Most of us are not married to a gym addict or a health fanatic. No, most of us are married to guys who feel poorly now and again and skip (or forgo) regular workouts. 

In this episode of the WifeSavers Podcast, “Dealing With Your Husband’s Health or Medical Issues: Part 1”, multi-award-winning marriage author and educator Ramona Zabriskie, and her husband of 46 years, Dale, share their personal history of medical challenges and the proactive “remedies” couples can use to keep loving each other in sickness and in health.

The TWO questions answered in Part I of this two-part series:

THROW ME A WIFESAVER #1: “What are your tips for taking care of a sick dude? And actually, why do guys act so fragile, for lack of a kinder phrase, when they're sick?” 

⇒ Listen and learn what to add to over-the-counter meds and kitchen nutrition to help your guy get better soon!

THROW ME A WIFESAVER #2: “My husband is overweight and getting more overweight by the day. How can I motivate him to get in shape?”

⇒ Listen and learn five alternatives to nagging (you might not have thought of!) when it comes to motivating him to get into shape.

“Ramona is my hero! I love your positivity and optimism. Whenever my husband and children are driving me nuts, and I want to run away, I go for a long walk and listen to your podcast and get some perspective and jump back in with renewed energy. Thank you! ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

COMING UP NEXT: Dealing with his long-term health issues.

Get all of your personal “Throw Me a WifeSaver” questions answered by Ramona as her private mentee: https://wifesavers.org/mentoring/

RELATED EPISODES:

• WSP Ep 20: It’s Not Fair! (but who’s keeping score?)
• WS Podcast Ep 37: Dealing With Your Spouse’s Depression Positively
• WS Podcast Ep 49: How To Avoid Disrespect When You’re Displeased (and why you want to try)

And MANY more tutorials at WifeSavers by Ramona on YouTube

To contact Ramona or to learn more about personal mentoring with Ramona, go to wifesavers.org

We all battle anxiety, overwhelm, weariness, discouragement, and worry: a bundle of emotions that comes with being human, especially a female human.  

In spite of our blessings and good fortune, it is our tendency as wives and mothers to wish for more, to strive for better, to push too hard, and to blame all the inner turmoil either on people and pressures outside of ourselves OR on our own deficits. The result is an oppressive cycle of stress. 

In this episode of the WifeSavers Podcast, So Tired and Going Crazy: 4 Steps to Less Stress and More Peace, multi-award-winning author and global marriage educator, Ramona Zabriskie, and her husband of 40+ years, Dale, discuss their approach to reclaiming sanity: staying even-keeled, loving, and productive in spite of worldly or family demands, chaos, or troubles. 

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “I feel anxious and I see so much that needs to be done in every area: my physical health, my marriage, my family, my house and yard, myself… I have a vision of what life can be, not perfect but more peaceful, joyful, calm… I just feel like I need time to myself to think, work, pray, exercise, create order in our home. Instead, I feel like the on-call doctor in the ER (with a side job as a taxi driver). HELP! AUGHH!!!” 

⇒ Listen and learn a step-by-step roadmap for achieving more peace in your life and relationship. 

KEY TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE: 

• The 4 steps to greater inner peace, even serenity 
• How to use the 3 “Shhh’s” to remove yourself from the fray by tapping down environmental expectations 
• The daily practice that will help you rise above the fray and set your intention 
• Ways to achieve regular respite, shutting down or refocusing energy How to use these approaches as a springboard to reengage with vigor 
• Why individual inner peace is so crucial to a successful marriage 

“I rely heavily on everything they share and am so grateful for their deep wisdom and experience! Such a great example of a healthy, beautiful relationship and conversation. I feel like I’m in their living room just listening to them talk.” ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener 

RELATED EPISODES: 

• WS Podcast Ep 10: How Do I Find Balance: A Woman’s Greatest Challenge  
• WS Podcast Ep 7: Feeling Burned Out After Too Much Stress 
• WS Podcast Ep 44: How to Keep Calm and Carry On 
• WS by Ramona on YouTube: Conversations on Finding Balance Conversation 

⇒ Use these resources to learn more from Ramona on this and other subjects related to your womanhood and relationships: 

✅ Read Ramona’s new edition of the multi-award-winning book, WIFE FOR LIFE: THE POWER TO SUCCEED IN MARRIAGE | Amazon 

✅  Sign up for Ramona’s FREE Weekly Mentor Letter full of loving support and helpful instruction 

✅ Get Ramona’s FREE ebook: “5 Lies We Tell Brides and The 5 Truths That Save Wives“ 

✅ Join Ramona’s FREE live Masterclass “Understanding Your Husbands and Sons” 

✅ Join Ramona’s FREE live Masterclass “True Desire, Real Romance” 

✅ Ramona’s personal development and marriage success program: WifeSavers Course and Community

Summer is a season ripe with possibilities. Will your family’s summer be full of sunshine, swims, and strawberries? Or boredom, disarray, and family tension? As a wife and mother, you’d like to keep things productive and in control at home from day to day, but you also want the family to enjoy a bit more freedom individually while making happy summer memories together. How will you do that? Blue skies and warm temperatures aren’t enough. In this episode of the WifeSavers Podcast, Creating A Fantastic Summer for the Whole Family - Including YOU, multi-award-winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband of 40+ years, Dale, share their tactics and history for making the most of the summer months to reset and refresh not only the kids, but yourself and your marriage. THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “I really want this summer to be less stressful than the rest of the year for me and my kids but I don’t want everything to go to pot. Ideas please.” ⇒ Listen and learn how to combine a little inquiry, a little creativity, and a bit of pre-planning to make ALL the difference for ALL the family this summer! KEY TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE: How to turn your entire summer into a “celebration” Five themes to organize and build your plans around Five things you need to be doing right NOW to make it happen More than a dozen practical strategies to make sure that YOU TOO are having “the best summer ever”. “Ramona is my hero! I love your positivity and optimism. Whenever my husband and children are driving me nuts, and I want to run away, I go for a long walk and listen to your podcast and get some perspective and jump back in with renewed energy. Thank you! ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener RELATED EPISODES: Ep 29: Creating or Saving Your Family Vacation Ep 24: Tech and Relationships: Part 2, Husband and Kids Ep 14: Dealing With Extended Family, Especially Thru the Holidays Use these resources to learn more from Ramona on this and other subjects related to your womanhood and relationships: ✅ Read Ramona’s new edition of the multi-award-winning book, WIFE FOR LIFE: THE POWER TO SUCCEED IN MARRIAGE | Amazon ✅  Sign up for Ramona’s FREE Weekly Mentor Letter full of loving support and helpful instruction ✅ Get Ramona’s FREE ebook: “5 Lies We Tell Brides and The 5 Truths That Save Wives“ ✅ Join Ramona’s FREE live Masterclass “Understanding Your Husbands and Sons” ✅ Join Ramona’s FREE live Masterclass “True Desire, Real Romance” ✅ Ramona’s personal development and marriage success program: WifeSavers Course and Community

Lucky little girls are daddy’s darling, but when the teen years hit, that special relationship can take a hit, sometimes throwing the whole family off balance. Not only does the resulting dynamic have a definitive impact on a young woman’s sense of esteem and behavior in the present, but a father can also leave an indelible imprint on his daughter’s future including her self-worth, career success, earning potential, and relationships with men going forward: even for the rest of her life.

In this episode, multi-award-winning author and global marriage educator, Ramona Zabriskie, and her husband of 40+ years, Dale, answer a wife who can sense how important the father-daughter bond is, especially for her teen girls, and wonders (in the face of a lot of conflicts at home) what she can do as a wife and a mother to help her husband and girls tone it down and better connect.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “My husband and teen daughters are constantly at odds, and I’m constantly in the middle. What can I do to get him to understand their feelings, and get them to show him more respect? Help. This is wearing me out.”

KEY TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why adolescence is such an awkward time for fathers and daughters
• What behaviors are to be expected and what behaviors are worrisome
• The “Prime Directive” in raising teen girls
• Eight eye-opening strategies (P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W) that will create more bonding between your husband and daughters
• WHY his connection is so important to her and WHAT should remain most important between them

“Ramona and Dale share spot-on advice and cutting-edge scientific knowledge that will help smooth the rough bumps in relationships. Their years of experience and grand marriage shine thru in an unscripted way. This has been my favorite podcast for years! And now my husband will join in to listen. Thanks, Ramona and Dale for becoming part of our family!” ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

RELATED EPISODES:

• Ep 47: Understanding and Helping Teen Boys - Part 1
• Ep 48: Understanding and Helping Teen Boys - Part 2
• Ep 27: Getting Him On Board With Best Parenting Practices
• Ep 1: Helping Your Husband Bond With the Kids

Use these resources to learn more from Ramona on this and other subjects related to your womanhood and relationships:

✅ Read Ramona’s new edition of the multi-award-winning book, WIFE FOR LIFE: THE POWER TO SUCCEED IN MARRIAGE | Amazon

✅  Sign up for Ramona's FREE Weekly Mentor Letter full of loving support and helpful instruction

✅ Get Ramona’s FREE ebook: "5 Lies We Tell Brides and The 5 Truths That Save Wives"

✅ Join Ramona's FREE live Masterclass “Understanding Your Husbands and Sons”:

✅ Join Ramona’s FREE live Masterclass “True Desire, Real Romance”

✅ Ramona’s personal development and marriage success program: WifeSavers Course and Community

Are you one of those Hallmark movie junkies? I have friends who go whole-hog, plopping down on the couch, propping up their feet, showing off those fuzzy socks that say “Leave Me Alone, I’m watching Hallmark movies”! Catch that plural “Hallmark movie(s)”. You can never “eat” just one! Why are those darn things so addictive, and a little contagious even? You may have been wondering just that, even as you can't help rewatching your favorite storylines, romances, and characters.

In this lighthearted episode, multi-award-winning author and global marriage educator, Ramona Zabriskie, and her daughter, Hannah, a member of Team WifeSavers, try to solve the riddle about what our penchant for predictable romances, reveal about us as women.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: "Help! Why can't I stop watching Hallmark movies, especially at Christmas?"

KEY TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE:

• Defining the essence of our womanly desires and longings
• The seven reasons we keep coming back for more from Hallmark
• What makes us happy as women, more than anything else
• The belief we treasure about how the universe relates to us
• What (or who) gives us life, especially in hard times and moments of decision
• The one idea that inspires us with hope
• How these stories strengthen our sense of self and desire for balance
• What beauty, magic, and celebration does for us
• The allure of repetitive representation of these principles

”If you are looking for a podcast that is uplifting and will help you better understand, be more respectful of, and better utilize men's and women's wonderfully unique, complimentary, and essential roles -- then this podcast is for you! It's time happily and very well spent!"  ✮✭✭✭✭ Apple Podcasts listener

RELATED EPISODES:

EP 50: How To Be a Better Husband (Four secrets your husband needs to know to make you happy)

EP 18: If You Want to Transform Your Marriage, Focus on This (the one attitude and action that will have the most effect)

EP 21: Romance and Desire That Last (the secrets to keeping the fire alive)

Come celebrate Ramona's birthday and the release of the new edition of her book, Wife for Life: The Power to Succeed in Marriage, at her RAMONA'S BIRTHDAY BOOK LAUNCH BASH on January 27th at 10am PT!

It's LIVE, it's FREE, and it's super INTERACTIVE; you'll have lots of opportunity to talk to Ramona and to ask her your relationship questions directly! Door prizes for everyone! PLUS, we'll be drawing a winner from our contest for 4-free months of WifeSavers Course and Community! 

SAVE YOUR SEAT NOW

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mWN3PkfeRQeTz2YqILpOzw

Do you feel UN (or under!) appreciated? Does your husband seem impassive, unaware, or inconsistent in his notice of all you are and all you do? Disappointment, disconnect, or disrespect is often the direct result of feeling taken for granted.

In this episode, multi-award-winning author and global marriage educator, Ramona Zabriskie, and her husband of 40+ years, Dale, answer a wife who knows her relationship and her family could be improved by more frequent expressions of thankfulness, but who doesn’t know how to motivate or inspire her husband to comprehend the obvious: she and the family need and deserve his appreciation. Listen and learn how to create a culture of gratitude in your marriage.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “My husband and I are having difficult times because our relationship is missing this important phrase: thank you. How can I help my husband practice this more? Thank you!”

KEY TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why hearing “thank you” is so important to a woman
• The common ways spouses fail to appreciate one another
• How “appreciation” is different than saying “thank you”
• Detecting his nonverbal demonstrations of appreciation
• How to ask for more verbal expressions
• The impact of her appreciation on him
• He wants her appreciation for this one thing most of all
• Creating a culture beyond “thank you” and “appreciation”

“I LOVE that the podcasts are a discussion with Ramona’s husband because it provides such a great example of a healthy, beautiful relationship and conversation. Plus they are so fun to listen to!” ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

RELATED EPISODES:

• Ep 46: What To Do When He Works Too Much 
• Ep 20: It’s Not Fair! (but who’s keeping score?)
• Ep 19: Wars Over Chores: Recruiting His Help With The Housework
• Ep 10: How Do I Find Balance? A Woman’s Greatest Challenge

We talk a lot on the WifeSavers Podcast about the influential power a woman has in her marriage, which is true. However, it is also true what researchers have found about the man in a relationship: husbands have the power to make or break that union.

In this 50th episode of the WifeSavers Podcast, How to Be a Better Husband: Four Secrets Your Husband Needs to Know to Make You Happy, multi-award-winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband of 40+ years, Dale, share with a middle-aged but newly-wed husband and wife what they have learned about his role in the success of their marriage.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “I want to know if you and your hubby will just share with my hubby your good advice for marriage. We are not young but we still don’t know everything.”

Listen and learn how husbands can choose to view and respond to a wife's womanhood and individuality in such a way that it satisfies her heart: motivating her to do her very best by him.

Key Topics:

• Why a man’s actions are the key variable that determines whether a relationship succeeds or fails
• Why it is a challenge for most men to navigate the complexities of marriage
• How that complexity can be simplified
• First Secret: What she needs to consistently feel from him
• Second Secret: What she needs to consistently hear from him
• Third Secret: What she needs to consistently know about him
• Fourth Secret: What she needs him to consistently do for her
• How his actions can soothe the fears all women wrestle with
• What he can look forward to when he tries his best to do well by her

“This has been my favorite podcast for years! And now my husband will join in to listen. Thanks, Ramona and Dale for becoming a part of our family and all the help you've given us!" ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

Related episodes:

Ep 35: The Seven Secrets to a Successful Marriage (attitudes that both spouses would do well to cultivate)

Ep 31: Romance and Desire That Last (how to reignite the flame and keep it hot)

Ep 18: To Transform Your Marriage, Focus on This (the key to taking your marriage to a new level of closeness)

✅ You’ll want to combine this episode with Ramona and Dale's acclaimed 6 part audio course: "Conversations on Physical Intimacy for Wives and Their Husbands" at wifesavers.org/conversations

We all talk on occasion about how unfair or unkind our spouse is to us, but how often do we consider our own slip-ups that way? It’s worth a few minutes of honest introspection (say the length of this podcast) because the reality is...IF your spouse not seeing things your way, or acquiescing to your point of view, or not changing their behavior out of love and concern for you and you’re getting emotional about it, you can bet that the way you are communicating with them is having the opposite effect. Certain approaches, disrespectful approaches, only dampen or damage your spouse’s desire to love you or to be loved BY you.

In this episode of the WifeSavers Podcast, How to Avoid Disrespect When You’re Displeased  (and Why You Want To Try), multi-award-winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie and her husband of 40+ years, Dale, show a demoralized wife how easily and how often she may be slipping into disrespect and how she can use alternative wording and attitudes to more effectively communicate with her husband.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “My husband says I’m too critical but I don’t see it. What is he seeing that I’m not?”

Listen and learn how the things we say and how we say them, though they may seem logical and fair to us, may actually qualify as toxic, blame-oriented, or manipulative to some degree, and how it's possible to inspire openness, connection, and genuine change, instead of shame, defensiveness, and anger.

Key Topics:

1. What respect vs disrespect breeds in a relationship
2. The markers of disrespectful vs. respectful communication
3. The two most important attitudes to incorporate into all your communication
4. Four common approaches to conversation that never work out well
5. Your actual motivation vs. what you’re telling yourself
6. How to reset your heart so your approach is more genuine and congruent
7. How to specifically reframe your message so that you actually make things better

“This is my favorite podcast. So much truth and wisdom shared in every episode! I feel like I’m sitting with them in their living room and we’re old friends! ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

Related episodes:

Ep 25: He Doesn’t Really Listen: How To Communicate So He’ll Care (soliciting his engagement in an effective way)

Ep 11: Turning Negative Communication to the Positive (pleasant persuasion vs forcefulness in everyday exchanges)

Ep 16: Seeing Eye to Eye: What To Do When You Don’t (getting to a solution on a matter you disagree on)

Ep 12: His Criticism Hurts: What To Do When Your Husband is Unfair or Unkind (differentiating b/t the different types of criticism and optimal responses to each type)

✅ You’ll want to combine this episode with Ramona’s FREE live Masterclass: “Understanding Your Husbands and Sons”: https://wifesavers.org/masterclass

With a teen boy in the house, family life can feel like a roller coaster ride. Unaware of the real causes and optimal responses, it’s easy for mom and dad to lose their cool and their perspective. The husband-wife relationship can be negatively affected at that point, which won’t help anyone--especially your teen.

In this episode, the second of two on the subject, multi-award-winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie, discusses with her husband, Dale, what parents and other adults can do to help adolescent boys successfully navigate the rocky (or rocking) bridge into adulthood without compromising other primary relationships, especially your marriage.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “A few weeks ago my son and husband had it out. I mean they were yelling in each other's faces and pushing each other and I was so scared. It really upset me and my husband told me, at a later time in confidence, that it was the worst day in his life.”

Listen and learn how parenting or working with a young man can be much less puzzling or frustrating and far more rewarding when you understand how best to live with and love him through adolescence.

Key Topics:

• How your characterization of your teen and your relationship with him is key
• Why shaming or shutting him down is a big mistake
• How to get beyond his mask to the real, core issues
• The importance and the impact of his relationship with Dad
• The kind of experiences and challenges you want to help facilitate for him
• What he needs to be shown by you and how
• How to balance your relationship with your teen with the other primary relationship in your life

“Thank you Ramona and Dale for another packed-with-golden tips podcast! One of the delights of my day for sure!” ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

Related episodes:

Tech and Relationships Part 2: Husband and Sons

Helping Your Husband Bond With the Kids

When He’s Overwhelmed By Family Life

✅ You’ll want to combine this episode with Ramona’s FREE live Masterclass: “Understanding Your Husbands and Sons": https://wifesavers.org/masterclass

Are you in the middle of a “boy crisis”? You are, actually, whether you know it or not. The “boy crisis” may be up-close and personal to the parent of a teen or young adult male, but the rest of us are being affected as well. We all have a vested interest in the challenges our boys are experiencing today, and in helping them launch confidently and responsibly into a complex world.

In this episode, the first of two on the subject, multi-award-winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie, discusses with her husband, Dale, what adolescent boys are up against during a stage of development that is ripe with change and tension and who, exactly, holds the key to their success.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “I am worried about my son and my husband's dynamic at times. My son is very intelligent and is so much an independent person, even at 14, that there seems to be much conflict between the two most important males in my life. This bothers me. What is happening and what can I do?”

Listen and learn what is going on inside that head, heart, and body of his, and what you can do to help the males in your life successfully navigate the turbulence kicked up during the teen and young adult years.

NOTE: You’ll want to combine listening to this episode with attending Ramona Zabriskie’s LIVE masterclass, Understanding Your Husband and Sons: wifesavers.org/masterclass.

Key Topics:

• Major changes in teen brain structure and circuitry
• Common behavioral concerns explained by those changes
• Why young men experience intense feelings and how they process emotion
• The impact of his behaviors on important relationships
• How pecking order and belonging influence his world
• Why our society produces plenty of boys but very few men
• The one question that haunts every boy, and the one person who can answer it

“I rely heavily on everything they share and am grateful for their deep wisdom and experience!” ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcasts listener

Related episodes:

Episode 24: Tech and Relationships Part 2: Husband and Sons

Episode 1: Helping Your Husband Bond With the Kids

Episode 28: When He’s Overwhelmed By Family Life

Working excessively for a brief or limited period of time may occasionally be necessary, but if it’s one spouse’s defacto year after year, divorce, infidelity, or a health crisis is practically inevitable.

In this episode of the WifeSavers Podcast, What To Do When He Works Too Much, multi-award-winning marriage author and educator, Ramona Zabriskie, and her husband of 43+ years, Dale, discuss what to do when one spouse is spending so much time on work, the other feels undesirable, neglected, or resentful.

THROW ME A WIFESAVER: “Basically, my husband works too hard. We’ve talked about it many times, but whenever he agrees to try and make things better, it doesn’t last more than a week or two and then he’s right back to work. I can’t help feeling sad and a little insecure, honestly. Help!”

Key points in the podcast:

• The balance between accommodating his career and her needs
• A 16-point self-evaluation: “You may be a workaholic if…”
• The reasons a person feels compelled to overwork
• The three dangers in being married to a workaholic
• The things a neglected spouse should absolutely not do
• 5 things the neglected spouse should do
• Communicating concerns effectively to the workaholic
• 6 actions and 6 boundaries you can both agree to
• How to know if your solutions will actually work and stick

“They are so so fun to listen to! I feel like I’m in their living room just listening to them talk. I love the male perspective from Dale. Thank you for a life-giving podcast! ✮✭✭✭✭” Apple Podcast listener

Related episodes:

Episode 32: Not Enough Time for Quality Couple Time

Episode 26: When He’s Traveling for Business

Episode 24: Tech and Relationships: Husband and Kids

Episode 2: Getting Your Husband To Prioritize Your Needs Too