Former NFL long snapper and author Andrew East says premarital counseling helped him and his wife, Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson East, tackle conversations they might otherwise have missed.
“That was extremely valuable because we had some of these conversations and talked about some of these things where otherwise we might not have,” Andrew said.
The couple reflected on preparing for marriage, not just getting to the wedding.
Andrew’s advice isn’t to wait until a disagreement blows up. It’s to make room for the subjects a couple hasn’t thought to bring up yet.
“I would just recommend putting yourselves in whatever context, whatever situation you can to address topics that otherwise might be a blind spot before you go into marriage,” he encouraged.
That makes the point of counseling practical: another person can help a couple notice what they have overlooked. Feeling close and knowing how a future spouse approaches money, family or conflict aren’t necessarily the same thing.
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The Easts have explored those specifics on their “Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew” podcast earlier this year.
“I would just kind of understand like what do you believe God is asking your life to be about?” East said in that episode, suggesting a topic couples should approach while dating.
“You can start by always asking like how central is faith in your everyday decisions,” Johnson added. “How do you make big decisions? What role does like prayer or church or scripture play in your life?”
In terms of family, Johnson says you should ask, “What would you do differently? That’s always very eye opening. It can show pain points, things that might have triggers to them or trauma or just differences of beliefs even.”
Another topic? How do they handle conflict and disappointment.
Johnson suggested asking things like, “How did your parents argue? Did they argue? What does conflict usually look like for you?”
Their own relationship began well before their podcast. Shawn and Andrew met in 2012 and married in 2016; they now have three children.
They have since carried their interest in lasting relationships into their co-authored book, The Courage to Commit. On Shawn’s official book page, they frame commitment around choosing what matters, staying steady after novelty fades and turning intentions into repeatable action.
The Short brings that big idea down to a manageable starting point: have the conversation you have been putting off. Andrew’s experience with premarital counseling offers a reason to begin before marriage makes those unanswered questions part of everyday life.
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