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

Building Running Ahrens: Stories of Learning, Laughter, and Legacy

We didn’t start Running Ahrens because we had it all figured out. We started it because we didn’t.

After more than 30 years of marriage, four kids, a few businesses, countless failures, some really beautiful wins, and an ongoing effort to be decent humans, we realized we had some stories to tell. Not because they’re perfect stories, but because they’re real ones.

For over 20 years, we did nearly everything together—raising kids, building a life, and running Rule29. But a few years ago, we entered a new chapter. Justin continued with Rule29, and Sarah stepped into new roles outside of it. For the first time in decades, we weren’t creating something together professionally and we missed it.

That’s part of why we started Running Ahrens. We wanted to make space for something we could build side by side again.

We also created it because this is the kind of content we would’ve loved to hear years ago. When we were navigating early marriage, launching a business with a newborn at home, and learning, usually the hard way, how to hold onto each other through the chaos.

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This isn’t a show about being experts. We’re not. But we are experienced and we’re willing to talk about what went well and what absolutely didn’t.

What we’re trying to do here is create something meaningful:

• Something that makes you laugh and think.

• Something that gives you a little courage to have those hard conversations.

• Something that reminds you you’re not the only one figuring it out as you go.

We want Running Ahrens to be a safe and comfortable space to explore hard topics without judgment, just openness. We want to have the kinds of conversations that stretch you, encourage you, and make you feel seen.

That means interviews with people who’ve mentored us, inspired us, challenged us, and made us laugh until we cried. It means sharing the ideas, books, and stories that have changed the way we live and love. It means showing up as ourselves, different in so many ways, but deeply committed to the life we’ve built together.

This podcast is for anyone trying to stay in it for the long game. Whether that’s in marriage, parenting, faith, business, or just becoming more of who you’re meant to be.

We’re glad you’re here. Let’s keep running.

—Justin & Sarah