until it becomes more available.
Renew — Live more from your design than from your wounds.

Download the Renovi Flow reflection document here:
https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/a237334b-8e7b-4c39-a748-589804f62337/downloads/b6aa0901-36ff-404a-b35c-c2114d619688/Renovi_Flow.pdf?ver=1788122448399

Learn more about Dr. Trevor Hislop, Renovi Relational Therapy, marriage intensives, leadership care, and additional resources at trevorhislop.com.

The Deeper by Design Podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify. New episodes release every Tuesday.

In this episode of The Deeper by Design Podcast, Dr. Trevor Hislop sits down with Julie Baumgardner, a marriage and family educator, speaker, and host of Marriage on the Daily with Julie B.

Julie brings decades of experience helping couples build stronger, healthier marriages through faith-based, research-informed relationship education. In this conversation, she shares how her personal story, her parents’ divorce, and her own 37-year marriage to Jay have shaped her passion for helping couples strengthen their relationship before they end up “in the ditch.”

Together, Trevor and Julie explore why strong marriages are built through daily choices, honest conversations, emotional safety, spiritual grounding, and intentional rhythms of connection. They talk about the importance of the first ten years of marriage, how couples can normalize struggle without normalizing disconnection, and why conflict is not something to avoid—but something to approach with humility, curiosity, and care.

Julie also shares practical tools for couples, including the importance of “attacking the issue” instead of attacking each other and her four points of connectedness for building connection throughout the day.

This episode is for couples who want to build a stronger foundation, navigate conflict with more wisdom, and practice lasting love on the daily.

Trevor and Julie discuss why prevention matters in marriage and relationship education, how early pain can become part of a deeper calling, why the first ten years of marriage are so foundational, how faith shapes the way we see and love our spouse, how emotional safety creates space for hard conversations, and the importance of curiosity, humility, and repair.

You can connect with Julie Baumgardner through Marriage on the Daily with Julie B., available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. You can also learn more at https://marriageonthedaily.com.

Learn more about Dr. Trevor Hislop, The Deeper by Design Podcast, Renovi Relational Therapy, marriage intensives, leadership care, and additional resources at https://trevorhislop.com.

The Deeper by Design Podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify. New episodes release every Tuesday.

Episode 3: The Map of Deeper Connection: Understanding the Six Dimensions of Relationship

In this episode of The Deeper by Design Podcast, Dr. Trevor Hislop introduces one of the foundational tools behind his clinical and relational work: The Relational Funnel.

The Relational Funnel helps us understand the six dimensions of connection and why relationships often move from more surface-level connection toward deeper, more vulnerable connection. It also highlights one of the most important realities of relational health: connection continues with the presence of safety, and protection happens in the absence of safety.

Trevor explains why the funnel has become a signature part of his work and how it helped shape the development of Renovi Relational Therapy. He also connects the framework to the heart of Deeper by Design: we are designed by God for deep connection, and we can design deeper connection through intentional practice.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why the Relational Funnel is part of the Deeper by Design logo
• How connection deepens through six interconnected dimensions
• Why emotional safety is essential for deeper vulnerability
• The difference between surface-level connection and deeper relational intimacy
• How protection shows up when safety is missing
• Why not every relationship is meant to move to the deepest level
• How to reflect on where connection is strongest and where it feels limited
  

The six dimensions of the Relational Funnel are:

1. Physical — shared presence
2. Experiential — shared experience
3. Intellectual — shared thoughts, ideas, and opinions
4. Emotional — shared feelings, fears, and longings
5. Spiritual — shared meaning, values, and purpose
6. Aspirational — shared hopes, dreams, and future
   

This episode is for anyone who wants to better understand relational depth, emotional safety, connection, attachment, communication, spiritual formation, leadership health, marriage, family systems, and the patterns that help relationships move from protection toward connection.

View the Relational Funnel visual:
https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/a237334b-8e7b-4c39-a748-589804f62337/downloads/1e079d42-19a4-4f4a-837c-629ec7f4a5c7/Relationa%20Funnel.png?ver=1786409540334

Learn more about Dr. Trevor Hislop, Renovi Relational Therapy, and additional resources at:
trevorhislop.com

Episode 2: Communication Styles, Connection, and the PATHS Framework with Jason VanRuler

Why do we communicate the way we do—and why do our best intentions sometimes still lead to misunderstanding, conflict, or disconnection?

In this episode of The Deeper by Design Podcast, Dr. Trevor Hislop sits down with therapist, author, coach, and speaker Jason VanRuler to talk about his new book on communication styles and the PATHS framework.

Together, Trevor and Jason explore how communication is about more than words. Our communication is shaped by our personality, story, needs, fears, stress responses, and desire for connection. When we understand our natural communication style, we can begin to recognize the patterns that help us connect and the patterns that may unintentionally create distance.

This conversation is for anyone who wants to grow in self-awareness, communicate with more clarity and empathy, and build deeper, healthier relationships at home, at work, in leadership, in friendship, and in everyday life.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why communication is often about what is happening beneath the surface
• The five PATHS communication styles
• How our strengths can shift under pressure
• The needs and motivations behind the way we communicate
• How to move from reaction to intentional connection
• Practical ways to communicate with greater honesty, empathy, and clarity

If you have ever thought, “Why do we keep misunderstanding each other?” or “I wish I knew how to say this better,” this episode will help you name what is happening and take a more intentional next step toward connection.

Learn more about Jason VanRuler and his resources at jasonvr.com.

Learn more about Dr. Trevor Hislop, The Deeper by Design Podcast, and additional resources at trevorhislop.com.

Deeper by Design Podcast | Faith, Relationship Science, Emotional Health, Attachment, and Deeper Connection

Welcome to the first episode of The Deeper by Design Podcast with Dr. Trevor Hislop — where faith meets the science and practice of connection.

In this opening episode, Trevor introduces the heart of the podcast, shares part of his personal and professional story, and casts a clear vision for where it is going. The central message is simple: we are designed by God for deep connection, and we can design deeper connection with others through intentional practice.

This episode explores why “everything is relational” — our faith, identity, emotional health, relationships, leadership, patterns, pain, and healing. Trevor also offers a brief teaching on how relational conflict often reveals deeper needs, protective patterns, and the invitation to move from protection toward connection.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why we are designed by God for deep connection
• How deeper connection can be built through intentional practice
• Why relationship struggles are often patterns, not just problems
• The movement from protection to connection
• How faith, psychology, attachment science, and emotional health work together
• What to expect from future episodes of The Deeper by Design Podcast

If you are interested in relationships, emotional health, spiritual formation, attachment science, marriage and family therapy, leadership health, communication, repair, and practical tools for building deeper connection, this podcast is for you.

Learn more, access resources, and connect with Trevor at:
trevorhislop.com

Subscribe for future episodes of The Deeper by Design Podcast — conversations and teaching designed to help you build deeper, healthier, more honest, and more secure connections.

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