In this episode of Heart and Soulution, Mike and Kristen Jones engage in an open discussion about life transitions and change, particularly within the context of marriage and family life. They explore various types of transitions, including those that are initiated by choice (such as getting married or changing jobs) and those that are unexpectedly imposed (like losing a job or the death of a loved one). The conversation extensively uses the couple's personal experiences, including a major job loss and subsequent geographical move, to illustrate how they managed significant change as a couple. Key advice offered for navigating these transitions focuses heavily on communication, mutual support, and adapting to changing roles, such as when children grow up and leave home.

(C) 2025 All Music by Mike and Kristen Jones for use by Heart and Soulution, including Heart and Soulution theme, Card of the day jingle and all background music; generated with Suno.ai.

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• Connect with Heart and Solution:

  • Follow on Instagram: Join the conversation @heartandsoulution.
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In this episode of the "Heart and Soulution" podcast, Mike and Kristen Jones, begin with the announcement of a giveaway winner for a Table Topics Date Night game. The main focus of the episode is a discussion on parenting boundaries, drawing heavily on the principles and laws outlined by clinical psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud, author of the book Boundaries. Mike and Kristen use their own experiences raising their four children to illustrate how they implemented these principles, emphasizing the importance of consistency, modeling good boundaries, and teaching age-appropriate responsibility through mechanisms like a unique chore and allowance system. They discuss different age ranges, from newborns (zero to one) focused on trust and nurturing, to adolescents (12 to 18), where parents must learn to release control and allow for growing independence.

(C) 2025 All Music by Mike and Kristen Jones for use by Heart and Soulution, including Heart and Soulution theme, Card of the day jingle and all background music; generated with Suno.ai.

Reference material and Resources to dive deeper:

• Cloud, Henry, and John Townsend. Boundaries with Kids: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Children. Zondervan, 2001.

• ⁠⁠Table Topics Tabletop Sets: Questions to start great conversations.⁠⁠

Connect with Heart and Solution:

• Follow on Instagram: Join the conversation @heartandsoulution.

• Share Your Ideas: Let Mike and Kristen know your ideas for future episodes and participate in their weekly poll on Instagram.

In this episode of Heart and Soulution, Mike and Kristen Jones diiscuss relationship dynamics and how to maintain love and friendship in a marriage, particularly after becoming parents. They begin with a casual conversation about their home life, mentioning challenges like yard work and a ladder fall, before pivoting to a listener's question about avoiding feeling like co-parents rather than spouses. The hosts emphasize the importance of intentionality, prioritizing the spouse, and making love a daily choice, and they explore strategies for building a stronger partnership, such as improving communication, sharing dreams, and preventing the "grenade" effect of major life changes like having a child. They conclude by discussing the need to treat each other as adult partners rather than children, and to woo one another according to their individual needs, reaffirming that the marriage relationship is the primary unit even with children.

(C) 2025 All Music by Mike and Kristen Jones for use by Heart and Soulution, including Heart and Soulution theme, Card of the day jingle and all background music; generated with Suno.ai.

Reference material and Resources to dive deeper:

• Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2002), The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Harmony Books.

• ⁠⁠Table Topics Tabletop Sets: Questions to start great conversations.⁠⁠

Connect with Heart and Solution:

• Follow on Instagram: Join the conversation @heartandsoulution.

• Share Your Ideas: Let Mike and Kristen know your ideas for future episodes and participate in their weekly poll on Instagram.

In this episode of Heart and Soulution, Mike and Kristen Jones delve into the concept of apology languages, a crucial tool for improving relationships personally and professionally. Inspired by an incredible story of forgiveness, they explore the five distinct ways people give and receive apologies, based on the work of Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas. They explain why a simple "I'm sorry" might not always be enough and how understanding your own and your partner's primary apology language can lead to genuine forgiveness and rebuilding trust. The episode concludes with a "Conversation Card of the Day" and an exciting giveaway for listeners.

(C) 2025 All Music by Mike and Kristen Jones for use by Heart and Soulution, generated with Suno.ai.

Resources we mentioned:

Chapman, Gary D., and Jennifer M. Thomas. The Five Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in All Your Relationships. Moody Publishers, 2008.

Chapman, Gary D. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. Northfield Publishing, 2015.

In this follow-up to their previous discussion on fighting (4 Ways to Repair Trash Talk), Mike and Kristen dive deeper into practical tools for healthy conflict resolution. They begin by reframing conflict not as a negative, but as a necessary and good opportunity for relationship growth. Kristen breaks down the complex, multi-step process of communication and negotiation, showing how easily misunderstandings can lead to frustration, unmet expectations, and hurt. This leads to the core topic of the episode: "bids" for connection, a concept from Dr. John Gottman. A bid is any attempt to connect with your partner, and how you respond—by "turning towards" them to engage or "turning away" and shutting them down—is crucial for the health of your relationship. Mike and Kristen also discuss common conflict pitfalls, such as "harsh startups" and getting caught in a "crazy cycle" of negative reactions. They emphasize that it only takes one person to de-escalate a situation and make a change that will shift the entire dynamic of the relationship. Finally, they offer practical, easy-to-implement guidelines that couples can agree on to navigate disagreements more productively.

(C) 2025 All Music by Mike and Kristen Jones for use by Heart and Soulution, including Heart and Soulution theme, Card of the day jingle and all background music; generated with Suno.ai.

Reference material and Resources to dive deeper:

• Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2002), The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Harmony Books.
• ⁠Table Topics Tabletop Sets: Questions to start great conversations.⁠

Connect with Heart and Solution:

• Follow on Instagram: Join the conversation @heartandsoulution.

• Share Your Ideas: Let Mike and Kristen know your ideas for future episodes and participate in their weekly poll on Instagram.

In this episode of Heart and Soulution, Mike and Kristen Jones explore the dynamics of conflict in relationships, drawing heavily on Dr. Gottman's research. The hosts discuss how healthy couples manage disagreements through "repairs," which are techniques to de-escalate tension and foster constructive conversation. They also introduce "the Four Horsemen"—criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling—as behaviors that can severely damage a relationship, contrasting them with the concept of a "relationship bank" where positive interactions build reserves to mitigate negative ones. The episode concludes with a playful segment featuring a "date night" question to encourage deeper couple communication.

(C) 2025 All Music by Mike and Kristen Jones for use by Heart and Soulution, including Heart and Soulution theme, Card of the day jingle and all background music; generated with Suno.ai.

Reference material and Resources to dive deeper:

• Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2002), The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Harmony Books.
• Table Topics Tabletop Sets: Questions to start great conversations.

Connect with Heart and Solution:

• Follow on Instagram: Join the conversation @heartandsoulution.

• Share Your Ideas: Let Mike and Kristen know your ideas for future episodes and participate in their weekly poll on Instagram.

In this episode of Heart and Soulution, Mike and Kristen explore how understanding individual strengths and differences can lead to stronger, more harmonious partnerships.The couple discusses how personality assessments, particularly the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, can be powerful tools for self-awareness and relationship growth. Mike, a certified Myers-Briggs practitioner, emphasizes the importance of understanding one's core wiring, distinguishing between nature and nurture. Mike and Kristen share personal anecdotes, including the infamous "Flooring Incident of 2020," (actually 2021) to illustrate how their different approaches to tasks, stemming from their distinct Myers-Briggs types, can create both challenges and opportunities for collaboration. Ultimately, the couple highlight that these assessments are not meant to box individuals in or provide excuses, but rather to foster awareness, curiosity, and leverage differences for mutual benefit within a relationship.

(C) 2025 All Music by Mike and Kristen Jones for use by Heart and Soulution, generated with Suno.ai.

Links:

• More about the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/Myers-Briggs

Join Mike and Kristen Jones on the Heart and Soulution podcast as they delve into the enduring wisdom of Dr. Gary Smalley's, "Keys to Lasting and Loving Relationships" video series. Despite Dr. Smalley's passing, this powerful resource, containing 19 videos and over 20 hours of content, remains available at smalleyinstitute.com. Mike and Kristen share how this series, which they discovered decades ago, continues to impact their marriage and offers timeless lessons that are still applicable today. They discuss key concepts such as treating your spouse like a celebrity, finding value in "camping experiences" (difficult times), communicating through "emotional word pictures," understanding the fundamental differences between men and women, and the four essential elements for a thriving relationship (security, communication, bonding experiences, and meaningful touch). They also touch upon personality types, like the "Golden Retriever," and strongly recommend this series as a valuable tool for couples or small groups.

(C) 2025 All Music by Mike and Kristen Jones for use by Heart and Soulution, generated with Suno.ai.

Links:

• Dr. Gary Smalley's "Keys to Lasting and Loving Relationships" Resource: https://www.smalleyinstitute.com/offers/57F5JbDR/checkout