Ep 3: Some Lessons from 31 Years of Marriage and Business

31 years. That’s how long Sarah and I have been figuring out how to build a life together—raising four kids, starting businesses, navigating the beautiful messiness of real life. Some days, we feel like we’re just getting started.

We’ve learned a lot. But if there’s one thing that stands out, it’s this: It’s not about never falling—it’s about learning how to fall together, get back up, and keep running.

Early on, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. We were young, broke, and didn’t have a roadmap. But we had each other, and the belief that we could figure it out as a team.

Today, 31 years later, we’re still learning.
We’re learning that respect and trust are the roots that keep everything steady.
That laughter is a lifeline.
That what matters isn’t how polished your story looks, it’s how you show up, especially when it’s messy.

Here’s what I’m taking with me:

✅ Team thinking matters. The biggest storms we’ve faced? We got through them by leaning into “we” instead of “me.”
✅ Check-ins are everything. Our yearly weekend away has saved us more times than we can count. It’s not magic—it’s showing up, listening, and naming the hard stuff.
✅ Change starts with you. The most powerful shifts in our marriage have come when I stopped trying to fix Sarah—and started looking at myself.
✅ There’s always room for laughter. Even when it’s hard. Maybe especially then.

We’re sharing this not because we have it all figured out—but because we believe there’s power in honest conversations. In sharing what we’ve learned, so others know they’re not alone.

So if you’re in the thick of building something—be it a marriage, a business, or just your own life, I hope this encourages you to keep going. To keep showing up, even when you’re not sure how.

Because it’s not about being perfect.
It’s about staying in it.
Together.

Let’s keep running,

Justin