Byron and Francine Pirola

About Byron and Francine Pirola

Married for 25 years, with 5 children, Byron & Francine Pirola are the founders and co-authors of the SmartLoving Series – marriage enrichment and marriage preparation courses designed to help build successful and resilient marriages. International speakers and authors of numerous articles on marriage, more than 3000 couples have attended their programs, workshops and conferences in Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain Byron & Francine are Executive Directors of the Marriage Resource Centre from which they run SmartLoving programs and produce digital resources. Francine graduated from Fordham University with a Masters in Religion and Religious Education. Byron is a founding partner of the strategic consulting firm, Port Jackson Partners Limited, and a Director of both listed and unlisted companies. He holds a PhD from the Commonwealth Centre for Gene Technology, Adelaide University.
  • Argument

Myths about Arguments

When it comes to marriage, relationships and arguments, there are a lot of myths out there. Here are five of the most common. Myth 1: Good Couples Don’t Argue The presence or absence of arguments is not a good indicator of the health of a marriage. Some couples who don’t argue are living detached, parallel lives. They’ve essentially checked out of the marriage and have given up caring. These couples are ...

By |2023-03-24T08:13:19+10:00March 22nd, 2023|LOVE & MARRIAGE, Uncategorized|0 Comments
  • Unbusy

On Trend with Unbusy

We recently enjoyed a week in New Zealand – about five days with some of our children and then two blessed days on our own. It was like a tonic for our soul and our marriage. Long walks with relaxed afternoons soaking up beautiful vistas and abundant wildlife. One such cheeky local was a Fantail – a small native bird that sashayed its tail and flitted about our feet. This friendly avian accompanied ...

By |2023-03-14T12:39:02+10:00March 15th, 2023|FAITH, FAMILIES, LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • romantic couple

That Romantic Atmosphere

On Friday afternoon, we went on a bushwalk with Byron’s work colleagues. Although we were with other people, we so enjoyed the time together. Walking is remarkably therapeutic for us… perhaps it’s the natural environment, or maybe it’s simply the absence of the constant phone, email and text distraction. Whatever it is, is not the point. It just feels strangely normal and earthy. Like we are stepping for a few hours ...

By |2023-03-09T08:59:51+10:00March 8th, 2023|FAITH, LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • marriage

The Day After the Big Day

Yesterday we celebrated our daughter’s wedding to a wonderful man and family. Our daughter Kiara looked absolutely radiant with an interior joy; her now-husband Doug, was magnificent -- strong, steady and adoring. Their evident love for each other lit up the church and the celebration that followed. As parents of the bride, we were afforded the opportunity to address the guests, and we thought we’d share some of our thoughts with ...

By |2023-03-01T20:14:10+10:00March 1st, 2023|FAITH, FAMILIES, LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • investment

Investment in Marriage

Anything worth having is never free. As Francine and I raced around on a typical Saturday afternoon, we found ourselves at the local shopping village together. Never one to waste the opportunity to gain a ‘good husband’ brownie point, I declared we should have a ‘coffee date’. Naturally, Francine obliged -- she practically never says no to a ‘date’, no matter how pathetic. (Have I ever mentioned my “do you want ...

By |2023-02-21T21:50:33+10:00February 22nd, 2023|Babies, LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • parent

Like Parent, Like Child

The most powerful influence on a couple is their family of origin. Good or bad, our experiences in our childhood prepared us for marriage. The young couple sitting opposite us had been married only a few years. They were experiencing some health challenges, but this is not what brought them to us; they were locked in a perpetual low-grade argument that never seemed to end. They were so ‘wired’, almost every ...

By |2023-02-14T17:28:03+10:00February 15th, 2023|Children, FAMILIES, LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • sex

The Commitment Challenge #3: Sex and Committed Relationships

In a recent discussion at a youth conference, it was put to us by some of the participants that premarital sex was acceptable as long as it was a ‘committed’ relationship. Casual sex was seen to be inappropriate and perhaps dangerous, but if the couple were in a committed dating situation, then sex was okay. It sounds very reasonable and moderate, even mature; there is a certain sense of respect for ...

By |2023-02-08T23:00:08+10:00February 8th, 2023|LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • commitment challenge

The Commitment Challenge #2

What Are the Signs and What Do They Mean? In today’s dating scene, there is a great deal of confusion about commitment and what it means. Scott Stanley*, one of the foremost thinkers on commitment, suggests that the old ‘commitment phobia’ explanation doesn’t fully explain the dilemma in which dating couples find themselves. One reason for this is the confusion between ‘public displays of affection’ and ‘public displays of commitment’. We’re ...

By |2023-01-31T19:20:04+10:00February 1st, 2023|LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • commitment

The Commitment Challenge #1

Commitment Phobia We’ve heard the phrase bandied around for years, but is it really as simple as someone being afraid of, or threatened by, making a commitment to his or her dating partner? Usually the ‘Commitment Phobia’ accusation is levelled towards the man in the relationship, with the related belief that it comes down to something genetically programmed on the Y chromosome! At the core of a person’s willingness to commit ...

By |2023-01-24T13:50:01+10:00January 25th, 2023|LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
  • communication

Delusions of Superior Communication

Here’s a question for you: How would you rate yourself as a driver -- below average, average, or above average? How about your IQ (intelligence)? And finally, how about as a tennis player? Research by psychologists tells us that most people overestimate their driving ability and intelligence compared to others, while they will be much more accurate about their tennis ability. One reason why is that we can easily obtain objective ...

By |2023-01-17T18:26:42+10:00January 18th, 2023|LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments
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