Love, Business, and the Myth of Balance: Real Talk for Entrepreneur Couples

Since February is the “month of love,” I thought I would share some relationship tips.

I say “tips” and not “advice” because—full disclosure—I am not a therapist. In fact, sometimes I feel like the last person who should be giving marriage tips! But, I am married, I do have kids, and I do run a business.

I see so many people struggle with the concept of “work-life balance.” Honestly? I don’t even think balance is a thing. I once heard a quote that stuck with me forever: “There are no solutions, just trade-offs.”

Relationships are probably one of the hardest lines to toe while being an entrepreneur.

In reality, I have no idea how to build a perfect marriage while running a successful business. But I do know what has helped me. Remember, I am not you, so this may not be the same for you, but here are the trade-offs and guardrails that keep my world spinning.

The Tip: I try to step away from technology from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM to be with my spouse. If I can reserve that specific window for us, then I can work before or after that block guilt-free.

3. Connection (Big and Small)

We often think romance requires grand gestures, but for us, it’s a mix of the big and the mundane.

  • The Big: We try to do one big couple trip each year where we unplug—just me and him. We also aim for date night once a month. (It doesn’t happen every week, and that’s okay.)

  • The Small: We text throughout the day. If he calls and I don’t have a meeting, I take a break to answer.

  • The “Boring” Stuff: Can you do more little things together? Go to the grocery store, cook a meal, put the kids to bed, or just walk to the mailbox together. It doesn’t have to be big to be connecting.

 

The Tip: Focus on yourself. Being able to focus on our own selves and not try to control what the other person does (or doesn’t do) is powerful.

1. The “9-to-11” Rule

I LOVE to work in the evenings. Seriously, that is when I get my best work done. But I found that if I don’t set boundaries, work consumes everything.

The Tip: I try to step away from technology from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM to be with my spouse. If I can reserve that specific window for us, then I can work before or after that block guilt-free.

 

2. The “3-Night” Max

It takes a toll working five days a week and also being gone for dinner and bedtime five nights a week.

  • The Tip: I try to have a maximum of 2 to 3 work-related events out of the house per week. If I have multiple events popping up, I pick and choose to keep them within that limit so I’m not missing family dinner and bedtime every night.

 

The Tip: I try to have a maximum of 2 to 3 work-related events out of the house per week. If I have multiple events popping up, I pick and choose to keep them within that limit so I’m not missing family dinner and bedtime every night.

4. Work on You (Therapy Works!)

They say no one ever died from too much therapy. In fact, right now my husband and I are both in individual therapy.

  • The Tip: Focus on yourself. Being able to focus on our own selves and not try to control what the other person does (or doesn’t do) is powerful.

  • The Groups: In addition to therapy, I joined two very intentional personal development groups. Meeting other men and women who are intentionally working on themselves helps me release and shed old patterns, which makes me a better partner.

5. Bring Your Spouse into Your World

Sometimes we think we need to keep work at work, but your partner wants to know what excites you.

  • The Tip: Share your work accomplishments! Tell them what is going on in your business—even the small stuff. They care.

6. Let Go of “Should”

Probably the biggest thing I’ve learned is to let go of your expectations of what other entrepreneur couple relationships look like. You will be different from others, and that is a beautiful thing.

Let go of what your marriage “should” look like, and find out what actually works for you and your spouse.

Happy February!

The Anti-Autopilot Manifesto: Why My Business Grew When I Finally Left Town

Recently, I was gone for two weeks straight—the first week in Guatemala on a women’s trip and the second week in Mexico for a family vacation. And you know what happened? The sky didn’t fall. It expanded.

In fact, while I was hiking and sipping drinks (non-alcoholic), six sales opportunities came through or got scheduled.

It got me wondering: How do we actually do this? As founders, how do we travel and keep the momentum moving but actually take the break that we desperately need (but let’s be honest, never really take, haha)? With Slovenia and Greece on my calendar for later this year, I realized I needed to figure this out. I want my business to grow because I stepped away, not just survive in spite of it. 

 

Phot

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Note: This blog post is focused on women’s trips and/or solo traveling. Family trips are a whole different story that requires a completely separate blog post! 

I recently stumbled across a philosophy from Psychology Focus that explained exactly why I feel so stagnated when I stay home too long, and it hit me hard. The concept is simple: Familiar environments keep the brain running on autopilot.

When we stare at the same walls, drive the same routes, and see the same faces, our brains stop actively processing. We just repeat old patterns and run the same loops. But the moment we step into a new place, the brain is forced into “active attention.” It releases dopamine and builds new neural pathways.

I felt this shift physically. That problem that felt overwhelming at home? It shrank when I viewed it from a distance. Rumination lost its fuel because the environmental triggers just weren’t there. It made me realize that the “vacation version” of me isn’t a fantasy—it’s just what happens when my brain finally wakes up and discovers the parts of myself that routine suppresses.

But, I’m still a business owner. I couldn’t just disappear into the ether. We are currently in founder-led sales, so I had to find a way to stay connected without getting sucked back into the daily grind.

My approach was all about “transit time.” On the women’s trip, we moved around a lot. So, instead of being glued to my phone during events or dinners, I utilized those 2- to 3-hour bus rides or walks between destinations to check in. I bought an international plan to keep tabs, but I set a hard boundary: I generally didn’t respond to anything unless it was sales-related.

I also had to learn the art of “releasing.” If I popped into my inbox and saw something hard had happened in the middle of the day, I made a conscious choice to let it go and save it for the evening. Ruining my afternoon wasn’t going to fix the problem. Instead of a constant stream of texts, I had my business partner send me one daily wrap-up. I only needed to know the absolute most important things from the exec team, not every single, small detail.

And honestly? I applied that same boundary to my personal life. This might sound controversial, but I didn’t do a lot of check-ins with my spouse and kids while I was on the solo leg of the trip—maybe a few times a day, but usually not at all. If you are a mom and an entrepreneur, you know that mental space away from “home management” is healing. It is so important to reclaim that part of yourself.

I spent a lot of that time journaling, capturing the life lessons my mind was finally clear enough to learn. I realized that you don’t need to go far; any break from sameness wakes the brain up.

So, if you’re waiting for the “perfect time” to leave, stop. Your business—and your brain—needs you to break the autopilot. Have an abundance mindset and trust that just because you take a break, it doesn’t mean your business will too.

Enjoy some lovely photos and images from Driftwoods Photography of my trip to Guatemala. And special thanks to my dear friend Christina McEvoy with Macs Explore for a life changing experience.

How to Turn Your Valentine’s Day Pitch into a NYT-Worthy Story

Valentine’s Day is one of the noisiest times of the year for the media. Every florist, chocolatier, and jewelry brand is clamoring for attention. So how do you cut through the noise and land a placement in a publication as prestigious as The New York Times?

The secret isn’t just sharing a great product; it’s about shifting your mindset from selling to collaborating.

To illustrate how collaborating is different from selling in a publicist + journalist relationship, let’s analyze a successful pitch sent to Aimee, a reporter at The New York Times, regarding the rising popularity of tulips. We’ll break down exactly what makes a pitch “print-worthy”… hint… it’s not the pitch alone.

Make it stand outWhatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

1. Don’t Just Pitch a Product; Pitch a Trend

Journalists are rarely looking for a commercial for your product; they are looking for a story. In the successful NYT pitch, the angle wasn’t “Buy Andrew’s Farm Tulips.” It was a broader economic and cultural narrative: “Tulips are becoming more popular and roses less.”

Our media pitch example provided a compelling why: Roses are not perennials, are expensive due to overseas shipping, and are subject to tariffs. In contrast, “Tulips thrive here in the U.S. and avoid tariffs.”

The Lesson: As noted in standard pitch templates, you must explain how the product will shift mindsets or change habits. Don’t tell them what you sell; tell them how the market is changing.

2. Bring the Receipts. Data is King!

A story without data is just an opinion. The NYT pitch didn’t just claim tulips were popular; it provided a treasure trove of evidence. The email included:

  • Links to Statista showing the quantity of tulips sold vs. roses.
  • Articles from Better Homes & Gardens and The Independent confirming the trend.
  • Specific cultural context, such as the meaning of flower colors (e.g., Red tulips represent true love).

The Lesson: Pitch templates emphasize that journalists want facts and rely on them to write stories. You should always include data points, sales numbers, or active user stats to validate that your topic is worth talking about.

3. Serve the Sources on a Silver Platter

Journalists are on tight deadlines. The easier you make their job, the more likely they are to feature you. In the NYT example, the pitcher didn’t just offer their own client. They provided contact information for third-party industry heavyweights:

  • Allan Visser: A major bulb grower and broker in Holland
  • Ibo Gülsen: The chairman of the World Tulip Society

The Lesson: When proposing an interview, you must clearly specify WHO is available and WHY is this person an expert, highlighting their accolades and roles. By providing a mix of sources and subject-matter experts, you position yourself as a resource, not just a salesperson.

4. Master the Timing

The NYT pitch ends with a warm sign-off: “I hope that helps!! Thanks Aimee!”. But even the friendliest email will fail if sent at the wrong time.

The Lesson: For holiday-specific pitches like Valentine’s Day, timing is critical. Standard advice suggests that any time before September is too soon, and a week before the holiday is WAY too late. You need to hit that sweet spot where editors are actively planning their holiday coverage to give your pitch news value.

Summary

The difference between a deleted email and a feature story often comes down to utility. The note to Aimee wasn’t a demand for coverage; it was a “collaboration.” By combining a strong trend (roses out, tulips in), hard data, and accessible experts, the pitch gave the journalist everything she needed to write the story.

This Valentine’s Day, don’t just send a press release. Send a story package. And you just might help form this year’s Valentine’s Story in the New York Times.