No More Perfect Podcast with Jill Savage
Join Jill Savage here on the No More Perfect Podcast as she talks about the messy, less-than-perfect, real stuff of life. Featuring hard-earned wisdom, well-known authors and speakers, inspiring messages, and stories of real families that must be told, the No More Perfect Podcast is designed to be both inspirational and practical. An author, speaker, and coach, Jill is the founder and former CEO of Hearts at Home a ministry that served moms for 24 years. She has been featured on Focus on the Family, Family Life Today Radio, and Dr. Gary Chapman’s Building Relationships shows. She is the author or co-author of fourteen books including Professionalizing Motherhood, No More Perfect Moms, No More Perfect Marriages (with her husband Mark), and her most recent release Empty Nest Full Life. All show notes can be found at www.JillSavage.org/podcast Have ideas for subjects you need to hear about or guests you'd love to see? Send all your suggestions to resources@jillsavage.org! Love the show? Please leave a review to help others find this encouragement!
No More Perfect Podcast with Jill Savage
Managing Expectations in Marriage | Episode 247
©2025 FamilyLife. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
If we’re being completely honest, many of us enter into marriage with stars in our eyes and the hope that our spouse will live up to our every expectation. Isn’t it funny how we can spend months preparing every last detail for our marriage ceremony—yet we spend little, if any, time preparing our mindsets for what our marriage will actually look like in practice?
That reality often shows up fast—like the moment you realize the person you just vowed forever to puts the toilet paper on the roll backward! No matter how big or small they may be, unmet expectations can cause conflict, disappointment, and frustrations to develop in your marriage and other relationships.
Today, we have the honor of sharing a special episode with you. Earlier this year, Mark and I did a workshop on managing expectations in marriage for the FamilyLife Love Like You Mean It Cruise (which we highly recommend!). With their permission, we wanted to share it with you as well.
While this message was created for married couples, the reality is that all of us need to manage our expectations better. After all, they can impact all areas of our lives—from our kids, to our extended family, and even our friendships.
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
- Four types of expectations
- Where unrealistic expectations come from
- How we use cats and dogs to describe attachment styles
- And more!
Understanding how expectations may be showing up in your relationships can help you avoid dynamics that contribute to discontentment, disappointment, and more. We hope you enjoy this special episode—recorded in front of a live audience!
Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes: jillsavage.org/managing-expectations-247
Check out our other resources:
- Mark and Jill’s Marriage Story
- Marriage Coaching
- Marriage 2.0 Intensives
- Speaking Schedule
- Book Mark and Jill to Speak
- Online Courses
- Books
Marriage Resources:
- Infidelity Recovery
- For Happy Marriages
- For Hurting Marriages
- For Marriages Where You’re the Only One Wanting to Get Help
Mom Resources: