Last week, I shared a little bit about my relationship with my husband, Anthony, and why I believe the person standing beside you can have such a profound impact on the direction of your life.
This week, our podcast episode is officially out and after sitting down together and having this conversation, one thing stood out to me more than anything else: The right partner won’t always make you comfortable. Sometimes, they’re the person who makes you uncomfortable enough to grow.
When people hear the words “supportive partner,” I think we naturally picture someone cheering us on. Someone telling us they’re proud of us. Someone standing beside us when things get hard.
And yes, Anthony has absolutely been that person for me. But he’s also been the person who has looked at me when I’ve said, “I don’t think I can do this,” and essentially responded, “Yes, you can.” That’s a very different kind of support.
Over the last six years, there have been countless times when I’ve wanted to stay exactly where I was because staying there felt safe. Opening another Lift & Glitz location wasn’t comfortable. Restructuring my business wasn’t comfortable. Taking the steps toward franchising certainly wasn’t comfortable.
And Anthony has been behind the scenes for so many of those moments asking questions, challenging my thinking and sometimes pushing me toward decisions I wasn’t sure I was ready to make. But here’s something important: He didn’t do those things for me.
I still had to take the risk.I still had to sign the papers. I still had to walk through the door. I still had to do the work. A supportive partner isn’t someone who builds your life for you. They’re someone who reminds you that you’re capable of building it yourself. And that was one of my favorite realizations from recording this episode.
Our conversation also went far beyond business. We talked about meeting on Facebook during COVID, falling in love quickly, blending our families and navigating a relationship while I was still healing from a very difficult chapter in my life.
Our relationship hasn’t been without challenges. No real relationship is. But we’ve learned how important it is to have someone beside you who doesn’t just love who you are today—they also believe in who you’re capable of becoming.
People sometimes call us a “power couple,” and I’ve thought a lot about what that actually means. I don’t think it means having the perfect marriage, successful careers, a certain lifestyle or two people constantly accomplishing big things.
For us, it’s much simpler. I have someone in my corner who challenges me. And I hope I do the same for him.
We push each other. We talk about goals. We continue learning. We encourage our kids to work hard and dream bigger. And when one of us starts doubting ourselves, the other is usually there to remind us why we started. Sometimes support sounds like, “I’m proud of you.”
But sometimes it sounds like: “Stop being afraid. You’re ready.” And maybe that’s the kind of support we all need a little more of.
Our full conversation is now available on the Lift & Glitz Podcast, where Anthony and I share much more about our story, our family, the challenges we’ve faced and what we’ve learned about building a life together.
Because maybe being a “power couple” isn’t about two powerful people. Maybe it’s about two people who continually help each other become more powerful.
Rachel King is the founder and CEO of Lift & Glitz Training Studio, a women-only fitness community with locations in Northfield and Galloway, New Jersey, and the host of the Lift & Glitz Podcast: Lift Your Strength. Glitz Your Life.
