The Redeemed Marriage Podcast

Naughty or Nice? Let Santa Call Your Spouse

The Christmas season is full—but marriage still matters.
In this episode, Rusty and Heather take a lighter turn and talk about the importance of intentional fun, laughter, and making memories with your spouse, especially during the busy holiday season. When life feels full, connection doesn’t happen by accident—and sometimes the best thing a marriage needs is simply time to enjoy each other again.
They share why creating space for fun dates and shared experiences can strengthen a relationship and highlight their 12 Dates of Christmas resource—simple, meaningful date ideas designed to help couples be intentional and reconnect during the season.
They also introduce a playful resource called Missed Call From Santa, a fun way to surprise a spouse or children with a personalized message that brings laughter and joy into the home.
For couples feeling stretched thin this Christmas, this episode is an invitation to slow down, be intentional, and choose connection—one date, one laugh, and one memory at a time.
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Missed Call From Santa

The Christmas Our Marriage Wasn't OK

In this deeply vulnerable Christmas episode, Rusty and Heather revisit their first holiday season after the affair—only four months into the most painful chapter of their marriage. While Christmas is often portrayed as magical, peaceful, and sentimental, their reality was filled with fear, shame, awkward family gatherings, and the heavy tension of trying to celebrate while still grieving what had been lost. They share what it felt like to navigate meaningful holiday moments while carrying heartbreak, and how the pressure to “hold it together for the kids” made everything even more complicated.
Yet woven through the pain is a powerful story of Emmanuel—God with us—showing up in the middle of their brokenness. Rusty and Heather describe how God began the earliest stages of healing during a season that should have felt unbearable, proving that the miracle of Jesus entering a messy world still heals marriages today. They offer encouragement for couples who are simply trying to survive the holidays, reminding listeners that they don’t have to pretend, they don’t have to hide, and they don’t have to wait for the new year to see God move. Hope, healing, and restoration can begin right in the middle of the Christmas season.
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More on Healing Intimacy After Betrayal with Debby Wade

In this follow-up conversation, Rusty and Heather continue their discussion with certified sex therapist Debby Wade as they discuss the real questions couples face when rebuilding intimacy after betrayal. Debby offers clear, compassionate guidance on navigating triggers, creating emotional safety, supporting one another in the healing process, and learning to reconnect without pressure or fear. Her insight helps couples understand what healthy intimacy looks like as trust is restored and hope begins to rise again.
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Healing Intimacy After Betrayal with Debby Wade

In this episode, Rusty and Heather welcome certified therapist Debby Wade for an honest and hope-filled conversation about rebuilding intimacy after betrayal. Debby offers wisdom on the questions couples often struggle to voice—navigating triggers, intrusive thoughts, emotional safety, and the slow process of reconnecting after trust has been broken. Her compassionate insight gives couples practical steps for healing and a clearer understanding of how intimacy can be restored in a healthy, honoring way.
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From Fixing My Spouse to Surrendering My Heart

There’s a reason certain questions rise to the surface at 2:00 a.m.—the hour when the house is quiet and the worries feel loudest. One of the questions couples wrestle with most in those restless moments is, “When will my spouse ever change?” It’s a question born from disappointment, discouragement, and the fear that nothing will ever be different.
In this episode, Rusty and Heather gently turn that question in a new direction. Instead of focusing on what a spouse is or isn’t doing, they explore the deeper truth that genuine transformation in a marriage often begins within the heart that is willing to be changed. When a person stops trying to fix or manage their spouse’s growth and instead comes to God with humility, readiness, and expectation, something shifts. A surrendered heart becomes the doorway to peace, clarity, and spiritual growth—even if the circumstances in the marriage haven’t moved yet.
Listeners will hear how preparing one’s own heart creates space for God to work in ways frustration never could. Rusty and Heather describe the difference between waiting for a spouse to become someone new and allowing God to shape one’s own responses, attitudes, and patterns. It’s a hopeful reframe for anyone lying awake at night, exhausted from carrying the weight of change that was never theirs to hold.
There’s hope at 2:00 a.m.And it starts with a simple shift:“God, change me first.”
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The Midnight Lie: I Wasn't Enough

We’re continuing our discussion on the questions that keep us awake at 2 a.m.—the ones that every married couple wrestles with at some point, especially those walking through betrayal or trauma.
Last week, Heather opened up about her side of the question, “What’s wrong with me?” This week, Rusty shares his own sleepless nights—the nights filled with questions like, “Why wasn’t I enough?” and “What did I do wrong?”
In this honest conversation, Rusty talks about the haunting thoughts that come when you feel unworthy, unchosen, or powerless to fix what’s been broken. He shares how learning to recognize and replace those lies became one of the most important parts of his personal healing and the redemption of their marriage.
If you’ve ever battled feelings of not being enough—or wondered if your worth could survive what happened—this episode will remind you that shame doesn’t get the final word.
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When Shame Whispers: What's Wrong With Me?

We all have those 2 a.m. moments—the questions that swirl in our minds when everything feels quiet but our thoughts are loud. This week, Heather leads the conversation with raw honesty about a question she once wrestled with deeply: “What is wrong with me?”
Before her infidelity, she remembers lying awake wondering why she was even entertaining the idea of another life—another marriage—something “different.” She shares what she wishes she could say to you if she could sit in your thoughts during those restless nights, especially in a world where social media constantly whispers, “You deserve more.”
After betrayal, that same question turned darker: “How could I have done something so horrific?” Heather opens up about the shame, guilt, and self-condemnation that can feel crushing after failure—and how she learned to hear truth instead of lies in those moments.
If you’ve ever questioned your worth, your sanity, or your faith in the middle of the night, this episode is for you. You’re not broken beyond repair. There is hope, even at 2 a.m.
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Can I Ever Trust You Again?

It’s 2 a.m. and your mind won’t stop racing. The question that keeps circling is one that hurts the most: Can I ever really trust you again? In this raw and honest conversation, Rusty and Heather open up about their own sleepless nights after betrayal and the long road toward rebuilding trust.
They talk about what it felt like to question everything—each other, their reality, even God—and how over time, something new and stronger began to take shape. Theirs isn’t a story of quick fixes or easy forgiveness. It’s a story of slow, steady healing, of learning to depend on God when nothing else felt solid, and discovering that trust can grow back deeper than before.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your marriage can truly recover from broken trust, this conversation will meet you right where you are—with honesty, hope, and a reminder that redemption is always possible.
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Can Our Marriage Really Survive This?

What do you do when you’re lying awake at two in the morning, wondering if your marriage can really survive what’s happened? In this episode, Rusty and Heather Bryant open up about the fears, doubts, and late-night questions that come when trust has been broken or when a marriage feels stuck in survival mode. Drawing from their own story of restoration after betrayal, they share the honest emotions of those early, sleepless nights and the hope that grew from believing God wasn’t finished with their marriage. This is a conversation for any couple asking, “Can we really make it?”—a reminder that healing is possible, renewal is real, and your story doesn’t have to end in despair. Whether you’re navigating infidelity, emotional distance, or simply feeling disconnected, this episode will remind you that you’re not alone and that God is still in the business of redeeming marriages.
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Montana Moments: Behind the Scenes of Our Retreat and New Book

Rusty and Heather take you behind the scenes of their recent marriage retreat in breathtaking Montana — where four couples joined for an intimate, unforgettable experience. Between hiking Glacier National Park, sharing gourmet meals, and deep sessions on teamwork, spiritual intimacy, and communication, God showed up in powerful ways.
You’ll hear how community was built through laughter, prayer, and amazing activities together. Rusty and Heather also pull back the curtain on their new book — how it began, the challenges of writing together, and the publishing process.
If you’ve ever wondered what really happens at a Redeemed Marriage Retreat, this episode is your front-row seat — and your invitation to join the next one.
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