Dates, Mates and Babies with the Vallottons

Afleveringen

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  147. Preparing for Marriage, Not Just a Wedding 03.06.2026 30min

  Getting engaged is exciting, but a healthy marriage starts long before the wedding day. In this episode, Jason and Lauren Vallotton unpack the conversations, decisions, and preparations that can help couples build a strong foundation before saying “I do.” From navigating family dynamics and wedding planning stress to discussing sex, finances, faith, and expectations, they share practical wisdom for engaged couples and the people who love them. They explore why community input matters, how pre...
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  146. Building a Life You Love Before Marriage with McKenzie Gibson 06.05.2026 28min

  Jason and Lauren Vallotton sit down with their friend McKenzie Gibson, a labor and delivery nurse, to talk about something that doesn’t get discussed nearly enough: how to prepare not just for marriage, but for a full and meaningful life. In a culture that often treats singleness like a waiting room, McKenzie shares how she’s built a life marked by deep friendship, intentionality, hospitality, and purpose through her 20s and 30s. The conversation dives into the realities of burnout, nervous s...
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  145. Confrontation That Builds Trust: How to Handle Conflict Without Creating Fear 22.04.2026 33min

  Episode Summary: In this episode, hosts Jason and Lauren Vallotton tackle one of the most misunderstood (and avoided) dynamics in relationships: confrontation. They challenge the idea that healthy relationships are conflict-free and instead cast a compelling vision for becoming people who confront quickly and lovingly. Because avoiding conflict doesn’t create peace—it creates fear and chaos. Through honest conversation and practical tools, Jason and Lauren unpack what confrontation actually ...
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  144. The Messy Middle (Part 4): Letting Go — The Practice of Surrender 01.04.2026 28min

  In this episode, Jason and Lauren explore how real maturity isn’t about getting more of what you want, but learning to loosen your grip. From parenting and marriage to grief and becoming grandparents, they unpack how surrender shapes relational health, heals fear, and builds a legacy that lasts. Because at some point, growth looks less like striving… and more like letting go. In this episode, the Vallotton's talk about: the shift from becoming into surrender—and why it’s where maturity ...
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  143. The Messy Middle (Part 3): Becoming — Growing the Capacity Your Dream Requires 18.03.2026 20min

  In the last episode of Dates, Mates & Babies, Jason and Lauren talked about honoring the one who dared to dream. But dreaming is only the beginning. In this episode, they explore the next phase of the journey: becoming. The dream isn’t usually the problem—and the delay isn’t punishment. Often, the space between dreaming and fulfillment is where the real work happens. As Lauren says, “God cares less about giving you the dream quickly than forming you to carry it well.” Jason and Lauren dis...
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  142. The Messy Middle (Part 2): Dreaming — When Expectations Shape You 25.02.2026 22min

  Last week, Jason and Lauren named the disorientation so many women feel in their 30s — when life doesn’t look the way they imagined. This week, they gently trace the story back to where it began. Before there was disappointment… there was dreaming. Lauren reminds listeners that those early dreams weren’t foolish — they were sincere. They mattered. Instead of shaming the younger version of ourselves, maybe we honor her and ask what she was really longing for. In this episode, Jason and Lauren ...
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  141. The Messy Middle (Part 1): When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned 18.02.2026 22min

  In this deeply honest episode, Jason and Lauren Vallotton talk about the quiet disorientation that can surface in your 30s — especially when life doesn’t look the way you thought it would. They open with a vulnerable admission: you can have the life you once prayed for… and still feel unsettled inside it. Lauren shares how her 30s revealed something unexpected — it wasn’t that she needed a better plan. She needed a different version of herself. Together, they explore how what feels like break...
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  140. God's Plan for Forming Men 11.02.2026 46min

  This episode is a live recording of Jason Vallotton’s message at Bethel Church on November 30, 2025—a raw, clarifying teaching on God’s Plan for Forming Men, shared in the context of the upcoming BraveCo Rite of Passage Event in Jacksonville February 28, 2026. God has a blueprint for forming men who carry strength, humility, and responsibility into their homes, marriages, and work. That blueprint is both simple and demanding—formed, filled, and finished—and it unfolds through the stages of ca...
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  139. How to Set Yourselves Up for 2026: Positioning Yourself to Win 14.01.2026 21min

  In this episode, Jason and Lauren Vallotton invite listeners into a practical and intentional conversation about preparing for the year ahead. As 2026 approaches, they challenge couples and families to move beyond vague hopes and instead position themselves to win through clarity, reflection, and aligned action. This episode is about slowing down long enough to ask the right questions—and taking ownership of what truly matters. In This Episode: • Why having a clear plan is essenti...
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  138. 2025 Year End Podcast Update: Holiday Break, Big Dreams, New Year Plans 07.01.2026 23min

  As 2025 comes to a close, Jay and Lauren sit down to reflect on a full and meaningful year—both personally and professionally. From holiday time with family, to celebrating their daughter’s engagement, to the launch of Lauren’s book, and the powerful impact of the BraveCo Rite of Passage event in Florida, this episode is an honest year-end update. They also share what listeners can expect from the podcast in the new year—how their focus is evolving, what they’re excited to explore, and the ki...
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  137. Raising Sons into Men: The “Cop” Phase & Parenting Little Kids with Boundaries and Protrction 03.12.2025 40min

  This week’s episode is taken from the BraveCo podcast as the Vallotton’s believe the message is SO important for the Dates, Mates, & Babies audience too! From Jason on the BraveCo Podcast: THE BRAVECO RITE OF PASSAGE: https://www.braveco.org/riteofpassage As a pastor, counselor, and dad, I have watched so many young men stumble their way into manhood without a clear pathway. In this episode of the Brave Co Podcast, I break down the stages our sons move through and what it looks like...
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  136. Q&A (Long-Distance Dating, Sexual Disconnection, Co-Parenting) 12.11.2025 29min

  In this Q&A episode, Lauren and Jason tackle four raw and relatable listener questions that hit at the heart of modern relationships — from rebuilding trust to navigating intimacy, distance, and co-parenting. In this episode, they discuss: 💔 When words cut deep: A wife is struggling to heal after learning her husband once fantasized about other women. Though he’s showing empathy and doing the work, she can’t shake the fear of abandonment. Lauren and Jay unpack how to rebuild safety after ...
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  135. The Three C’s of Leading Your Family Well 30.10.2025 25min

  In this episode, Lauren and Jason sit down to talk about what it really looks like to lead your family well while carrying leadership responsibilities in ministry, business, and life. Whether you’re parenting toddlers or launching teens, this conversation will help you build a home that’s healthy, connected, and grounded in vision. They share what they learned from blending their family and why the long game of parenting matters so much. Together, the Vallottons unpack the Three C’s that have...
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  134. Blending Families: Grieving What You Thought It Would Be 09.10.2025 29min

  Blending a family isn’t just about making schedules work or learning each other’s habits. It’s about entering into an already-formed culture — one that existed before you. For the stepparent, that often means grieving what you imagined family life would look like, while choosing to restrain yourself from immediately reshaping the environment into “yours.” In this episode, Jason and Lauren Vallotton talk candidly about: Why grief is a normal and healthy part of the step-parenting journeyThe te...
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  133. Welcoming Our First Grandbaby! 17.09.2025 30min

  Jason and Lauren have big news to share—their first grandbaby has arrived! 🎉 In this special family update episode, they reflect on the joy of this new season, the surprises of grandparenting while still raising their own 5- and 3-year-old, and what it means to live out relational health across generations. Together, they unpack: 🌿 The uniqueness of navigating multiple family “layers” at once—parenting littles, supporting adult children, and stepping into grandparenthood🎄 How conversations ar...
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  132. What We Think About Separation in Marriage 17.09.2025 25min

  What do you do when staying in your marriage feels unsafe, but separation feels like it might be the end of everything you hoped for? Separation is one of the most raw and tender topics couples face—and for many, it carries fear, shame, and deep confusion. In this episode, pastors and coaches Jason and Lauren Vallotton respond to two courageous listener questions about separation in marriage. With compassion and faith-filled honesty, they explore how to discern when separation is a protective...
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  131. When His Battle Becomes Your Self-Hatred 04.09.2025 22min

  What do you do when your husband’s porn struggle becomes a story you tell about yourself—about not being pretty enough, skinny enough, or desirable enough? For so many women, his brokenness becomes her self-hatred. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. In this powerful episode, pastors and coaches Jason and Lauren Vallotton share hope and healing for women who are carrying shame that was never theirs to hold. With compassion and clarity, they unpack why porn is not about a wife’s worth, how s...
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  130. How to Handle the Disorientation of a New Season 27.08.2025 20min

  Every new season brings change—and with it, a sense of disorientation. As human beings, we’re wired for stability and rhythm, so even good change can feel uncomfortable at first. The question isn’t whether change will shake us, but how we walk through it without losing our footing. In this episode, Jason and Lauren Vallotton share practical wisdom for navigating transitions with grace, humor, and hope. From their own stories of job changes and parenting milestones, they remind us that adjustm...
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  129. When Marriage Counseling Doesn't Work 20.08.2025 34min

  Counseling is incredibly valuable. Jason and Lauren are huge proponents of marriage counseling, coaching and investing in marriage in a way that invites outside input from experts who can give great feedback to help couples grow in their connection. But it’s so common for couples to spend years in sessions and workshops and retreats without ever experiencing lasting breakthrough. Why? Because no matter how good the tools are, they don’t work if certain foundations aren’t in place. In this epi...
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  128. The Long Game: Raising Children with Vision for Adulthood 06.08.2025 30min

  In this episode of Dates, Mates, and Babies with the Vallottons, Jason and Lauren share wisdom from their unique experience raising both adult children and toddlers. Drawing from years of hands-on parenting, they dive into the intentional strategies that shape children into healthy, resilient adults—especially in a world that's vastly different from the one they grew up in. Topics covered include: Why the goal is raising adults, not just managing childrenThe importance of skills like delayed ...