Welcome to Couples Collective, @Samantha Quero! Really glad you’re here and CONGRATS on your engagement. Hope wedding planning is going well! Jump in and share a little about yourself and why you’re here when you get the chance. I’m glad you’re jumping in as we’re getting this community of couples off of the ground!

Welcome to the Couples Collective, @Tabatha Griggs! I'm excited that you're jumping in this group. We're just getting things off of the ground so you are jumping in at just the right time. I'd love to hear your feedback on what kind of content or topics you are looking for and what would be most helpful for your marriage. Let me know in the comments and in the poll pinned on our page!!

Welcome to the Couples Collective, @Aaron Walker! I'm pumped that you are here as we get this group off of the ground!

Shocking. I know. It turns out we're not perfect either. Here's the crazy part. It was about something so...so...small. 😣 Have you been there? And while it's embarrassing that even after 18 years of being married we still get into small, dumb, fights. What I was proud of is how we were able to quickly pause, acknowledge that we were misunderstanding each other, take a breath, and then move on. It reminded me of the power of a single PAUSE. ⏸️ ⏸️ A short pause can help you recenter. ⏸️ A short pause can let your heart rate come down. ⏸️ A short pause can create clarity. ⏸️ A short pause can prevent you from saying something you'll regret. Early on in my marriage, pausing was one of the HARDEST things to do. Because I wanted to be RIGHT and I wanted to be HEARD. Not later, but NOW. I have problems. I know. ⚡️ I've had to learn that being HEALTHY is far more important than being RIGHT. ⚡️ Oof, that's still hard for me at times. 🤦🏼‍♂️ But after 18 years of small and big fights, pausing has become a little more natural. So here's my point: 1. Give yourself grace if you struggle with this. Growth takes time. Don't compare how you are in year 1 of your marriage to how someone else is in year 20. Chances are that they still suck at some things even after 20 years. You'll show up better for your partner if you keep at it. Just get 1% better today than yesterday. 2. Give your partner grace. Maybe they are the ones who struggle to pause. Give them grace when they mess up. The healthiest couples know how to forgive the quickest. One day you'll probably need some grace from them too. 3. As a couple, agree together that either of you can hit the pause in a fight. Make a rule that, if one of you says "pause" you HAVE to pause whether you want to or not. I promise that pausing during a fight has never, ever, hurt a couple. ⏸️ Is pausing difficult for you? ⏸️ Have you and your couple found a healthy way to pause a fight before it spirals? 🗣️ Let me know in the comments!

Hey all! I've been hard at work taking some of the suggestions you have given me. I'm currently working on the following: ⚡️ A marriage masterclass that will be available soon. ⚡️ I'm currently writing a course on the four pillars of a healthy marriage. ⚡️ I'm almost done with three new resources: A full year of date ideas, a tutorial on how to write your vows for your wedding and a blueprint on how to plan your wedding ceremony from A to Z in 90 minutes. Most of these resources will be more relevant to our engaged friends BUT I would love feedback from you married couples in the group to let me know if these resources would have been helpful for you when you were wedding planning. And, of course, since you are a founder of this Group, I will be offering these future courses and resources to you all for FREE to check out. Lastly, you might have noticed that I changed the name of the group from just "Lovebirds Coaching" to "The Couples Collective." I feel this captures my goal with this group: to be a community space for marriage mentorship as we collectively pursue ongoing growth in our most important relationship. Thanks, everyone! PS...Let me know if you are looking for something specific from this group or what you think other couples might also be looking for. I'd love your feedback!