About Michael Dawson

Mike Dawson is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in Flower Mound, TX. He and his wife Susan have been married over 40 years and think that marriage is the most important earthly relationship there is. They love sharing with other couples and guiding them to find their best marriage.

Generosity can Predict your Marriage Success!

2026-04-24T16:52:04-05:00Attitude, Generosity|

Close your eyes and take a few seconds to think about a wonderfully generous gesture your spouse has done for you. Was it the time they offered to give you a little back rub while watching the evening news? How about that time they got up early and grabbed you your favorite latte from Starbucks? Or, they saved the last slice of pizza for you? How did this small act of generosity make you feel inside? Did it make you feel loved … accepted … warm … cherished … valued? Generosity has that effect on all of us, right? Through our actions — even the smallest of gestures like the [...]

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Transform your Communication: Determine if this is Work Talk or Heart Talk

2026-04-24T16:52:04-05:00Communication|

Couples struggle with miscommunications all the time, and one of the big reasons why is because we fail to understand what language our partner is speaking. No, we’re not talking about Spanish vs. English or French vs. Chinese — though it certainly can feel that way sometimes. What we’re talking about is Work Talk vs. Heart Talk. Below is a quick breakdown of each: Work Talk This is the task-oriented, schedule-driven, let’s-get-stuff-done kind of communication that can help make a weekly schedule. It sounds like this: “Let’s divide and conquer this TO-DO list. You go to the grocery and pick up the cleaning. I’ll fill up the car and take [...]

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Connected Couples Need a Movie Theater Attitude

2026-04-24T16:52:04-05:00Attitude, Connection|

Susan and I love going out to the movie theater together. But it never ceases to amaze us how differently we view what we watched. We were in the same theater. We both saw the same actors on screen. The script was the same, and more often than not, we leave the theater with that “good movie feeling.” And yet, it’s almost always for different reasons.  It's all about our movie theater attitude. “That was great!” I’ll say excitedly. “It was full of action and suspense.” “Wait?! What movie did you just watch?” Susan says with her adorable laugh. “I thought it was romantic but also sad.” Has this ever [...]

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Simple Ways We Supercharge Connection in Our Marriage

2026-04-24T16:52:03-05:00Connection|

Susan and I have been married for 39 years! Thank you. Thank you; we’ll hold for the applause! In all seriousness, though, we believe marriage is important. And we think it’s important because God began by the connection of a man and a woman together to fulfill His purpose for this earth and this life. We also believe marriage is the most powerful earthly relationship we can have — we need to be united and connected. To that end, I always ask my couples to tell me their “why.” In other words, what was it that attracted you to your spouse? What were the characteristics about each other that made [...]

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Putting good things into your marriage: Rituals of Connection

2026-04-24T16:52:03-05:00Connection, Emotion|

Every couple and each marriage are unique. But having worked with and spoken to as many married couples as we have over the years, it is clear that the ones who are at their absolute happiest together — the ones who are continually putting good things into their marriage — share a lot of striking similarities and rituals of connection that ultimately help them feel safe and connected.   Display a healthy amount of fondness and admiration for one another.   Are in love and look for ways to have fun together.   They have more heart talk than work talk.   Meeting each other’s emotional needs is paramount to [...]

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How to Trim Tech for Terrific Couple Connection

2026-04-24T16:52:03-05:00Communication, Connection|

I was recently working on a blog for Mike.  We were finding a picture to portray couples who connect and communicate well with each other. So I searched our photo software using “couple connection.” Wow, that was an eye-opener. 90% of the pictures that came back were couples using electronics together. It seems, that at least in the eyes of photographers or according to the ones who define the photo’s “search words” that “connected” couples are connected by technology. While that is true in a technical sense, we know that people do not find true relational connection by using their phone or iPad.  Either while at the dinner table or [...]

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Where are your “Green Chairs” – Place of Connection

2026-04-24T16:52:03-05:00Communication|

About 15 years ago, Susan’s parents were redecorating their home. They remodeled and bought new furniture and generally made some great improvements. That’s where the “green chairs” come in. I was welcome in their cozy home even before I started dating Susan, and as long as I had been there they had always had this pair of not-quite-neon-green chairs. They were truly fantastic! Wide, soft, comfortable chairs that you just wanted to camp out in. And so we did! Often! After we got married and moved away, we would travel back to their home for quick weekend getaways or vacations. We would sit together in those chairs enjoying the quiet [...]

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