Listeners continue to accrue for local couple’s marriage podcast
By Sherry Lucas
Rusty and Heather Bryant are passionate about marriage, putting time and energy into their own, and also into an outreach to encourage others.
The Bryants’ The Redeemed Marriage podcast garners between 500 to 1,000 downloads a week from listeners stretching far beyond their Clinton home base. Listeners in locales as far-flung as The Philippines, Honduras and South Africa have heard the Bryants discuss ways to encourage healthy marriages, strengthen wounded marriages and begin the process of restoration to broken marriages.
The podcast’s roots are in the marriage ministry the Bryants started eight or nine years back, “just kind of on the side, just the two of us,” says Rusty, executive director for Brilla Soccer Ministries. Heather teaches school at Northside Elementary in Clinton. They hosted small groups and wrote some small group curriculum to encourage marriages, had a blog and shared resources on a website for a time.
Toward the end of 2020, they jumped back in with a video podcast.
“We had no idea what we were doing,” Rusty says. But they figured it out, from recording on iPhones to posting on their ministry’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Response told them they were onto something.
“People were reaching out, asking us for help and advice,” Rusty says. When video production details — lighting, sound, editing, always looking presentable — proved too cumbersome, they did a bit of research and made the switch to audio podcasts. That was a year ago.
“It just sort of took off,” he says, with a consistent listenership that really increased last fall.
“It’s definitely the best way to get our message across to people, and to encourage marriages,” Rusty says. The Bryants aren’t licensed counselors — a detail they point out early in podcasts. He has a seminary degree and is a licensed minister, and Heather is seeking certification in biblical counseling. Their approachable personalities, easy rapport and candor have likely been the real key for engaging listeners.
“It’s funny, because you go to school to learn things, and you do learn some things, but life teaches us way more than school ever could,” Rusty says. “We have a passion for marriages, especially marriages that may be struggling with things. We believe in marriages and God’s design for marriages.” Describing their own marriage as a redemption story, their goal is to share what they’ve learned to give others hope and help.
In their own marriage struggle and learning journey, there weren’t a lot of resources they could relate to, Rusty says.
“We had to really search for them.” After counseling, a marriage intensive and retreats, “we were able to pull a lot of those things together. It improved our marriage. At the same time, we knew we could be that resource we were looking for… for others.” They’re also working on additional resources, including a book.
The podcast reinforces and encourages their own marital relationship as they prepare topics to discuss and dive into them together.
“It strengthens our marriage, as well, because we’re being so intentional in growing our marriage,” Heather says.
Both are nearly lifelong Clintonians, graduates of Clinton High and Mississippi College. They’re very involved in the community and especially in Pinelake Church, where they lead worship and sing on the worship team.
Their podcast stats show a reach that’s surprised them.
“To me, it’s way more fascinating that it’s not just everybody right here in Mississippi,” Heather says. In-state downloads may only account for about twenty percent.
“At any given time, we can pull up stats for the month and see fifteen to twenty different countries and thirty-five to forty different states, which we love, because we never just wanted it to be just our friends and family that were listening to this,” Rusty says.
Listeners tell the Bryants they like the authenticity of the podcast. It’s real life.
“We laugh, we make mistakes, we get tickled,” Heather says. “Sometimes, we have to get up and let the dog out.”
“They know us. We’ve invited them into our story and into our lives,” Rusty says.
When folks reach out to them through social media channels, they respond.
“They can’t believe we answered. They’re blown away that we care enough to pray for them,” Heather says.
“Because of the responses we’ve gotten, we know without a shadow of a doubt — because people have told us — that our story and our experiences have helped to save their marriages,” Rusty says.
“Oftentimes, people almost are to the point of giving up on marriage,” Heather says. “They think they’re the only ones struggling, especially when social media just shows the highlight reel of everybody’s life and marriage. We’re just giving people hope to keep fighting and working hard and make their marriage better.”
The Bryants typically record new episodes each Sunday, and schedule them for a Monday morning release. Find The Redeemed Marriage podcast on various podcast platforms — Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and more. Episodes are also available on their website, www.TheRedeemedMarriage.com.
