Kristen Bell and husband Dax Shepard seem like one of the golden couples of Hollywood, happily sharing moments from their marriage with fans and waging a very public fight for their rights as parents. Now, they’re giving advice about what it takes to keep a marriage strong, and Bell says it starts with something that’s normally taboo.

“You do better in the gym with a trainer; you don’t figure out how to cook without reading a recipe. Therapy is not something to be embarrassed about,” Bell said.

“I noticed an actor and her husband on a recent cover of a celebrity tabloid that said “In Couples’ Therapy!” The clear message is, ‘Oh, their marriage is ending.’ There’s such a negative connotation. In my previous relationship, we went to couples therapy at the end, and that’s often too late. You can’t go after nine years and start figuring out what patterns you’re in,” Shepard added.

The couple have enjoyed quite a bit of success in recent months, with Bell voicing Anna in the megahit animated film Frozen, and in the midst of it all, they had their second child. Shepard sat down with Ellen DeGeneres in January to talk about the 33-hour labor and how they both survived the C-section.

“She got an epidural at like hour 14… and I think dads need something. I deserved something. Because I was along for the ride…so, there’s a sheet and then they go, ‘The baby’s here!’ And then you peak around the sheet and they’re lifting out the baby, but then you notice your wife is completely disassembled. I can see inside of her. I was like, ‘It’s a girl! Your liver’s out, I think. And then those are definitely your intestines,'” Shepard said.