Marriage Lab
Aaron and Jenna have been married for over a decade and love talking to people about their relationships, the messiness, the struggle and the victories in all of it. If you're married or planning on it, you can expect 1) Tools for the growth of your marriage and you personally 2) Hope for a healthy marriage no matter what you've experienced up to this point 3) Laughter and comfort when you say, "That's totally us!" and "We've been there!"
If you've enjoyed our podcasts, would you consider financially supporting the show?
We set-up a secure way for you to do that. This helps the Zints to continue to be able to prioritize making content for you! We appreciate it so much!
http://patreon.com/TheHabitLab
Episodes
132 episodes
Divine Intervention: Amy's story- Divorced & Remarried
A story only God could write. đâĄď¸â¤ď¸ Divorce, divine encounters, heart-level repentance, and a miraculous reconciliation.Listen to hear Amy's testimony of when God interrupts a story that felt finished.It will remind you all thi...
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1:16:28
Different Flavors of Comfort in Families ( feat: Rosie Zint)
In this episode, Jenna is joined by her nine-year-old daughter, Rosie, for a sweet and surprisingly insightful conversation about what comfort looks like in their family. Together, they talk about the different âflavors of comfortâ ...
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34:49
The Dopamine Hunt behind 6,7 : how to harness joy grows where attention goes
Dopamine isnât just about pleasure.Itâs about seeking.Your brain lights up most when the reward isnât guaranteedâ when youâre searching, anticipating, scanning.This is why elementary kids around the country are...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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39:41
Stuck in the Same Fight: how naming patterns can break the cycles
Why do the same conflicts keep showing up in marriageâeven when the topic keeps changing?In this episode, we talk about the power of naming your patterns: the emotional and relational loops that quietly drive conflict, disconnecti...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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32:35
Rethinking Relative Visits
Family visits are supposed to bring connection⌠but sometimes they bring exhaustion, awkward expectations, and a drained bank account.In this episode, weâre talking about what to do when the way youâre visiting family is...
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Season 3
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Episode 93
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31:47
But first...Curiosity
Ever notice how easy it is to slip into a courtroom conversation? You start building a case in your head, stacking evidence, rehearsing your defense... all before youâve actually asked a question.This weekâs episode is about...
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Season 3
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Episode 92
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37:00
Can you put sex on the calendar?
Please don't listen with your kids. Our case for scheduling sex.When life gets fullâkids, work, ministry, and the endless to-do listâintimacy is often the first thing to slip through the cracks. Weâre told sex should always b...
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Season 3
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Episode 91
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37:26
When teasing turns toxic: scoffs & sarcasm- the slow drip of contempt
We all scoff. We all slip into sarcasm. But what if those âlittleâ habits arenât as harmless as they seem? Research from the Gottman Institute shows that contempt â often disguised as casual teasing â is the single strongest predict...
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Season 3
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Episode 90
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28:31
Steps to Move From Rumination > to > Processing
Last time we talked about ruminating vs. processing. This week, Iâm walking you through the howâpractical steps to move through pain even if the other person doesnât respond well.Hereâs the framework:Noti...
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Season 3
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Episode 89
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45:40
Ruminating vs Processing
Can you tell the difference between when your emotions are hijacking you & when they're helping you? Noticing and expressing our emotions is a good thing. In fact, itâs vital for a healthy marriage. But thereâs a thin line betwe...
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Season 3
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Episode 88
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30:09
The Do's & Don'ts of Processing w/ Your Spouse
In this episode of Marriage Lab, Erin and Jenna dive into the doâs and donâts of processing with your spouseâhow to share whatâs on your heart in a way that invites care instead of conflict. From everyday recaps to high-stakes conversa...
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Season 3
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Episode 87
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43:39
Are you forgiving wrong?
Think youâve forgiven⌠but still feel stuck? Youâre not alone.Most of us were never taught what real forgiveness looks likeâjust the performance of it. Say a prayer. Say the words. Move on. Except⌠we donât.This epis...
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Season 3
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Episode 86
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43:03
When Pain Feels Like an Identity Attack
Some pain cuts deeper than othersânot because it hurts more, but because it feels true. In this episode, we unpack the kind of pain that doesnât just bruise your feelings, it hits your identity.We explore three subtle (and not-s...
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Season 3
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Episode 85
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31:26
When Pain spoils into offense
Offense Isnât Just Pain: Itâs Pain + Pride We often think being offended is just another form of hurtâbut itâs more than that. Offense is what happens when pain gets tangled with pride. Itâs the moment pain hardens into ju...
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Season 3
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Episode 84
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40:50
Special Episode: Moved by Love: the secret to sharing Jesus
What if evangelism wasnât about strivingâbut about overflow?In this special episode, I sit down with a few of my friends fresh off a missions trip to unpack what actually cracked the code for us when it came to sharing Jesus.&nbs...
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Season 3
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Episode 83
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1:10:10
Passivity isn't a fruit of the spirit
What if the âpeaceâ youâre protecting in your marriage⌠is actually costing you real connection?In this episode, weâre unpacking how passivity can disguise itself as loveâespecially in Christian marriages. Weâve seen it in our own relati...
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Season 3
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Episode 82
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36:48
Date Fail Debrief: Control Freak & Shut Down
What do you get when you mix a paddleboard, high expectations, and two humans with emotions?Definitely not the relaxing date we envisioned. But maybe... a deeper kind of win?This was not our best date⌠but maybe it was one ...
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Season 3
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Episode 81
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33:40
You, Me &⌠Nobody Else?- isolation in marriage
In this episode, weâre tackling a subtle but serious issue in marriage: isolation.What happens when your spouse becomes your only source of connection? Spoiler: it doesnât lead to thriving.We talk about:
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Season 3
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Episode 80
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29:05
16 Questions for your next date night
đ Itâs our 16th anniversary, and apparently our marriage is now old enough to get its driverâs license. đ
But letâs be realâ Even after 16 years, date night convo doesnât always flow naturally (especially when weâre...
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Season 3
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Episode 79
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34:21
Slow Miracles
Not all breakthroughs come in a flash. In this episode, we talk about the kind of transformation that happens slowlyâover months or even years. The kind you donât always see until you look back and realize, weâre not where we used to be.
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Season 3
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Episode 78
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29:27
Welcome back, now what?
In this episode, we talk about the often-overlooked rhythm of re-entryâwhat it looks like when one spouse returns from a trip and the home dynamic shifts again. We share how weâve learned to treat that adjustment period wit...
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Season 3
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Episode 77
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32:59
Avoiding Birthday Blues & Blowouts
Birthdaysâlove them or dread them, they can be a surprisingly tense topic in marriage. đ From unspoken expectations to last-minute letdowns, these special days often carry more emotional weight than we realize. In this episode, weâre diving int...
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Season 3
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Episode 76
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36:14
You're Blocking Your Own Connection (Without Even Realizing It)
In this episode, weâre tackling the hidden ways we sabotage our own connection in marriageâespecially when we expect our spouse to read our minds. No matter what it is, waiting for them to magically meet our unspoken needs is a passive approach...
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Season 3
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Episode 75
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30:11
Internal vs External Processing Styles
In this episode, we talk about our respective styles of processing how we are feeling. Aaron is an external processor, needing to externalize what's he's feeling in order to understand it. Jenna is an internal processor, needing time to interna...
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Season 3
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Episode 74
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37:51
The Compassion Cup vs. The Identity Cup: A Marriage Game-Changer
In this episode, we continue our conversation about changing how we show up in conflict by focusing on the choice we have in how we respond to our spouseâs pain. When your spouse shares hurt, are you holding out your compassion cup, or are you ...
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Season 3
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Episode 73
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31:03