Marriage Therapy Radio

Zach begins a three-part series with Brian and Kristen, longtime MTR listeners who volunteered to work through their marriage challenges in real time.

Brian and Kristen have been together for more than two decades and credit Marriage Therapy Radio as a resource that helped them find language for patterns they felt—but couldn’t name. They describe how listening separately (not together) gave them neutral ground to reflect, build vocabulary, and bring conversations back into their marriage without escalating conflict.

The focus of this first session is a familiar cycle: Brian’s defensiveness, Kristen’s experience of being misunderstood, and the growing frustration around repair always landing on one partner. Zach helps them slow the pattern down, name the dynamics at play, and examine how early family modeling, parenting pressure, and long-term habits have shaped their responses to conflict.

Rather than trying to “fix” the marriage, this episode centers on clarity: understanding what actually happens when things go off the rails, differentiating between feeling attacked and being attacked, and identifying where each partner has agency. Zach reframes responsibility not as blame, but as freedom—emphasizing that each partner can choose how they show up regardless of the other’s behavior.

The episode closes with a concrete assignment: mapping their recurring argument step-by-step so they can externalize the pattern and begin changing it together in the next session.

Key Takeaways


Long marriages still require new skills as life circumstances change


Defensiveness often comes from perceived threat, not actual attack


Feeling misunderstood can be as painful as being criticized


Responsibility is most powerful when it’s chosen, not demanded


Repair patterns can unintentionally create resentment


Taking breaks during conflict can prevent escalation and shutdown


Naming the pattern creates options for change


Playfulness and lightness are essential for long-term connection

Why This Episode Matters

This episode offers a rare, transparent look at the beginning of relational work—not the polished outcome. Brian and Kristen model what it looks like to be curious, honest, and willing to be seen while still feeling stuck.

For listeners, this is an invitation to recognize familiar patterns in their own relationships and to remember: insight is the first step, not the finish line.

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Zach sits down with Casey and Meygan Caston, founders of Marriage365, to talk about how a marriage that nearly collapsed in year three became the foundation for a global relationship resource.

Both Casey and Meygan grew up surrounded by divorce, affairs, and unresolved conflict. Determined not to repeat their parents’ patterns, they entered marriage with optimism—but no tools. By year three, resentment, blame, and emotional shutdown had taken over, and Meygan found herself convinced she had made the biggest mistake of her life.

What changed everything wasn’t mutual effort at first—it was personal responsibility. After starting therapy alone, Meygan learned boundaries, emotional regulation, and how to take ownership of her part of the dance. Thirteen months later, her changed posture toward conflict forced a shift in the relationship dynamic, and Casey began doing his own work.

Together, they share how changing one partner changes the entire system; why marriage is not about solo dancing; and how resentment—not communication—is usually the real problem couples face. Zach weaves in his own frameworks around adulthood, repair, and the “dance” of relationship, while Casey and Meygan offer practical insight from years of coaching couples in crisis.

The conversation also explores forgiveness, curiosity, intentional choice, cultural myths about love, and why healthy marriages are built through habits—not hope.

Key Takeaways


You’re not stuck – Changing yourself changes the relationship system.


Marriage is a team sport – Two people dancing separately isn’t partnership.


Resentment breaks communication – Most “communication problems” are really unresolved hurt.


Repair requires ownership – A real apology validates pain and invites rebuilding trust.


Acceptance matters – Forgiveness doesn’t have to be instant, but honesty does.


Curiosity beats defensiveness – Looking inward is the first step toward growth.


Feelings fluctuate; choices endure – Love is sustained through intentional action.


Differences aren’t the enemy – Harmony comes from resolving dissonance, not eliminating it.

Guest Info

Casey & Meygan Caston

Casey and Meygan are the founders of Marriage365, a relationship coaching platform dedicated to helping couples build intentional, resilient marriages. Drawing from their own near-divorce story and years of coaching experience, they offer practical tools, habits, and frameworks for repair, communication, and connection.


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marriage365/

New Book

The Marriage Habit — releasing February 3, 2026A practical, habit-based framework for couples who want clarity on how to build a strong marriage—not just why it matters.

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Zach sits down with David and Lisa, long-time partners and leaders in the escape room world, to explore what thousands of hours of collaborative problem-solving have taught them about communication, conflict, and teamwork.

They talk about why escape rooms reward kindness over brilliance, why “being right” is a losing strategy, and how the habits that help teams escape under pressure are the same ones that help couples thrive in real life. From debriefing mistakes without blame to celebrating small wins—even when you lose—this conversation offers a surprisingly practical framework for building resilient, collaborative relationships.

Key Takeaways


Escape rooms reward communication and kindness, not intelligence or dominance


The fastest way to lose—both in games and relationships—is trying to win alone


Healthy teams normalize double-checking, feedback, and shared responsibility


Conflict works best when it happens after the pressure, not during it


Strong partnerships focus on learning from mistakes, not litigating them


Celebrating small wins matters—even when the overall outcome isn’t perfect


Mutual respect and curiosity are foundational to long-term collaboration

Guest Info

David & LisaPartners in life and business, David and Lisa are leading voices in the escape room community. They have played more than 1,300 escape rooms worldwide, built a global community of players, and help people experience collaborative play through reviews, tours, and industry leadership.

They are the team behind Room Escape Artist, a trusted resource for discovering high-quality escape rooms around the world, and they also run curated escape room tours that bring players together across cities and countries.


Website: https://roomescapeartist.com


Email: [email protected]

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Zach sits down with Courtney and Nathan Boyer, a couple married for over twenty years, parenting three kids, and living overseas on a U.S. military base in Germany.

Courtney and Nathan share the story of a major turning point in their marriage—when Courtney asked to open the relationship after years of suppressing her needs, identity, and desire. Raised in a strict religious culture, Courtney explains how she spent much of her marriage prioritizing her husband’s career and her role as a mother, slowly becoming resentful and disconnected from herself. Nathan, a military physician, reflects on how his drive for achievement and constant “next step” mindset left him unaware of how much was being lost along the way.

The couple walks through the six-month conversation that followed Courtney’s request—marked by resistance, fear, patience, and an honest willingness to walk away if they couldn’t find a way forward together. Nathan shares what it was like to realize he is deeply monogamous at his core, while Courtney names polyamory as an essential part of her identity rather than a lifestyle choice.

They also talk candidly about shame, public backlash, parenting through non-traditional choices, and the surprising ways opening the relationship strengthened their emotional and sexual connection. Throughout the conversation, Zach highlights the importance of long-form conversations, adult responsibility, and the courage it takes to renegotiate a marriage rather than quietly disappear inside it.

This episode is a nuanced, human look at love, consent, identity, and what it means to grow without abandoning one another.

Key Takeaways


Long-term marriages go through distinct cycles tied to life stages, not just emotions


Suppressing needs often leads to resentment, not stability


Identity shifts don’t happen overnight—they require long conversations


Consent includes the real option to walk away


Monogamy and polyamory can coexist in one marriage with clarity and care


Erotic energy and trust can grow through expansion, not just exclusivity


Adult relationships require ongoing renegotiation, not silent endurance

Guest Info

Courtney Boyer

Relationship coach, author, and creator behind The Monopoly Couple. Courtney writes and speaks about identity, desire, religious conditioning, and non-traditional relationships.


Website: https://www.courtneyboyercoaching.com/


Book: Opened (launching February 17)https://www.courtneyboyercoaching.com/store/p/opened


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themonopolycouple/

Nathan Boyer

Military physician and longtime partner to Courtney. 
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Zach sits down with Glenn and Jodie, a married couple whose relationship has been shaped by cancer, caregiving, entrepreneurship, and a shared commitment to facing life side-by-side.

Their story includes an early breast cancer diagnosis shortly after getting engaged, multiple recurrences over the years, and a present-day reality of living with cancer as a chronic condition. Through it all, Glenn and Jodie describe how the illness became something external to their marriage—an adversary they face together rather than a wedge between them.

They talk openly about caregiving, helplessness, perspective, and how repeated medical crises stripped away the impulse to sweat small things. Glenn reflects on learning how to show up when he couldn’t “fix” anything, while Jodie shares how being cared for reshaped her understanding of partnership and trust.

The conversation also explores the everyday friction of working together—different wiring, different priorities, and Glenn’s self-identified ADD—along with Zach’s reframing of conditions like cancer and ADHD as things couples must externalize rather than personalize.

They close by sharing the work they now do together through their businesses and podcast, Couples, Inc., where they help couples who run businesses navigate boundaries, roles, and relationship health.

This episode is a grounded, hopeful look at what it means to fight the right thing—and to stay on the same team over the long haul.

Key Takeaways


Externalize the problem – Cancer, ADHD, and other conditions aren’t your partner; they’re what you face together.


Caregiving is connection – Showing up consistently matters more than having solutions.


Perspective changes priorities – Repeated health crises reduced conflict around “small stuff.”


Different wiring isn’t disrespect – Productivity styles and attention differences require collaboration, not blame.


Mindset precedes tactics – Tools only work when used without resentment or superiority.


Play the long game – Healthy relationships focus on reducing the same pain points year over year.


Being on the same team is intentional – Unity doesn’t happen automatically; it’s practiced.

Guest Info

Glenn & Jodie Glenn and Jodie are married partners in life and business. They co-own Living Pink Communications, a marketing firm inspired by Jodie’s ongoing experience with breast cancer, and host the Couples, Inc. podcast, which supports couples who run businesses together.

Website: https://livingpinkcommunications.com/

Podcast: https://couplesincpodcast.com

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