Relationship Renovation: Why Couples Get Stuck & How They Find Their Way Back artwork

Relationships · EJ and Tarah Kerwin

Relationship Renovation: Why Couples Get Stuck & How They Find Their Way Back

by EJ and Tarah Kerwin

Why do couples who love each other keep getting pulled into the same painful patterns? Why does a simple conversation suddenly become a fight? Why does one partner pursue while the other pulls away? Why can an argument be over and yet somehow you still don’t feel okay with each other? For nearly a decade, married couple and licensed therapists Tarah and E.J. Kerwin have been exploring those questions on Relationship Renovation. But they aren’t interested in giving you another list of relationship tips. Each week, Tarah and E.J. use their own marriage, years of working with couples, and relationship science to explore the invisible dynamics underneath the struggles couples can see—defensiveness, resentment, disconnection, betrayal, intimacy problems, recurring conflict, emotional triggers, and the moments when two people who love each other somehow lose each other. They don’t pretend to have a perfect marriage. They’ve had their own patterns. Their own hurts. Their own moments of disconnection. And increasingly, those real moments become the starting point for the conversations you’ll hear on the show. Together, they put language around experiences couples often feel but don’t know how to explain—from The Courtroom Trap and Our Nervous Systems Are Arguing to The Moment After—and explore what it actually takes to respond differently. You’ll learn how to understand what’s happening beneath your conflicts, create emotional safety, rebuild trust, deepen emotional and physical intimacy, repair after hurt, and grow as individuals without losing each other along the way. With more than 20,000 monthly downloads and listeners around the world, Relationship Renovation is for couples who don’t just want a relationship that survives. They want one that keeps growing. Subscribe and renovate your relationship with us.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Sobriety Isn’t Recovery: Breaking Free From Porn Addiction and Rebuilding Connection

What if porn addiction isn't really about sex, but about escaping stress, loneliness, and shame? In this episode, we sit down with Jeremy Lipkowitz to explore how compuls

Oct 14
48 min

War of Perspectives — When Being Right Starts Pulling You Apart

Have you ever been in an argument with your partner and thought: “If we could just go back and watch the tape, you’d see that I’m right.” We get it. Sometimes conflict

Oct 9
22 min

Don’t Diagnose Me: When Therapy Language Hurts Your Relationship

Therapy language can be incredibly helpful. Words like attachment style, avoidance, stonewalling, narcissism, and trauma can help us understand patterns that once felt c

Oct 2
22 min

Leaning In — When You Stop Listening to Understand and Start Listening for Reassurance

What happens when your partner is hurting—and somewhere along the way, their pain starts making you feel insecure? In this episode, we unpacked something that happened b

Sep 25
23 min

When Stress Takes Over Your Relationship—and How to Find Each Other Again

Life gets stressful. Money. Kids. Work. Family. Health. Business. Parenting. The pressure doesn’t disappear just because you love each other. And here’s the frustrating

Sep 18
28 min

How to Support Your Partner Without Losing Yourself

You love your partner. You want to be there for them. You want to listen, support, and make space for what they’re feeling. But what happens when their nervous system st

Sep 11
22 min

The Moment After: How to Reconnect After a Difficult Conversation

You talked it through. You didn’t blow up. You actually reached a resolution. So why does it still feel weird between you? This week, we had a difficult conversation af

Sep 4
18 min

Same Fight, Better Outcome: How Healthy Relationships Actually Change

“Why are we STILL dealing with this?” If you've ever had the same argument with your partner for what feels like the hundredth time, you may have wondered whether all th

Aug 28
18 min

When Initiating Sex Starts Feeling Like Pressure

What happens when reaching for your partner no longer feels safe? There was a period in our marriage when EJ stopped initiating sex completely. It wasn't punishment. It

Aug 21
27 min

You Don’t Need a Date Night to Feel Connected

What if staying connected didn’t require another thing on your calendar? For busy couples, “date night” can start to feel like one more responsibility—find a babysitter,

Aug 14
14 min

The Resentment Wall: Why We Keep Pushing Each Other Away

What if resentment isn't the problem... but a form of protection? Most couples think resentment appears overnight. In reality, it forms one small hurt at a time—like add

Aug 7
29 min

The Courtroom Trap: Why Healthy Conversations Shouldn't Feel Like a Trial

Have you ever tried explaining yourself, only to hear your partner say, "You're being defensive"? It happens in almost every relationship. One partner feels misunderstoo

Jul 31
19 min

Why Small Arguments Become Big Fights: The Trigger Transfer Trap

Have you ever found yourself in a heated argument with your partner and thought, "How did we get here so fast?" In this episode, EJ and Tarah unpack a real-life moment f

Jul 24
21 min

Are You Loving Your Partner... Or Trying To Change Them?

When your partner is struggling, what do you do? Do you try to comfort them? Fix them? Pull them out of it? Or... are you actually trying to change their emotional st

Jul 17
27 min

Why Everything Feels Like Your Responsibility (The Hidden Belief That Was Quietly Running My Life)

Have you ever felt like you're carrying everything? Your family's emotions. Your marriage. Your business. Your finances. Your future. For years, EJ believed it was

Jul 10
28 min

Why We Miss Each Other When We Need Each Other Most (And How to Repair)

Two nights ago, we completely missed each other. It started with something ridiculously small—a late-night plate of food for our kids—but underneath it were exhaustion,

Jul 3
26 min

Why Small Arguments Turn Into Huge Fights (Emotional Safety Part 2)

Why do small disagreements sometimes turn into huge arguments? In Part 2 of our Emotional Safety series, licensed therapists and married couple Tarah and E.J. Kerwin exp

Jun 26
22 min

Why You Feel Lonely In Your Relationship (Emotional Safety Part 1)

Have you ever felt lonely in your relationship, even when your partner is sitting right beside you? Maybe you've stopped bringing up certain topics because it doesn't fe

Jun 19
17 min

What If You're The Only One Trying To Save The Relationship? (Interview with Dr. Lee Baucom)

Have you ever felt like you're the only one worried about your relationship? Maybe you've suggested counseling, asked for deeper conversations, or tried to reconnect—but

Jun 17
36 min

When Sex Stops Feeling Safe (Intimacy Pressure Part 2)

Last week, we explored how intimacy can slowly become pressurized in a relationship and leave both partners feeling lonely, misunderstood, and disconnected. In Part 2, w

Jun 12
30 min

Chart trend

Position in the Relationships chart (US), last 90 days.

#65
all-time peak
25
days in the top 100 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Relationship Renovation: Why Couples Get Stuck & How They Find Their Way Back ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 15, 2026).

#95 ▲ 15 Relationships US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I would highly recommend for anyone looking to improve their relationship. Podcasts are insightful, educational, and relatable. They also provide a wealth of knowledge to be gained.

B_RealMadrid · Aug 2026

You don’t have to feel like you’re a team on your own. EJ and Tarah are helping partnerships find better ways to communicate through both the hard and hilarious parts of life. So grateful for these conversations!

MZKelly1107 · Jul 2026

Thank you both. I found your podcast a month ago at a very dark time in our relationship. I was so lost, confused and hurting. This has given me tools, helpful insights and hope for a better future with my wife of 23 years. We are still working to rebuild, together. A light in the darkness. Keep up the great work! You are helping us find a way.

Better husband 2.0 · Mar 2026

I end up sharing almost every episode I listen to because I want everyone to be able to cultivate the kind of intentional, trusting, and joyful relationships that this podcast is bound to inspire. I’m so grateful for such an honest and uplifting resource among all my daily news podcast listens that make me feel like a roomba in a dumpster

Brooklyn11111 · Feb 2026

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.

More podcasts like Relationship Renovation: Why Couples Get Stuck & How They Find Their Way Back

Popular shows in Relationships, for your next listen.

Browse charts by category

Daily updated Apple Podcasts rankings for the United States.

About Relationship Renovation: Why Couples Get Stuck & How They Find Their Way Back on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Relationship Renovation: Why Couples Get Stuck & How They Find Their Way Back, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

Contact

Questions or issues? Reach us at hello@reason.fm

0:000:00