{"podcast":{"title":"Marriage Therapy Radio","slug":"marriage-therapy-radio-716729","podcast_index_feed_id":716729,"rss_url":"https://rss.art19.com/marriage-therapy-radio","website_url":"https://art19.com/shows/marriage-therapy-radio","image_url":"https://content.production.cdn.art19.com/images/73/05/66/00/73056600-70e5-4ac5-a567-c66dc00415b3/f16716c292d04172eddbd3d55a6bbf82edff468857593764be3ee90b739efcc599e2c074f31cefac2fee7cb5e52330967084efdc2ed8d93e27dc789dbc2f189f.jpeg","author":"MTR","episode_count":432,"summary":"Look... every couple struggles. You fight too much; you're bored; sex is either okay (or rare); maybe you're even considering divorce. OR... maybe your marriage is actually pretty good, but you want to go deeper. In this podcast, straight-talking marriage therapist Zach Brittle tackle the most common complaints virtually every marriage experience. Along the way, they reveal the science behind strong relationships and talk about what's really going on for couples. Topics include conflict, communication, compatibility, money, sex, in-laws, infidelity, time-management, future dreams, and more. If you want relief? A deeper connection? A new way forward...? Then you've got to find out what's REALLY going on in your marriage. That's what this podcast is about. You can learn more about Zach, and his alternatives to traditional therapy at marriagetherapyradio.com .","last_synced_at":"2026-07-07T16:22:53.819472+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/marriage-therapy-radio-716729"},"episode":{"title":"Ep 408 When Desire Changes the Marriage with Courtney and Nathan Boyer","slug":"ep-408-when-desire-changes-the-marriage-with-courtney-and-nathan-boyer","published_at":"2026-01-20T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/marriage-therapy-radio-716729/ep-408-when-desire-changes-the-marriage-with-courtney-and-nathan-boyer","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/marriage-therapy-radio-716729","url":"https://marriagetherapyradio.com/2026/01/20/ep-408-when-desire-changes-the-marriage-with-courtney-and-nathan-boyer/","audio_url":"https://rss.art19.com/episodes/e4ed0c14-b1a4-41b4-8a43-a92d4e3641db.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","summary":"Zach sits down with Courtney and Nathan Boyer , a couple married for over twenty years, parenting three kids, and living overseas on a U.S. military base in Germany. Courtney and Nathan share the story of a major turning point in their marriage—when Courtney asked to open the relationship after years of suppressing her needs, identity, and desire. Raised in a strict religious culture, Courtney explains how she spent much of her marriage prioritizing her husband’s career and her role as a mother, slowly becoming resentful and disconnected from herself. Nathan, a military physician, reflects on how his drive for achievement and constant “next step” mindset left him unaware of how much was being lost along the way. The couple walks through the six-month conversation that followed Courtney’s request—marked by resistance, fear, patience, and an honest willingness to walk away if they couldn’t find a way forward together. Nathan shares what it was like to realize he is deeply monogamous at his core, while Courtney names polyamory as an essential part of her identity rather than a lifestyle choice. They also talk candidly about shame, public backlash, parenting through non-traditional choices, and the surprising ways opening the relationship strengthened their emotional and sexual connection. Throughout the conversation, Zach highlights the importance of long-form conversations, adult responsibility, and the courage it takes to renegotiate a marriage rather than quietly disappear inside it. This episode is a nuanced, human look at love, consent, identity, and what it means to grow without abandoning one another. Key Takeaways Long-term marriages go through distinct cycles tied to life stages, not just emotions Suppressing needs often leads to resentment, not stability Identit…","meta_description":"Zach sits down with Courtney and Nathan Boyer , a couple married for over twenty years, parenting three kids, and living overseas on a U.S. military base…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2568,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/marriage-therapy-radio-716729/episodes/ep-408-when-desire-changes-the-marriage-with-courtney-and-nathan-boyer/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/marriage-therapy-radio-716729/ep-408-when-desire-changes-the-marriage-with-courtney-and-nathan-boyer.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}