As someone who spends too much time in airports, I have a lot of time to people-watch. When I see a couple who look to be older than 35 being fun, flirtatious, and attentive with each other, I think, I bet they aren't married. And...
I had a great dad. But I also had other men who invested in me. One of them was my Uncle Donnie. He started dating my aunt when I was five, and just let me pal around with him. When he'd come home from work,...
The month after my friend and I graduated from college, he called to tell me his parents were getting a divorce. His dad never saw it coming. My friend didn't either. His mom was done. But she didn't leave angry. She left free. She started...
I’ll be honest. There have been seasons in our marriage when I kept score. I’d give myself points if I did extra chores. I took away points from my wife, Nancie, if she didn’t do what I thought she should. I’m sure it started in...
Some of the smartest, most successful people I know—leaders, doctors, lawyers—can solve complex problems, lead huge teams, and make critical decisions every day. Yet at home, they feel stuck. And I get it. I've always been someone who pours everything into my work. But what...
My adult kids would tell you that growing up, they watched a good marriage. Not a perfect one, but a solid “we really like each other, and we are in this together” kind of marriage. They saw affection. They saw us trying to figure things...
For years, I thought that if my wife, Nancie, would just change a few things about herself, our marriage problems would vanish. Then a counselor helped me see the truth: The problem wasn't Nancie; it was something broken inside of me. And I needed to...
I hated asking my wife, Nancie, for anything because I always felt like she didn’t want to do it. This is how it’d go: I’d start off super sweet and friendly with my request, but then I'd get mad if she said no. I’d ask...
Have you noticed that more communication in marriage doesn’t seem to be the answer for you? Me too. Early on in our marriage, Nancie and I had this pattern. I'd say something the wrong way. She'd shut down. Then I'd relentlessly try to get her...
I have a friend who spent twenty years of her marriage dealing with her husband's porn addiction. They were making it work—not perfectly, but they were fighting for their marriage. Then one night, he crossed a line. She knew what had happened, but when she...