COUPLES' TESTIMONIALS
Kay & Jeff Malcolm
Gil & Tiffany Benton
"It (Communicate Clearly Course) took us from a position of being lost to very hopeful."
Find Out How...Kimeran & Jack Johnson
"Our marriage was on the rocks."
Chip & Scotta Couch
"We were having trouble communicating."
Meisha Marshall
"The Intentional Marriages Communication Workshop was a truly enriching experience. Danielle and Russ welcomed me with genuine kindness, which made me feel at ease, and assured me this was a space where I could openly explore ways to improve my marriage. The thoughtful touches, like the delicious free food and straightforward handouts, added to the positive atmosphere and made the workshop engaging and stress-free. I left feeling inspired, with plenty of notes and actionable advice to apply in my relationship. Huge thanks to Danielle and Russ for their passion and commitment to supporting healthy marriages!"
Anonymous Couple
Communication Workshop
- My wife and I have met with Danielle and Russ in group and individual settings for years, and I seem to continue to learn something new every time we are with them!
- Russ and Danielle share their own personal and marriage struggles with such inspiring humility. For the first time in our eleven years of marriage, we experienced what it's like to turn conflict into a growth opportunity—something I would never have believed was possible.
- The entire event was excellent and very helpful. Thank you guys so much!
- Looking forward to using tools learned. Loved the phrase "tell me more," which makes me feel like I am being heard, even if we don't agree.
Jay & Becky Costa
Anonymous Couple
"Our 2:2 session with you guys on Saturday was one of the best for both of us. And we’ve had many really good sessions. It was really helpful to get into what happened during our first year of marriage, specifically for my wife. And then really helpful for me to understand hearing it’s going to be OK is so powerful for me. Love and appreciate you guys."
Darren & Gina Sorrells
"Wanted to let you know what a great job you and Russ did today (in the Communication Workshop.) Even though we have heard some of the material before, you always do such a great job of personalizing and humanizing everything. I was looking around the room and everyone was nodding their heads and having the ahh-ha moments we all have when you both minister. Your work, transparency, ownership, and years of hard work is life changing and you are transforming marriages. You both have a gift and we are so blessed to count you as our friends. Love you both🤗!"
Allen & Susie Podratsky
"The more intense my response to an outside stimulus, the more certain it’s about me, not them or the stimulus."
Emily & Hayden Bray
"Emily and I both loved it (Communication Workshop)! It was a great refresher for us both. We are both encouraged and are looking forward to re-implementing our weekly check ins. That’s one thing we have not been doing lately. Marriage is not easy as y’all made very clear in your presentation. It takes work. It takes effort and that needs to be told to the masses. You and Russ are an inspiration to Emily and I."
Raquel & Felipe
Lydia & Brian
After ten years of marriage, my husband and I wanted to keep prioritizing our relationship. Thrive (along with our amazing leaders, Russ and Danielle) gave us the tools we needed to work through conflict in completely new ways alongside others in different stages of their marriage. We all left encouraged and empowered to keep fighting for the loving marriage God wants for us. Already, my husband and I have used the tools we learned to turn our every day spats into opportunities to grow closer. I honestly don't think we could have this perspective without experiencing Thrive!
Sherrie & Ron
We are so thankful for our time with Danielle and Russ! After 43 years of marriage, we needed someone to help us better communicate through our most challenging times. We connected quickly with Danielle and Russ. They set the stage for getting to the core of our own reactions and how to build healthier ways to work through life together. They created a 'safe space' for us to share on a deeper level. Our time with them has transformed communication in our marriage. We will be forever grateful!
Tary Droault
Going through this program (Thrive curriculum created by North Point Community Church and Break Free V.I.P. Sessions) was impactful and life-changing for us individually as well as together as a couple. We learned tools to work together and lean into each other. Thank you for pouring into us! We are forever grateful! 🥰
Tammy & Joe
Danielle and Russ are as real as can be. Their vulnerability and candidness about their own personal struggles and wins are incredibly relatable and encouraging. They enabled us to identify the root causes of our reactions and understand how to be more mindful of one another. Danielle and Russ have been nothing short of a blessing from God. They have left an amazing imprint on our lives, especially our marriage, and for that, we will forever be grateful to them. Thank you, Danielle and Russ!
With love, Joe and Tammy
Kristina & Matt Gross
Going through the Thrive course with Danielle and Russ was a great experience! The curriculum provided so many tools and tips for communicating in marriage and helped us strengthen our foundation so we can be better prepared for whatever we encounter in our relationship. Danielle and Russ were great facilitators, and their passion for helping couples have successful marriages shines through in everything they do!
Anonymous Couple
We have done the Thrive curriculum twice now with Danielle and Russ, and it is a game-changer for our marriage. Communication and conflict have always been our weak points, but the tools we've learned from this course are helping us so much. We are handling conflict better now, and that's huge for us.
Taking the time each week to listen and truly hear each other as we work through the chapters... learn how to handle it when we're flooded... working on being a "safe spouse"... all of this has made such a difference for us. We've learned new and different things about each other during both of our Thrive experiences, and we are looking forward to taking it a third time! Thank you, Danielle and Russ, for providing this (North Point Community Church) resource. It has been so valuable for us.
Ben Jones
Danielle & Andy Woodring
My husband Andy and I went through the "Thrive" course with Danielle & Russ as our leaders, and it really helped take our marriage from surviving to thriving! We thought we were doing pretty well: not ever really arguing, and our home life moving along like a well-oiled machine, but taking this course really gave us the language and opportunity to take our marriage even deeper. I am very grateful for the vulnerability Danielle and Russ show by giving their own examples and testimonials and creating a safe space for us to converse and grow. Taking a marriage course with other couples was very eye-opening as everyone shared their marriage highs and lows, and what they learned from that week's lesson--often bringing to light parts I hadn't really thought deeply about. Andy and I felt we could take this course annually to keep growing as a married couple. After a decade of marriage, I didn't know how much more we had to learn, but now that we have the vocabulary, ideas, and ways to grow, we look forward to moving into a place of THRIVING!
RACHEL KENNEDY BAILEY
My fiancé and I are preparing for marriage and found this course, Communicate Clearly, to offer real-life, problem-solving examples, and advice that we can implement in our daily lives. The most noticeable shift we've experienced is our ability to communicate more intentionally, taking our personality assessments into consideration, and connecting weekly to"check-in" to create emotional safety.
Want to be more intentional?
KELLI HALL
I tend to approach my relationship with my husband with the mindset "How can I make him better?" (haha) I love how the foundation of the Communicate Clearly Course is premised on self-examination---I've learned that the key to improving our relationship is found by each of us working to better understand ourselves and making small changes in our own behavior.
KELLY LANDOWSKI
The Communicate Clearly Course taught me some wonderful tips to implement with my husband, both as far as my approach with/to him and how we navigate ourselves as a couple. It also taught me that satisfaction in my marriage can be largely affected by me: my own thoughts & behaviors that I bring to the table! And, relationship issues can still be worked on even if 1 person is doing learning & implementation at a/any given point in time.
NANCY & GRANT GEIGLER
After having 38 years of counseling with some astute PhDs, Danielle has shared things with me I have not heard before and given me the insight to see things about myself and understand my husband in new ways via the Communicate Clearly Course. ~Nancy
On Friday I felt relief from a number of concerns. The primary one was some key 'aha' moments during our Break Free V.I.P. Session. I could feel a noticeable stress reduction in our relationship. I attributed this to really listening to each other and feeling understood. Friday afternoon I met with my counselor and summarized our visit. She praised the way you (Russ) and Danielle framed the discussion and guided us through several tricky and emotional challenges. ~ Grant
KIM & SHANE CRAVEN
"Player Coaches" is the term my husband uses to describe Danielle and Russ. They live out marriage challenges every day and are happy to share their journey and vulnerabilities as help for other couples. The repair process is the "magic of marriage". Danielle and Russ walked us through the process last night through a Break Free V.I.P. Session to help us successfully repair an extended conflict we were dealing with. They Rock!! ~ Kim
Russ and Danielle are investing their lives in couples, and boy do they get it…..90% of couples don't "do the work" of marriage. They coast along. They ignore reality. They feel they are doing pretty good when in reality, most live in denial of the deep work they need to intentionally do on themselves resulting in their best marriage yet. This relationship called marriage is God's masterpiece used to carve us into His image. Even 28 years in, Kim and I are full bore ahead on intentionality and learning something new every day. It is life-altering! Enjoy the Communicate Clearly Course content as Russ and Danielle build this work. ~Shane
Break Free V.I.P. Session
JEAN FITZGERALD
I'm now definitely paying attention to "flooding" and pausing when I know it's happening. This is a course (Communicate Clearly) that's applicable to newly married through multiple years married. If we aren't constantly working on our marriages then we can't be disappointed if we don't have a thriving marriage.
LAUREN APONTE
Communicate Clearly Course is a much-needed outlet for wives just like me - real women who are looking for an environment that offers encouragement, coaching, and an open forum approach. I left the sessions each week feeling equipped because Danielle provided a safe space, offered life-applicable resources, and gave transformative marriage advice that was based on research-proven methods.
PAM HAGEMEYER
Both my husband and I tend not to discuss what frustrates us with each other. By applying the (Communicate Clearly) Course Methodology, it was easier for me to share. When he felt safe to open up, I realized how off base I was. It's made such a difference in responding and listening and being able to leave a conversation quietly for a short time. It's really freeing and brings peace.
LAUREN MCCABE
I have always desired to be more intentional in strengthening our marriage but wasn't sure how to effectively go about it. Now, I feel like I have some guidance and incredible tools to deepen my relationship with my husband through having gone through the Communicate Clearly Course!
KIMBERLY SCALES
Danielle has been one of the most instrumental influences on me and my attitude toward my marriage. The tips and information she passes along to me have equipped me with numerous skills to use in my marriage. She is kind yet direct and always helps me see things in a better way. I love how she holds me accountable and never accepts anything other than God's best for me and my marriage. I am thankful for her influence on my life.
KAREN & MARCUS GRAHAM
Wow, the Break Free V.I.P. Session was amazing! When we left Marc said, "I feel so relieved! What a great session that was. They are such a great team. Such great content."
Seriously that was amazing and we are so happy right now. I haven't seen him this happy in I don't know when!!
Russ and Danielle have a true gift to help you have renewed hope in your marriage and to see your spouse in a whole new way. Life changes with intentional communication instead of allowing emotions to dictate your outcome. They can help you get there!
ALEXANDRA SCHUETZ
A Break Free V.I.P. Session is incredibly valuable in helping to better understand your spouse and their emotional needs. Danielle and Russ do a great job asking the right questions and walking you through the repair process after conflict.
ALEXANDRA KENNEDY DOUGLAS
This is more therapy than we've had in an hour. You all are very good. You have a calling for sure. 100%. You guys get it. We didn't realize we would get so much out of one Break Free Session. I recognized a change in how we approach difficult conversations (based on techniques we learned in the Course). There's a lot of patience and more grace. We are slow to react. There's more seeking to understand. That alone has made the Break Free V.I.P. Sessions and Communicate Clearly Course worth the investment.
DAYE WOODALL
The Communicate Clearly Course changed the direction of my marriage. After 5 years of marriage, we had hit a complete wall in communicating with each other. During this workshop, I learned the intense value of finding common ground with my husband during an argument. This has absolutely transformed the way we face disagreements! We have learned a much healthier way of handling conflict and it makes all the difference!
KERRI ANDERSON
My husband and I have been married for almost 10 years and have done lots of counseling and marriage mentoring over the years to keep our marriage healthy. We truly believe that it has allowed for more open conversation about things that really matter. We often find ourselves in a rut of talking very surface level about our day-to-day as we try and talk over our very active kids. Working with Danielle and Russ, we are able to slow down, connect on a different level, and discuss positive things and things we need to work on to keep our marriage strong. We are looking forward to doing more Break Free V.I.P. Sessions with them!
HILLARY KEE
There is definite value in the Communicate Clearly Course. HUGE! I immediately used a lot of the tips during the frequent opportunities I had in conflict with my husband. Trying to be emotionally safe for him is huge.
Danielle helped me work on a mind-shift change around conflict. I have 2 new key phrases we learned in the course now in my relationship tool bag. I look forward to growing closer to my husband!
TERESA DENISON
Definitely saw changes immediately as we started putting the things we learned into practice from the Communicate Clearly Course. There were many, many things that helped us but the one that stands out the most is how to diffuse things before they get messy!
LINDA DAY
Danielle and Russ have the information and techniques any couple, at any stage in marriage, could benefit from. Their ability and willingness to walk you through a powerful communication process via Break Free V.I.P. Session in a warm and safe environment is priceless. Sign up and take advantage of this amazing opportunity.
JACKIE & ROBB MASSEY
We were struggling with the "hurt people hurt people" dilemma and couldn't break free from the vicious cycle. Russ and Danielle not only helped us (via Break Free V.I.P. Session) identify the causes of our negative feelings (which we mistakenly blamed on recent occurrences vs unknown childhood trauma), but also practical and effective strategies to apply right away. It's interesting to fight now because we can typically get to the root within minutes and can help our spouse realize we aren't trying to hurt them.
Break Free V.I.P. Session
LESLIE SMITH
A good friend of ours recommended Danielle and Russ to my husband and me. We were wanting to improve our communication and our marriage as a whole. Neither of us had really tried counseling in the past, and Danielle and Russ allowed us to feel completely comfortable and open up about our relationship and emotions. Both were so kind and extremely knowledgeable. During just one Break Free V.I.P. session, they gave us several tools we could use at home. I would highly recommend them for any couple struggling and/or wanting to better their marriage.
LAUREN APONTE
My husband and I have gone into a Break Free V.I.P. session ready to kill one another, and we've also gone in ready to lean in. No matter where you are in your marriage, Danielle and Russ have the tools to help. They come with compassion, empathy, realistic strategies, and plenty of personal experience. If you come in ready to receive what they have to say, they will help you both walk through the mountains and valleys with you. So grateful to call Danielle and Russ both mentors and friends!
VIVIAN DAO
My husband and I have been together for 11 years and we are deeply committed to one another; however, we lack the skill to repair our relationship after our fights. Sometimes we go on for weeks without speaking to each other after trivial fights. We realize that it's an unhealthy pattern of behavior. On the verge of being very close to calling it quits, we reached out to Intentional Marriages for help. Through their Break Free V.I.P. Sessions, we were able to communicate effectively with each other, solve many miscommunications, and have more compassion for each other. We still have our problems and fights, but we are much closer as a couple. This has made us realize how important it is to be "intentional" about our marriage. If we can dedicate ourselves in school to reading Shakespeare or doing calculus, and spend hours at the gym, then we might as well spend some money and time to take care of the most important relationship of our lives, our marriage. No one can make us happier than our spouse can, so if anyone longs to reach that special place with their spouse give Intentional Marriages a try. We also want to thank Danielle and Russ for dedicating their lives to helping couples live their "happily ever after."
KINDRA RAINS
I just wanted to pass this verse on to you and Russ.
"God-lovers make the best counselors. Their words possess wisdom and are right and trustworthy." Psalms 37:30 TPT
I read it last night and immediately thought of you guys. You both are definitely called to be counselors and to speak wisdom and trustworthy gems into couples. Thank you so much for obeying God's nudges to do this (Break Free V.I.P. Sessions) together and to find purpose through your pain. You guys are an absolute gift. I've never seen my husband open up so much and receive so much in any counseling sessions we have had before. We both are so grateful. Can't wait to meet up again!
ANONYMOUS COUPLE
After we left we continued to talk about our (Break Free V.I.P.) Session. By learning to communicate this way we can both see each other's views. We have more compassion for each other. We are so grateful and appreciate it.
JACKIE MASSEY
I'm back! I posted here after Thrive (8-week marriage curriculum) but had our first Break Free V.I.P. session last night. I am amazed (common experience) by the gift Russ & Danielle have been blessed with in this area.
They won't choose sides or tell you if something is off but help us discover why our spouse is hurting. Our biggest goal shouldn't be to defend ourselves but feel compassion and empathy for our spouses.
DR MONTANA HALLIDAY
I was skeptical to sign up for Intentional Marriages - Communicate Clearly Course - after believing that my husband and I had tried everything. We had done joint and individual counseling, emdr, 12-step programs, and read multiple books. We had been together 13 years and prided ourselves on our communication skills that had been falling apart. We felt powerless and that we had no hope for our marriage. It wasn't until God directed us to Intentional Marriages that we were reluctantly obedient. We are so glad that we did. Danielle and Russ have helped bring hope, love, and fun back into our marriage. The practical skills we are learning are life-changing. We also feel like they genuinely care about us. I highly recommend Intentional Marriages (Communicate Clearly Course) for anyone who wants to create a healthy marriage.
MICHELLE MAGAÑA
My husband and I were disconnected when it came to how to parent our children. We were both hurting that we weren't on the same page. Our Break Free V.I.P. sessions with Danielle and Russ were eye opening on many levels: but mainly for me, that two things can be true (each of us have our own truth about an event). I noticed my inability to see this beforehand. Ouch! Our sessions taught us to get to the "why" of our individual triggers which stem from deeper, more painful wounds or expectations and how to communicate through that effectively together. I believe understanding more about my husbands wounds made me more empathetic and understanding as to why he does the things he does and thinks the way he thinks. No doubt, the sessions are hard. for days after it was emotional…but the truth is…aren't all things really worth doing exceptionally hard? Marriage is work and I'm grateful that Danielle and Russ helped us work on ours.
CELINA & ANTHONY INGARGIOLA
My fiance and I participated in two Break Free V.I.P. Sessions in an effort to work on communication prior to getting married. We met with Russ and Danielle virtually and had a great experience. We really enjoyed the dynamic of working with Russ and Danielle as a pair and a couple. Both my fiance and I were able to relate to Russ and Danielle in many ways, which helped us open up and discuss the challenges we were facing in our relationship. We were provided with tools to help us communicate better, especially during times of conflict. We left our meeting with more self-awareness, which led us to be more sensitive to one another's feelings and the things we say during times of conflict. One of our biggest takeaways was the reminder that we are on the same team, working towards the same goal. Our courses with Russ and Danielle helped us recognize that conflict is normal in every relationship, and we were provided with the tools to ensure we are communicating clearly in conflict and everyday life.
LAUREN APONTE
We've met with Danielle and Russ countless times over the course of the last 3+ years. This past Break Free V.I.P. session was vastly different for me because it involved a deeply emotional yet necessary discussion that needed to happen. We wouldn't have been able to walk through our hopes and dreams as a couple without the wise counsel and loving care of our mentors and friends. I'm eternally grateful - God has used them in an instrumental way in our lives.
BRENT & LINDSAY WILLIAMS
Russ & Danielle helped us understand our need to refocus on how we communicate and gave us tools for success through their wise counsel, practice sessions (Break Free V.I.P.) and resources. Thank you and may God richly bless your ministry!
Break Free V.I.P. Session
