Division isn’t just a problem in the world—it’s creeping into homes, marriages, and families everywhere. When couples start turning against each other instead of standing together, the bond that once felt safe and secure begins to weaken. In this episode, we’re breaking down The 4 D’s That Create Division in a Marriage: Dismissiveness, Defensiveness, Deflecting, and Divorce Threats. These subtle but destructive patterns slowly undermine connection and emotional safety, often without you even realizing it.

We’ll clearly define what each of these behaviors looks and sounds like—and why they’re so damaging to your closeness and trust. More importantly, we’ll share how to stop them before they erode your foundation.

👉 And don’t miss our live + free Marriage WebClass: The 5 Root Causes of Conflict and Disconnection in a Marriage. It’s a topic we’ve never taught publicly before, packed with the exact insights and tools we use with coaching clients. Register now at OnlineCouplesWorkshops.com

Many times in marriage, you can start what you think is a simple conversation and have it turn into a miscommunication or even a conflict. It is frustrating when you are trying to simply communicate something and it isn’t received by your partner.

In this episode we talk about the difference between productive and unproductive communication and what makes partners good communicators vs poor communicators. You will be surprised by the simple shift you can make and the massive difference it will make in how you each speak and listen to one another.

To dive further into the source of conflicts, attend our FREE LIVE Marriage Webclass on Oct 23rd: Navigating the 5 Root Causes of Conflicts. After this date you will be able to watch the replay as well.

For all of our resources visit: https://www.meetthefreemans.com/links

When emotions run high in marriage, one of the most common traps couples fall into is what to do with each other’s feelings. Should you validate them? Should you challenge them? Or should you just offer a quick solution so you can move on?

The truth is when emotional validation is missing or misunderstood, small hurts linger, conflicts spiral, and one or both partners can end up feeling dismissed, forced into solutions, or left unresolved. It’s also one of the biggest complaints we hear from spouses…”you’re not validating my feelings!”

In this episode, we unpack:

• Why couples often confuse validation with agreement

• The hidden ways spouses accidentally invalidate each other

• Why solutions don’t stick if this piece is missing

• What actually creates the safety to collaborate, repair, and move forward together
  
  

If you’ve ever wondered “Am I supposed to validate even when I don’t agree?”—this conversation is for you. Because the order in which you respond to your partner’s emotions might be the very thing that determines whether you stay stuck… or actually grow closer.

Also, register for our LIVE + FREE Marriage WebClass coming up on: The 5 Root Causes of Conflict and Disconnection…and the Tools to Overcome Them!

Register For The Webclass HERE 👈