Being God’s presence to those we Accompany

By Francine & Byron Pirola | March 22, 2024

Pope Francis has called Catholic communities to accompany couples at various stages. What does accompaniment look like, and is there anything special about a Catholic…

R E A D   M O R E →

Hear Me, Touch Me, Know Me

By Francine & Byron Pirola | March 15, 2024

In relationships, the word ‘intimacy’ is often used as a euphemism for sex, but this is a very narrow and impoverished view. Some people have…

R E A D   M O R E →
||||

Gratitude: The Heart-beat of Love

By Guest Author | March 8, 2024

New research validates age-old wisdom: the simple habit of gratitude can transform a jaded marriage into a joyous encounter. By Marilyn Rodrigues A University of…

R E A D   M O R E →

Two Sides to Relationship Repair

By Francine & Byron Pirola | March 1, 2024

Periods of disconnection are an unfortunate part of every marriage. Relationship Repair takes both an initiator and receiver. Disconnection has happened frequently in our marriage,…

R E A D   M O R E →

Three Ways to a Resilient Marriage

By Francine & Byron Pirola | February 23, 2024

We’ve been hearing from many of our SmartLoving leaders around the world looking for help in supporting couples under stress. There’s certainly lots of stress…

R E A D   M O R E →

Lent: the ultimate change-maker

By Francine & Byron Pirola | February 16, 2024

Like most people, our optimistic resolutions for the New Year tend to fizzle out before the end of January. Thankfully, Lent gives us another, and…

R E A D   M O R E →

Stonewalling: A Silent Killer in Marriage

By Francine & Byron Pirola | February 9, 2024

Stonewalling – aka ‘the silent treatment’ – is common in many marriages. Never helpful and poorly understood, we ignore it at our risk. Stonewalling is…

R E A D   M O R E →

How Expectations Set Us Up for Trouble

By Francine & Byron Pirola | February 2, 2024

When we look back on our early romance, we note how quick we were to trust each other, even recklessly so. We dived into the…

R E A D   M O R E →
Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash

Defending our hearts

By Francine & Byron Pirola | January 26, 2024

Is defensiveness crippling your relationship? Do you feel regularly on edge, reactive and punchy? Read on for our process for managing defensiveness. Recently, Byron shared…

R E A D   M O R E →

#21 Beyond Feelings

By Francine & Byron Pirola | January 19, 2024

The world of feelings is vitally important to life and relationships. But what does current research and best practice tell us about how to understand…

R E A D   M O R E →

Kiss to Connect

By Francine & Byron Pirola | January 12, 2024

Many couples find the excitement of sex somewhat diminished within a few years of marriage. Their physical intimacy seems somehow perfunctory, unimaginative, even boring. Soon…

R E A D   M O R E →

Resolutions to Have and to Hold

By Francine & Byron Pirola | December 29, 2023

It’s a new year, a new decade and a new beginning. Among all the goal setting, consider what you can do to transform your marriage.…

R E A D   M O R E →

The Light of Bethlehem Heals

By Francine & Byron Pirola | December 22, 2023

More than any other time of year, Christmas connects us with powerful childhood memories. For some, these are joyful: for many however, the memories are…

R E A D   M O R E →

#20 The Good the Bad and the Ugly of Holiday Traditions

By Isabella Garcia | December 21, 2023

Whether it’s Christmas, Easter, Mothers/Fathers day, birthdays or Thanksgiving… holiday traditions can be a source of blessing or of grief. With our guest we unpack…

R E A D   M O R E →

For Better is Important too

By Francine & Byron Pirola | December 15, 2023

We all understand how important it is to know that your spouse will be there to support you during the hard times. Having someone to…

R E A D   M O R E →