Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol

You've heard of the Five Love Languages. But what's next? In this episode, we're joined by marriage and family therapist and author Leslie Parrot to explore what it really means to love in ways that are not just well-intended, but deeply felt. Good intentions alone aren't enough, but empathy and curiosity help bridge the gap between how we express love and how it's actually received. Drawing from decades of clinical experience and relational wisdom, Leslie offers insight into why a deeper understanding of love languages matters, not as a formula, but as a pathway to deeper connection.

And what fills your "love tank", or that of someone you care about? This isn't only for marriage; we also widen the lens to consider how these principles apply in friendships, families, and other relationships. We discuss how personality shapes the way we give and receive love, why each love language includes different "dialects," and how becoming a better listener is central to loving well. This episode invites you to slow down, listen more deeply, and practice a kind of love that doesn't just get expressed, but truly lands.

Connect with Les and Leslie Parrott on their website, Facebook, or Instagram.
Find the book by Gary Chapman, and Les and Leslie Parrott: The Love Language That Matters Most: How to Personalize Love So They Really Feel It   
Check out the 5 Love Languages® Premium Assessment
Join Les and Leslie Parrott and other experts online during National Marriage Week, February 7-14. Check it out.

Check out the marriage resources at Dr. Carol Ministries
Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.       
Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

Dr. Linda Seiler decided to follow Jesus in high school, but her sexual and emotional struggles didn't simply disappear. In this episode, she shares her own story and the insight she's gained through decades of ministry and trauma-informed care. Now an ordained Assemblies of God minister and Executive Director of ReStory Ministries, Linda helps us explore what was missing in the early years of her faith journey and why sincere belief alone often isn't enough to bring freedom. We talk candidly about how modern culture frames sexual orientation and gender identity as fixed and immutable, and why Linda believes there is always a reason beneath the behavior—and therefore real hope for resolution.

This conversation offers deep compassion for those who feel discouraged, weary, or stuck in repeated cycles or sin or brokenness. We explore where healing actually begins: love, truth, identity in Christ, and community—not performance or results-driven spirituality. Linda cautions against turning transformation itself into an idol and invites listeners into a more patient, grace-filled vision of change. If you've ever wondered why change takes so long, how trauma shapes desire, or how identity and belonging influence healing, this episode offers clarity, hope, and a wider vision of redemption.


Connect with Dr. Linda Seiler at her website, ReStory Ministries, or Facebook.
Find Linda's book Trans-Formation: A Former Transgender Responds to LGBTQ

Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.       
Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

Need some marriage wisdom? Greg Smalley has spent his entire life immersed in conversations about marriage. As the son of the late Gary Smalley—and now Vice President of Marriage and Family Formation at Focus on the Family—Greg has witnessed up close both the beauty and the messiness of intimate relationships. In this conversation, Greg reflects on why he chose to step into this demanding work, what drew him to a calling so intertwined with his family legacy, and how his own 30+ year marriage to Erin has shaped what he teaches today. 

We also explore how marriage challenges have shifted over the decades. From cultural pressure and emotional disconnection to technology, stress, and changing expectations, Greg offers perspective on what's new, what's intensified, and what remains surprisingly constant. Finally, he distills decades of ministry into a few core factors that consistently mark marriages that go the distance. Whether you're newly married, decades in, or simply hopeful about love, this episode offers grounded wisdom, encouragement, and a hopeful vision for building a marriage that lasts.

Find out more and connect with Greg Smalley through his resources at Focus on the Family
Check out the podcast Greg and his wife Erin Smalley do together - Crazy Little Thing Called Marriage
Find Greg's book 9 Lies That Will Destroy Your Marriage: And the Truths That Will Save It and Set It Free


Check out the marriage resources at Dr. Carol Ministries
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

Faith is meant to bring life. But what happens when it become harmful? In this episode, Dr. Carol sits down with Jeff and Terra Mattson, a husband-and-wife author team whose work bridges leadership, psychology, and spiritual formation. He brings the perspective of an executive coach; she offers the clinical insight of a licensed professional counselor. Together, we explore the idea of toxic faith: how faith can be distorted through fear, control, shame, or misuse of authority, and how to discern the difference between spiritually abusive systems and the ordinary, imperfect humanness found in any community.

We also examine the deep impact of spiritual abuse on the whole person and why its effects often linger long after someone leaves a harmful environment. Most importantly, this conversation offers hope. We talk about what healing can actually look like, including the slow and courageous work of re-examining one's internal view of God. For those who feel wounded, confused, or distant from God because of their faith experiences, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and a grounded path toward restoration.

Connect with Jeff and Terra Mattson on their website, Facebook, or Instagram


Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.       
Check out Dr. Carol's article How to Develop a Healthy Internal Picture of God
Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

Have you ever been surprised by who someone turned out to be? Research shows we form impressions of people within seconds, but real life often proves those impressions wrong. In this episode, we explore how that gap between appearance and reality shows up in relationships –with others, and especially with God. These realities reveal a deeper truth; there's a profound difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing them.

Many people believe in God, yet carry perhaps unconscious distortions about what He is really like. You may "know" that "God is love," but internally picture a God who is disappointed, withholding, harsh, or just waiting for us to fail. In this episode, we explore how our internal picture of God is often shaped by our past experiences, and why information alone doesn't heal it. Instead, healing comes through encountering Jesus. And we close with some practical ways to let God's love reshape your inner picture of who He really is.

Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.       
Check out Dr. Carol's article How to Develop a Healthy Internal Picture of God
Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.