Been pondering something lately while chatting with women at my favorite corner café in Chorlton. ☕ It’s fascinating how differently we interpret affection based on our upbringing. Last week, I sat with two friends – both bright, accomplished women about […]
Christian Perspective - Marriage - Samuel Hartwell
When Longing Turns to Lament: My Journey to Finding God in the Darkness of Unmet Desire
The darkness had settled in her bones like an old friend. It wasn’t dramatic—no cinematic collapse or tear-stained confessions. Just the slow, steady drip of hope leaking away, leaving behind an empty vessel where dreams once lived. She stared at […]
Marriage - Monica Dean - Relationships
“I’ve Become Invisible in My Marriage”
I’ve noticed a funny thing over the years – women will sit across from me in pubs from Manchester to Marrakech, telling almost identical stories about their marriages, but believing they’re the only ones experiencing it. Last week, a woman […]
Jas Mendola - Marriage - Men's Issues
“YOUR WORDS, NOT WARRIORS, WILL WIN (OR LOSE) THE WAR”
The man sits across from me. His shoulders are tight. He talks about video games and wives and a joke that wasn’t funny. “I don’t get it,” he says. “I just said I’d play games with her all night.” His […]
Marriage - Monica Dean
“The Pre-Nup Problem”
The other night I was sitting with Jenna at our usual spot in The Crown. Over our third gin and tonic, she finally admitted what was really bothering her. Her brother’s getting married in September, and the family’s in a […]
Marriage - Monica Dean - Relationships
“I’m Not Wanted Anymore”
I was chatting with a couple last week in my favorite coffee spot in Didsbury. I’d known them both for years, and after a bit of small talk, he leaned forward and whispered, “Mon, the physical side of our marriage […]
Marriage - Monica Dean - Relationships
“I’m a People-Pleasing Disaster”
I’ve always been struck by the way women across different cultures manage relationships so differently, yet face strikingly similar inner battles. From boardrooms in Tokyo to community centers in Nairobi, women constantly navigate this delicate balance between being true to […]
Jas Mendola - Marriage
“Dads: Stop Acting Like You’re the Only One Who Brings Home the Bacon (and the Emotional Labor Too)”
The battlefield of parental roles nobody prepares you for I was three months into my new business launch when my wife hit me with it: “It’s like I don’t even exist to you anymore except as the person who handles […]
Jas Mendola - Marriage - Relationships
” Warning: Mother-in-Law Invasion Imminent – Deploy Boundaries or Die a Slow Death of Sanity”
Your wife just had a baby two months ago. Her mother shows up unannounced—again—saying she’s “just here to help.” Three hours later, she’s rearranged your kitchen, criticized how you’re holding your own child, and your wife is in tears after […]
Marriage - Monica Dean - Relationships
“I’m a Shape-Shifting Fraud”
I’ve often noticed that women across cultures share a remarkable ability to adapt—sometimes to our detriment. Whether I’m counseling corporate executives in Tokyo or young mothers in Mexico City, I see the same pattern: we become experts at shape-shifting to […]