What is the Next Day Principle?

It’s a practice that we have not only implemented in our own marriage and family, but it’s also something we recommend to other couples in our coaching all the time.

It helps to slow down reactivity, giving you time to clarify your feelings and determine what you still need to take to your spouse. The Next Day Principle is simply this: instead of reacting in the moment of a conflict with the full weight of your frustrations and emotions, you wait until the next day to bring it up with your spouse.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The value of slowing conversation down
• Tips for practicing the Next Day Principle
• The importance of being responsive rather than reactive
• And more!

We hope this conversation blesses you!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/next-day-principle-269

You're invited to our Transform Weekend October 24-26, 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...

As Christians, we are often unclear about God’s views on sex and intimacy. It can be a struggle to make sense of our temptations, shame, brokenness, longings, or desires. What is more, Christian churches and families are often divided in the nuances of sexuality, neglecting Jesus’ most important call to be unified as His body.

Mark and I often talk about the significance of surrender, but how should that impact our sex life?

My friend Dr. Juli Slattery is deeply familiar with both topics and is here to help us connect the dots between surrender, sex, and sexuality. She is the President and Co-Founder of Authentic Intimacy, a ministry dedicated to reclaiming God’s design for sexuality. She has authored twelve books, including her newest book, Surrendered Sexuality: How Knowing Jesus Changes… Everything.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why Christians can’t ignore the topic of sex and sexuality
• Practical steps to surrender in the area of sexuality
• An encouraging word for anyone struggling with sex
• And more!

It was truly a pleasure to have Juli back on the podcast for this conversation about surrender and sexuality.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/juli-slattery-268

You're invited to our Transform Weekend October 24-26, 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 brokenness strikes, it can feel impossible to know what to say or how to ask for help. Whether that brokenness is due to hard circumstances, an unexpected diagnosis, or the pain of a relationship ending, when we are hurting, all we want to do is retreat.

But it’s in these dark seasons when we need a community to lean on the most. How do we find the strength to reach out when we are battling some of our worst moments? What can we offer our friends who we know are hurting? And can God still use us even when the brokenness never seems to fade away?

My guest today is here to offer clarity and guidance around these questions. Toni Collier is the founder of a global women’s organization called Broken Crayons Still Color. She helps people process through brokenness to get to healing and hope.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How to find healing from brokenness
• Common myths we believe about our pain
• The power of having people who will sit with you instead of trying to fix you
• And more!

Toni’s story is full of so much brokenness and pain. Yet, in spite of those circumstances, she has found healing and comfort. Her experience is proof that even the darkest seasons don’t last forever.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/toni-collier-267

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 ever met someone who was not at all like you? Maybe their thinking, mannerisms, or outlook was so different from your own that you clashed or struggled to connect with them?

The old proverb, “birds of a feather flock together” is a classic because it’s true! Building relationships with people who share your interests, hobbies, opinions, and goals often feels easier than stepping outside your comfort zone.

However, here’s the truth: in any close relationship—whether with a friend, family member, or spouse—differences eventually show up.

It could be that one of you is a saver while the other is a spender, one of you is an early riser and the other a night owl, or even that one of you is an internal processor versus an external processor.

Today, we want to challenge you to think about these differences in your relationships, well, differently!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How to move from frustrated to fascinated
• Practical ways to avoid taking differences personally
• Helpful ways to reframe differences in your mind
• And more!

Learning how to work with our differences has helped us so much in our marriage and friendships. We hope this conversation can help you, too!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/differences-differently-266

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...

We have all experienced moments when we wanted more than anything to “keep up with the Joneses.” This comparison trap is nothing new—our parents dealt with it, their parents dealt with it, and so on and so forth.

The only difference? Fifty years ago, the “Joneses” were just the folks down the street. Now, social media lets us keep tabs on hundreds of Joneses from all over the world—morning, noon, and night.

This kind of exposure to the lives of others can allow a constant yearning for what we don’t have to fester in our hearts. If we aren’t careful, it can breed discontentment as we compare our imperfect lives to the greatest hits of someone else’s.

My guest knows what it’s like to long for the shiny things we see on social media. Kate Strickler is the author of I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen. She’s also the creator behind the extremely popular blog and Instagram account, Naptime Kitchen.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How we can pursue joy in our current circumstances
• Some simple mindset shifts we can put into practice today
• How to see our “stuff” as a tool to offer belonging
• And more!

Comparison can easily creep into our hearts. I hope you will be just as encouraged and inspired by this conversation as I was!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/kate-strickler-265

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...

Unexpected news, traumatic events, and unfortunate but common stressors in life—such as a fender bender or learning that you’ve lost your job—can hit us in unexpected ways. While we may not be able to verbalize exactly how we feel in the moment, having a family member, spouse, or close friend be there for us during a hard season can make all the difference in the world.

That’s what we are talking about in this episode—the power of being there for someone else. We’ve experienced this many times in our own lives as we’ve faced unexpected turns of events, loss, and even crisis.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How a simple hug can offer comfort
• Practical ways you can be there for someone
• The God Tool of Courage
• And more!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/power-presence-264

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...

For today’s conversation, we are talking very openly about the physical relationship within marriage. (If you have little ears around, consider listening on headphones or waiting until you are alone.)

Many marriage resources presume that the husband has a higher sex drive, but in about 25% of marriages, it’s actually the wife who experiences more feelings of desire.

When women have the higher level of desire for sex and intimacy, they can often experience feelings of rejection when their spouse doesn’t reciprocate. They may even wonder what’s wrong with them, and unfortunately, they often have nowhere to turn for advice.

For nearly 15 years, J. Parker has been the voice behind the blog, Hot, Holy & Humorous. She’s the author of five books on sexual intimacy and marriage, including her most recent title, The Higher Desire Wife: Understanding and Help for Christian Women Navigating Mismatched Sex Drives. J. holds a master’s degree in counseling, but it was her personal testimony that fueled her desire to write about God’s design for sex and marriage.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How to navigate sex when you and your spouse’s desires are mismatched
• How your sex drive can change over time
• The benefits of scheduling sex
• And more!

This is a candid conversation I wish had existed early on in my own marriage, and my hope is that you will glean helpful information to guide you in your physical relationship within marriage.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/j-parker-263

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...

This is a special episode with just me (Jill)! For this one, I’m opening up about a topic that is very close to my heart. I wanted to share it this time of year because the end of August is when school starts back up, and as such, many groups such as Bible studies, moms’ groups, and more, are all kicking off.

Through my years of parenting, I’ve found that it can be challenging to integrate into a new group. Meeting new people, finding those who will be closer friends, and discovering your place in the collective takes skill and perseverance.

I know how intimidating it can feel to be the newbie in a group of established friends, and how discouraging it can feel when friendships don’t immediately blossom the way you hoped they would. However, I want to encourage you to keep trying—it’s by no means an easy task to make deep and lasting connections, but it is so worth it.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Helpful principles for making connections
• The importance of having the right mindset
• Why you should make the first move
• And more!

I hope these tips will help you make better connections in groups and find friends who speak to your heart. This episode also features helpful guidance for group leaders who want to make sure they’re cultivating environments that are warm and welcoming!

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/group-connection-262

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...