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    Christianity

    Discerning Marriage

    Listen to Elizabeth’s intro episode here (https://discerningmarriage.fireside.fm/1)!
    Discerning Marriage is a weekly podcast hosted by Elizabeth Busby, MTS, MS, LMFT. She is co-founder with her husband Ross of Discerning Marriage Ministries and the Next Step program. Regardless of your state in life, you can begin preparing for marriage right now. Whether you are single, dating, seriously dating, engaged, on a break, or grieving a breakup, you can make use of this time for fruitful growth toward becoming a healthy and holy spouse. Intentional discernment of marriage starts today, even if you haven’t given or received an engagement ring.
    This podcast is also great for clergy and laypeople who prepare couples for marriage and parents who have teens and adult children who are dating and pursuing marriage!
    Elizabeth has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University (whoop!), and she earned a Master’s degree in Theological Studies from Ave Maria University, where she wrote her thesis on how St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body can aid in the discernment of a vocation to marriage. Additionally, she holds a Master’s degree in Counseling with a focus on marriage and family therapy from Southern Methodist University, and she works as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She has a passion for helping people fall in love with Jesus and helping people discern and live God’s joyful plan for holy marriages and family life.
    Next Step is a parish-based course written for seriously dating couples who want to discern more intentionally with each other. There is a lot of structure in place for people who are discerning a vocation to celibacy, but there isn’t a similar support network for people discerning marriage. Since the majority of the population is called to marriage, there is a glaring need for resources that can be used to help guide this discernment. Elizabeth and her team seek to fill that need with the Next Step program. Learn more here: https://www.discerningmarriage.com/next-step-program.
    This podcast is presented by Theology of the Body Institute, which promotes around the world John Paul II’s revolutionary teaching on human life and love — the Theology of the Body. Learn more about the Institute’s offerings here: https://tobinstitute.org.
    Endorsements
    “I first met Elizabeth Busby in 2009 when she was a college student working with a TOB ministry at Texas A&M. Now she’s not only a loving wife and mother, but also an accomplished professional counselor bringing John Paul II’s TOB to bear in all she does. She has worked alongside my colleagues and me since 2014 coordinating our network of intercessors and has become a trusted partner in our ministry. We are delighted to be launching her podcast Discerning Marriage under the TOB Institute umbrella. Having already been interviewed by Elizabeth about my own vocational discernment for the show, this podcast is going to be a great gift both for those looking for answers to questions about vocational discernment, and for those who just love hearing how God works in other people’s lives.”
    Christopher West, Th.D.
    President, Theology of the Body Institute

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    Latest Episodes:
    Battle-Proof Your Relationship + Afraid You’ll Marry the Wrong Person? + Submission Is Not Status Oct 20, 2026
    Show notes

    What if the biggest obstacle to discerning marriage isn’t finding the right person, but learning to trust God?In this conversation, Father Chris Alar and Elizabeth talk about Divine Mercy, past sexual sin and bondage, fear of choosing the wrong spouse, scrupulosity, spiritual direction, and how God works through the decisions we make. Father Chris also shares powerful lessons from St. Faustina’s Diary about spiritual warfare, temptation, forgiveness, sacrifice, and trust. They unpack what love actually requires in marriage, including the difference between masculine leadership and domination, feminine receptivity and submission, and why both husband and wife are called to sacrifice.If you’re dating, discerning marriage, or struggling to trust God with your future, this conversation is for you.Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Deluxe Burgundy Leather: https://shopmercy.org/diary-of-saint-maria-faustina-kowalska-deluxe-burgundy-leather.htmlDivine Mercy Plus: https://divinemercyplus.org/

    Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info


    📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🛍️ ⁠Store⁠


    The 6-Stage Roadmap for Dating Success. Oct 06, 2026
    Show notes

    What should dating actually look like if you’re discerning marriage? Elizabeth breaks down the six stages she recommends: singleness, friendship, dating, committed relationship, pre-engagement, and engagement. She explains when to become exclusive, why multiple first dates can be appropriate, when physical intimacy should enter the picture, and why commitment shouldn’t be taken lightly. She also explores why your single season matters, the importance of healing and community, and why the hardest conversations should happen before engagement. Finally, Elizabeth explains how intentional pre-engagement discernment can change your engagement and help you enter marriage having already asked the questions that matter most.


    ⁠Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info ⁠

    ⁠Next Step: A Course for Discerning Marriage ⁠

    ⁠Discerning Marriage x Emily Chapman ⁠


    📸 ⁠Elizabeth’s Instagram⁠


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our ⁠Next Step⁠ course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🛍️ ⁠⁠Store⁠


    Why You Self-Sabotage Relationships + Why Therapy Matters Before Marriage + Healing Porn Wounds Sep 22, 2026
    Show notes

    What if the patterns sabotaging your relationships began long before you met the person you want to marry? Dr. Gerry Crete shares how trauma, attachment styles, and unresolved wounds can shape the people we pursue, the relationships we struggle to sustain, and even the ways we turn to pornography or other behaviors for comfort. Elizabeth and Dr. Crete also unpack Internal Family Systems and its compatibility with Catholic faith. They discuss healing before marriage, recognizing self-sabotage, learning to love imperfect people, and using prayer and therapy to move toward secure attachment with Christ and others.


    Souls & Hearts: https://www.soulsandhearts.com/

    Pateris Agape: https://www.youtube.com/@PaterasAgape


    Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info


    📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🛍️ ⁠Store⁠


    Anticipating Infertility + The Abundant Fruit of Our Infertility + “Just Adopt” Isn’t That Simple Sep 08, 2026
    Show notes

    Lance and Nicole have been married for 30 years, but their story of marriage and family didn't unfold the way they expected. They open up about infertility, miscarriage, grief, and the temptation to become bitter when the future you've imagined disappears. They also challenge the common advice to simply “adopt” and explain why adoption and infertility require very different discernment. Along the way, they share how suffering unexpectedly led to deep relationships with spiritual sons and daughters, including priests and young people they helped accompany through life. This is a conversation about loss, trust, parenthood, marriage, and discovering what God can bring from suffering.Nicole's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolerodriguezoffical/


    Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info


    📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

    💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

    ⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

    📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

    🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

    🛍️ ⁠Store⁠


    Raising Kids Who Choose Faith + Let Them Rebel at Home + Stop Parenting From Fear Aug 25, 2026
    Show notes

    How do you raise children who don’t just inherit your faith, but actually choose it for themselves? Angèle and André Regnier share what they learned raising five children while building a Catholic movement for university students. We talk about why parents should model prayer instead of simply demanding it, what to do when your children don’t want to pray, why the people your kids admire can shape them more than you realize, and how to intentionally create that influence. We also explore respecting teenagers, giving children real freedom, teaching them to make decisions, responding to suffering, and why parents should stop parenting from fear of the world.Angèle and André's book:


    Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info


    📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

    💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

    ⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

    📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

    🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

    🛍️ ⁠Store⁠


    Don’t Pray at the Bedroom Door + Stop Dating for a Title + Forgiveness Isn’t Forgetting Aug 11, 2026
    Show notes

    What can Hamilton teach us about dating, chastity, suffering, forgiveness, and marriage? Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress joins Elizabeth Busby to explore why discernment is about faithfully taking the next step, not having your entire future figured out. They discuss why marriage is not a finish line, how couples can avoid waiting until temptation becomes overwhelming, and why we should not be scandalized by our own humanity. Drawing from pivotal moments in Hamilton, they also examine how suffering can draw us closer to Christ, why forgiveness does not mean forgetting, and what it means to choose a person, not simply the role they can play in your life.


    https://godsplaining.org/

    Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage: https://rosarypilgrimage.org/join-us-for-the-2026-novena-dominican-rosary-pilgrimage/


    Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info


    📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

    💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

    ⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

    📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

    🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

    🛍️ ⁠Store⁠


    Unfaithfulness to Spouse & Annulment + Dating Women Felt Safer + This Moment Changed Everything Jul 28, 2026
    Show notes

    Kim Zember shares the extraordinary story of searching for love everywhere she could find it—same-sex relationships, success, missions, marriage, and even becoming someone she no longer recognized. She opens up about cheating on her husband, living with deep shame, and why none of it brought the peace she longed for. In this conversation with Elizabeth Busby, they explore unwanted singleness, same-sex attraction, healing, the difference between knowing about God and truly encountering Him, why so many people see God as a judge instead of a Father, and how discovering Christ transformed every desire without erasing the struggle.Restless Heart by Kim ZemberKim Zember’s IGKim’s website


    Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info


    📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

    💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

    ⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

    📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

    🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

    🛍️ ⁠Store⁠


    When You Envy Those Getting Married + Protomartyr for Marriage + Desert of Singleness as Preparation Jul 14, 2026
    Show notes

    What does it actually mean to live for truth when it costs you something? In this conversation, we explore one of the most misunderstood figures in Scripture: John the Baptist. From his courage to confront powerful people to his willingness to die for the sanctity of marriage, his life challenges our understanding of discipleship, masculinity, and holiness. Along the way, we also hear Fr. Sean’s personal story, discuss discerning God's will, overcoming fear, and discovering joy through prayer. Whether you're wrestling with faith, searching for purpose, or wanting to understand why truth matters, this conversation will leave you thinking differently.Get Fr. Sean's "Prophet of Fire" here

    Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info


    📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

    💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

    ⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

    📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

    🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

    🛍️ ⁠Store⁠


    Why Looks Matter More Than You Think + Why You're Still Single + Marriage Advice Ruining Dating Jun 30, 2026
    Show notes

    What keeps good people single? In this candid conversation, Catholic matchmaker Madigan shares the hard truths she's learned from working with thousands of singles. We discuss unrealistic expectations, dating app culture, ghosting, attraction, self-improvement, and why so many people struggle to find a spouse despite deeply desiring marriage. Madigan also shares her own unexpected love story, practical advice for discerning marriage, and her framework for knowing when you're choosing wisely versus settling. Whether you're single, dating, or helping someone discern their vocation, this episode offers hope, challenge, and a fresh perspective on modern Catholic dating.


    commitmentism.com/


    📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

    💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

    ⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

    📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

    🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

    🛍️ ⁠Store⁠


    Why Good Catholics Stay Single + The “I Do” Test + How to Keep Your Kids In the Faith As Adults Jun 16, 2026
    Show notes

    What does it actually take to build a marriage that lasts?In this episode, Dr. Gregory Popcak shares the surprising story of proposing after just two months of dating, how he and his wife Lisa built a 37-year marriage, and why prayer became the foundation of everything they created together. We discuss why so many faithful Catholics struggle to find someone to marry, the difference between piety and genuine devotion, how to identify humility while dating, and the single best predictor of future marital success.We also dive into parenting, why treating children like projects backfires, what causes adult children to drift away from their parents, and the habits shared by families who successfully pass on the faith. This conversation is packed with practical wisdom for discerning marriage, building strong relationships, and creating a home where faith truly comes alive.
    Dr. Gregory Popcak's Website

    Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info


    Spotify


    📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram


    👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.


    Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

    🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

    💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

    ⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

    📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

    🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

    🛍️ ⁠Store⁠


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