Episode 336: The Problems with The Empowered Wife by Laura Doyle

Send us Fan MailBethany Jantzi and Dr. Merry Lin join us in taking a very close—and occasionally incredulous—look at Laura Doyle’s The Empowered Wife, unpacking its promises, “six intimacy skills,” and insistence that women can transform their marriages by changing themselves. They explore where self-care, respect, vulnerability, and intimacy can sound appealing while still becoming dangerous when they encourage women to self-silence, ignore serious problems, or take responsibility for a husband’s behavior. Ultimately, this is a conversation about discernment: what does genuine marital intimacy actually require, and how can we tell the difference between healthy accommodation and simply learning to disappear inside a relationship? It’s a longer one, but 100% worth the listen!CHECK OUT OUR OCTOBER SIMULCAST EVENTWe're doing our sex talk and a one-day marriage conference! Check it out for more information.Find the church info page here!TO SUPPORT US: Join our Patreon for as little as $5 a month to support our work (and get access to the book club!)And check out our Merch, or any of our courses!Give to the Good Fruit Faith Initiative of the Bosko FoundationJoin our email list!LINKS MENTIONED: One-Sheet on Laura Doyle’s “The Empowered Wife”: https://baremarriage.com/2026/08/the-problems-with-the-empowered-wife-by-laura-doyle-a-review-with-download/Bethany Jantzi’s Website: freefromcontrol.caDr. Merry Lin’s Website: https://www.drmerry.com/Pre-Order Sheila & Dr. Merry’s new book “Fawn”Support the showJoin Sheila at Bare Marriage.com!Check out her books:The Great Sex Rescue She Deserves BetterThe Marriage You Want and the Study Guide The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex and The Good Guy's Guide to Great SexAnd she has an Orgasm Course and a Libido course too!Check out all her courses, FREE resources, social media, books, and so much more at Sheila's LinkTree.