Lyn welcomes married couple Byron & Margaret McKie, who are marriage mentors and podcast hosts. They share their unique journey of love, friendship, and resilience, having married young and faced numerous challenges, including raising children, the complexities of turning to others outside of their marriage, healing and navigating personal growth. They also discuss the importance of communication, the value of nurturing friendship within a marriage, and the lessons learned from challenging times, including a period of emotional distance that ultimately strengthened their bond. KEY TAKEAWAYS A strong and lasting relationship is built on a foundation of friendship. Nurturing this friendship helps couples connect and communicate effectively. Open and honest communication is crucial for maintaining and strengthening a relationship. Couples should feel safe to express their feelings and concerns without fear of judgment. It's normal for a spouse to have a difference of opinion. Healthy relationships allow for disagreements, and couples can learn to pick their battles and agree to disagree when necessary. Creating a safe space for vulnerability is essential. Both partners should feel comfortable sharing their emotions and seeking support from each other, as well as from external sources like mentors or therapists. Difficult periods in a relationship can lead to growth and a deeper connection. Facing challenges together can strengthen the bond and encourage couples to work as a team. BEST MOMENTS "We focus on making sure that our relationship is intact and together and the other stuff we work through as a team."  "If your spouse can't be vulnerable and open with you, that leaves the door ajar for someone else to step in and be that safe place."  "You have to 'like' your partner. Love is great, but you have to like that individual."  "It took a lot of putting the individual aside sometimes and thinking, okay, is this really worth what could happen if I continue down this path."  "If there's something about me that's wrong, I need to work on it." ABOUT THE GUESTSByron & Margaret McKie - Marriage Mentors & Podcast Hosts Byron is a hard-working, loving husband and father who enjoys building things, music, and motorcycles. Margaret is a creative, dedicated wife and mother who enjoys reading, crocheting, and learning new things. Together, they co-host The Beyond I Do Podcast, where they share their journey through 27 years of marriage and offer tips for creating and maintaining a happy, healthy relationship. Passionate about helping others, Bryron & Margaret recently published their first book, Unlocking Forever: 10 Keys to a Successful Marriage Beyond I Do. They stress the importance of friendship in marriage. While love may come easily, they believe that maintaining a deep friendship requires effort and is what makes a marriage last. Website - www.beyondidopodcast.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/beyondidopodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/beyondidopodcast/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondidopodcastYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@beyondidopodcastAmazon link for book - https://a.co/d/01sHNkAK ABOUT THE HOST Lyn Smith – (The Queen of HEARTS) – Love, Dating & Relationship Expert Lyn’s personal story is a very inspirational and harrowing one of how she went from having unhealthy and unfulfilling relationships with men (on the back of several serious traumatic sexual assaults in her teens) to now being in a soul fulfilling relationship which makes her feel alive, is full of passion and gives her inner peace. She has a proven track record as a Love Solutions - Relationship Expert / Trainer / Inspirational Speaker and Best-Selling Author based upon her own vast personal research, experiential learning and training with the world’s leading industry experts. Understanding the polarisation of masculine & feminine energy resulted in her creating massive attraction and a passionate, intimate, fulfilling relationship – that inspired her to design & present her own course programmes to share these break-through relationship techniques with women across the globe. HEARTS Entwined is a world-class service based on care and understanding, which is committed to providing step-by-step high-value love, dating and relationship solutions. Lyn makes a difference by helping you make a difference; she has a vision of contributing back on a global scale – to create a lasting legacy of safety, dignity and opportunity for children and women who have survived rape, abuse and severe trauma as a result of war crimes and sex trafficking – through the setting up of worldwide – ‘you can heal your life’ centres.CONTACT METHODlyn@hearts-entwined.com