Ep. 6: From Cult to Grace and How Conflict Can Grow Intimacy and Strengthen Your Marriage

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes brief discussion of abuse and excommunication within a religious setting. Listener discretion advised.

In this deeply insightful episode of Echos of Impact, Briana and Cherise sit down with Lisa Gray — a licensed marriage and family therapist and author whose story moves from legalism to grace and from conflict avoidance to healthy connection.

Lisa specializes in helping high-conflict couples and couples navigating chronic pain and illness. She shares about growing up in a biblical cult, being excommunicated after insisting abuse be reported, and how she discovered the true meaning of grace after years of spiritual confusion. Now, as the author of Healthy Conflict, Happy Couple and the forthcoming Thriving in a Relationship When You Have Chronic Illness, Lisa equips couples to communicate with compassion, curiosity, and Christ-centered grace.

Together, we dive into what it means to live purpose in the present, how conflict can increase intimacy, and why curiosity might be the most powerful tool in both marriage and faith.

What We Cover

• Lisa's upbringing in a biblical cult — and what led her to walk away

• How she rediscovered grace and rebuilt her relationship with God

• What it looks like to hold boundaries and kindness at the same time

• The five most common conflicts couples face (and why how we fight matters more than what we fight about)

• How to handle conflict with curiosity and calm instead of defensiveness

• Why "conflict increases intimacy" — and how it can draw us closer

• The heart behind Lisa's books — from building healthy marriages to thriving amid chronic illness

• Practical tools for women who feel they're "doing all they can" in marriage

• How to choose the right couples therapist (what to ask before you book)

Key Quotes

• "My purpose is to be where my feet are—to follow the Holy Spirit and do what God's prompting me to do right now."

• "Conflict increases intimacy. You can't know someone fully without conflict."

• "Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind."

• "You can pay now or pay later—and later is always more expensive."

Connect with Lisa Gray

• 📘 Order: Healthy Conflict, Happy Couple

• 📖 Pre-Order: Thriving in a Relationship When You Have Chronic Illness (releases Nov 1)

• 🌐 Websites: lisagraymft.com | lisagrayauthor.com

• 📸 Instagram: @lisagraymft | @therapybooknook

Join the Conversation

What's one area where you can invite more curiosity instead of defensiveness this week? Share with us on Instagram or in our Facebook group!

How is God inviting you to slow down and stay curious this week? Share with us on Instagram or in our Facebook group!

• Podcast Instagram: Echos of Impact

• Life Coaching Instagram: The Woman's Success Code

• Facebook: Echos of Impact Community

Take the Next Step

• Interested in joining The Woman's Success Code? Learn more here

• Ready for a fresh start? Schedule your complimentary Life Audit with Briana