Posts Tagged :

marriage coaching

Not Doing or Not Knowing What To Do
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Every day, I hear from people who are stuck in a marriage crisis.  When I ask them, “what are you doing to work on your marriage?”, their response is:  “Well, not much…. I’m stuck.”

Not doing anything versus not even knowing WHAT to do. Just to clarify, these folks are all wanting to save their marriage.  None want their relationship to just end.  That’s why they are reaching out to me.

HERE IS WHO I AM

They (and probably you) want to save your marriage.  And yet many times, nothing is really happening.  Maybe you’ve already tried something.  But many times, there hasn’t really been any action.

What’s going on here?  Why no action?

Years ago, a health crisis made me take a long look in the mirror.  Did I know that not exercising was not good?  Yep.  Did I know that eating poorly was not good?  Yep.

And still, I didn’t exercise and I didn’t eat well.

Then, my body rebelled.  To the point that I had doctors telling me that I was headed for disability… and eventual death.  That will get your attention!

I was fortunate.  While their diagnosis was correct, the prognosis was not.  I beat the odds and recovered.  Not because I was taking better care of myself.  I just got lucky.

But it got my attention!  I realized that I had to turn things around… before the next crisis came along… one that I could not beat.

So, I started exercising.  I tried to eat better.  I WANTED to get better.  And sure, there was a difference.  I got in better shape.  I was dealing with stress better.  And yes, in some ways, I was eating better.

My weight, though, didn’t shift much.  I kept trying to eat better… but not much changed on the scale.

Yes, I was frustrated.  I kept telling myself I was DOING something.  But really, it was only a minor shift.  Mostly because I did not understand HOW to make a change.

Did I want to lose weight and get into better shape?  Absolutely.  Had I made some progress?  No doubt.  Had anything truly changed?  Nope.  Except now, I was well aware of my plight?  I knew I needed to change.  I just wasn’t doing anything that was going to make a change.

Know why?

I didn’t know how!

Sometimes, we say we want to do something… but we really don’t.  We just think we should want to do it.  But many times, we really do want to make a change… we just lack the know-how.

So, I started researching.  No, I did not want to do the research on how to eat better.  No, I didn’t even want to be an expert in eating better.  But I wanted to FIND the expert… the person who had already done the research.  Then, I could just follow what they had already found.

First stop was the Slow Carb Diet.  It worked.  I lost weight.  But on cheat days, I felt absolutely awful.  So, I dug deeper and found the Paleo approach.  That was like magic.  Since then, I have just been fine-tuning as I find better research.  That has included Keto dieting, Intermittent Fasting, etc.  My body weight?  I’m 6’4”, and weigh 185.  I wear the same pant waist size as in college.  My body fat is around 11%.  Not bad for an almost-54 year old.

Was it because I became an expert?

No.  It was because I found expertise and followed their advice.  I didn’t need to reinvent something.  I just needed to follow something.

What about marriage?

Here is the honest truth:  most people fail in marriage because nobody told them what marriage was really about.

HERE IS A TRAINING ON WHAT MARRIAGE IS REALLY ABOUT

And even if you might have some idea of what a marriage is about, what do you do when there is a crisis?  There is no reason for you to know how to deal with a crisis.  We rarely know what to do when something unexpected hits.

What caused the problem?

HERE IS A TRAINING ON WHY MARRIAGES GET INTO TROUBLE

“Sure,” you might say, “things haven’t been the best.  But they weren’t the worst.  Why a crisis now?”

HERE IS A TRAINING ON WHY YOU ARE IN CRISIS NOW

Once the crisis is here, you are likely unprepared on what to do.  So, let me suggest taking a look at my Back To Basics Series.

HERE IS THE BACK TO BASICS SERIES OF TRAINING

Here’s what I know:  you are serious about saving your marriage.  That means you have a desire to save your marriage.  But as we have discussed, wanting to save your marriage is far different than knowing how to save your marriage.

The fact that you are not willing to just give up and walk away is commendable.  It is COURAGEOUS to decide to work on saving a marriage.  Saving your marriage MATTERS.

But here is where the “rubber hits the road.”  Desire to save your marriage is not enough.  You need steps.  You need a plan.

How are your efforts going?  Are you stuck?  Let’s get you through this.

Do you have my Save The Marriage System?

“NO” – Click HERE To GRAB My SAVE THE MARRIAGE SYSTEM

“YES” – Click HERE To LEARN MORE About Coaching Options For MORE HELP

Look, I recognize that saving a marriage can be tough, painful, scary, and frustrating.  As much as you WANT to do it, you have to KNOW HOW to do it.  Otherwise, you will either get stuck because you don’t know what to do or make it worse by doing the wrong thing.

It is too important to stay stuck.  It isn’t your fault that you didn’t know what to do.  But it is up to you to figure it out… for you, your spouse, your marriage, and your family.  So, let’s make sure you have what you need.  Let’s get you “up to speed” and get you moving ahead.

It is always your choice on whether to save your marriage or not.  If you decide to, then the next decision is to find out how.

If you need a System that has been tested and refined for nearly 3 decades, GO HERE TO GRAB MY SAVE THE MARRIAGE SYSTEM.

If you have my System, but still need more help, CHECK OUT MY OTHER RESOURCES HERE.

I’m pulling for you!

Lee Baucom, Ph.D.
Creator of the Save The Marriage System
Author of How To Save Your Marriage In 3 Simple Steps, Recovering From The Affair, Marriage Failpoint, Thrive Principles, The Immutable Laws Of Living, The Forgive Process
Host of Save The Marriage Podcast and Thriveology Podcast

Why “Space” Is Hard
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Why Emotional Space is SO Hard, including physical separation.  Fear of intimacy versus fear of abandonment.So many marital crises start with this phrase, “I’m not happy.”  In panic mode, a spouse reacts and things get worse.

The next step is often, “I need space.”  But that is even scarier!  And in panic mode, a spouse reacts and things get worse.

Maybe an in-house separation.  Maybe a full separation.  Emotional separation becomes physical separation.

All from a spouse stating an emotional state of concern:  “I’m not happy.”

One part of dealing with a marital crisis is dealing with “emotional space.”  It is crucial to understand emotional space.

Today, I want to discuss why that emotional space is so difficult to manage.  Why do people get sucked into taking actions that cause more issues?  Why do people find it so hard to give a spouse that requested “space”?

We discuss why “space” is so hard on this episode of the Save The Marriage Podcast.  Listen below.

RELATED RESOURCES
Where is the Gap?
Fears and Marriage
Boundaries in Marriage
How To Show Up
Save The Marriage System

Making The Mosaic: Paula Martin
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Over these past few weeks, I have been letting my team of coaches share from their wealth of knowledge.  I’m betting you have been learning lots.  This week, we continue those interviews.

Coach Paula Martin

Paula has been with me since the beginning of my team of coaches.  But long before Paula came onto my team, she was already coaching.  Her training is in Relationship Coaching, but she is also trained and skilled as a mediator.  A core of mediation is finding a common goal or common interest, then building from there.  Not a bad skill for relationship recovery!

In our discussion, Paula brought up a powerful image:  the mosaic.  Paula noted that many times, when something in life seems shattered (like, for instance, a marriage), people feel hopeless that there is nothing to be done.  It is shattered and ruined, they believe.  Paula notes that every beautiful mosaic is made from broken pieces.  Pieces that are put together in a beautiful pattern that wasn’t possible before it was broken.

Sometimes, something beautiful can come out of the broken.  Many times, this is true with marital problems.

If you hear something that fits for you — if you resonate with what Paula discusses — you might want to contact her.  You can email her by CLICKING HERE.

 

Growing After Loss: Dave Crispin
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

I’ve been introducing you to my team of coaches — and to their wisdom — over the past few weeks.  If you’ve been listening, you have heard from some talented and seasoned coaches.  And you have had the chance to get some great nuggets of knowledge from their years of experience.

Coach Dave Crispin

This week is no different — except for the distance.  My team member from “Down Under,” Dave Crispin and I had a late evening/early morning talk that you get to overhear today.  Listen in as Dave talks about his own journey to today.

Dave didn’t start as a coach.  After his own loss, Dave found himself learning and growing.  Not because things were easy, but because things had been tough and he knew he had to grow.

And along the way, Dave discovered his passion for helping people as they were struggling on their own life path.

While helping others grow, Dave discovered his capacity for helping couples grow, even when their marriage was in trouble.

Listen in as Dave and I discuss how to grow through the challenging times, even using the challenges as inspiration.

If you hear something that clicks for you, and if you want to contact Dave, CLICK HERE to email him.

We Change When We Change: Terri Hase
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Over these past few episodes, I have been sharing interviews with my team of coaches — and sharing their depth of wisdom and knowledge with you.

Coach Terri Hase

This week, I share an interview with Terri Hase.  Another of my skilled and seasoned coaches, Terri brings a wealth of knowledge and tools to her clients.  And in our interview, Terri shares some great information for anyone trying to save their marriage.

One of the topics we discuss is change — even the delayed change.  You know, those things that need to be change, but we put them off?  And then, you make the change… only to have a spouse doubt your veracity.

Well, change is tough.  And sometimes, we don’t make changes… until we have to.

Don’t let that diminish your efforts to make changes!  Even when a spouse is resisting, making those changes is necessary and important.

Listen in as Terri discusses her journey through challenges to arrive at coaching, and how to move through the change process.

If you want to contact Terri, CLICK HERE TO EMAIL.

Staying The Course: Laurie Johnson
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Over the past few episodes, you have met some of my coaches.  All are amazing and outstanding coaches, as well as wonderful people.  Today, you get to meet another amazing person, Laurie Johnson.

Coach Laurie Johnson

So, what do you do when one of the worst hurricanes hits your home and destroys all that you have?  You rebuild.  Not just your property, but your life.

Which is precisely how Laurie found her home in coaching.  As is true with most coaches, it is not a matter of starting at zero.  Most people who become coaches have been “coaching” their entire lives.  They just didn’t know it.  So, for Laurie, it was about connecting the dots, seeing a new future, and building toward that.

Interestingly, that is pretty much the recipe for rebuilding a marriage.  Once you can connect all the dots, you have to be able to see a different future.  Beyond the devastation that might be there.  To a future that is bigger and better.  And then, you have to do the work to build toward that.

Laurie and I talk about the importance of those efforts — the importance of choosing your direction and then “staying the course.”

Listen in as Laurie shares her wisdom for dealing with a marriage crisis, even when the storm is hitting, the winds are blowing, and you aren’t sure if you can hold on.  You can.

If you want to contact Laurie, CLICK HERE TO EMAIL.

Uncovering Hope: Annette Carpien
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Hope is an interesting thing.  It can disappear — or you can build it.

Coach Annette Carpien

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been introducing you to my incredibly talented team of coaches.  And this week, Annette Carpien is my guest.  A part of my team from the beginning of me having a team, Annette is a skilled coach who brings hope into her work.

In her coaching, Annette wants to do more than just make a small shift in the relationship.  As she puts it, she wants to help make the relationship “juicy,” something that both people cherish and protect.

As Annette and I talk, you will hear her infectious enthusiasm that comes from a place of hope — and confidence that she can help make a real shift.

With her tools and skills, Annette is a great asset to my team, a great coach, and a wealth of wisdom for those ready to make a true shift.

If you resonate with anything you hear from Annette and would like to discuss coaching with her, contact her by EMAILING HERE.

Shift From Control: Nina Potter
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Over the last couple of episodes, and over the next few, you get to meet and learn from my amazing coaches.  They are all hand-selected by me because of their expertise as coaches.  Then, we add in my tools and approach.  And, their outstanding coaching becomes your chance for transformation.

Coach Nina Potter

In this episode, I chat with Nina Potter, one of my earliest coaches.  Nina knows relationship struggles because she has been there.  And because of her own relationship challenges, Nina set out to learn all about relationships:  what makes them healthy — and how to turn them around when they aren’t healthy.

My coaches are a wealth of wisdom.  And Nina shares her wisdom during our discussion.  We talk about the dangers of control, and how to make a shift when a marriage is stuck.

If you are interested in contacting Nina, you can EMAIL HER HERE.

Return To Love: Debbie Rivera
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Last week, you got to hear from me a little about who I am and why I do what I do.  Over the next few weeks, I want to introduce you to my amazing team of coaches.  Not just introduce you, but let you listen to their wisdom that can help you in your efforts to save your marriage.

Coach Debbie Rivera

This week, I introduce you to Coach Debbie Rivera.  Debbie is a gem of a person and a diamond of a coach!  She brings skill and integrity into her coaching and her life.  Her calm and cool can guide you through a crisis. Her skills can equip you to take on your crisis effectively and efficiently.

As we talk, Debbie shares one of the most important shifts that must happen in the process of saving a marriage:  returning to love.

Listen as Debbie and I discuss the process of returning to love.

(And if you want to contact Debbie, CLICK TO EMAIL)