The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting
The Go-To Podcast for Those Who Want To Rebuild Intimacy and Connection in Their Christ Centered Marriage
Has the excitement of your wedding day now faded into the background?
Are you so exhausted that the last thing you want to think about is your marriage?
Do you and your spouse feel like ships passing in the night?
If you’re craving the intimate, connected marriage God has for you, you’ve come to the right place!
We’re April and Aaron Au, marriage coaches with over a decade of experience, who are on the journey to finding God’s best for our marriage while raising two young boys.
We recently heard this wisdom: “If your marriage isn’t growing, it’s dying.” Yikes! That really got our attention! But if you think about it, it’s true. Marriages need direction, purpose and a common vision to thrive. If they don’t, they will inevitably drift apart. When you add the pressures of raising young children and the grind of daily work to the mix, there are even more forces that threaten to pull our marriages apart.
Thankfully, God has a beautiful vision for our marriages. He wants us to cultivate and enjoy intimacy and connection in our marriage. What’s more, God wants to breathe his Spirit and life into our marriages through beautiful encounters with him in prayer and worship.
In this podcast, we’ll learn about:
- Simple, healthy habits that lead to effective communication and intentional conversations
- The assumptions and expectations that can sabotage our marriages
- How community is essential for a connected marriage
- God’s heart to bring healing and wholeness to us, as individuals and as a family
And of course, we’ll dive into all of the fun topics like sex, money, parenting and why you shouldn’t buy a car without talking to your spouse first.
We’ll also have space to encounter God through prayer, worship and reflection through regular episodes called “Thursday Thoughts.”
So join us on this beautiful journey that we call “Living Marriages.”
Get in touch!
info@livingmarriages.com
Like the podcast? You can make a charitable donation to keep fresh content coming: https://livingmarriages.com
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Nov 18, 2025
Tuesday Nov 18, 2025
You may have heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs before - the idea that basic needs (such as food, clothing and safety) must be met before we can move into higher ideals (friendship, self-esteem, self-actualization.)
What if the same were true for marriage? Authors Sheila Wray Gregoire and Dr. Keith Gregoire think this is the case. In their latest book, "The Marriage You Want", Sheila and Keith propose this idea in the context of marriage and assert "Your marriage...exists on the lowest tier that either of you occupies."
On today's episode, we talk about this concept, see how it has played out in our marriage and how we can build bridges towards one another in terms of communication and sharing the load so that we can move towards a thriving marriage together.
Resources
To see a diagram of the Marriage Hierarchy of Needs and hear Sheila Wray Gregoire and Dr. Keith Gregoire's conversation about this, please click here.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you. How do you see the Marriage Hierarchy of Needs playing out in your marriage? Any questions? Ideas for shows and guests? Prayer requests? Get in touch! info@livingmarriages.com
If you'd like to support our non-profit ministry in finances and prayer, you can visit our website to find how: https://livingmarriages.com
Thursday Nov 13, 2025
Thursday Nov 13, 2025
After hearing Christina Worthing's powerful and moving story from Episode 79, this Thursday Thought is a simple one: it's a prayer for those who find themselves in unexpected grief and a prayer for those sharing together in that grief. It's a prayer for the church to step into its calling to "mourn with those who mourn." (Romans 12:15) It's a prayer for humility and wisdom in how we do this and for grace when we mess it up.
Next Steps
Are you going through unexpected grief? We'd love a chance to pray with you.
Have an idea for an episode? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.
info@livingmarriages.com
Want to partner with us to keep this podcast and non-profit ministry going? Please visit our website to find out how you can pray for us and support us financially: https://livingmarriages.com
Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
At the Living Marriages Podcast, we feel it a privilege and a calling to share stories of Christ-centred marriages in all of their joys and challenges. Today's stories is about one of those marriages. Christina and Sean loved Jesus and they loved each other. And then suddenly, at a very young age, Sean passed away unexpectedly.
What came next for Christina was a story of inexplicable grief, confusion, faith, community and healing.
In this episode, you'll hear:
The blessing that Christina and Sean's marriage was as well as the lessons Christina learned
How God showed up with and for Christina in faith, friendship and community
Some ideas for how we as the church can walk with people in grief
Resources
If you'd like to connect with Christina in her professional capacity as a registered psychologist, you can find her at FUEL Pain and Injury Recovery Clinic. You can find her on social media: Facebook (Your Pain Psychologist) and on Instagram (@yourpainpsychologist)
Next Steps
Are you going through unexpected grief? We'd love a chance to pray with you.
Have an idea for an episode? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.
info@livingmarriages.com
Want to partner with us to keep this podcast and non-profit ministry going? Please visit our website to find out how you can pray for us and support us financially: https://livingmarriages.com
Thursday Nov 06, 2025
Thursday Nov 06, 2025
On this Thursday Thought, we invite you into a time and space for reflection and prayer as we ask God 3 important questions:
1. What is the fruit that is being produced in my life (both good and bad)
2. Where do you want to prune?
3. What roadblocks do I have which prevent you from doing that work of pruning?
It is good to reflect on these questions alone at first but if your spouse is willing, we encourage you to listen to Episode 77 together first and then reflect prayerfully on these questions together, as they pertain to your marriage.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
Tuesday Nov 04, 2025
Tuesday Nov 04, 2025
"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."
Matthew 7:16-20
God had us confront a difficult yet extremely important question in today's episode: What is the fruit that is being produced by our marriage?
This is a difficult question because God asks us to allow him to shine his light into some areas we are unaware of or would rather leave alone. This can be in some big things or in some small habits (just ask Aaron about his hockey pool and the effects it has been having on his family!)
By his grace, he wants to bring these things into his light and his grace in order to bring his healing and wholeness, so that in our marriages and our families, we might produce good fruit.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on our family of origin (discussed in Episode 75), its impact on our marriage and how God is inviting us to:
1. celebrate the good things from our upbringing
2. acknowledge the unhealthy things
3. examine some of the things we have left unexamined that could be good or unhealthy
If you are able, please find some time to listen to this episode with your spouse. You will be able to point out and celebrate the "good things" together, support each other through the "unhealthy things" and point out the blind spots as we examine the unique things we each are bringing into our marriage.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
British author, Jay Shetty, shared an image of how our families of origin are like brick houses that we build as we are growing up. Some of those bricks (our habits, understandings, practices) are good, some are crumbling and then there are some gaps in our buildings as well.
How does this affect our marriages? When we get married, we often think that the brick houses we grew up in our the best houses and that our spouse should simply leave theirs and come live in ours. The problem? Our spouse will often feel the same way!
On today's episode, we begin to examine the impact our families of origin have on our marriages and how God is inviting us to build a new house together, brick by brick, with Christ as our cornerstone.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
Thursday Oct 23, 2025
Thursday Oct 23, 2025
Are you facing some difficult decisions as a family? Are you and your spouse confronting uncertainty in your marriage?
On today's Thursday Thought, we are inviting you and your spouse to listen together (and if you haven't had a chance yet, listen to Episode 73 where we talk about the importance of prayer and listening conversations in times of uncertainty.) What would it look like to truly seek God in this time, apart and together as spouses? What would it look like to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21) What would it look like to be able to have conversations where we really heard one another and were able to share our hearts fully?
Join us for this time of reflection and prayer!
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
Tuesday Oct 21, 2025
Tuesday Oct 21, 2025
Well this was a first for the Living Marriages Podcast. We started recording an episode that, a minute or two in, didn't feel like what God had for us. We always pray and discuss before we record but even with that, we felt that as we got going, God actually had something different in mind. So what to do? God had us pray about it, have a good conversation about it and then come together to talk about it!
Hopefully those of you facing uncertainty or big decisions will find encouragement in this episode as we discuss what it means to:
Stop, Drop and Pray
To submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21)
How God does desire to speak to us separately so that we can find unity when we come together
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com
Thursday Oct 16, 2025
Thursday Oct 16, 2025
On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on how saying "yes" to God may mean letting go of something we hold dear. We'll hold space to hear from God where in our lives he is inviting us to do this, as individuals and as a couple and we'll discover why God has better things for us then our favourite toy trucks at times.
Next Steps
We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask for prayer! Get in touch with us: info@livingmarriages.com
If God is inviting you to join our ministry team by partnering with us financially and in prayer, please visit our website to find out how you can do that! https://livingmarriages.com