Inevitably, the holidays are a stressful time of year, and this can easily turn into unintended arguments with your partner. In this episode of Love Isn’t Enough, Joree and John talk through common challenges couples face and give helpful tools on how to navigate stress with greater awareness, compassion and better communication. They even role play conversations we often hear our clients describing, then demonstrate what it would sound like to respond differently, allowing both partners to feel heard and validated. As an example, telling your partner to just “calm down” won’t cut it. If you’re someone who gets caught in the holiday frenzy and want to stay connected to your partner in the midst of it, then this episode is for you.

In this episode of 'Love Isn't Enough,' Dr. John Schinnerer and Joree Rose, LMFT, discuss the importance of appreciation and gratitude for loving, thriving relationships. They explore how many couples tend to neglect these practices, despite their effectiveness in fostering positive emotions and connection. The hosts discuss key concepts such as the negativity bias, the importance of a positive to negative interaction ratio, and ways to build a culture of gratitude, especially when it may feel hard to access or receive. They also offer practical advice on expressing appreciation, even during conflicts, and the significance of role modeling gratitude for children. The episode concludes with them sharing various gratitude exercises, including the after-dark gratitude massage. If you’re interested in working with John and Joree, including our monthly master class series, which is starting again in January on how to create outstanding relationships, visit LoveIsntEnough.net. To learn more about, Dr. John, visit Guide To Self, and to learn more about Joree, visit JoreeRose.com.

Almost everyone we’ve ever worked with needs help learning how to communicate better with their partner. So why is this such a ubiquitous relationship challenge? There’s lots of reasons: we often are not role modeled healthy or effective communication strategies, many times we don’t know what we feel, need or want, or if we do, we don’t always have the words to communicate it. And even if we were able to express ourselves clearly and kindly, our partner may not have the skills to receive it well. So what happens? Frustration and resignation take over, communication becomes limited to transactional conversations and couples are left feeling disconnected. We get it - we’ve been there. In this episode Joree & John not only talk broadly about communication challenges in relationships, but they share their own personal journey and how once they mastered some essential tools, their communication and relationship vastly improved. If you are stuck in communication patterns that are leaving you feeling unheard or defensive, then this episode is for you!