Misty and her husband Craig get honest about how they communicate differently — and the daily choice to assume the best instead of the worst.

🎙️Misty's husband Craig is back at the mic — and this time, he's not just a guest. He's the launch point for something new: over the next several weeks, Misty is re-releasing some of the most-loved conversations from Mom2Mom Mentoring, and this honest, unscripted talk about communication is where it all begins.

Craig and Misty get real about the small stuff that becomes big stuff:

💡 a light left on downstairs, 💡 an assumption made out of exhaustion, 💡 and the slow work of catching yourself before the story in your head becomes the story you believe. Misty even shares the (very relatable, slightly embarrassing) bidet story: a desire she sat on for months because she'd already decided, in her own mind, what Craig would say.

🪏 They dig into the real difference between a verbal processor and an internal processor — what it feels like on both sides, why interrupting isn't always about disrespect, and how Craig went from "performance listening" to actually listening to 💖 Misty's heart, not just her words.

Craig and Misty want to be honest with you: they're not counselors, and after six years of marriage, they're still learning what real connection looks like — for themselves and for each other.

That's exactly why this conversation matters, no matter how long you've been married. There's always room to grow in the way you communicate — and always room to shine a little brighter in how you love the people closest to you.

Ready to keep growing?

👉🏼 Grab the free Rhythms of Renewal mini-guide

https://mistyhughes/resources

👉🏼 Get on the waitlist for the next BECOMING Cohort

https://mistyhughes.com/cohort

🌹 And if you're curious about the journaling app Misty mentions, Rosebud, you can find it at rosebud.app. Want to listen on a conversation with REAL Counselors and hear what the word says about believing the best and communicating. 🎧 Listen to The Speakeasy | Episode 419 | The Secret to Couples Who Are Still Crazy About Each Other https://open.spotify.com/episode/1yS5CF7PZCdmu0eWs6zGwP

#communication styles, #Christian marriage, #marriage communication, #assuming the best, #verbal processor, #Craig Hughes, #marriage podcast

What does it actually look like to love a difficult person? Katina Wilkins shares a biblical framework that will change the way you see the hard relationships in your life.

Is there someone in your life right now who is hard to love? A child who pushes every button. A parent who never seems satisfied. A marriage that has grown painfully complicated. If you've ever wondered how you're supposed to keep loving when it's this hard — this conversation is for you.

Katina Wilkins is a Christian life coach, Bible teacher, and speaker who has spent over 20 years helping women navigate the hardest relationships of their lives. But her message didn't start in a classroom — it started at 3:00 AM in a prayer room, with a journal labeled "Battle Plans," asking God the same question many of us have asked: Lord, how do I do this?

In this episode, Katina walks us through 1 Corinthians 13 not as a familiar passage we've heard a hundred times, but as a lived framework for the relationships that are testing us most. She breaks down what love actually is, what it isn't — and what it always does. And she offers a reframe on boundaries that may change the way you see every hard relationship in your life: a boundary is not about self-protection. It's about loving the other person too much to let them continue to sin.

This conversation also opens with a direct word for any woman in an abusive relationship — because loving someone and staying somewhere unsafe are not the same thing. If that's you, please listen to the first few minutes before anything else.

You'll walk away from this episode with a clearer picture of what God-shaped love actually looks like — and the quiet confidence that you don't have to manufacture it on your own.

📖 WHAT WE COVER • Why loving difficult people starts with honesty — not effort • What 1 Corinthians 13 looks like as a daily practice, not a feeling • How kindness and boundaries work together (and why kindness is not a doormat) • The reframe that changes everything: boundaries are an act of love • What it means to love from God's fullness instead of your own empty cup • The one thing Katina wants every mom to carry into her week

📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Love Is...Complicated: A Bible Study Handbook on Learning to Love Difficult People Well by Katina Wilkins https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1DKFX2J

Morning by Morning Life Coaching — Katina's website https://mbmlifecoaching.com

Episode 108 — The Word Moms Need to Stop Saying (with Mary Gallagher) [Link to Ep. 108]

✨ CONNECT WITH MISTY 🌐 Website: https://mistyhughes.com 👥 Facebook Community — Christian Moms in Business & Ministry: https://www.facebook.com/groups/christianmomsinbusinessandministry 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_mistyhughes 🌱 BECOMING Cohort: https://mistyhughes.com/cohort ✨ Free Resource — Rhythms of Renewal Mini-Guide: https://mistyhughes.com/resources 🛖 Come to the Table Retreat: https://mistyhughes.com/cometothetable ✉️ Contact Misty: https://mistyhughes.com/inquire 📞 Book a Call with Misty: https://calendly.com/mistyhughes/call-with-misty

What if "should" is the word keeping you from the life God actually has for you? Mary Gallagher helps moms trade striving for open-handed faith.

What's the most dangerous word in a Christian mom's vocabulary? It might not be what you think.

In Episode 108 of Mom2Mom Mentoring, Misty sits down with writer and spiritual guide Mary Gallagher — founder of the Promised Land Mindset — for one of the most honest conversations this podcast has ever had about perfectionism, shame, and what it really means to parent from faith instead of fear.

Mary spent years living by the "should" list: what a good Christian wife should do, what a good mom shouldn't be, what a good woman of faith should look like. But after a pastor literally told her to "fit the mold," her perfectionism went into overdrive — and she didn't find her way out until she discovered that the striving was rooted in something deeper: shame.

In this conversation, Mary shares the moment God gave her a clear choice between faith and fear when her teenage son went down a hard road — and what happened when she chose faith. She opens up about the shooting star story that changed the way she looks at imperfection. And she introduces the simple, powerful practice of releasing the "shoulds" that are quietly keeping you from your promised land.

Here's what you'll take away from this episode: • Why perfectionism isn't about high standards — it's about shame • What it looks like to parent with open hands instead of a white-knuckled grip • How to identify the "shoulds" in your life and find the biblical truth that replaces them • What your promised land might look like — and why it's probably more about purpose than you think

🔗‍️ Resources Mentioned In The Episode

Grab Mary's free guide on shedding the "should" at promisedlandmindset.com/shouldleadmagnet

Download Misty's free Rhythms of Renewal Mini-Guide at mistyhughes.myflodesk.com/discoverrhythms

Ready to go deeper?

Come to the Table is Misty's four-day women's retreat for moms who are ready to stop striving and start receiving.

Registration is open at mistyhughes.com/cometothetable

✨ CONNECT WITH MISTY

Resources, community, and next steps — everything you need is right here.

🌐 Website

https://mistyhughes.com/

👥 Facebook Community — Christian Women in Business & Ministry

https://www.facebook.com/groups/christianmomsinbusinessandministry

📸 Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/the_mistyhughes

🌱 BECOMING Cohort

Discover the God-given freedom to live from your God-given identity, not your to-do list. A 12-week cohort for busy and ambitious Christian moms who are longing to renew their purpose.

https://mistyhughes.com/cohort

✨ Free Resource — Rhythms of Renewal Mini-Guide

Discover God’s life-giving rhythms.

https://mistyhughes.myflodesk.com/discoverrhythms

✉️ Contact Misty

https://mistyhughes.com/inquire

📞 Book a Call with Misty

https://calendly.com/mistyhughes/call-with-misty

When you shine, you give others permission to shine too. ✨