Better Together (Most Days)

James and Bethanie
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James & Bethanie are engaged, blending two families, running multiple businesses, and figuring out love in real time — together. No experts, no filters, no magic wand. Just two real people having the honest conversations most couples are afraid to have. New episodes weekly.

Episodes

  1. Aug 6

    The Spark - Romance, Intimacy & Why We’re Not Just Coexisting

    The Spark: Romance, Intimacy & Why We're Not Just Coexisting In this episode, James and Bethanie dig deep into what keeps a relationship truly alive — and spoiler alert: it's not about grand gestures. It's about self-reflection. WHAT WE TALK ABOUT: The Power of Self-Reflection — A marriage mentor shares the one thing that saved his relationship (and it's not communication skills) White Lies vs. Real Honesty — When little fibs are okay, and when they signal a bigger problem Leaving Work at the Door — Why it's harder to compartmentalize at home than at the office Our Honeymoon Dreams — Switzerland, Italy, the Amazon rainforest, and why exploration beats relaxation for us Pet Peeves & Pet Loves — Plus: OCD tics, irrational fears, and the last thing James Googled (it's weird) KEY MOMENT: "I love you so much." The way Bethanie responds when James realizes he was wrong — that's the whole relationship in one moment. THEME: This episode is titled "The Spark" for a reason. It's about remembering that the spark isn't found in Pinterest boards or perfect date nights. It's found in showing up, being honest about your mess, and choosing to keep growing together. NEXT WEEK: Teaser for Episode 12: "Real vs. Curated" — we're breaking down how couples actually live vs. how social media makes it look. Better Together (Most Days) is a relationship podcast hosted by James and Bethanie, a blended-family couple navigating marriage, communication, and real life together. New episodes Thursdays. LISTEN ON: Podbean | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

  2. Jul 23

    We Graded Our Own Advice

    We graded our own advice. All of it. Over the past 9 episodes, James and Bethanie have thrown a lot of relationship wisdom into the world — never stop courting, energy matching, protecting your peace, communicating when you're both upset, the "palm trees" code. But how well do they actually stick to it? In Episode 10, they sit down with a scorecard and grade themselves on every major piece of advice they've given, one by one. The grading covers: Never stop courting her — Are they still dating, or just existing? (Spoiler: once every two months might not cut it.) The 90/10 rule — Can James really figure out why Bethanie's upset 90% of the time? (Turns out, that 10% happens more recently than he'd like to admit.) Energy matching — Does one of them stay the AC unit when the other catches fire? (A car wash key incident and a business hiccup say… not always.) Texting grace — How good are they at giving each other space when life's busy? (James gets a C. Bethanie's more generous than he deserves.) Not interrupting — They've literally tracked interruptions with AI. This one stings. (James admits he's a C-minus at best.) The palm trees code — Their therapy-inspired way of saying "I need a minute." It's barely been used, and that's a good thing. Protecting your peace — Can they give each other space to process without feeling abandoned? (An A+ for reading each other's cues.) Carving out couple time — Spontaneous dinners downtown and heirloom carrots, graded against reality. Photos versus presence — Who's worse with the phone, and are they actually making memories? Cave and well communication — When one of them retreats, does the other know why? (They've evolved past needing to verbally announce it.) The grading is brutally honest, funny, and real — there are confessions about mascot-making interruptions, TikTok glue-stick theories that backfire, and the realization that sometimes the advice lands, and sometimes life just gets in the way. Plus: Pet Peeves vs. Pet Loves — The new favorite segment where James and Bethanie flip the script and call each other out on what they do (and don't do) that drives them nuts or melts their hearts. And a tease for Episode 11: "Romance, Intimacy, and Why We're Not Just Coexisting" — coming next Thursday. It's the relationship audit nobody asks for, but everyone should do.

  3. Jul 16

    Blending Two Families & Five Kids Under One Roof | Ep. 9

    This one starts mid-argument — because James left the recorder running. ("That tone says otherwise." "I did not have a tone.") By the time Bethanie realizes what's happening, they're already into it. Episode 9 is about the thing that's honestly harder than merging bank accounts (which, for the record, they still haven't done): blending two families under one roof. Five kids between them — Bethanie's two girls, James's two boys and a girl — each showing up with their own rules, their own bedtimes, and very different ideas about whether chores are a thing that happens. They get into what nobody hands you a manual for: the socks-and-plates chaos that spirals fast in a house of seven, the arguments about who does what, and the line James keeps coming back to — "we're not here to replace anyone. We're here to care for them, love them, and raise them the best we can." Bethanie talks about being called "hard" on her kids, why her first answer is almost always "no" (or "give me a minute"), and what she's really after: kids who know how to treat people when she's not in the room. There's the awkward middle-school years, the ugly-cry on the first day of high school, and the harder side of co-parenting — protecting your peace when someone else's choices spill into your house, and choosing to fight for the kids instead of the fight. Plus a "palm trees" callback: the code word's been quiet lately, and that's a good sign. Two families, five kids, one very full house. Most days it works.

  4. Jun 25

    Episode 8: The Wedding We’re Actually Planning

    James and Bethanie are about three months out from their September 19th wedding — and this week they pull back the curtain on what they're actually planning. Inside this episode: What they're really doing vs. what the internet says you "have to" The roles all five kids are playing in the day Their non-negotiable lists — the things that absolutely have to happen The one planning moment that already made someone cry The part that's making Bethanie "super scared" Plus the very first run of a brand-new segment: Pet Peeve & Pet Love Better Together (Most Days) — real relationship talk, most days.

  5. Jun 18

    The Pokémon Go Saga | Ep. 7

    After teasing it for episodes, the Pokémon Go saga finally lands. Episode 7 is the lighter one — James and Bethanie get into the screen-time tug-of-war, the "cave" dynamic when one of you disappears into a game or a phone, and what it really costs when you're busy capturing the moment instead of actually being in it. Photos vs. presence, and the small daily negotiations every couple makes about attention. Plus: the wedding tease that sets up Episode 8. Better Together (Most Days) — real relationship talk, most days.

  6. Jun 14

    Gaslighting, Narcissism & the People Who Use Both | Ep. 6

    James pulled the actual definitions this time. (Bethanie says "Go to the Google" — he used AI instead.) Episode 6 is the conversation they've been promising since Episode 5: gaslighting and narcissism, why those two go hand in hand, and what it looks like when you've lived through it. Bethanie's entire last relationship was a master class — a narcissist who was also an alcoholic, with all the "I never said that" and conveniently forgotten events that come with the package. She opens up about the cycle of apologizing at the end of every fight even when she had a real concern, and the years of self-help books that came after. James talks about his own drinking history — a sip of his dad's beer at 10, a half-gallon of Everclear at 14, and the friend's mom who busted them with the line "well, it is ever so clear to me…" He also breaks down the boundary lesson he learned from an old boss: every walk-in to your office that could've been a 30-second text or email is 10 minutes torn out of your day, and being polite doesn't mean being permanently available. There's a real conversation about teaching kids the difference between getting their way and being entitled, why a parent who's a narcissist passes it down, and how you set limits with a family member without nuking the relationship. Plus the "palm trees" code phrase James and Bethanie now use when one of them isn't ready to have the hard conversation yet. Not a clinical episode. Just two people who have been on the receiving end of this stuff naming it out loud.

  7. Jun 12

    Protecting Your Peace (Without Shutting Them Out) | Ep. 5

    The episode about what happens when the silence gets loud. Episode 5 is the conversation about emotional distance — the radio silence, the shutting down, and how you protect your peace without shutting your partner out. James and Bethanie get into business burnout bleeding into the relationship, the Hershey story, and why knowing your core values is what keeps you steady when everything else is noisy. Plus the tee-up for the gaslighting conversation that lands in Episode 6. Better Together (Most Days) — real relationship talk, most days.

  8. May 28

    We Can’t Both Be a Furnace | Ep. 4

    Welcome to the most relatable episode yet. James and Bethanie come in with a clear topic — how to communicate when you're both mad — and somehow also end up debating ice cream flavors, what happens to utensils left unattended near a sink, and the eternal question: why will she never just pick a restaurant? Underneath the laughs, there's real advice: the 90/10 rule (only 10% of your emotions come from what happens to you — the other 90% are yours to own), why removing the word "you" from arguments changes everything, the difference between "I'll try" and "I will," and what it means to match your partner's energy when you both run hot. Plus a very honest pet peeves segment featuring nail flicking, rage cleaning, a drill with interchangeable scrub brush heads, and an ice cream ordering incident that James is still not fully over.

  9. May 21

    When Life Won’t Slow Down | Ep. 3

    James came home this week, looked through the window at Bethanie on a work call from her truck, and fell in love with her all over again. That's the energy of Episode 3. With two weeks of business relocation behind them and exhaustion at an all-time high, James and Bethanie get real about what it takes to stay connected when life will not slow down. They talk scheduling spontaneity (yes, it's a thing and yes it works), why calling your partner "mean" as a joke still causes real damage, the guilt of being a busy parent, and how the smallest moments are almost always the ones that actually stick. James also shares one of the most powerful things his mom ever said to him during the hardest season of his life. And there's a story involving a three-year-old, a construction site, and a needle through a foot.

  10. May 20

    Manosphere, Marriage, and What Actually Works | Ep. 2 - Better Together (Most Days)

    We sat down to watch Louis Theroux's manosphere documentary and made it about 15 minutes before Bethanie was too angry to keep going. So we hit pause and turned on the mic instead. This is what came out — a real conversation about what passes for masculinity online, and what actually holds a marriage together when nobody's watching. In this episode: Why the Louis Theroux doc made Bethanie lose it "One-sided monogamy" — the term we'd never heard but instantly recognized How long is too long to leave your partner on read? Bethanie's first haircut in six years and what it taught her about grace The cave and the well — the one rule that keeps "alone time" from feeling like abandonment Plus: we officially renamed the show this episode. James still thinks "How to Fix Your Relationship with BJ" was funny. Bethanie has spoken. Better Together (Most Days) is hosted by James and Bethanie — a blended family running businesses, raising kids, and figuring marriage out one honest conversation at a time. New episodes Thursdays. Follow on Facebook: Better Together (Most Days)

  11. May 7

    Welcome to Better Together (Most Days) | Ep. 1

    Yeah, it took us four tries to record this. iPhone update ate a whole episode. Bethanie called James a fat head. We're just gonna start there. In our actual first episode, we get into the five types of couples (turns out the internet has thoughts on this, and so do we), the wisdom of an old man who said the secret to 60+ years was that he never stopped courting her, and what we both got out of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus — even though neither of us has actually finished it. Apparently we're a "vital couple, most days," with some volatile thrown in for flavor. We also tackle three hypotheticals you've probably argued about with your own partner: Would we have worked out if we'd met 10 years ago? Should couples share passwords? And the big one — should you ever go to bed angry? Bethanie says yes (give her a minute to process). James says absolutely not. We're both right and both wrong, depending on the day. By the end, we Google our zodiac compatibility live, because we're a Cancer and a Virgo, and the internet has receipts. This is the show we wish existed when we were figuring it out. We're better together. Most days. Topics: Five types of couples, the lost art of courting your partner, Mars vs. Venus, going to bed angry, sharing passwords, Cancer/Virgo compatibility.

  12. Apr 12

    Welcome to the Chaos!

    Meet James & Bethanie — dad of 3, stepdad of 2, owner of seven-ish businesses, and the man who will absolutely defend that number. Meet Bethanie — mom of 2, stepmom of 3, and the woman keeping the dumpster fires under control. Five kids, one chaotic life, and a whole lot of love. Buckle up.

  • 12 Episodes

About

James & Bethanie are engaged, blending two families, running multiple businesses, and figuring out love in real time — together. No experts, no filters, no magic wand. Just two real people having the honest conversations most couples are afraid to have. New episodes weekly.

Information

  • Creator
    James and Bethanie
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Better Together (Most Days)