Where Do We Grow from Here?

Chris 'Bucky' Bateman
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  • MENTAL HEALTH

Where Do We Grow from Here? is a podcast for couples, men, and individuals navigating the hard work of relationships, mental health, and personal growth hosted by Bucky Bateman, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in San Diego. Each episode explores emotional connection, couples communication, faith-based resilience, and the practical tools that help people move from stuck to strong. Whether you're in a struggling marriage, navigating anxiety or loss, or just trying to become a better version of yourself, this podcast gives you the honest conversations and clinical insight you need to take the next step.

  1. 2D AGO

    Why Couples Stop Talking About Sex (And How to Start Again)

    Send us Fan Mail Sex is everywhere in our culture, and almost nowhere in our actual conversations in relationships. In this episode, couples therapist Bucky Bateman explores why so many partners never talk openly about sex, where sexual shame comes from, and what that silence is quietly costing your relationship. If physical intimacy feels easier to avoid than discuss, this episode is for you. Bucky offers honest, practical guidance on how to begin breaking the silence, starting with the stories you inherited and taking small, courageous steps toward actually talking about it with your partner. Because silence protects shame. But words, spoken honestly and received with grace, open the door to deeper connection. Topics: sexual shame in marriage, couples communication about sex, intimacy in marriage, how to talk about sex with your partner, couples therapy San Diego, marriage and physical intimacy, LMFT, faith and sexuality

    12 min

  2. FEB 19

    The Small Daily Habits That Hold a Marriage Together

    Send a text The biggest threat to most marriages isn't a dramatic blow-up or a single betrayal, it's the slow accumulation of small moments that go unnoticed and unappreciated. In this episode, Bucky Bateman explores the invisible work of relationships: the everyday acts of patience, attunement, and emotional regulation that quietly hold love together over time. Drawing on attachment theory and his clinical experience with couples, Bucky makes the case that it's the small things; the turning toward, the repair attempts, the moments of genuine presence, that determine whether a relationship thrives or slowly fades. If you've ever wondered whether the effort you're putting in actually matters, this episode will remind you: it does, and it's the foundation everything else is built on. Topics: daily habits in marriage, relationship maintenance, emotional attunement, small acts of love, marriage tips, couples connection, long term relationship advice, emotional regulation in relationships

    9 min

  3. FEB 11

    How to Fight Fair in Marriage: Arguing Without Destroying Your Connection

    Send a text All couples argue. The question isn't whether you'll have conflict it's whether your conflict will bring you closer or drive you further apart. In this episode of the Couples Connection Series, Bucky Bateman unpacks why conflict is not only inevitable in close relationships but necessary for growth and exactly what separates couples who fight well from those who don't. Bucky covers the most damaging patterns couples fall into during arguments (many of them familiar from Gottman research), what healthy conflict actually looks like, and the specific skills that help couples move through disagreement without leaving lasting damage. If your arguments tend to escalate, go circular, or end in one of you shutting down, this episode was made for you. Conflict doesn't have to mean disconnection. With the right tools, it can become one of the most powerful paths to deeper intimacy. Topics: how to fight fair in marriage, couples conflict resolution, arguing in relationships, healthy conflict in marriage, marriage communication, Gottman method, couples therapy tips, conflict and intimacy

    18 min

  4. JAN 28

    Why Waiting to Feel "Emotionally Safe" Is Keeping Your Relationship Stuck

    Send a text Emotional safety has become one of the most talked-about concepts in modern relationships but what if the way we're using it is actually making things worse? In this episode of the Couples Connection Series, Bucky Bateman challenges the popular idea that you need to feel completely safe before you can be vulnerable, honest, or connected. Drawing on his clinical experience as a couples therapist, Bucky explores where this idea came from, why no relationship is ever completely risk-free, and how waiting for perfect emotional safety can quietly block the very behaviors that build trust. You'll learn why real intimacy is forged through rupture and repair, not the absence of risk, and how emotional resilience, not emotional safety, is the actual goal. This episode reframes one of the most common sticking points in couples therapy and offers a more honest, effective path forward. Topics: emotional safety in relationships, emotional intimacy, vulnerability in marriage, couples therapy concepts, relationship growth, emotional connection, marriage communication, couples counseling

    9 min

  5. JAN 20

    Why Couples Feel Emotionally Distant (Even When They Love Each Other)

    Send a text You can love someone deeply and still feel like strangers. Emotional distance in marriage is one of the most common and most misunderstood relationship problems couples face. In this first episode of the Couples Connection Series, Bucky Bateman breaks down the invisible drift that slowly disconnects even the most committed couples over time. Bucky explains the three biggest drivers of emotional distance, why they're so easy to miss until the gap feels unbridgeable, and three practical steps couples can start using today to close that gap and rebuild real connection. This episode is a reset, a reminder that emotional disconnection isn't the end of the story, and that small, intentional changes can shift everything. Whether you're in crisis or just feeling like something's been missing, this episode will help you understand what's happening and what to do about it. Topics: emotional distance in marriage, why couples drift apart, emotionally disconnected marriage, couples communication, emotional intimacy, marriage help podcast, couples therapy San Diego, reconnecting with your spouse

    13 min

  6. 04/26/2024

    Surviving Divorce You Didn't Choose: Recovery, Faith & Starting Over

    Send a text Divorce is hard for everyone, but there's a particular kind of pain that comes when you didn't want it and couldn't stop it. In this episode, Bucky sits down with India Kern, a divorce recovery coach and author who knows that pain firsthand and has built a life's work around helping others walk through it. India shares her personal story of navigating an unwanted divorce, the role faith played in her healing, and the practical wisdom she's gathered from years of walking alongside others in the same place. This is an honest, hopeful conversation about loss, identity, and what it takes to build something new on the other side. If you're walking through divorce, or helping someone who is, India's story and insights will give you both comfort and direction. Topics: unwanted divorce, divorce recovery, divorce and faith, starting over after divorce, Christian divorce recovery, surviving divorce, healing after divorce, divorce coach podcast

    41 min

  7. 09/27/2020

    Faith, Resilience & Rebuilding: One Man's Journey Through Hardship

    Send a text What does it look like for a man to face serious hardship and come out the other side with his faith and identity intact, maybe even stronger? In this episode, Bucky sits down with Boogie Rose for a wide-ranging conversation about resilience, faith, and what it actually takes to rebuild when life knocks you down. Boogie's story is the kind that reminds you that where you end up doesn't have to be determined by what you've been through. This conversation covers the mindset shifts, the faith moments, and the hard choices that define a man's character when things get difficult. For any man navigating a hard chapter or anyone who wants to be ready when one comes,  this episode is worth your time. Topics: men's mental health podcast, faith and resilience, Christian men podcast, overcoming adversity, rebuilding your life, faith through hardship, men and faith, resilience stories

    30 min

  8. 09/09/2020

    5 Signs It's Time to Go to Couples Therapy (From a Marriage Therapist)

    Send a text Most couples wait too long before seeking help an average of six years after problems begin, according to research. In this episode, Bucky Bateman draws on his clinical experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist to break down the key signs that it's time to stop waiting and start getting support. This isn't about pathologizing normal relationship struggles. It's about recognizing the patterns that don't resolve on their own, and understanding why getting help sooner rather than later dramatically improves outcomes. Bucky also addresses the common reasons couples hesitate (stigma, cost, fear of what they might uncover) and offers a realistic, compassionate perspective on what therapy actually looks like. If you've been wondering whether couples therapy is right for you, this episode will help you decide. Topics: when to go to couples therapy, signs you need marriage counseling, couples therapy podcast, marriage therapist advice, should I go to therapy, couples counseling San Diego, marriage help, relationship red flags

    14 min
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About

Where Do We Grow from Here? is a podcast for couples, men, and individuals navigating the hard work of relationships, mental health, and personal growth hosted by Bucky Bateman, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in San Diego. Each episode explores emotional connection, couples communication, faith-based resilience, and the practical tools that help people move from stuck to strong. Whether you're in a struggling marriage, navigating anxiety or loss, or just trying to become a better version of yourself, this podcast gives you the honest conversations and clinical insight you need to take the next step.

Information

  • Creator
    Chris 'Bucky' Bateman
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Where Do We Grow from Here?
  • Show Website
    Where Do We Grow from Here?