If you’ve ever felt unseen, unheard, or like your partner should just know what you need, this conversation is going to change the way you do love.

In this episode, I sit down with Monica Tanner, relationship coach and author of Bad Marriage Advice, to unpack one of the biggest roadblocks to long-term intimacy: the gap between what we need and what we actually share with our partner.

We talk about why asking for what you want can feel risky, how to turn complaints into clear requests, and the simple shifts that make your relationship feel safer, more connected, and more playful again.

• Why so many couples struggle to ask for what they want and what to do instead

• How childhood attachment patterns play out in adult relationships

• The difference between complaining and clearly requesting what you need

• The power of modeling vulnerability instead of demanding it

• How to create emotional safety so both partners can open up

• The “STAY” Framework for deeper vulnerability
  

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Favorite Moments

💬 “Unsaid needs are premeditated resentments.”
💬 “If my partner really loved me, they’d know what I need—that story is killing your connection.”
💬 “It’s not about managing your partner, it’s about helping them win.”
💬 “Model the vulnerability you want to see.”

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  Monica Tanner is a relationship coach, podcast host, and author of Bad Marriage Advice, a book that exposes 15 common half-truths that quietly destroy connection (and what to do instead).

• You can learn more about her work at monicatanner.com

  Grab Monica’s Book: Bad Marriage Advice

  
  

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  💥 Get My Free Guide: Reignite Your Marriage Blueprint

  https://www.evolvedmarriage.com/go

  🎙 Listen & Subscribe: Evolved Marriage Podcast on YouTube

  https://www.youtube.com/@evolved_marriage

In this episode, Eric and Kate unpack how to bring back sexual pleasure and real connection in marriage.

They get honest about what makes sex feel deeply good for both partners.

They cover:

→ The Pleasure + Connection rule

→ Why orgasm is not the only marker of great sex

→ How to spot the desire mismatch

→ How to talk about what you actually want without shame

➡️ Download the FREE Reignite Your Marriage Blueprint:

https://www.evolvedmarriage.com/go

➡️ For Men: Join The Evolved Men’s Collective

https://www.evolvedmarriage.com/emcmastermindsite

➡️For Couples: Complete your Relationship Assessment

https://www.evolvedmarriage.com/couples-coaching

Most couples think affection means sex but that mindset quietly kills emotional safety and intimacy.

In this episode, Eric and Kate get real about the difference between physical affection and sexual connection.

You’ll learn why touch matters, how to rebuild it when it’s gone missing, and simple ways to bring warmth and playfulness back into your marriage without pressure, rejection, or awkwardness.

If your relationship feels a little “cold” or distant lately, this one’s for you.

What You’ll Learn:

→ The difference between affection and foreplay (and why couples confuse them)

→ Why non-sexual touch is essential for safety and trust

→ The biological reason affection makes you feel close (hello, oxytocin)

→ Why physical affection often disappears in long-term relationships

→ How to rebuild affection safely when it’s been missing for years

→ Simple daily habits that reignite connection (without making it about sex)The “hug until relaxed” and “six-second kiss” practices that deepen love

➡️ Download the FREE Reignite Your Marriage Blueprint:

https://www.evolvedmarriage.com/go

➡️ For Men: Join The Evolved Men’s Collective

https://www.evolvedmarriage.com/emcmastermindsite

➡️For Couples: Complete your Relationship Assessment

https://www.evolvedmarriage.com/couples-coaching