— Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love for No Reason
Mari Frank, an attorney mediator, and I combine our seventy years of professional experience to help couples fight for love. Mari uses collaborative mediation strategies to show couples how to transform hostile behavior and peacefully resolve conflict from the outside in. I use engaging therapeutic tools to alter thoughts and beliefs to help clients heal conflict from the inside out. Together we enlighten and entertain readers with stories, insights, strategies, and exercises to empower couples to successfully fight for love, heal wounds, reignite relationships, and embrace greater intimacy.
“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, 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.
“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.
“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.” — Dr. Lee Jampolsky, psychologist and bestselling author of Smile for No Good Reason.
“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.
“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 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.