The Baros - In This Together (ITT)

In this episode, we dive deep into the nuanced topic of talking to friends about your relationship. We explore why this seemingly simple act can have profound impacts on relationships, sharing our personal experiences and perspectives on vulnerability, boundaries, and communication.We discuss the differences between how men and women approach sharing relationship details, the benefits and risks of opening up to friends, and how social media has changed the landscape of relationship discourse. As always, we also offer practical tips on avoiding drama, setting healthy boundaries, and maintaining authenticity in both your friendships and your partnership.

In this first episode of a new season, we share the reason we took a much needed and extended break from our podcast uploads. More importantly, we discuss how couples can stay connected through difficult seasons, as well as what we have learned about ourselves, and our relationship during this time.

In this stimulating episode, we delve into the intricate dynamics of body image changes in relationships. We explore how partners perceive and impact each other's body image, from the early phases of romance to the development of long-term relationships. We also examine the psychological effects, societal pressures, and the path to self-acceptance and mutual support. And… Stick around until the end to hear our take on two dilemmas from our loyal listeners.

In the third episode of season 3, we look at the art of balancing the many aspects of life, including work responsibilities, mental well-being, physical health, and personal goals, and many others, all while trying to maintain a successful relationship. We explore the key challenges couples may face and discuss how to keep things ticking when handling conflicting priorities without sinking! We also get an update from a listener on a dilemma we previously addressed, and we tackle a new and very complicated dilemma from another one of our listeners!

In this episode, we delve into the challenges of navigating conflicts in relationships and explore the common sources. We share some stories of our own, and draw from our experience to suggest some practical strategies that have worked for us. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to understand and connect with their partner more - whether in a new relationship or married for a long time.

Happy New Year! And… welcome to the very first episode of season 3! In this thought-provoking episode, we ask the question: Are we giving up too soon? - both in relationships, and in today's marriages. We explore the challenges couples sometimes face, which lead to them throwing in the towel, and we draw from our personal experiences to give our views and advice on ways you can cultivate longevity in love for yourself.

In final episode of Season 2, we examine the intricacies of engaging with individuals of the opposite sex on social media. We examine the potential concerns and risks associated with liking pictures or videos, and as always, we give our personal views on whether or not it's actually a good idea. We also address two interesting dilemmas from our valued listeners, so stay tuned to the end!

The penultimate episode of season 2 delves into the intricate nature of restoring connections with former partners. We evaluate the potential advantages, disadvantages, and hazards of reconciling with an ex. Additionally, we offer some practical advice that could prove beneficial if you are contemplating rekindling an old flame. As usual, we offer our subjective assessment of whether or not it's actually ever a good idea.

Episode 12 of the second season examines the age old saying "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?". Often used to caution against giving away too much in a relationship without the right level of commitment, we explore the dynamics of modern relationships before marriage and give our take on some of the challenges todays relationships face. We also answer a dilemma from a loyal listener on "stonewalling" issues in an relationship and offer some practical advice for dealing with this.

The penultimate episode of season 2 examines the intriguing relationship between married peopleand unmarried friends of both sexes. We discuss this topic's obstacles, expectations, misconceptions, and societal prejudices, along with strategies to address them. We also give our views on the positive impacts of these friendships, and the benefits they bring to each other. Stick around to the end to hear us address a commitment dilemma from an avid listener!

In this more light-hearted episode, we give our views on some of the most common pieces of marriage advice that, despite their widespread popularity, don't always work when put into practice in a marriage. We share our experiences of the 10 pieces of advice that we have found to be the least helpful, and we give you 5 of our most helpful marriage tips instead.

In this episode we discuss our experience with the sometimes controversial notion of living together before marriage. We look back in time to explore what influenced the decision we made on this topic in our relationship, (even disagreeing at times!) and we talk about some of the positives and negatives associated with living together as an unmarried couple, as well as the role societal opinions, pressures and norms play in shaping these.

In this week's thought-provoking episode, we give our views on the debate between traditional men and women vs modern men and women. We consider how conventional expectations and modern people's goals have clashed, and ways in which today's media and collective norms have shaped this. We delve into the intriguing question of whether truly traditional men and women still exist in today's rapidly evolving society, with the aim of exploring the complexities of how traditional gender roles play out (or fail to play out) in the world of contemporary marriages.

Episode 7 of season 2 is all about the many double standard in today's society that significantly impact the way we date, think about, and behave in our relationships. This can also seep into marriage and ultimately cause issues. We talk about what some of these double standards are and give our views on how to reduce their presence and impact on your relationship.

In this episode, we take on the much discussed issues around side chicks, side men, and cheating. We dive into what leads to people being unfaithful, how society can influence this, and the impact it can have. We draw from our personal experiences to give our views and advice on ways in which you can avoid it in your own relationship, and how to handle being cheated on!

In this thought-provoking episode, we dive into the sometimes complicated world of being in a relationship with a partner from a different culture or race. We discuss the nuances, the advantages and the challenges. We also touch on communication, the significance of navigating unfamiliar traditions and the importance of mutual respect in building a strong foundation for a lasting relationship.

In this episode, we delve into the notion of the "patriarchy". We discuss what it mean, its origins, as well as why it's viewed an issue in modern society. We consider the ways in which living in a patriarchal society can impact both men and women, and it's overall impact on our relationships. We discuss the potential impact of the call to "dismantle" the patriarchy on our approach to marriage and family dynamics. Why is everyone up in arms about the patriarchy?, and is it truly bad for relationships?

In this episode, we discuss the concept of "Love Languages" coined by Dr Gary Chapman in the bestselling relationship book "The 5 Love Languages". We talk you through the different types of love languages, how they can be put into practice, even exploring the potential risks of using love languages in a relationship! We set out how this concept has played out in our marriage over the years, and we give you our honest opinion on whether it's actually effective or a romanticised idea that doesn't work in practice.

In episode 2, we explore the common gender focused critique of modern women, that they are showing up in relationships as "too masculine". We discuss where this might be coming from, whether or not we believe it to actually be the case, and we touch on the role that society and social media could play in influencing these dynamics.

ITT Podcast kicks off season 2 by jumping into the deep end and taking about submission. As this second season aims to take a deeper look into the practicalities of marriage, this first episode delves into a topic that can be controversial by nature, to give an honest analysis of its place in society today. As always, we also give our opinion on how we view and approach submission as a concept in our marriage and explore its true meaning to shed some light on some of the issues currently associated with it.

The last episode of the season explores what we believe to be the most important aspect of a relationship and a marriage - communication! Although this word has been a special guest on many of the previous episodes, we dedicate all of episode 12 to exploring why it matters so much, the different types of communication, and we give some insight into the communication challenges we've faced, as well as how we've overcome them. We also give our tips on how to "communicate in the right way" in a relationship or marriage, based on our personal experiences over the years.  

Episode 11, explores the important role that finances play in a marriage.  We discuss how we approach differences of opinion, bank accounts, credit, debt,  investments, as well as the dynamic between family/friends and money. We also delve deeper into the ways we actually manage finance in our marriage and provide some tips on how you could go about it in your relationship.

In episode 10, we explore the importance of maintaining a "team-like" approach to a marriage and building a friendship.  As part of celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary this week, we reminisce on how we met, how long we've known each other and we give you a summary of our relationship. We also delve into what we do in our marriage to ensure success and to make sure we stay in it together at all times.

In episode 9, we explore the world of modern day relationships by taking a look at situation-ships and casual dating. We go through some of the key issues with today's dating scene that we've been hearing through the grapevine, and we give our honest views on them all! We also highlight some of the risks and benefits of casual dating, and we set out what we think you need to know to successfully navigate your way through dating in today's world.

Episode 8 takes a deeper look into long-distance and international relationships; unpacking the main differences between the two, as well as the pros and cons associated with both. We discuss the statistics on the success rate for relationships of this kind and give our views on whether or not we think they're worth the effort. As always, we also give you our personal tips on the best approach for navigating a long-distance or international relationship.

In episode 7 we discuss how to set boundaries, standards and expectations in a relationship to allow you to navigate the beginning stages as well as potentially difficult situations that can arise. We explore the definitions for each and the differences between them, how society can influence them and we also give some insight into the standards, expectations and boundaries in our relationship and marriage. We also give our personal opinion on the necessary steps to take when setting your own standards and boundaries for a relationship, just in case you need some practical tips on how to go about it.

In episode 6 we explore the very important topic of vulnerability in a relationship. As usual, we start by defining it and then go on to discuss why it matters so much in a relationship, the reasons why we sometimes avoid it, the ways in which men and women tend to relate to vulnerability differently in society, and how we handled it in the early part of our relationship vs. how we approach it now. We also set out some tips on how to go about becoming as well as remaining more vulnerable in your relationship to ensure you build a close bond and experience true love. After all, what is the point of a relationship if you can't be your authentic self within it?

Episode 5 explores the age old phenomenon known as "Keeping up with the Joneses" in the context of today's society. We explain what it is and why so many people in relationships full into the trap of comparing their relationship to other people's or trying to emulate what they "think" they see in other couples. We highlight some tips on ways to avoid the pitfalls of "couple goals" and comparison. We also look at the potential benefits and ways in which it can be helpful to benchmark yourself against those around you, while discussing the approach we take in our relationship.

In episode 4, we talk about the importance of defining roles and responsibilities in relationships. We all play a role in our relationship, whether intentionally or not! We explore how roles and attitudes to roles in relationships have changed over the last 50 years, and we discuss the ways in which society has influenced this change, as well as the impact it has had on present day relationships.  As always, we give our views on all of this, and we let you in on how we approach and manage roles and relationships in our marriage. There's also some useful tips on steps for establishing roles and responsibilities in a relationship and how to make them work for YOU!

The title for episode 3 may sound familiar to you if you're up to speed on some of the topical discussions taking place between men and women within the social media space. However, even if you're not, you'll be intrigued to hear our views on the use of the word "prize" in a relationship, who should be considered to be the prize and in what circumstances if we had to choose, and how this subject should be handled in a healthy relationship. We delve into why this topic seems to be all the rage of late, and also give some background and a realistic overview of what seems to be the most popular take on personality traits on social media at the moment; the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Omega, Sigma and Delta ways of categorising men and women. No topic is too trivial for us to touch on - so, if it affects relationships, we will always tell you what WE think of it!

In episode 2, we take a deeper look at marriage, analysing the current marriage and divorce trends, and exploring what marriage means to us in order to answer the question "Is marriage worth it?". We touch on the different types of marriages, and what we think both men and women need to know before committing to a marriage.  We also share our views on some of the fundamentals for a good marriage, the importance of setting standards, as well as how to approach the start of a relationship. The perfect place to start, and setting the scene in a high level way for the rest of the season!

Season 1 Episode 1 kicks off with an introduction to who we are, what we're like, and why we created the ITT (In This Together) podcast. We also talk you through the logistics of the podcast, such as what to expect us to cover, when episodes will be published, and how you can get in touch to send us any of your comments, questions or dilemmas. There's a bit of fun at the end, with each of us answering 30 random "getting to know you" style questions, which should give you a flavour of our (very different) personalities!