Resilient Couples: How to Stay Strong Through Life’s Hardest Challenges (Episode #91)

 

Resilient Couples: How to Stay Strong Through Life’s Hardest Challenges

Summary:
In this inspiring episode of the Human Intimacy Podcast, Dr. Kevin Skinner and MaryAnn Michaelis, LCSW, explore what it means to build resiliency as individuals and as couples—especially in the face of life’s most difficult challenges. Drawing from personal experiences, research, and decades of clinical work, they discuss the essential components of resilience: adaptability, emotional regulation, flexibility, and hope.

The conversation delves into why emotional self-awareness is the foundation of resilient relationships, how couples can “fight well,” and what it means to create safety before deeper connection can occur. They reference experts such as Dr. Al Siebert, Dr. Dan Siegel, Dr. Stephen Porges, and Dr. Martin Seligman, offering insights into the neurobiology of resilience and the relational skills that sustain connection through adversity.

Listeners will walk away with practical strategies to strengthen their emotional core, improve communication, and cultivate hope—even in seasons of deep pain or uncertainty.

Key Takeaways:

• Resiliency begins with emotional regulation and self-awareness.

• Adaptability and flexibility are learned skills that sustain connection.

• Safety is the foundation for relational repair after trauma.

• Emotional intelligence helps us stay curious and connected rather than reactive.

• Hope is a neurological process—and a critical part of healing together.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Survivor Personality – Dr. Al Siebert

• The Body Keeps the Score – Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

• Polyvagal Theory – Dr. Stephen Porges

• The Whole-Brain Child & Mindsight – Dr. Dan Siegel

• Emotional Intelligence – Dr. Daniel Goleman

• The Hope Circuit – Dr. Martin Seligman

• Treating Sexual Addiction: A Compassionate Approach – Dr. Kevin Skinner

• HumanIntimacy.com – Courses: Companionship Course, Rise: Hope and Healing from Sexual Betrayal, and Reclaim: Healing from Pornography