logo
episode-header-image
Aug 11
1h 1m

351: What I Did When My Husband Shut Dow...

Laura Doyle
About this episode

Everyone told Michelle to leave: her mother, her grandfather, even her rabbi. Her husband had shut down while she carried eight pregnancies, worked full time, and managed a house full of chaos largely on her own. When things got hard, he would go silent for days or disappear at night. Her children were watching everything unfold. She was exhausted and had reached the end of what she could carry. She could not go on like this anymore.

But Michelle refused to walk away and a friend opened a door that finally gave her marriage new hope.

Today Michelle's life looks nothing like it used to. Her husband is enamored with her—stepping up, taking the kids out and doing the laundry without being asked. After hard moments, he returns softer. The passion is back, and so is the peace. The woman who was once exhausted is happy, energetic, and finally at ease. She found the partner she'd been longing for.

If you are not ready to give up on your marriage, even when everyone else has, this episode was made for you.

Up next
Aug 18
352: How I Got My Husband to Stop Lying (I'm a Doctor)
Iva's partner was always pulling away, avoiding her, preferring his friends, and hiding in his office to escape her. Then she started noticing small lies that made no sense to her. She would snoop, confront him, and the fights would spiral until he was shouting and she felt threa ... Show More
1h 13m
Aug 4
350: How I Got My Husband to Truly See Me Again
Emily and her husband had the kind of beginning most couples dream of: adventure, purpose and a love that felt effortless. But life brought pressures she wasn't prepared for, and she found herself reaching for control in ways that left her weeping in despair and feeling like a co ... Show More
1h 7m
Jul 28
349: I Steamrolled my Husband
I almost made the biggest mistake of my life, and I had no idea. This is the embarrassing story of how I tried to bulldoze my husband out of making the best decision of our lives. I was a brand-new author, the media was calling, and I was absolutely certain I knew what needed to ... Show More
25m 26s
Recommended Episodes
May 2023
Number 2 Will Never Be Number 1
Dear Steve and Shirley, I was a single and attractive, 34 year old woman, losing hope at finding love. I grew tired of the dating cycle and I decided that I would not have sex again until I was married. I prayed and practiced celibacy and a year later, I met the man of my dreams. ... Show More
13m 2s
May 2025
I Waited for You to be Ready but Now I’m 40 and Childless
They were in love for 6 years and building a life together. They froze embryos and agreed on a timeline for getting pregnant. But when the time came, he wavered, and the relationship fell apart. Now she finds herself alone, angry, scared, and having to rethink her definition of f ... Show More
49m 24s
Feb 2025
I'm Keeping the Baby...Now What?
They had a whirlwind romance, and he spun a tale of their future to come—marriage, kids, a life together. He's in his mid-forties, and she is in her late thirties, and so after only three months together, she is pregnant, and they have broken up. Now, Esther meets her the month a ... Show More
42m 22s
Nov 2018
Thanks For Having A Child For My Man
Dear Steve and Shirley, let’s get right to it. Here's my dilemma… I’m a 38 year old woman and I've never wanted to have children. Five years ago, I was in a great relationship and we were talking about getting married, but he wanted children and I did not. So we mutually decided ... Show More
10m 34s
Jan 2025
94: From the Brink of Divorce to Deeper Desire. Ageless & Unapologetic: Beauty, Power & Desire with Dr Amanda Hanson
<p>From the Brink of Divorce to Deeper Desire. Ageless &amp; Unapologetic: Beauty, Power &amp; Desire with Dr Amanda Hansen.</p><p>Dr. Amanda Hanson, known as the Midlife Muse, is a clinical psychologist and transformational coach who focuses on redefining womanhood and empowerin ... Show More
51m 48s
May 2022
I Deserve to Be a Mother
She longs for a child, but her partner isn’t there yet, and as a trans woman she already faces other barriers to parenthood. She worries she’s letting her partner’s indecision dictate her own future happiness. She and Esther navigate the delicate dance between exerting her own wi ... Show More
31m 40s
Nov 2021
Episode 13 - Maid of Steel - Amany Hamed
Its a hard-knock life! Amany talks to us about her struggles as a young woman as she maneuvers through marriage, abuse, motherhood and social structures that are stacked up against her. Amidst all this, Amany still has the optimism to see things through, and dream a life for her ... Show More
1h 43m