Love Intently Podcast with Sophie Kwok

Many of our Love Intently couples’ stories begin in adolescence, and we love our high school sweetheart couples, but Bree and Carlos bring a whole new love story to the table--the farmhouse kitchen table, to be exact. Our latest guest couple moved in together after only two weeks of knowing each other. Yes, two weeks! They barely had any possessions and even slept on an air mattress for quite some time. Bree and Carlos take us on their journey from two shots at a sports bar, to having nothing but a few bags of clothes, all the way to building multiple successful family-run business, where their mission is to empower others and bring families together through design and style, including 2310 Routh Street, Lavender Mind Designs, the Curated project, and the Iman Project.Together they are quite the powerhouse couple. Bree has also spoken on many stages over the years including TedX.In this episode, Sophie, Bree, and Carlos discuss:-How they each knew after only two weeks of knowing each other that this one was different “We really confided in each other- it was such a safe haven for both of us” -Bree-How they went from having nothing but their clothes and an air mattress to having a beautiful family and successful businesses When we first got together, we didn’t have anything at all. We built everything that we have as one, with each other." -Carlos-The inspiration and purpose behind their family lifestyle brand and design business “We want to give everybody opportunities that we never had. Everything we do with our brands and our business, that’s always the forefront” -Bree-The hard season of their marriage that arose as a result of skipping the dating phase and how they got through it “We ended up going to counseling. There was a lot of stuff. We couldn’t hear each other because we didn’t talk about things. We started from scratch.” - Bree-Why it’s important to fall in love with you first and know who you are “Learning how to love yourself and knowing who you are is a big thing. You can’t love somebody if you don’t love yourself.” -Carlos-Advice for married couples in business together "If you promise each other you’re not going to go to bed angry at each other, it’s going to be a better day the next day.” -CarlosTo learn more about Bree and Carlos' businesses, check out: https://www.theimanproject.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theimanproject/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/2310RouthStreet/ https://www.instagram.com/2310routhstreet/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/lavendermintdesigns/Shownotes https://loveintently.com/blog/bree-and-carlos

Listen with caution: This podcast is packed with so much motivation and lessons for entrepreneurship-prone couples, your entrepreneurial spirit may be awakened and you will truly believe you can do anything together. You’ve been warned.Three-time college football record breaker, entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Kaymon Farmer always had a knack for motivating others to be the best version of themselves and to bring communities and people together. What he didn’t have so much experience in was being in a committed relationship:“I was crying in the shower that night...it was showing me how tough it really is to be in a relationship, be able to trust someone, be able to love someone, and just continue on. We had to grow up really fast and stick to our commitment.” - KaymonEdith Farmer never had trouble communicating what she needs in a relationship, and decided, after seeing Kaymon mature over several years, to take a chance on him. But she wasn’t prepared for how much her trust would be tested due to dating someone who is often in the limelight of the college football world and crushed on by many women:“That was probably one of the worst things that happened in our relationship..at first I didn’t handle it that well, but I knew I had to change my ways to where I knew if I wanted things to work out I had to adjust myself.” - EdithThe now happily married couple is so grateful that she took the chance, and so are the many other couples whose marriages have been enhanced thanks to Kaymon and Edith’s joint venture, Double Amor. Double Amor is a social platform that connects married couples who want to strengthen their marriages by surrounding themselves with other strong married couples, leading to stronger families, and ultimately stronger communities around the world.In this episode, Kaymon and Edith uncover what it takes to become your greatest self (hint: you’ve got work to do, but it’s worth it!), share intimate moments where they grew together as a couple, and provide invaluable advice for couples who are thinking about going into business together. Everything these two amazing people do is about giving value to others and giving love back to those who support them.“I feel like we overcame a lot. We handled it. And we never broke” - KaymonTo learn more about Kaymon and Edith's start-up, check out: https://doubleamor.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/doubleamor/ https://www.instagram.com/doubleamor/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/400470817078861/ https://twitter.com/doubleamorKaymon's book, #AnotherDayofGREATNESS:  https://www.amazon.com/AnotherDayofGREATNESS-Mr-Kaymon-Farmer/dp/1717401813Show Notes:https://loveintently.com/blog/double-amor

Tiffany and Joseph Kong are a true model of married couple #goals for so many people. Together they create content and resources to help thousands of other couples through their marriage journeys, available on their blog, Discovering We. What started out as a private way for Tiffany to document her learnings and growth on her own marriage journey, turned into an amazing resource for young married couples who are feeling stuck, looking to connect, and need practical tips to deepen their marriage.Head to their website discoveringwe.com to check out the Organized Wife Binder Bundle, a downloadable PDF with 14 different templates to help you stay organized and intentional in your life and marriage. Included are templates for things like date nights, vacation planning, financial planning, meal planning, and more.In this episode of Love Intently, you will get to hear in detail the journey of growth for a couple who was long distance for five years, who describe themselves as total opposites, and who went through the heartbreak of a miscarriage."Even though you go through something like a miscarriage, you will overcome it and there are other blessings coming your way, even if it may not be a child." -Tiffany"While we were dating I wish I knew how to cope with her feelings. I wouldn't know how to handle it if she came home crying. I had to learn I need to be a supporter, a shoulder for her to cry on." -Joseph"We had to realize early on that we're not each other's enemies. We're here to support, encourage and love each other so we can bring out the best in each other" -Tiffany"Love Intently means we're doing things for each other so we can grow our marriage for the future." -JosephResources: https://discoveringwe.com/ https://www.instagram.com/discoveringwe/www.loveintently.com/blog/discovering-we 

On this episode, Jen and Jonathan Lewis share how they make both work and love work! They just had their first baby girl, who is the most precious sweet angel. They are frank with the evolution of their relationship as they have pursued making an impact and entrepreneurship. They have the relationship they have and do the work they love because... they have because they’ve worked on it not because it just came to them quickly. That’s what we find to be most true, it isn’t just happily ever after. It's let’s choose to make this happily ever after every day, which they do and share wisdom nuggets of the "how" behind it all.Jen is the founder of Purse & Clutch a socially conscious handbag brand working to break the cycle of poverty by connecting you to talented artisans in Guatemala, Mexico & Ethiopia. Their mission is to help support sustainable, long-term employment for men & women with limited opportunities. They know the names of the men & the women who are making their handbags. Their commitment to ethical fashion starts at the very beginning of the process & ends with you carrying the most beautiful bag in the room.Jonathan is the director at ThinkTiv, he also teaches at Austin Center for Design, where Sophie went to graduate school and also where Love Intently was birthed. Go back to episode one for all the details about that.https://www.purseandclutch.com/ https://www.instagram.com/purseandclutch/?hl=en https://thinktiv.comShownotes link: www.loveintently.com/blog/jen-and-jonathan-lewis

Marci Gleason is an associate professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas. She has been in the field for over a decade and shares her insights and learnings with us today.This episode we discuss the data and psychology behind the science and art of relationships. She breaks down her work with social support and what is actually helpful versus hurtful. She shares her personal insights around relationships and her learnings through her research over the last ten years. Link to shownotes: www.loveintently.com/blog/marci-gleason

On this episode, Matt and Steph, share their journey together and how they’ve stayed intentional through the startup life and an acquisition. Matt is a classic serial entrepreneur. He’s had a few successes including an acquisition in his last as well as some failures, including a dating app called date while you wait. Matt is currently the founder of two startups, Optie and Arramu.Arammu is preventative maintenance for your personal and professional relationships. They believe in treating your relationships like you treat your body, with annual check-ups. Couples who have participated report higher levels of relationship satisfaction, intimacy, and healthy communication... with lower levels of conflict, divorce, and depression. Arammu has been featured on Rachel Ray, CNN, New York Times, and Oprah Magazine.Optie started as a frustration with ESPN's app has grown into a full-fledged AI based marketing platform helping companies build robust, smart profiles for their customers and better target them.Steph is currently in real estate, if anyone needs an agent to help find a home in Boston she’s your person. Additionally, on this episode, she bravely and openly shared her journey with ADHD and depression, and they share practicals on how to best support each other through these bumps in the road.Speaking of Arammu, we are partnering together to giving away one relationship check up to one of our lucky listeners. To find the details of our giveaway go to our Instagram and find the podcast release graphic of this episode for details to enter. You must follow both @relationshipcheckup and @love.intently to qualify. This has a $200 value we will announce giveaway winners in one week from the podcast release!https://www.instagram.com/relationshipcheckup/ For giveaway details go to www.instagram.com/love.intently and find the podcast release post for this episode.Be sure to follow both accounts to qualify! https://www.instagram.com/relationshipcheckup/https://arammu.com http://optieapp.comwww.loveintently.com/blog/arammu

Parham met Jen during grad school and were friends for quite a bit of time before they ever dated. Let’s just say he knew way before she did that he was going to marry her. Jen played a critical role in the growth of their company which enables them to be acquired eventually.Parham is a seasoned entrepreneur and author of perfect pain, Where he shares his journey of pursuing the American dream. After fleeing Iran as a child, he had built the perfect life for himself: a multi-million-dollar business, his dream home, a loving wife, and three beautiful children all while nursing a secret $2000 cocaine addiction.Eventually, his wife finds out, and Parham commits to seeking help. What follows is the hopeful memoir of a man searching to find his most authentic self. Perfect Pain is the story of becoming reacquainted with yourself when your childhood is smeared by trauma, of being willing to open the darkest doors and look inside, of the joy that comes when you recognize that nothing was enough, but you are enough.On this episode, Parham discusses his journey of overcoming his cocaine addiction, depression, and recovery all while being a successful entrepreneur and father. Jen shares her side of the story of keeping a multi-million dollar business afloat while raising their beautiful children and supporting Parham through his recovery journey.www.loveintently.com/blog/parham-parastaran-and-jen

Harris and Kate, are most known through their work as an illusionist, the Story conference and Istoria a collective of artists, producers, and storytellers who create and execute transformational experiences for some of the worlds biggest brands, including Chik-fil-a, Pinterest, International Justice Mission and the GRAMMY’s.They fell in love as teens, when Harris was already a full time traveling illusionist. Since then, they have traveled to hundreds of cities, creating transformational experiences through magic. From the start of their marriage, they had to learn really quickly how to navigate traveling full time together, being a team in both life and work. They shared gems of knowledge of their previous seasons, and how they are approaching the current season, they transition their business for less travel and to allow for more time with their kids.For more information on their incredible conference and community for creatives go to storygatherings.com.Shownotes Link: www.loveintently.com/blog/harrisiii-and-kate

This episode we share our full interviews with each couple from the #LOVEAGREATSTORY collaboration with Live a Great Story.First, we have Taylor and Jared, Taylor is a phenomenal lifestyle design coach and business consultant - she really is so good at what she does. And Jared is the marketing director for a financial media company. They tried their hardest to keep things light and casual ... but in reality, they fell pretty hard for each other instantly.Morgan and Jeremy met at the gym but quickly started dating shortly after. They always dreamt of opening their own franchise and are now both the owners of Tru Fusion South Austin which opens in March!!Shruthi and Hank who was on episode 11 of our podcast. Shruthi is a uber talented writer, content creator, blogger and influencer and Hank is an architect. Their interview will have you rolling laughing and leave you with practical tips on conflict resolution.Lastly, we have CJ and Erin, who was on episode 22 on The Love Intently podcast. Both have overcome adversity between losing Erin's father unexpectedly and autoimmune disease. However, through their story, together inspire and empower entrepreneurs and our wellness and fitness journeys.It was a blast sharing these stories. They are some of our most cherished couples in our community. Special thank you to each one of these couples who took their time to share their love story with us.Links to more on the couples found in show notes: https://loveintently.com/blog/love-a-great-story/2019/1/24Shop the limited edition Love A Great Story Collection at www.liveagreatstory.com/pages/love

BT and Brett were "late bloomers" in the dating game. BT and Brett grew up knowing they were attracted to the same sex at a very young age. However, coming from a conservative Christian background, they believed their whole life that they would never have the opportunity to be married. On this episode, they share their journey to swiping right on each other (on Tinder) to where they are now.You might know BT as Brett Trapp from Blue Babies Pink both a written series and podcast on his southern coming out story. Since releasing this series, he has had 1 million downloads to date. Since then he swiped right on his now Husband, Brett. Yes, they had the same first name, when they got married BT decided to change his name and to take on his husband's last name, Harman.Currently, BT is a Freelance Creative Strategist, and Brett is a producer at CNN. This episode they dive into navigating the online dating world for the first time in their adult life and their journey to finding each other.Links https://btharman.com/about https://www.instagram.com/bt_harman/ https://bluebabiespink.com htpps://loveintently.com/blog/online-dating-sucks-until-it-doesnt-with-brett-bt-harmanLink to shownotes: htpps://loveintently.com/blog/online-dating-sucks-until-it-doesnt-with-brett-bt-harman