Dr. Tamara Fackrell and Jake Fackrell dive into the 8 essentials for creating joy in marriage. Love isn’t a one-time promise—it’s a daily decision. Small things matter, and small gestures done consistently can transform your relationship. Communicate with curiosity. Choose not to take offense, even when something feels offensive, and protect your connection with a healthy neutral zone. Keep the romance alive, stay intentional, and step into this upcoming season with a plan for joy.

This is the conclusion of Season 1!

Join us on January 15, 2026 for 12 more episode in Season 2!

Dr. Tamara Fackrell and her husband Jake break down one of the biggest insights from years of working with couples:

Most people in struggling marriages are trying—but they’re aiming at the wrong targets.

In this episode, they introduce The Bullseye Marriage Board, a simple system that helps couples figure out:
• What actually matters to your spouse
• What actions hit the bullseye
• What things you’re doing that don’t even land on the board

Tamara shares how many people in divorce court weren’t failing from lack of effort—they were just working hard at the wrong things.

Jake and Tamara teach you how to:

✔️ Develop your personal Bullseye Board

Identify the specific actions, habits, gestures, and experiences that make your spouse feel most loved.

✔️ Take a “Vacation From Your Problems”

A mindset reset: step back, breathe, and create space for connection and clarity.

✔️ Flood Your Marriage With Fun

Why fun matters more than you realize—and how a playful marriage becomes a resilient marriage.

✔️ Communicate What You Actually Like

How to clearly express what hits your bullseye and ask your spouse for what works.

By the end of the episode, listeners will have a practical tool to stop wasting effort and start aiming with precision—so marriage becomes easier, happier, and more deeply connected.

Every couple has the same question: How can I make my spouse happy in my marriage? Believe it or not, your wife is not as complicated as you think! Today we dig into the heart-level needs that often go unspoken. We talk about why women crave appreciation and love , why men long for respect and peace, and how both can create a marriage full of affection, fun, passion, and partnership. This is a practical, honest, and hope-filled episode that will help you understand each other better- and love and respect each other deeper.

Finances are one of the top reasons couples drift apart—but they don’t have to be. In this episode, we dive into the ten financial must-dos every couple needs to strengthen their marriage and secure their future. Mindful marriages talk openly about money. They don’t hide, ignore, or pretend not to understand where the income and debts stand—they face it together.

Learn how to build CRaZY Cash habits that can solve big money problems, reduce stress, and create financial unity. Because when you master your money as a couple, you don’t just protect your finances—you protect your marriage.

For generous giving join us on a humanitarian trip through RainHumanitarian

or Donate for a Dominican Wedding at Change the World Foundation

In this episode, Dr. Tamara Fackrell and Jake Fackrell dive into how to handle conflict without hurting connection. Learn what it means to stay in your lane, communicate with respect, and to never text fight. Discover how fighting fair can actually strengthen your marriage, deepen trust, and bring you closer together — even when you disagree. Learn to say what you mean without being mean.

Join Dr. Tamara Fackrell and Jake Fackrell as they help you design a marriage that feels closer and more connected. You'll learn ten practical ways to deepen connection. Together, we'll explore how to build your love map, create meaningful rituals, express gratitude, and embrace the power of a simple six-second kiss. Don't miss this episode of Closer by Design.

For more ideas with emotional closeness checkout MindfulMarriage.Love!

60 Ways to Create Emotional Closeness

In this episode, Dr. Tamara Fackrell and Jake share the “secret sauce” behind their strongest seasons of connection: a simple, repeatable marital retreat. Borrowing the best parts of business off-sites, they walk through how getting away for 1–2 nights creates space to dream, reconnect, and work on your relationship—not just in it.

You’ll learn their 10–2 method (ten affirmations to two growth items) that keeps feedback gentle and loving, why the 5:1 positivity ratio matters, and their FREE framework that makes retreats Fun, Romantic, Exciting, and Effective. They also unpack how to build a shared vision (purpose, mission, values/pillars), set meaningful goals (think bucket lists and OKRs), review wins from the last quarter, and weave in lots of play and sexual intimacy—because joy fuels change.

What you’ll take away

• A step-by-step retreat rhythm you can copy this weekend
• The 10–2 conversation that keeps hard topics safe
• How to craft family pillars (your culture) and a motivating mission
• Practical cadence ideas (birthdays, anniversary, plus one more each year)

Resources mentioned: free worksheets and tools at mindfulmarriage.love.
Make it a date: plan your first (or next) retreat and taste the secret sauce for yourselves.

In this episode, we take on what feels impossible—how to solve the unsolvable problems in your marriage. You’ll learn how bridge building can turn conflict into connection and transform a relationship that’s good into one that’s truly great. Discover the mindset and tools that helped our own marriage rise from good to great, and how they can do the same for you.