Conflicts are often about deeper emotional needs like feeling valued rather than the specific topic being argued.

“I think people fight about topics all the time, like let's just pick whether you're too messy or whether you play golf too much. When the real issue is, I don't feel safe. I don't feel secure. I don't feel valued. I don't feel that I'm a priority.”

A successful strategy for surviving the first year of marriage is to commit to never using divorce as an option.

“Philip and I both agreed our first year of marriage. Nothing will ever make me leave. This is forever. This is forever. A divorce is never going to be an option.”