Shows
Marriage LabAvoiding Birthday Blues & BlowoutsBirthdays—love them or dread them, they can be a surprisingly tense topic in marriage. 🎂 From unspoken expectations to last-minute letdowns, these special days often carry more emotional weight than we realize. In this episode, we’re diving into the highs and lows of celebrating birthdays with your spouse, sharing our own birthday wins and major misses over the years.You’ll hear about: ✅ The silent pressure & expectations that often ruin birthdays ✅ Why no one should be the designated party planner for life 🎉 ✅ How to openly communicate what you actually want for your birthday (without disappointme...2025-03-1635 min
The Habit LabEpisode 61: Patterns of Jealousy & habits of healingWhat if jealousy is more than just a fleeting emotion, but an eye-opening revelation about our inner insecurities? Join me, Jenna Zint, as we unravel this complex feeling through the comforting lens of Christian faith. You'll hear personal stories that showcase the surprise and shame often accompanying jealousy, even when we think we've moved past it. Together, we’ll explore how our sense of identity and self-worth can influence how susceptible we are to envy and how grounding our self-image in God’s love can offer a powerful antidote.Imagine jealousy as an unwelcome chin hair—suddenly appear...2025-02-1828 minMarriage LabInternal vs External Processing StylesIn this episode, we talk about our respective styles of processing how we are feeling. Aaron is an external processor, needing to externalize what's he's feeling in order to understand it. Jenna is an internal processor, needing time to internally mull over what she's feeling in order to understand it. These two different styles can make conflict unnecessarily difficult unless you know how to work with them. We'll share the growth paths for each to avoid the common pitfalls in relationship.Links from episode:Attachment Styles EpisodeThat's What She...2025-02-1637 minThe Habit LabEpisode 60- Part 3: Breaking up with Over-Responsibility HabitsWhat if your well-intentioned habits of people-pleasing and perfectionism are actually driving you towards loneliness and burnout? Join me, Jenna Zint, as I wrap up our enlightening three-part series on over-responsibility in relationships. Discover the intricate patterns of behavior that can lead us to take on more than our fair share, from the martyr complex to the overwhelming need to be everyone's savior. By breaking free from these cycles, we can encourage more balanced dynamics in our interactions with others. Through my personal journey of unlearning these habits, I share practical tools and insights that can help you release...2025-02-1338 minThe Habit LabEpisode 59: Part 2- Ditching Over-ResponsibilityWhat if your acts of generosity are driven by fear rather than joy? Join me, Jenna Marie Zint, on the Habit Lab Podcast as we uncover the complexities of over-responsibility in relationships. In this episode, we unravel the fine line between acts of love and the unhealthy patterns of overextending ourselves. Through a lens of curiosity and compassion, we explore how seemingly selfless actions can stem from fear and obligation, rather than genuine care, and how this affects our well-being and relationships.We dive into the art of setting boundaries and recognizing our limits in offering support...2025-02-0534 minThe Habit LabEpisode 58: Part 1- Breaking Free from Over-ResponsibilityWhat happens when the admirable trait of responsibility takes a toxic turn? Explore the intricate dynamics of over-responsibility with me, Jenna Zint, as I unpack its hidden pitfalls. In this opening episode of our enlightening three-part series, I share personal stories that highlight how overgrown strengths can become dysfunctions, leading to chronic loneliness. You’ll hear how my own experiences of taking on more than my share in relationships, like with my husband, have led to unintended consequences, and how the recognition of these patterns is key to nurturing healthier connections.The conversation continues as we delve in...2025-01-2438 minMarriage LabPeaceful holiday plans for couples with different opinionsIn this episode we talk over how we intentionally plan for a peaceful holiday season when you both have different ideas about what that means. If you would like an assist in your planning grab a copy of Jenna's Peaceful Christmas Planner-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To learn more about Jenna's HABIT REBOOT, click here: >>> Become a sponor of our shows 2024-11-2525 minThe Habit LabEpisode 49: The Secret Habit to live to 100 years oldSecret to live to 100 years oldHabits for Longevity and GrowthEver wondered if the secret to living a long and fulfilling life lies not in comfort but in embracing everyday resistance? Join me, Jenna Zint, as I explore this intriguing idea, inspired by the world's longest-living communities featured in the Netflix series "Live to 100: The Secrets of the Blue Zone." We'll discuss the importance of incorporating resistance into daily routines—whether through the natural exercise of navigating hilly terrains or the resilience built by living simply. These habits illuminate th...2024-11-0942 minThe Habit LabEpisode 47: From snacks to fanny packs- Habit Hacks with AudreyEver wonder how small habits can lead to big transformations? Join me, Jenna Zint, and my 11-year-old daughter, Audrey, as we dive into the ups and downs of life with type 1 diabetes.But this episode isn’t just for those dealing with diabetes. It’s for anyone facing challenges in life. Instead of getting stuck in shame or hopelessness, we encourage you to get curious. Asking yourself: What habit tweaks could bring practical solutions to your own struggles? We’ll show you how small changes...2024-10-2136 minThe Habit LabEpisode 45: Habits on how-to guard HOPE through life's challengesI'd love to help you process relational dynamics or your habits in a way that gets you better in touch with what your feeling, invite the Holy Spirit for insights to healing & building a plan to show up differently.Book a coaching session with Jenna: CLICK HEREIn this episode- Jenna unpack how to remain hopeful amidst life's curveballs. Discover how detaching hope from immediate outcomes and focusing on eternal promises can revolutionize your outlook. Experience a shift in perspective through insights from "Imagine Heaven" and the soul-stirring Maverick City Music song "...2024-10-1029 minThe Habit LabEpisode 44: The Power of your RSVP: Why how you respond mattersWant to enter for a chance to win a free coaching? Simply repost one of my podcasts on your social media stories & tag me in it. Enter as many times as you want. I'll pick a winner & announce it on Wed, Oct 9th.Imagine the power of an RSVP. It’s more than just a simple response—it's a commitment to connection and community. Join me, Jenna Zint, as we celebrate the one-year anniversary of The Habit Lab Podcast by uncovering how our responses to invitations can transform our relationships and ourselves. Together, we’ll explore...2024-10-0442 minMarriage LabChange your marriage: what your spouse needs the mostIn this episode, Jenna and Aaron share the secret sauce to seeing change in your marriage. It's simpler than you think. Just more humbling.Our Pre-Marriage E-course is like coaching from your couch. What’s inside?✅ 6 bite-sized video sessions (30 min each)✅ 50-page workbook to guide real conversations✅ Topics on communication, conflict, intimacy, money & moreDon’t just plan your wedding—prepare for your marriage!➡️ Buy the course  [clic -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To learn more about Jenna's HABIT REBOOT, click here: >...2024-09-2636 minMarriage LabIs your spouse pushing your buttons? Conflict & Boundaries in ActionIn this episode, Jenna and Aaron talk through a conflict they had that morning. This particular one was not a new dynamic in their relationship and had created disconnection many times before. However, this time they successfully paused in dysregulation, intentionally moved towards connection and set some boundaries.Main takeaways:If your buttons are getting pushed, remember, they are your buttons and you are responsible for themIf you are the one unintentionally pushing buttons, it's not your fault that they have those buttons, but choose kindness and stop pushingBoundaries are meant to protect the connection, not...2024-09-2343 minThe Habit LabEpisode 42: Mindful Motherhood- how to use small habits to quiet mom guiltTake 10 week to invest in building better habits with Jenna's Mastery Course Class starts Oct 1, 2024In this episode Jenna dives into the various ways she's applied the principles of tiny habits to investing in her kids. As moms we all want our kids to flourish- but there can a seemingly big gap between what our capacity is vs what our inner critic can tell us "is enough."Jenna lists a few ways she doesn't let the ALL-OR-NOTHING mentality limit her options on what she has to give her kids. 2024-09-1828 minMarriage LabBreaking Free from Passivity: Empowering Your Marriage with Intentional ActionTake 10 week to invest in building better habits with Jenna's Mastery Course Class starts Oct 1, 2024-Can passivity be the silent killer in your marriage? In this episode, Aaron and Jenna get real about their own struggles with passivity, sharing how ignoring, avoiding, or delaying discomfort led to feelings of being stuck. Through candid personal stories, they shed light on how this behavior can evolve into rationalizations and bitterness, affecting everything from relationships to personal growth. Aaron also provides insight into his upcoming online small group for porn recovery, where passivity is a...2024-09-0935 minThe Habit LabEpisode 40: Family Redemption- making a habit of noticingTake 10 week to invest in building better habits with Jenna's Mastery Course Class starts Oct 1, 2024-This is a more personal episode- where Jenna reflects on the testimony of redpemtion the Lord has done in her life, in her family & in healing childhood pain. Most of us have pain or some trauma from our early years, but God is in the business of redemption. Do we notice his whispering in our tender spots of past pain and notice the pieces of redemption he's puttiing together?Jenna shares about her...2024-09-0644 minMarriage LabReconnecting Through the Everyday: Small Habits, Big ImpactTake 10 week to invest in building better habits with Jenna's Mastery Course Class starts Oct 1, 2024-In this episode of Marriage Lab, Aaron and Jenna dive into the realities of maintaining a strong connection in marriage, especially during transitions and busy seasons. They share personal stories and insights on how small, consistent habits can significantly impact a marriage's health. They discuss how even brief disconnects, like those experienced during family trips or shifts in routines, can affect a relationship. The couple emphasizes the importance of being intentional in creating connection points, even if...2024-09-0229 minThe Habit LabEpisode 38: Emotional Eating Habits (Part 1)Take 10 week to invest in building better habits with Jenna's Mastery Course Class starts Oct 1, 2024Building healthy eating habits can be twice as hard if you're someone like Jenna who has to also untangle her habits of using food for emotional comfort as well.This is episode 1 in this series Jenna talks about  Untangling her value/ worth from what I weigh. Changing my strategy for building my eating habits by addressing my emotional eating. Adjusted my for my habits : out of love for my body not shameEditing her self talk helpe...2024-08-2830 minMarriage LabWill my needs ever get met? w/ Jordan & ClaireIn this episode our good friends, Jordan and Claire, share with us how they each grew in the ability to care for each others needs despite the fear that their own would never get met. Jenna and I (Aaron), have done a number of Couples Coaching sessions with them in which we witnessed a masterful use of the communication tools in the midst of processing pain and feeling defensiveness.They discuss how to properly validate, have compassion and help the other person feel seen and heard before passing "the talking stick". They also share how they've learned...2024-08-191h 02Marriage LabControl in MarriageIt's been both our experience of ourselves and of many other marriages that we've coached, that there is one spouse who has a propensity towards Control. We define "control" as one person's attempt at manipulating the outcome through managing another person's actions. In this episode, Jenna talks about how control shows up for her and what is happening on a deeper level, namely with fear. She lays out the growth path for those who are struggling with trying to control their spouse and the pitfalls that line that path. Aaron talks about his experience of being on t...2024-08-1246 minMarriage LabResentment vs Investment | What I wish I knew Part 3Don't be overwhelmed by your summer! You can balance all that's on your plate- while still hitting your hopes. Grab Jenna's mini course as your guide to: Set-Up Your Summer In this episode- Jenna & Aaron talk about how you can do the same thing but with a different motivation- and it can shift everything. What is your motivation? Are you telling yourself you are powerless & "have to do XYZ" because of your spouse? That's your sign your feeding resentment.What if you simply switched your self...2024-06-1329 minMarriage LabLove Language User Error | What I Wish I Knew Pt 2Buy Jenna's mini-course: Setting-up Your Summer.Dr. Gary Chapman's Love Languages concept and consequent books revolutionized our understanding of how we communicate, hear and receive love, especially in marriage. It became a tool we used constantly to better understand ourselves and our spouse. And, we commonly misused this tool as a way to better serve ourselves rather than its original intent: to love others better.This is what we'd call a user error. When the concept of love languages gets weaponized as a measuring stick for how your spouse is fa...2024-06-0530 minThe Habit LabEpisode 32: Summer HabitsClick here for Jenna's E-course: Setting-up Your Summer Most of us have visions of fun filled summers, but Jenna shares how she had some shame about how their summers usually turned out vs her expectations of the summer.A few years ago, She started using the principles she's learned around habits to intentionally build a plan to support their summer hopes... and it was a game changer for their family.In this episode:we'll take a moment to break off any lingering shame if you've judged y...2024-06-0235 minMarriage LabDebunking "Don't go to bed angry" | What I Wish I Knew Pt 1Buy Jenna's mini-course: Setting-up Your Summer.Aaron and Jenna begin a series titled "What I wish I knew" sharing what they wish they'd learned early in marriage. This first part dives into the topic of "urgency." Most conflicts in the early stages of relationships feel urgent. They become very high stakes when they don't need to be. Why? Because it's possible to be connected even when there is no resolution to the problem. This brings us to the scripture from Ephesians 4:26 "...Do not let the sun go down on your an...2024-05-3034 minMarriage LabHow to Stop Fighting Over Stupid StuffHave you ever said, "We got in a big fight about something so small and stupid!" It happens in every marriage when there is emotional pain behind a "small and stupid" logistical problem. In this episode, Jenna and Aaron reverse engineer their fight about a toothbrusher charger and how something so small and stupid had the potential to create a lot of disconnection but didn't. Our Pre-Marriage E-course is like coaching from your couch. What’s inside?✅ 6 bite-sized video sessions (30 min each)✅ 50-page workbook to guide real conversat...2024-04-1530 minThe Habit LabEpisode 20: Kids Jesus HabitsJenna talks through some of the mindset shifts that were helpful adjustments for her to give herself permission to experiment with various Jesus Habits for the kids.Here is the link to get the resource page emailed to you for all the tools she referenced in this episode. https://thehabitlab.myflodesk.com/episode20Resource page includes:-our favorite bibles- kids christian books- kids christian podcast- Jenna's playlists - youtube channels If you're an alumni with Jenna's Habit Course & interested i...2024-02-1538 minMarriage Lab7 Unhelpful Beliefs About Sharing PainJenna and Aaron share 7 unhelpful beliefs people have (they themselves used to have) about sharing pain with your spouse. Stay tuned for an episode on the helpful beliefs!Here is a review of those 7 unhelpful beliefs:Tell them everything I’m thinkingReveal to them how they hurt meGet them to see how they failed meI can resolve my hurt by hearing an apology/admission of guiltThis is urgent. Don’t go to bed angry (two sleepy dysregulated people are horrible communicators)2024-02-0628 minMarriage LabBreakthrough IS Possible : w/ Anna & Alan MullikinIn this episode, we interview our friends Anna & Alan Mullikin who share about the breaking of a ten year cycle. We were so encouraged by their story and know that this testimony is for everyone who's felt hopeless in their own cycles of pain and hurt in their marriage. You can follow Anna at Please rate, review & share the podcast!>>> Would you consider financially supporting our shows? >> Become a sponor of our shows 2024-01-291h 01Marriage LabPastoring a Church Together in Marriage w/ Joaquin & Renee EvansWe interviewed our friends Joaquin and Renee Evans pastor a church called Bethel Austin in Austin, Texas. In this episode they share about what it requires of them to co-pastor a large church while staying connected in their marriage and in their family life. They hit on:BoundariesIntentionalitySigns of disconnectionTime to get away just the two of themStaying connected to mentors and peersPlease rate, review & share the podcast!>>> Would you consider financially supporting our shows? 2024-01-2253 minMarriage LabGenuine Apologies in MarriageIn a previous episode, we when into depth about no requiring an apology from your spouse when you felt hurt from them but rather focusing on sharing your heart in order to be known. This is one side of the coin for us. And an important one at that. The other side is that due to not requiring apologies from each other, we wind up giving way more genuine apologies than ever before. In this episode, we talk about how the lack of requiring an apology from each other and the grace that accompanies that allows for...2024-01-1635 minMarriage LabForgiving Your SpouseChoosing a spouse is choosing the person you'd like to offer the most forgiveness to of anyone else over a lifetime. Why? Because the intimacy in marriage creates more opportunity for hurt than any other relationship. Therefore, to have a thriving marriage, we must lean into the heart of Jesus and forgive each other like He forgave us. Generously, for the big and the little trangresses, without measure. Especially when we feel we've been hurt by our spouse so often or so deeply, it can feel like an injustice to offer forgiveness. It feels unfair. Like they...2024-01-0328 min