The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall

Matthew Fray: How Good People Mess Up Their Marriages

Nov 18, 2024

Matthew Fray shares his poignant journey through divorce, emphasizing how small issues can lead to major relationship breakdowns. He discusses the importance of emotional vulnerability and the societal pressures men face in expressing feelings. The conversation also highlights the devastating effects of emotional invalidation and the necessity of clear communication in co-parenting. Fray offers tools for rebuilding trust and intimacy, aiming to equip men with the emotional skills to foster healthier relationships and prevent future failures.

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Intro

00:00 • 4min

Navigating Divorce: A Journey of Vulnerability and Growth

03:48 • 14min

Understanding Emotional Invalidation in Relationships

17:59 • 21min

Navigating Communication and Trust in Co-Parenting

39:13 • 11min

Enhancing Connections: Tools for Couples

50:11 • 7min

Exploring the Depths of Relationship Dynamics

56:43 • 4min

Confronting Difficult Conversations for Positive Outcomes

01:00:20 • 2min

Matthew Fray is the author of the viral article “My Wife Divorced Me Because I Left the Dishes By the Sink”. His divorce left him emotionally crushed: struggling not to cry all the time, and finding it hard even to breathe.

In this reissued classic episode, Andrew and Matthew talk about the lessons of Matthew’s failed marriage, and about how Matthew is using his own experiences in his coaching work with men experiencing relationship difficulties.

According to Matthew, “the things that destroy our relationships work like cancer…by the time we detect the problem, it’s already too late”. His work is based around helping men to see the problems earlier, and to build the emotional toolkit so many of them are missing.

Matthew Fray works as a relationship coach and writer. He blogs at On the Rocks, and his latest book is This is How Your Marriage Ends: A Hopeful Approach to Saving Relationships.

Subscriber Content This Week

If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing:

Three Things Matthew Fray knows to be true.
AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

Follow Up

Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools

Read Matthew Fray’s book This Is How Your Marriage Ends: A Hopeful Approach to Saving Relationships

Read Matthew’s writing on relationships at his blog, On the Rocks.

Follow Matthew on Twitter @MBTTTR and on Facebook @matthewfrayMBTTTR

Read Andrew’s book Can We Start Again Please? Twenty Questions to Fall Back in Love

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Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall