SmartLoving Conversations

by Francine Pirola and Laura Cain

A place to discuss all things Catholic marriage! Married life is messy! Hosted by Francine Pirola and Laura Cain, our live conversations seek to go deeper into the mystery - and the messy reality - of living Catholic marriage. With our guests, we explore love, marriage, family and living our Catholic faith. We've set our sights on heaven but our real and honest conversations keep our feet on the ground. We've had our triumphs  ...   ...  Read more
Parenting
Christianity
Relationships

Podcast episodes

  • Season 2

  • Soulful Communication - SL Insights Ep 12

    Soulful Communication - SL Insights Ep 12

    S02 E12
    Apr 13, 2025
    03:31

    Communication has long been seen as the key to a healthy marriage. Modern experts call into question this wisdom, suggesting that it is not communication, but connection that is the key to lasting marital happiness. Communication in relationships is often misunderstood. Most peo ple think that good communication involves choosing the right words and learning how to listen better. Or learning how to ‘read’ another person’s body language. This is a very narrow understanding and it can mislead us into thinking that all we need to do is learn some ‘communication techniques’. A more helpful approach is to think about ‘connection’. https://smartloving.org/soulful-communication/

  • Long Live the Ten-Second Kiss - SL Insights Ep 11

    Long Live the Ten-Second Kiss - SL Insights Ep 11

    S02 E11
    Apr 11, 2025
    05:05

    In a world that pulls couples apart, a simple ten-second kiss IS a small act of love with big rewards. Regular readers of SmartLoving will be familiar with the Connect Kiss – a daily connection ritual we promote to couples. It consists of a smoochy kiss that lasts at least ten seconds. We recommend it at two key points in our day: the point of separation at the beginning of the workday, and the point of reunion at days’ end. https://smartloving.org/long-live-the-ten-second-kiss/

  • Resilience Of The Marital Kind - SL Insights Ep 10

    Resilience Of The Marital Kind - SL Insights Ep 10

    S02 E10
    Apr 4, 2025
    04:37

    Marital resilience starts with a well-grounded understanding of what marriage is and what it isn’t. A lot of couples get themselves into trouble because they make a very simple mistake: they expect marriage to make them happy. In practice, this mindset translates into an expectation that their spouse must make them happy. So whenever they are not happy, they project their unhappiness onto their spouse, making their spouse responsible and adding stress to the relationship. https://smartloving.org/resilience-of-the-marital-kind/

  • Editing Ourselves- SL Insights Ep 9

    Editing Ourselves- SL Insights Ep 9

    S02 E09
    Apr 2, 2025
    06:07

    We live in a culture that champions unfiltered self-expression. We’re told that honesty is the ultimate virtue in relationships – that I have a right to say what’s on my mind, whenever I feel like it, and that our spouse should be ready to listen. It’s a message that sounds liberating: no masks, no pretence, just pure, raw authenticity. But as Catholic spouses striving to live out our vocation, we’ve come to see that unregulated self-expression can be a dangerous practice in marriage. It’s not as loving, kind, or effective as the world might have us believe. https://smartloving.org/editing-ourselves/

  • When I am winning, WE are usually losing - SL Insights Ep 8

    When I am winning, WE are usually losing - SL Insights Ep 8

    S02 E08
    Mar 27, 2025
    05:14

    “You can either be right, or you can be one, but you can’t be both”. Our mentors were talking to us about a frustrating argument, and we were both digging in. They were right, of course, but we struggled to put it into practice. It would not be the last time either. Like just this past weekend. The argument was over handling a distressed toddler. It’s a well-worn path for us, and now it’s playing out through our grandchildren. https://smartloving.org/when-i-am-winning-we-are-usually-losing/