Why Meghan Trainor and Daryl Sabara Started Marriage Counseling From Day One
Meghan Trainor turns therapy into tracks: heavy counseling—including marriage sessions—shaped her new album Toy With Me, and she wrote the song Potential right after a couples appointment, she reveals in Us Weekly’s latest cover story.
Meghan Trainor is doing what a lot of celebrities dodge: she’s talking clearly about therapy, marriage counseling, and how all of it bled straight into her new music. It’s refreshingly candid, a little messy, and honestly, useful.
Therapy, but make it creative fuel
In a new Us Weekly cover story, Trainor, 32, says she was in heavy therapy and actively doing marriage counseling while making her album 'Toy With Me.' One track, 'Potential,' came right out of a counseling session. She’s all-in on the process now and pretty openly recommends it to anyone who will listen.
The big realization for her and husband Daryl Sabara: when you have little kids in that chaotic one-to-five window, your relationship can get sidelined fast. They kept reminding themselves they were on the same team — they just weren’t always playing like it.
Before baby No. 3, things got rough
Trainor says the emotional strain really kicked in before they welcomed their third child. She and Sabara (he’s 33) were getting into tiny arguments that felt huge because they were, as she puts it, living in totally different realities. They’d literally stop mid-fight and admit they weren’t even arguing about the same thing. Counseling became non-negotiable.
On January 18, they welcomed daughter Mikey Moon via surrogate — yes, that name is delightful and unexpected — joining sons Riley, 5, and Barry, 2. The couple’s been married since December 2018.
From ‘marriage is easy’ to ‘ok, never mind’
Trainor admits they used to roll their eyes at people who said marriage is hard. Then the kids arrived and suddenly every tiny choice felt like a joint decision with stakes. Their counselor told them that if they stuck with it and broke through, the love on the other side would be next-level. She says that’s exactly what happened: less bickering, more support, and a weirdly accurate read on each other’s thoughts.
'We never go to bed upset, and we always talk it out. Communication is key. If you hold stuff in, it turns into resentment — and resentment will kill a relationship.'
Career clock: album and tour incoming
Because she’s not exactly slowing down, Trainor is dropping 'Toy With Me' on Friday, April 24, and hitting the road for her Get In Girl Tour starting June 12. It’s a stacked schedule, but she says the rules at home don’t change: talk it out, don’t let things fester, and keep the team first.
- Married: Meghan Trainor and Daryl Sabara, December 2018
- Kids: Riley (5), Barry (2), and daughter Mikey Moon (welcomed via surrogate on January 18)
- Album: 'Toy With Me' arrives Friday, April 24; 'Potential' was written right after a marriage therapy session
- Tour: Get In Girl Tour launches June 12
- Ages: Trainor is 32; Sabara is 33
- Big takeaway: counseling moved them from constant micro-arguments to what she calls their strongest version yet