If we’re being completely honest, many of us enter into marriage with stars in our eyes and the hope that our spouse will live up to our every expectation. Isn’t it funny how we can spend months preparing every last detail for our marriage ceremony—yet we spend little, if any, time preparing our mindsets for what our marriage will actually look like in practice?

That reality often shows up fast—like the moment you realize the person you just vowed forever to puts the toilet paper on the roll backward! No matter how big or small they may be, unmet expectations can cause conflict, disappointment, and frustrations to develop in your marriage and other relationships.

Today, we have the honor of sharing a special episode with you. Earlier this year, Mark and I did a workshop on managing expectations in marriage for the FamilyLife Love Like You Mean It Cruise. It was so well-received and encouraging for the couples there that we wanted to share it with you!

While this message was created for married couples, the reality is that all of us need to manage our expectations better. After all, they can impact all areas of our lives—from our kids, to our extended family, and even our friendships.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Four types of expectations
• Where unrealistic expectations come from
• How we use cats and dogs to describe attachment styles
• And more!

Understanding how expectations may be showing up in your relationships can help you avoid dynamics that contribute to discontentment, disappointment, and more. We hope you enjoy this special episode—recorded in front of a live audience!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/managing-expectations-247

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

Have you heard some variation of this before?

“Marriage is hard. It’s unfair. One of you will always pull more weight. Marriage doesn’t make you happy; it makes you miserable.”

I'd like to push back against that pessimistic mindset. Yes, it’s true that marriage can be challenging—but it can also be one of the greatest relationships you will experience!

Marriage is certainly not easy, but it can be easier if we approach it the right way. Joining us to share her insights on doing just this is my friend, Arlene Pellicane. Arlene is a speaker, host of the Happy Home podcast, and author of several books including Parents Rising, Screen Kids, and Making Marriage Easier. Arlene has been featured on the Today Show, Fox & Friends, the Wall Street Journal, and Focus on the Family.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The four decisions that deeply impacted Arlene’s marriage
• Why you should silence your phone while spending time with your spouse
• The benefits of trying something new together
• And more!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Arlene, and she has so many great tips on how to make marriage easier.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/arlene-pellicane-246

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...

When a loved one hurts, it can be hard to know how to respond and support them through the crisis or pain they feel.

Our first response is often to jump straight into “fix it” mode or lighten the mood by offering platitudes. However, the key to true comfort lies in a few key areas that Mark and I are going to talk about in this conversation. In our story, we’ve had quite the journey of learning how to best support one another—whether we are experiencing physical pain, emotional hurt, or just a difficult season of life.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Some examples of crises and pain a loved one may be experiencing
• The importance of sitting in the pain with someone else
• A few ways to practically support someone going through a crisis
• And more!

Through my cancer journey and our marriage crisis, we received so much help and comfort from our friends, our family, and each other. We hope you will feel more equipped to offer support to a loved one after listening to this candid conversation.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/hurting-loved-one-245

You're invited to our Transform Weekend June 6-8, 2025 or October 17-19, 2025. Learn more and register here.

Check out our other resources:

• Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
• Marriage Coaching
• Marriage 2.0 Intensives
• Speaking Schedule
• Book Mark and Jill to Speak
• Online Courses
• Books

Marriage Resources:

• Infidelity Recovery
• For Happy Marriages
• For Hurting Marriages
• For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help

Mom Resources:

• New/Preschool Moms
• Moms with Gradeschoolers
• Moms with Teens and Tweens
• Moms with Kids Who Are Launching
• Empty Nest...