My partner Alix and I do a lot together – we live together, we parent together, we dine together, we go out together, we stay in together, we laugh and cry and talk and create together. And, oh yeah, we work together.
Based on the stories carefully curated for all of us to consume on Instagram and Facebook, you’d think partners going into business together is #couplegoals. Just like carefully chosen stories for the magazine, a social media presence is more often about creating perception rather than telling true stories.
What about life off of the screen? Behind the scenes of anyone’s life, there’s so much more than a staged shot of supposed morning coffee and avocado toast.
There are millions of moments of quiet, boredom, tension, hunger, crankiness, jokes, laughter, naps, existential panic, financial concern, grief, dirty dishes, gymnastics, dance, sickness, loneliness, and you get it.
One night I thought we might not make it if we kept working together.
We had hit a wall in communicating about a project and all could feel the tension throughout the house. Even the dogs knew to lay low and cease from begging for space on the couch.
We had to learn to check our expectations and reassess what kind of “time” we gave the most attention.
We wondered if we had taken some time apart, as people always suggest. But even as we said it, intuitively, that answer felt wrong.
When we dug into to the real root of the tension, we were actually hungrier than ever for time together – but of higher quality. We craved unplanned moments of cuddling, passionate sex, spontaneous decisions to go to random places, nights of skin-to-skin touch, and delightfully painful belly laughter. Responsibilities had taken over.
So we chose quality time. You really have to choose to, like really consciously pay attention and make the choice. Magic in any relationship and partnership takes participation.
And, at work, more connected from quality time, we focused on respecting each other’s strengths rather than expecting the other person to think the same way and to move at the same pace.
We both bring something different – and that’s what offers even more value to our clients. Checking our expectations and valuing each other’s individuality is a huge part of how we learn to care for each other, give more grace, and create pretty amazing work together.
Bio
Sarah consults & mentors new health coaches and educators. She has a way with words and listening to what clients are trying to communicate about what they do, as coaches and helps them put together the words they’ve been seeking all along. Communicating, speaking, and curriculum creation are her beloved specialties. She will also help set up the technology required to take their message online from website creation to walking clients through all the steps.
Alix is the go-to person when clients don’t have the time to tackle all of the images they want to create for websites, social media, and other marketing materials. She picks up on who someone is very quickly and work with clients to make sure what they get truly reflects who they are and what they’re trying to communicate.