Ep# 064: Juggling Marriage + Business with Marriage is Funny Hosts Jessie + Gerard

If you’re catching this one in real time, it is Valentine's week and it's coming in hot! I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about all things love. We're going deep and talking specifically about how to pursue your purpose and calling in business while maintaining a strong relationship with your spouse or your significant other.

Sometimes it can feel like a tall order to manage it all. It's way too easy to put the people that we love most on the back burner because we take for granted the fact that we think they're always going to be there.

Gerard and Jessie, the married hosts of the Marriage is Funny podcast, came on the show and were totally open and honest with us. The realness of these two make it really easy to see that it's truly not about having the perfect relationship, it’s about finding ways to prioritize our relationships while we're navigating other parts of our life.

Topics We Discuss:

The trouble with being partners in both business and life

“I'm going to be your husband. I'm not going to be your business consultant any longer. I can't do it. It's too much pressure on us.”

Why it’s so easy to take our spouse for granted when we are building a dream + how to flip the script and keep our relationship at the center without giving up on our pursuit

“It was the easiest thing for me to take for granted because in my mind it was like, well, he's locked in.”

“Sometimes we talk about our marriage is having three parts. There's Gerard as an individual, Jessie as an individual and then the connection between us is almost like it’s own thing. Each of those three things are so important and if we're not continuing to build those things up and pay attention to the health of those three entities, then we’re more likely to have breakdown moments.”

How our views on divorce affect how we handle hard times in our marriage

“We've been through some dark times in our marriage, we've had hard times connecting, and many times are amazing. But with divorce not being on the table, I think it can be a little easier to get into that comfort zone because you're like, ‘Well we’re together for life.’”

When one partner is an entrepreneur, but the other is not

“Maybe you're pursuing entrepreneurship but your partner’s not in that space. And that can create a gap too. That happened with Michael and I...He would come home at the end of the day and I would be like, ‘Okay, great, I’ve got to go work now.’ And it was like, ‘Wait a minute, when is there time for us?’ The biggest thing for us became communication.”

Tactics and strategies we can use to ensure our relationship stays at the forefront

-Set firm boundaries + clear expectations

-Communicate often

-Work on shared projects together

Prioritizing your relationship

-”Glow” together

-Don’t give each other your leftovers

-Put your partner in your calendar

Your marriage is a skill, not a status

Relationships require work and constant effort, but they are beautiful and you will reap the rewards of your effort.

Vulnerability leads to Intimacy

“Some of the times where we've had the most connected marriage is when one of us is really having a hard time and has the courage to be vulnerable and share their heart.”

The power of community

“We've also found that when we're vulnerable with others and tell them, ‘Hey, this is something we're working through,’ or, ‘We need your advice.” Being vulnerable in that sense actually helps free us up to be carried, and it also just strengthens relationships around us...These friendships can act as a life factor for our marriage.”

Sharing your “inner world” will lead to fewer misunderstandings

“One of the things that has really been a powerful shift for us is understanding that your partner’s inner world is precious and meaningful terrain to understand, just the same way your own inner world is important. We try to be really intentional about sharing with each other.”