304 | things no one warned us about marriage & parenting

Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew

Shawn Johnson + Andrew East

Society & Culture

5.0 • 39.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2026

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Marriage and parenting are often painted as beautiful, fulfilling journeys (and they are!). But there are also parts no one really talks about until you’re in the middle of them. In this episode, we’re getting real about the unexpected challenges that catch couples and parents off guard. From shifting identities and communication struggles to the mental load, loneliness, and loss of spontaneity, we’re unpacking the truths people don’t always share before saying “I do” or bringing home a baby. Whether you’re preparing for marriage, navigating early parenthood, or deep in the trenches, this honest conversation will help you feel seen, understood, and a little more prepared for what’s ahead. Love you guys! Shawn & Andrew IQBAR ➡ To get your twenty percent off, text EASTFAM to sixty-four thousand. Text EASTFAM to 6400 Wayfair ➡ Head to www.https://Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home! Olipop ➡ You can actually get a free can of OLIPOP when you buy any two cans in store. They’ll pay you back for one!! Head to www.https://drinkolipop.com/COUPLETHINGS to get a free can when you buy two BranchBasics ➡ Tossing the toxins has never been more convenient. And if you’re grabbing the Premium Starter Kit, you can still get 15% off at www.https://BranchBasics.com with our code EASTFAM (00:00) what a spring break that was (03:22) things no one warned us about (04:28) the “50/50” concept (08:00) biggest fear going into our first child (15:21) the different types of loads we all carry (17:58) how parenting brings out new nuances (21:38) connection vs compatibility (26:38) selfish vs selfless (29:16) the roommate phase (and the phases after) (33:39) intimacy isn’t just “sexy time” (37:00) how quickly we adapt (38:28) apologizing, grief, and missing the past (45:12) speed checks and finding the right cadence (46:43) not just having “yes men” + accepting help (47:30) having family nearby (48:02) protecting our time together (48:32) the “we” pronoun (49:10) the four-month window (52:54) don’t assume (53:30) life is WONDERFUL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What's up, everybody? Welcome back to a couple things.
0:02.1	With Sean and Andrew.
0:03.5	How are you doing, babe?
0:05.0	I'm glad to be here.
0:06.4	I'm glad to be here.
0:08.0	It's been a good couple of weeks.
0:10.2	We just got over spring break, which is crazy. It was a whirlwind.
0:14.2	Right before spring break started, we did a day trip to Memphis to visit St. Jude.
0:19.0	We did a day trip right after that to Austin for the
0:21.8	Tim Tebow Foundation. Came back, grabbed the kids. We went to Universal for four days. We flew
0:27.1	directly from Universal to Indianapolis for four days. Came back here and did another week of
0:33.4	spring break before school started. And today was the first day back and boy do i feel like
0:37.8	we have a lot of catching up to do you feel that way a little bit when you're like out of the
0:43.5	groove of work it was such a blissful time being not roughed up in work and being just all in on kids
0:52.0	but your first day back to work feels a little bit like, oh, shoot, I got to do a lot.
0:57.6	We've mentioned we feel like we're in a new phase of life now.
1:00.1	Our youngest child is two and a half years old.
1:03.4	And it's a little less manually intensive, you know?
1:07.0	I feel like in the first two years, you're always holding the baby.
1:10.0	You're always feeding them. you're always changing their diaper.
1:12.6	You know, they can't walk without you for a certain period of time.
1:16.7	But now they have longer attention spans.
	...

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