About The Book
Would you like to resolve your relationship conflicts easily?
Do you want to feel like lovers again?
Mari Frank, an attorney mediator, and Leonard Szymczak, a psychotherapist, combine their seventy years of professional experience to help couples fight for love. Mari approaches conflict from the outside in by using collaborative mediation strategies to transform hostile behavior into peaceful ways of communication. Leonard heals conflict from the inside out through engaging therapeutic processes that help couples alter their thoughts, beliefs, and actions. Together, they enlighten and entertain readers with true-life stories, inspiring insights, proven strategies, and fun exercises to empower couples to fight for love, reignite passion, and embrace greater intimacy.
Praise for Fighting for Love: Turn Conflict into Intimacy—A Couple’s Guide
“Mari Frank and Leonard Szymczak offer a brilliant book for transforming relationships. Mari’s expertise as a mediationattorney and Leonard’s skill as a psychotherapist help shine the light on forgiveness, healing, and intimacy.”
–Marci Shimoff, #1New York Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason, Love for No Reason, andChicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul
“What could be more rewarding than turning conflict into genuine intimacy? In this clear, practical, and life-changing book, Mari Frank and Leonard Szymczak combine their experience as mediator and psychotherapist to show couples how to stop destructive patterns, negotiate win/win solutions, and rediscover love and intimacy. Highly recommended!”
–William Ury, coauthor of Getting to Yes and author of Getting to Yes with Yourself
“Couples that continually fight over who’s right or who’s to blame are simply digging their own deep chasm of separation. Let Mari and Leonard support you in building an indestructible bridge of love and connection. If you’re interested in authentic intimacy, then read this book, or even better, read it together!”
–Thomas Crum, author of The Magic of Conflict, Journey to Center,and Three Deep Breaths
“The secret to relationship success is not how deeply you care for a person, but how compassionately you respond to the bumps in the road: the conflicts, disagreements, and disappointments. This excellent book, written by two seasoned experts, shows you how to turn fragile love into lasting love, and how to turn any fight into a win-win story for everyone.”
–Mark Waldman, executive MBA faculty, Loyola Marymount University, and coauthor of Words Can Change Your Brain and How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain
“Countless couples are miserable or break up for two reasons: They gave up on love and increasing conflict drove them apart. Fighting for Love is a book that eloquently, effectively, and sometimes humorously solves this. If you long for intimacy but live in conflict, this book is just what you need.”
–Lee Jampolsky, psychologist and bestselling author of Smile for No Good Reason,www.drleejampolsky.com
“The ultimate expression of love is forgiveness. I have helped many couples create a more intimate relationship, stronger than the one that brought them almost to a divorce, by practicing both forgiveness of the other and forgiveness of self. This book helps couples forgive and is a must read for every relationship with love challenges.”
–Azim N. Khamisa, founder/CEO of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation and author of From Murder to Forgiveness, azimkhamisa.com
“Mari and Leonard offer many useful tools to navigate the complexity of transforming conflict into an ongoing, loving relationship. They show it is possible to recognize and heal our early wounds and to give and receive the love we truly desire.”
–Joan Gattuso, bestselling author of A Course in Love, A Course in Life,The Lotus Still Blooms, and The Power of Forgiveness
“As you read Fighting for Love, you will easily feel the passion and love that went into writing this book. It’s a thorough, easy to understand book on how to navigate through, and even benefit from, the inevitable relationship conflicts we all go through. The exercises throughout the book will help you apply the wise and clearly written words. I highly recommend this book!”
–Todd Creager, author of The Long Hot Marriage
“Fighting for Love is, above all, a useful book, as the authors combine the twin insights and methodologies of mediation and psychology. They reveal practical bridges that can easily be crossed by couples seeking to transform their conflicts into insights, intimacy, and improved relationships. They list hundreds of ways couples can end destructive patterns and constructively turn their conflicts into positive directions.”
–Kenneth Cloke, author of The Crossroads of Conflict and The Dance of Opposites
“Fighting for Love is a roadmap to understanding what it truly means to connect with another on an intimate level of love and harmony. Unmet expectations set the stage for bitterness and conflict in relationships. The authors have presented a “love guide” to teach how acceptance of self opens the door to a future of long-lasting love. Let this book be your guide to the deep intimacy you so desire.”
–Barbara Miller, bestselling author of You Lost Your Marriage Not Your Life
“For anyone wanting to improve their relationship with their partner, Mari Frank and Leonard Szymczak’s book is a real find. Every chapter is rich with relevant tips on how to restore a loving connection. I highly recommend Fighting for Love. It should be on every couple’s nightstand.”
–Nancie Kohlenberger, coauthor of The Couple’s Guide to Thriving with ADHD
“I’ve often had the thought that the world would be a much better place if people automatically saw conflict happily—as but the springboard to clarity, authentic self-expression, and genuine connection. Mari and Leonard have created a fresh, humane, and hopeful guidebook to make this a reality. Wow!”
–Nancy Dreyfus, PsyD, author of Talk to Me Like I’m Someone You Love: Relationship Repair in a Flash
“What a gem of a book! Fighting for Love shows you how to implement positive lasting change in your intimate relationship. Mari and Leonard openly share their personal relationship stories, demonstrating the power of positive change and healing. If you want to fight for love, do it right and buy this easy-to-read, excellent book with common sense tips. You’ll love it!”
–Margot E. Brown, author of Kickstart Your Relationship Now! Move On or Move Out
“Mari and Leonard’s new book helps you determine who you are, as an individual and as a partner in your love relationship. If you’re all right with that—and if not—you can still fight for love.”
–Robert DesJardins, Esq., family law specialist and author of Passing Through
“Fighting for Love is wise and well-written. The coauthors, a mediator and a therapist, reveal complementary perspectives. When emotions get triggered, it’s easy to repeat harmful patterns from childhood but much better to nurture the relationship and communicate constructively about challenges. Many examples show how to do this. The cartoons throughout the book add a light touch to a serious subject. They made me laugh out loud.”
–Marcia Naomi Berger, MSW, LCSW, author of Marriage Meetings for Lasting Love: 30 Minutes a Week to the Relationship You’ve Always Wanted
“Read this book! It offers life-changing strategies to rebuild your relationship. Mari and Leonard share their wisdom, stories, and loving attitude to help you replace drama with forgiveness, trust, and compassion—the recipe for extraordinary heart-filled relationships.”
–Danna Beal, author of The Extraordinary Workplace: Replacing Fear with Trust and Compassion