Every marriage brings a past into the present.

For many couples, that past includes experiences, expectations, wounds, or shame that quietly affect intimacy and connection today. When sexual baggage goes unspoken, it can create distance, insecurity, and misunderstanding between spouses.

In Episode 282 of The Family Meeting Podcast, we talk honestly and compassionately about sexual baggage in marriage, what it is, how it shows up, and how couples can move toward healing and healthy intimacy without blame or shame.

In this episode, we cover:

• What sexual baggage really means and where it comes from.
• How past experiences influence expectations and emotional safety.
• The impact of comparison, insecurity, and shame on intimacy.
• How to have difficult conversations safely with your spouse.
• Biblical principles for forgiveness, renewal, and restoration.
• Practical steps to rebuild trust and connection over time.

If the past feels like it's affecting your present relationship, this episode offers hope, clarity, and a path forward toward deeper connection and God-honoring intimacy.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on marriage, parenting, and faith.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to info@familymeeting.org for our Rebuilding Trust and Intimacy Reflection Guide.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting

Few things hurt parents more than watching their child feel left out or rejected by friends.

In Episode 281 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra talk about how to help your kids navigate one-sided friendships, disappointment, and the pain of rejection without becoming bitter or withdrawn. Not every friendship is meant to last, and learning when to let a relationship fade is an important life skill.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to recognize when a friendship isn't being reciprocated.
• How to guide your child to let a friendship fizzle without drama or conflict.
• Healthy ways to help kids process rejection and disappointment.
• How to encourage your child to pursue life-giving friendships.
• What parents should say, and avoid saying, when kids feel left out.
• Biblical principles for identity, belonging, and resilience.

If your child is struggling with friendships, feeling excluded, or learning how to move on from unhealthy relationships, this episode will help you guide them with empathy, wisdom, and hope.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on marriage, parenting, and faith.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to info@familymeeting.org for our Helping Kids Handle Friendship Rejection Parent Guide.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting

Ever notice how clutter seems to bother one spouse way more than the other? It's not just personality, it may be biology.

In Episode 280 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra explore research showing that household clutter can raise women's stress hormones significantly more than men's, affecting mood, energy, and even relationship satisfaction. What looks like "just a mess" to one spouse can feel like constant emotional pressure to the other.

And when stress rises, connection suffers.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why clutter impacts women's cortisol (stress hormone) levels more than men's.
• How a messy home can quietly create tension in marriage.
• The emotional and mental load many women carry.
• Practical ways couples can work together to create a calmer, more peaceful home.
• Biblical wisdom for serving one another through everyday acts of care.

If household messes are causing arguments, frustration, or emotional exhaustion, this episode will help you understand each other better and take simple steps toward peace.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to info@familymeeting.org for our Calm Home Reset Plan.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting

If you feel like a referee in your own home, you're not alone.

In Episode 279 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra tackle one of the most common parenting challenges: kids who fight all the time. From constant arguing to physical fights and emotional blowups, sibling conflict can drain parents and disrupt the entire household.

This episode helps you understand:

• Why sibling conflict happens (and when it's normal).
• Common mistakes parents make that unintentionally fuel fighting.
• How to set clear boundaries and expectations for conflict.
• When to step in and when to let kids work it out.
• Biblical principles for teaching peace, self-control, and respect.
• Practical strategies to reduce daily fights and build healthier relationships.

If you're tired of yelling "stop fighting" and want to teach your kids how to handle conflict in a healthier way, this episode gives you clear tools and encouragement to bring peace back into your home.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to info@familymeeting.org for our Sibling conflict Reset Plan.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting

What if 20 minutes a day could change the direction of your marriage?

In Episode 278 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra introduce the Daily Debrief, a simple, intentional conversation that helps couples process the day, release emotional residue, and move into tomorrow with clarity and hope.

This practice helps couples:

• Identify daily wins and losses without blame.
• Recognize emotional residue that carries into the next day.
• Decide whether your spouse is a trusted ally, or someone you shield from.
• Strengthen trust through consistent, safe communication.
• Replace isolation with partnership and hope.

You'll also hear practical nightly questions that help couples connect emotionally without turning conversations into conflict or problem-solving sessions.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why unprocessed emotions quietly damage connection.
• How a short daily check-in builds long-term emotional safety.
• What it means to be your spouse's safest ally.
• How to give each other hope at the end of the day.
• Simple Daily Debrief questions you can start using tonight.

If you want to end your day more connected, and start tomorrow stronger, this episode gives you a practical habit that fits real life.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to info@familymeeting.org for our Daily Debrief Questions for Couples Printable.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting

What if the path to your child's future success starts with taking out the trash?

In Episode 277 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra explore why chores play a critical role in helping children succeed professionally later in life. Far from being busywork, age-appropriate responsibilities build character traits employers value most, initiative, resilience, teamwork, and accountability.

You'll learn:

• How chores shape work ethic, responsibility, and perseverance.
• Why children who contribute at home develop stronger leadership skills.
• The connection between early responsibility and future professional success.
• Common parenting mistakes that undermine character development.
• Biblical principles that affirm the value of work and stewardship.
• Practical ways to assign chores by age without constant conflict.

If you want to raise capable, confident kids who are prepared for real life, not entitled to it, this episode will help you reframe chores as a gift, not a punishment.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to info@familymeeting.org for our Building a Fun, Faith-Filled Family Conversation Guide.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting

What if most of what you worry about in your marriage never actually happens?

A study cited by Cornell University found that 85% of the things people worry about never happen. And of the remaining 15% that do, nearly 80% of people say the situation was easier to handle than expected or led to valuable growth.

In Episode 276 of The Family Meeting Podcast, Thomas and Lysandra apply this research directly to marriage, where worry often shows up as fear, control, assumptions, and emotional distance.

You'll learn:

• How worry quietly erodes trust and connection in marriage.
• Why fear-based thinking leads to control, withdrawal, or conflict.
• The difference between healthy concern and harmful anxiety.
• Biblical truth that helps couples move from fear to faith.
• Practical ways to replace worry with communication, trust, and peace.

If you're constantly bracing for the worst, imagining future conflicts, failures, or rejection, this episode will help you breathe again, reset your perspective, and build a marriage rooted in trust rather than fear.

Listen now and discover why most of what you're worried about won't happen, and how to handle what does, together.

Subscribe for weekly content to help your marriage, your parenting, and your walk with Christ.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to info@familymeeting.org for our From Worry To Trust Marriage Reflection Guide.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting

Family life is beautiful, complicated, loud, messy, and absolutely worth it.

In Episode 275 of The Family Meeting Podcast, the Osterkamp girls take over the mic to share their honest perspective on what makes family fun, difficult, and important. From laughter and inside jokes to conflict, expectations, and growing pains, this episode offers a real, unfiltered look at family from the kids' point of view.

You'll hear:

• What kids actually enjoy about family life.
• What makes family hard (and how parents can help).
• Why family still matters, even when it's imperfect.
• What kids wish parents understood more clearly.
• How everyday moments shape long-term connection.

Whether you're a parent, grandparent, or someone who grew up in a complicated home, this episode will remind you that strong families aren't perfect, they're present.

Subscribe for weekly content to help your marriage, your parenting, and your walk with Christ.

Bonus Resource: Send an email to info@familymeeting.org for our Building a Fun, Faith-Filled Family Conversation Guide.

For more information: https://linktr.ee/familymeeting