Growth Ecosystem
"And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care..." Alma 32:37
“A plant grows almost unnoticeably. Just as you can’t watch a plant grow with the naked eye, you may not notice a change in your marriage from day-to-day. Though it doesn’t happen overnight, 6 months from now you can look back and think, ‘wow… look how far we’ve come.’ This won’t happen unless your marriage is placed in the right ecosystem.”
Show Notes
0:36-14:24 - Nate and Ang’s Background
14:24-18:30 - The Parable of the Growth Ecosystem
18:30-23:00 - The Sun, “An Ideal to Strive For;” A version of yourself that is better than who you are right now that inspires you, makes you want to confront your weaknesses, and tackle the challenges that lie before you - become a better human being.
23:00-30:30 - The Soil, “Your community, the people you spend the most time with.” Keep you grounded when storms come, absorb nutrients; Behavioral Contagion - you are more likely to do what the people around you are doing or the people you pay the most attention to are doing. “It’s uncommon for an extraordinary marriage to occur in isolation”
30:30-38:30 - Water “Accountability.” When you want to be good at something, you find someone who is good at it and you have them mentor you.
Past Episodes
The incredible photos on this site were generously donated by the incredibly Talented Scott Jarvie. Hire him for your wedding or purchase his beautiful book, Mormon Temples in America.
Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife is a LDS relationship and sexuality coach as well as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the state of Illinois. She has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. In addition to her dissertation research on LDS women's sexuality and relationship to desire, she has taught college level human sexuality courses. Her teaching and coaching focuses on helping LDS individuals and couples achieve greater satisfaction and passion in their emotional and sexual relationships.
In addition to consultation with couples and individuals (in person and online), she offers online relationship and sexuality courses as well as live workshops and retreats for LDS couples and individuals.
Jennifer is a frequent guest on LDS-themed podcasts and write articles for LDS-themed blogs and magazines, on the subjects of sexuality, relationships, mental health and faith.