Because Marriage Matters
The mission, vision and purpose behind the program and the couple who started it all.
When we first got married, we made a commitment that we wouldn’t wait for our marriage to begin to break before investing in it. So much so that we “studied” marriage even before getting married. 
At the time, we believed we were being proactive. We read books, prayed hard, and went through a little pre-marital counseling too, where we learned about how to talk about budgets, expectations in sex and how to formulate a parenting plan.
Fast forward a few years down the road, and we came to head with a very real situation:
Though very in love, our deepest hurts, unhealed wounds and unconscious patterns were being throw around like a volleyball. We began to wonder why our marriage seemed to bring all of these things to the surface…and with ease. There was something inside of us that said, “When things aren’t working, there’s something to be learned” – something two very special mentors would tell us years later.
At the time, we owned a wedding photography company in Kansas City called “Salt and Light Photography” (yes, from the scripture in Matthew!) where we served 20-30 couples per year in photographing their wedding.
We were both drawn to wedding photography not just because we loved taking photos, but because we love people, and we love marriage. (Photo below: The first couple whose wedding was captured by Salt & Light, at our final client appreciation party – 10 years later!)
After photographing weddings for almost 10 years, we realized that most couples invested more into their wedding than they did into their marriage. Most of our couples came to us for wedding advice, and after the 5th couple whose wedding we photographed got divorced, something special and deep was put in our hearts.
Once we began having kids, we decided that we would no longer shoot weddings, and Austin would just focus on his other companies.
However, we felt like God was calling us to something. We were left with a strong feeling that we weren’t just going to “casually exit” the wedding industry.
We both felt an overwhelming conviction to transition from supporting couples on their wedding day, to supporting them in their marriage.
We then saw God’s plan for this season of life unfold. We realized that our decade shooting weddings was preparing us to bring new life into marriages all across the world, and starting with about 25 couples who were first wedding photography clients(to those of you who trusted us from the start, you will always remain in a special place in our hearts).
God called us to create a marriage coaching and counseling program known as “Because Marriage Matters”.
After a few short months in “Beta” mode, marriages were already being transformed, and it quickly began to be the most meaningful, and humbling work we’d ever done. Soon after we began helping couples transform their marriages, we felt called to begin a 1 year journey where we could become certified coaches through The Hendricks Institute, one of the most prestigious relationship, conscious living and psychology resources in the world(Gay and Katie: We’re so thankful for you; you will surely never know the ripple effect of your investment in us this side of Heaven. Thank you for pouring into us)
Fast forward another year later, we became one of only a few married couples in the world who both hold the “Big Leap Coach” certification.
We then began to offer in-person marriage seminars, 2 on 2 work, and publishing our own works.
We’re very thankful and honored to be endorsed by multiple experts in various fields of psychology, counseling and therapy.
We have three beautiful daughters who keep us on our toes daily! 
We love them dearly and take great pride and joy in raising them. We love being outside, doing creative things together, cooking, traveling, and focusing on BMM. We love serving at our home church, Summit Park Church together. One of our favorite things to do is to get up early every morning together, pour each other a cup of coffee, and spend time talking, reflecting, “checking-in” and praying together. There is nothing quite like starting each day together.
We believe that people are far more wounded that wicked.
We believe that marriage is the completion of childhood.
We believe that one of the greatest reasons God gave us marriage was to help us return to wholeness; a path back to our essence and to Him.
We believe that trauma and adverse childhood and adolescent experiences inform much of the roadmap to our interpersonal healing and companionship.
We created BMM because there was nothing else in the world like it; we know this because we looked for it. We looked for a resource that would equip couples in deep connection, healing, co-creativity, personal power/responsibility and the fulfillment of their calling from God. We didn’t find it, so we dove in head first and started building.
We felt called to create a resource based on the values of our Faith as well as scientifically supported therapy and neuroscience.
We believe that God’s unique design of our psyche has equipped us to find healing in our conflict. Because of this, we believe a miracle has already been performed in every single person’s heart. This is the powerful convergence of God’s divinity and goodness and the intricate inner-workings of our heart, mind, soul and spirit.
Our vision is to support committed couples who desire a true partnership, where they can be authentic, creative, supported and appreciated.
We help couples understand the real reasons they attracted each other – things like mutual healing, co-creativity and ever-expanding joy.
We help couples learn how to end withholding for good, and melt away shame and fear they’ve carried since childhood.
We help couples learn how to increase the value they share in each other through appreciation and gratitude.
We help couples learn how to become curious instead of adrenaline-fueled when it comes to navigating conflict.
We believe that ANY marriage can be an ever-increasingly powerful and fulfilling, and that NO marriage is too far gone to heal and be restored. We’ve seen many couples come back from signed divorce papers, to a thriving marriage.
“BMM, hands down, saved our marriage.” – Jake & Allyn
(Read more of our couples success stories here)
We believe that if to people come together, 100% committed and 100% responsible, there is absolutely nothing that can stop them from creating an incredible marriage together.
Ready for the big pitch? Our primary program is conducted online, but contains many live elements. If you’re ready to increase your connection, find deep healing, have a WHOLE lot more fun and so much more, head on over here. (We don’t twist arms, but instead try to inspire a belief in you that God’s plan is for your marriage to increase in abundance daily)
A little about our inspiration, training and study… The Bible
The Hendricks Institute, founded by Drs. Gay and Katie Hendricks.
IMAGO Therapy, founded by Dr. Harville Hendrix
Interpersonal Neurobiology, founded by Dr. Dan Siegel
The Gottman Institute, founded by Drs. John and Julie Gottman
Conscious Discipline, by Dr. Becky Bailey
Personal work and 1 on 1 coaching with Dr. Paul Carlisle of Hope Counseling
Mindfulness, Robin Todd M.S, founder of Mindful-Momentum, INC
Industrial Pyschology/Mentorship of Dr. Steve Cohen, Labor Management Group/HR Solutions On-Call
Somatic therapy, conscious living, cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma release, neruo linguistic programming and more.
01
Twice a month, Austin and Rachel go LIVE with any and all couples who want to join in on the action. During those live video chats, they dive deep into their own marriage(showing couples like YOU how they work out THEIR marriage tangles), and use those same techniques with any other couple who wants to participate too.
There’s typically time for raw Q&A as well where you get answers to all of your deepest marriage questions. *Live sessions are recorded so you can watch them later as well!*
02
Every month, Austin and Rachel will send you (4) Marriage Boosters. These are powerful, simple and easy to implement marriage boosting techniques for you and your spouse. These boosters cover the following (4) areas:
Imagine every month receiving 1 method to boost each of those areas of your marriage!
03
Every month, Austin and Rachel seek out experts from around the world, and hire them to produce an EXCLUSIVE training for BMM Members only.
They believe it’s important that a variety of perspective and expertise are given in the program so your marriage can grow in numerous ways, from numerous angles.
04
Some of us love to use that left brain when we learn. So, Austin and Rachel have included powerful courses they’ve written for you to take online, or simply print and enjoy going through them like you would a good book.
These courses include simple, powerful and easy to implement action items and areas of reflection, so you can grow your marriage and grow YOU.
05
For those who want the additional benefit of community, Austin and Rachel have created and maintain a private community for all members of BMM to join IF THEY WANT.
Some couples like to go through marriage growth alone, and some like to learn from the experience of other couples. Sometimes, it’s nice to know that there are other couples out there who are going through what you’re going through too.
06
Yes, you read that right.
As a member of BMM, you get access to every LIVE Q&A, guest expert training, Marriage Booster and Course we’ve ever produced. This library is valued at thousands of dollars, and every piece of it could help you turn your marriage around today.
A: Yes, you can utilize any of the trainings and resources of BMM at your own pace and schedule. If you’re committed to seeing your marriage grow and thrive, BMM will find a natural place at the top of your priority list! 😉
A: No worries, we record all of them and put them inside your personal BMM dashboard so you can login, watch them, and track your progress even!
A: We focus a huge amount of time and energy talking about emotional intelligence, communication, transparency, appreciation and personal healing. We believe that 95% of marriage “issues” are born directly from the unhealed and unloved places inside each spouse. Healthy teammates make a healthy team!
A: Rachel and I(Austin) are very devoted Christians, and the basis for our core values stem from the Christian faith. We believe those values, along with how God designed the human psyche, mind, heart and body reveal the core paths to finding deep personal healing and a co-commited, co-creative, and powerful marriage.
A: That’s okay. We’ve had a ton of individuals join and bring their spouses in down the road! It’s a great way to show them you are willing to go first when it comes to investing in your marriage, and becoming responsible for what you bring to it.
A: Even better. We don’t believe you have to be sick to focus on the health of your marriage. It gets better as it gets better, always.
A: As soon as you join, you’ll receive an email with a custom log-in to your very of BMM Dashboard. There, you can access all the trainings, and track your progress in each of them! It’s a platform we built based on the feedback of tons of couples in our program.
// Complaints are hidden desires. Instead of complaining, stop and ask yourself “What do I really want?” For example, complaining that your spouse came home later than agreed and never called can be shifted to: “When you are running late, I want you to call me so I can adjust my expectations/planning for your arrival …
Read More// Where is the FRUIT in your life? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When our marriage isn’t growing, it might be because there are other things that are more important to us. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Yeah, that is a tough truth to consider, but the proof of what we care most about usually lies in the fruit we see growing in …
Read More// We get it. You’re afraid to pop the hood. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You’re afraid that opening up means you’re going to have to experience pain. And maybe you’ve been given evidence in the past that says that’s true. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But not here. We’re here to tell you that if you and your spouse both want it, …
Read More// 🔥Connection first, everything else second – It only works in that order. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you want to transform your marriage, transform your parenting, transform ALL your relationships . . . model something CRUCIAL that Jesus modeled for us(and that’s backed by the best neuroscientists and psychologists in the world)…… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Build connection first. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ …
Read More