Before & Beyond “ I Do” - Real talk about marriage at every stage

Susan Ortolano
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Relationships

  Before & Beyond “I Do” is the podcast for committed couples who want to create, or recreate a strong, deeply connected, conscious marriage designed to last. Whether you’re engaged and already facing issues you don’t want to carry into your marriage, or you’re years beyond “I do” wondering, How the hell did we get here? this podcast offers real talk about what it actually takes to build, repair, and sustain a healthy partnership. Intuitive Relationship & Marriage Coach Susan Ortolano goes beneath surface-level communication advice to explore the wounds, beliefs, protective patterns, and relationship dynamics quietly shaping how you show up with one another. This is an inside-out exploration of marriage that goes deeper than the relationship advice you typically hear. You’ll gain insight into what is happening beneath your struggles, understand why your patterns persist, and learn practical ways to transform how you communicate, navigate conflict, rebuild trust, deepen intimacy, and consciously care for your partnership. You’ll also come to understand Susan’s core, game-changing marriage philosophy: Marriage Success is an Inside Job™ and discover how changing the way you relate to yourself, your partner, and the challenges between you can transform your entire marriage. Because strong marriages don’t magically happen. They are consciously created, or recreated by two people willing to take ownership, heal what needs to be healed, and grow individually and together. And this is where the next chapter of your love story begins.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    In Sickness and In Health

    Before we dive into today’s episode, a quick confession: You might hear the occasional clank of my jewelry! If you’ve been listening from the beginning, you’ve probably already noticed my jewelry making a few guest appearances. Here’s the thing: I talk with my hands, especially when I’m passionate about something. And around here, I share from the heart, not from a place of polished perfection. I’d much rather give you my raw inspiration, real-life experiences, and decades of wisdom than a perfectly sanitized recording. So, if you hear a little jewelry clinking, just know I’m pouring my heart into every word. Today’s episode is quite personal. We’re talking about what it really means to live the vow “in sickness and in health.” I’m opening up about my own journey through decades of chronic illness, a cancer diagnosis, and what those experiences have meant for my marriage and how it can help yours.  Because when illness enters a marriage, it doesn’t just affect the person who’s sick. It touches both partners, changes the dynamics of the relationship, and can challenge everything you thought you knew about love, commitment, and partnership. But here’s what you’ll learn: A marriage doesn’t have to simply survive life’s most difficult seasons. Sometimes, those very experiences can open the door to deeper connection, greater compassion, and a love that transforms along the way. This is an honest, heartfelt reflection on illness, commitment, and what it really means to keep choosing each other when life doesn’t go according to plan. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ If this or any episode opened something up for you, here is how you can support the mission 👉Follow or subscribe so you never miss what might be the big game changer for your partnership 👉Leave a review (hopefully a good one) as it helps this message reach more couples whose partnerships are on the line and need support 👉Share this episode with someone who still loves the person beside them but no longer knows how to find their way back. 🎁 Start Your Journey Now: 💫 Grab your free Relationship First Aid Kit: For Married Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/firstaidkit For Premarital Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/premaritalfirstaidkit 👉Dive deeper into Susan’s world & get your free communication training- https://linktr.ee/coachsusanortolano   Schedule a free Discovery call to explore working together- 💍Married- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-discovery-call/ 💍Premarital- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-call-p...

  2. Nov 6

    What's Love Got to Do with It?

    You can love someone deeply and still struggle to create a marriage where you both actually feel loved. In this episode, Susan explores why love alone isn’t enough, the essential ingredients that help a marriage thrive, and why your intention and your partner’s experience may be very different. You’ll also learn how to identify what may be missing and begin creating a relationship where the love you give is the love your partner can actually feel. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ If this or any episode opened something up for you, here is how you can support the mission 👉Follow or subscribe so you never miss what might be the big game changer for your partnership 👉Leave a review (hopefully a good one) as it helps this message reach more couples whose partnerships are on the line and need support 👉Share this episode with someone who still loves the person beside them but no longer knows how to find their way back. 🎁 Start Your Journey Now: 💫 Grab your free Relationship First Aid Kit: For Married Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/firstaidkit For Premarital Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/premaritalfirstaidkit 👉Dive deeper into Susan’s world & get your free communication training- https://linktr.ee/coachsusanortolano   Schedule a free Discovery call to explore working together- 💍Married- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-discovery-call/ 💍Premarital- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-call-p...

  3. Oct 30

    Brand New Eyes

    What if some of the conflict in your marriage isn’t really about today, but about wounds and beliefs formed long before you met your spouse? In this episode, Susan explores how old programming can shape the way you see yourself, your partner, and your marriage, and how becoming aware of those patterns can help you clear what no longer serves you and begin seeing your relationship through brand-new eyes. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ If this or any episode opened something up for you, here is how you can support the mission 👉Follow or subscribe so you never miss what might be the big game changer for your partnership 👉Leave a review (hopefully a good one) as it helps this message reach more couples whose partnerships are on the line and need support 👉Share this episode with someone who still loves the person beside them but no longer knows how to find their way back. 🎁 Start Your Journey Now: 💫 Grab your free Relationship First Aid Kit: For Married Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/firstaidkit For Premarital Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/premaritalfirstaidkit 👉Dive deeper into Susan’s world & get your free communication training- https://linktr.ee/coachsusanortolano   Schedule a free Discovery call to explore working together- 💍Married- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-discovery-call/ 💍Premarital- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-call-p...

  4. Oct 23

    Voices Carry

    Why can a seemingly small disagreement become so painful and intense? Often, the argument is not only about what happened. It is about the silent meaning and emotional impact underneath it. In this episode, Susan explores the difference between the incident and the impact, the hidden voices that activate our triggers, and why couples can find themselves reacting to each other’s reactions instead of addressing what is truly hurting. You’ll learn how to interrupt the conflict spin cycle, ask a deeper question, and help your partner hear the real story beneath your words. Because when you give that silent voice real words, it no longer has to scream through the conflict. As you listen to Voices Carry, you may notice a little background noise carrying through this episode. In a fitting bit of irony, even the recording itself offers a reminder: noise carries, and so do the voices, stories, and meanings we bring into our relationships ___________________________________________________________________________________________ If this or any episode opened something up for you, here is how you can support the mission 👉Follow or subscribe so you never miss what might be the big game changer for your partnership 👉Leave a review (hopefully a good one) as it helps this message reach more couples whose partnerships are on the line and need support 👉Share this episode with someone who still loves the person beside them but no longer knows how to find their way back. 🎁 Start Your Journey Now: 💫 Grab your free Relationship First Aid Kit: For Married Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/firstaidkit For Premarital Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/premaritalfirstaidkit 👉Dive deeper into Susan’s world & get your free communication training- https://linktr.ee/coachsusanortolano   Schedule a free Discovery call to explore working together- 💍Married- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-discovery-call/ 💍Premarital- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-call-p...

  5. Season 1 Trailer

    Trailer- Before & Beyond " I Do" Podcast- Real talk about marriage at every stage with Susan Ortolano

    You can be years into a struggling marriage ...or planning a wedding thinking it will magically all fall into place- and not realize that marriage success is an inside job. This podcast is where you'll learn about marriage success at every stage, understand where the next chapter of your love story truly begins to build or rebuild a marriage that actually feels like home.  ___________________________________________________________________________________________ If this or any episode opened something up for you, here is how you can support the mission 👉Follow or subscribe so you never miss what might be the big game changer for your partnership 👉Leave a review (hopefully a good one) as it helps this message reach more couples whose partnerships are on the line and need support 👉Share this episode with someone who still loves the person beside them but no longer knows how to find their way back. 🎁 Start Your Journey Now: 💫 Grab your free Relationship First Aid Kit: For Married Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/firstaidkit For Premarital Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/premaritalfirstaidkit 👉Dive deeper into Susan’s world & get your free communication training- https://linktr.ee/coachsusanortolano   Schedule a free Discovery call to explore working together- 💍Married- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-discovery-call/ 💍Premarital- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-call-p...

  6. Oct 16

    Who Are You?

    Who are you? And… how well do you know the person you’re married to today? In the first episode of Before & Beyond “I Do,” Susan shares the personal story behind that question and why it became central to both her own marriage and the work she does with couples. Because somewhere between careers, kids, responsibilities, challenges, and simply doing life together, it’s surprisingly easy to lose touch with who you are, and stop noticing who your partner is becoming. This episode invites you to look beyond the roles you play and get curious about who you are today, who your partner is today, and who you’re becoming as you continue creating your marriage together. Because Marriage Success is an Inside Job™. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ If this or any episode opened something up for you, here is how you can support the mission 👉Follow or subscribe so you never miss what might be the big game changer for your partnership 👉Leave a review (hopefully a good one) as it helps this message reach more couples whose partnerships are on the line and need support 👉Share this episode with someone who still loves the person beside them but no longer knows how to find their way back. 🎁 Start Your Journey Now: 💫 Grab your free Relationship First Aid Kit: For Married Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/firstaidkit For Premarital Couples: https://www.susanortolano.com/premaritalfirstaidkit 👉Dive deeper into Susan’s world & get your free communication training- https://linktr.ee/coachsusanortolano   Schedule a free Discovery call to explore working together- 💍Married- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-discovery-call/ 💍Premarital- https://www.susanortolano.com/book-call-p...

  • 1 Trailer
    5 Episodes

Trailer

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About

  Before & Beyond “I Do” is the podcast for committed couples who want to create, or recreate a strong, deeply connected, conscious marriage designed to last. Whether you’re engaged and already facing issues you don’t want to carry into your marriage, or you’re years beyond “I do” wondering, How the hell did we get here? this podcast offers real talk about what it actually takes to build, repair, and sustain a healthy partnership. Intuitive Relationship & Marriage Coach Susan Ortolano goes beneath surface-level communication advice to explore the wounds, beliefs, protective patterns, and relationship dynamics quietly shaping how you show up with one another. This is an inside-out exploration of marriage that goes deeper than the relationship advice you typically hear. You’ll gain insight into what is happening beneath your struggles, understand why your patterns persist, and learn practical ways to transform how you communicate, navigate conflict, rebuild trust, deepen intimacy, and consciously care for your partnership. You’ll also come to understand Susan’s core, game-changing marriage philosophy: Marriage Success is an Inside Job™ and discover how changing the way you relate to yourself, your partner, and the challenges between you can transform your entire marriage. Because strong marriages don’t magically happen. They are consciously created, or recreated by two people willing to take ownership, heal what needs to be healed, and grow individually and together. And this is where the next chapter of your love story begins.

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